Prevalence of Fatty Pancreas and its relation with anthropometric values on the Growth and Obesity Cohort Study.

Objective: Nonalcoholic Fatty Pancreas Disease (NAFPD) is characterized by excessive lipid accumulation within the pancreas in the absence of alcohol intake, potentially leading to pancreatic dysfunction and metabolic complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, acute and chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic carcinoma. The authors aim to estimate the prevalence of NAFPD and its association with anthropometric parameters in a cohort of Chilean adolescents.

Method: The authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the "Growth and Obesity Chilean Cohort Study" (GOCS), a longitudinal study involving nearly 1000 children, followed yearly since 2006.

Lessons from community engagement to improve COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Background: Community engagement is recognized as a vital component of health-related research and programs, particularly during infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics. Despite the importance of engaging communities in the response to COVID-19, relatively little research has examined how this was (or was not) achieved, and even less in low- and middle-income countries. This article describes the community engagement that accompanied efforts to strengthen COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment as part of the ECO Project in Cochabamba, Bolivia and highlights lessons for future pandemic response.

Individualized dose of anti-thymocyte globulin based on weight and pre-transplantation lymphocyte counts in pediatric patients: a single center experience.

Anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) has become a standard in preventing GVHD in related and unrelated donor transplantation, but there is no consensus on the best administration schedule. The PARACHUTE trial reported excellent CD4 immune reconstitution (CD4 IR) using a dosing schedule based on the patient's weight and pre-conditioning absolute lymphocyte count (ALC). In 2015 we introduced the PARACHUTE dosing schedule for pediatric patients at our center.

Serotonin secretion by blood platelets: accuracy of high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical technique compared with the isotopic test and use in a clinical laboratory.

Background: Mild secretion defects are the most frequent and challenging blood platelet disorders to diagnose. Most δ-granule secretion tests lack validation, are not quantitative, or have unreliable response to weak platelet agonists.

Objectives: To compare platelet serotonin secretion by HPLC-electrochemical detection technique (HPLC-ECD) with the reference isotopic test (H-5-HT), evaluating its performance in clinical laboratories.

Factors influencing the implementation of shared decision-making in breast cancer care: protocol for a mixed-methods study.

Introduction: Chile is committed to actively involving patients in their healthcare. However, little is known about how this is translated into clinical encounters. Breast cancer (BC) is the first cause of cancer-related death in Chilean women.

Childhood Obesity and Plasma Micronutrient Deficit of Chilean Children between 4 and 14 Years Old.

Objective: To analyze the nutritional status and plasma levels of vitamins and minerals in a cohort of Chilean children between 4 and 14 years old from three cities in Chile (Santiago, Antofagasta, and Concepcion).

Design: This is a descriptive analysis of micronutrient levels in Chilean children as it relates to obesity and food consumption.

Setting: This study included 1235 children from schools in Santiago (central area), Antofagasta (northern area), and Concepcion (southern area) in Chile.

Reducing stigma toward mental illness and substance use issues in primary health care in Chile: Protocol of a cluster controlled trial study.

Background: Chile is implementing a Community Mental Health Model with a strong role of primary health care (PHC). PHC has great potential to early detection and provision of accessible and coordinated services to people who present mental illness and/or substance use issues (MISUI). However, stigma toward people with MISUI among PHC professionals is a significant barrier to accessing good quality of care.

Mortality in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants in South American NEOCOSUR Neonatal Network: timing and causes.

Introduction: Mortality in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) has remained at ~26% in the past 16 years in the NEOCOSUR Neonatal Network.

Objective: Mortality in very low birth weight infants (VLBWIs) has remained at ~26% in the past 16 years in the NEOCOSUR Neonatal Network.

Population And Methods: Observational, multicenter cohort study; retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively.

Neural tube defects prevalence does not increase after modification of the folic acid fortification program in Chile.

Background: In 2000, Chile's Ministry of Health mandated fortification of wheat flour with folic acid at a concentration of 2.2 mg/kg to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), resulting in a 50% reduction in NTD prevalence. Concerns about possible collateral effects of high folic acid intake led, in 2009, to decrease the folic acid fortification to 1.

Effect of music on pediatric endoscopic examinations: a randomized controlled trial.

 The primary objective was to measure the effect of music as an adjunct to sedation in patient anxiety levels during pediatric endoscopic examinations.  We performed a single-blind randomized controlled trial comparing music with no music in children aged 2 to 18 years. Anxiety was measured using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) and the Visual Analog Anxiety Scale (VAS-anxiety).

Early versus deferred anti-SARS-CoV-2 convalescent plasma in patients admitted for COVID-19: A randomized phase II clinical trial.

Background: Convalescent plasma (CP), despite limited evidence on its efficacy, is being widely used as a compassionate therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of early CP therapy in COVID-19 progression.

Methods And Findings: The study was an open-label, single-center randomized clinical trial performed in an academic medical center in Santiago, Chile, from May 10, 2020, to July 18, 2020, with final follow-up until August 17, 2020.

[Validation of the Informed Choice instrument for Chilean women facing a mammography decision in primary care].

Objective: To adapt and validate for the Chilean context the instrument Informed Choice (IC) to measure informed decision for mammography.

Location: Primary Health Care Center in southeast Santiago, Chile.

Design: Individual, transversal, analytical and psychometric adaptation and validation study.

[Urinary heavy metals and blood lead levels among residents of Antofagasta, Chile].

Background: The presence of toxic metals in human populations is strongly associated with chronic diseases.

Aim: To determine levels of lead, chromium, cadmium, mercury and inorganic arsenic (AsIn) in the general population aged over 5 years in Antofagasta, Chile.

Material And Methods: People living in Urban Antofagasta for at least five years were considered eligible.

Corticosteroids for Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Children: A Meta-analysis.

Context: Treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is focused on dietary, pharmacologic, and endoscopic therapy options. Within the pharmacologic alternatives, topical corticosteroids are the most used, and a large number of studies evaluating their effectiveness have been published, requiring a new summary of evidence.

Objective: To evaluate the histologic and clinical effectiveness of the use of corticosteroids in pediatric patients with a diagnosis of EoE.

Safety and immunogenicity evaluation of recombinant BCG vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is responsible for most respiratory tract infections and hospitalizations in infants and represents a significant economic burden for public health. The development of a safe, effective, and affordable vaccine is a priority for the WHO.

Methods: We conducted a double-blinded, escalating-dose phase 1 clinical trial in healthy males aged 18-50 years to evaluate safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of a recombinant BCG vaccine expressing the nucleoprotein of RSV (rBCG-N-hRSV).

Identifying hotspots of cardiometabolic outcomes based on a Bayesian approach: The example of Chile.

Background: There is a need to identify priority zones for cardiometabolic prevention. Disease mapping in countries with high heterogeneity in the geographic distribution of the population is challenging. Our goal was to map the cardiometabolic health and identify hotspots of disease using data from a national health survey.

Intake of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners in Chilean Children after Enforcement of a New Food Labeling Law that Regulates Added Sugar Content in Processed Foods.

After enforcement of a new food labeling law in 2016, Chile exhibits a greater offer to reduced sugar products with addition of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS). Many of these products are consumed by children, who are at greater risk of reaching the acceptable daily intake (ADI) of these food additives. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intake levels of NNS in Chilean schoolchildren after the enactment of the aforementioned law.

Trends in Perinatal Practices and Neonatal Outcomes of Very Low Birth Weight Infants during a 16-year Period at NEOCOSUR Centers.

Objective: To describe trends in mortality, major morbidity, and perinatal care practices of very low birth weight infants born at NEOCOSUR Neonatal Network centers from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2016.

Study Design: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from all inborn infants with a birthweight of 500-1500 g and 23-35 weeks of gestation.

Results: We examined data for 13 987 very low birth weight infants with a mean birth weight of 1081 ± 281 g and a gestational age of 28.

Infection profile in neonatal patients during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Objectives: To describe risk factors for acquired infection during neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and to examine the predictive value of inflammatory markers in the diagnosis of infection.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with data for patients under 30 days supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation from 2003 to April 2016, in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Results: Our study included 160 neonatal patients, the average age of connection was 8.

[Non-HDL cholesterol levels in Chilean population and their association with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease].

Background Despite aggressive treatment aimed at lowering LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) levels with statins, there is a high residual prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, which may depend on plasma cholesterol transported in other atherogenic lipoproteins. Aims To describe non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C) levels in the Chilean population and their association with diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. To evaluate compliance with non-HDL-C therapeutic goals -according to individual cardiovascular risk- at different levels of triglycerides, in comparison with LDL-C goal achievement.

Multi-Scale Multivariate Models for Small Area Health Survey Data: A Chilean Example.

We propose a general approach to the analysis of multivariate health outcome data where geo-coding at different spatial scales is available. We propose multiscale joint models which address the links between individual outcomes and also allow for correlation between areas. The models are highly novel in that they exploit survey data to provide multiscale estimates of the prevalences in small areas for a range of disease outcomes.

Early Obesity: Risk Factor for Fatty Liver Disease.

Unlabelled: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), defined as fat accumulation greater than 5% in hepatocytes, may progress to fibrosis or cirrhosis later in life. NAFLD prevalence in adolescents has increased significantly in direct relation with obesity prevalence. Fatty liver has become the most frequent indication for liver transplantation in adults.