[Sleep medicine: development, contributions and perspectives. Report of the work group on sleep medicine].

Sleep is a basic biological process that has an impact on all the functions of the body, and interacts bidirectionally with virtually all of the body systems, so that the sleep disorders are associated with disturbances in other systems, either respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, etc., and vice versa. The complexity of the regulatory mechanisms of sleep and the variety of their disorders, together with the clinical evidence accumulated in recent decades, have led to the birth of a new branch in medicine: the Sleep Medicine, with well defined intrinsic disorders.

[Obesity and metabolic syndrome. A challenge for the Mexican Institutes of Health].

Numerous efforts for the development of basic and clinical research in obesity are being made by the National Institutes of Health and Federal Reference Hospitals in Mexico. However, greater interaction among researchers and stronger efforts towards the dissemination of the results are needed. The document outlines the general ideas and proposals of the Academic Group for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome of the Coordinating Committee of the National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals (CCINSHAE).

[Profile of the physician registered in the National Program of Continuous Academic Development for the General Physician].

A descriptive, transversal study was done on 881 physicians taking the National Program of Continuous Academic Development for the General Physician (PRONADAMEG) at 27 sites during the second semester of 2002. The general purpose of the study was to determine the sociodemographic, academic, and professional profile of the physician enrolled in the program, as well as their opinion on the program and their need for education. Age of enrolled physicians is between 35 and 54 years (70.

[The difficult exercise of medicine in primary level healthcare units].

The positive response from the general physician to the continuing medical education promoted by the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico, the Mexican Academy of Surgery, 32 Medical Schools, and different medical societies will be a real contribution to improving primary healthcare. At present, an additional effort is necessary from primary healthcare providers to lengthen time for patient care with the general physician and to improve facilities for the general physician for his/her continuing medical education.

[Clinical and paraclinical course in patients with lower infarction with and without precordial ST segment depression].

Objective: To know the early (30 days) and mid-term (6 months) clinical and paraclinical evolution of patients surviving an inferior infarct with or without precordial depression of the ST segment (RST).

Material And Methods: We studied all patients with inferior myocardial infarction during 1998. Patients were divided in two groups according to the presence or absence of a significant and persistent low level of RST (> 2 mm for more than 24 h) at the precordial leads.