Glycated hemoglobin as a surrogate for evaluating the effectiveness of drugs in diabetes mellitus trials: a systematic review and trial-level meta-analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a valid surrogate for evaluating the effectiveness of antihyperglycemic drugs in diabetes mellitus (DM) trials.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of a treatment on HbA1c (mean difference between groups) and clinical outcomes (relative risk of mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and/or kidney injury) in patients with DM. Then, we investigated the association between treatment effects on HbA1c and clinical outcomes using regression analysis at the trial level.

[Not Available].

The Instituto de Evaluación de Tecnologías en Salud e Investigación (IETSI) of the Seguro Social de Salud (EsSalud) has completed seven brief reports by means of rapid reviews of evidence regarding the potentially effective therapies against SARS-CoV-2 in order to provide current and relevant information for decision makers, clinicians, researchers and the academic community in Peru. The therapeutic agents evaluated were chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, tocilizumab, oseltamivir, interferon, atazanavir and anti SARS-CoV-2 serum. Evidence identification included the review of PubMed and Cochrane Library electronic databases.

Pyoderma gangrenosum: a review with special emphasis on Latin America literature.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by chronic ulcers due to an abnormal immune response. Despite the existence of diagnostic criteria, there is no gold standard for diagnosis or treatment. In Latin America, recognizing and treating pyoderma gangrenosum is even more challenging since skin and soft tissue bacterial and non-bacterial infections are common mimickers.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome.

Background: Several studies have shown a relationship between psoriasis and metabolic syndrome (MS), but no meta-analysis has been restricted to studies that adjusted for confounders.

Objective: To determine the association between psoriasis and MS.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies on psoriasis and MS in adults was performed from MEDLINE, Scopus, SciELO, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and LILACS from inception to January 2016.

[Hand, foot, and mouth disease in a hospital in Callao in 2016].

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is an exanthematous viral disease caused mainly by Coxsackie A16 with a typical symptomatology of fever, papulovesicular rash on the hands, feet, and genitals, and an ulcerous enanthem in the mouth. In the summer of 2016, a variety of cases presented at a hospital in Callao in children and adults with a symptomatology consistent with HFMD. A clinical diagnosis was made, and support therapy was applied, resulting in the resolution of symptoms.

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma in a Peruvian hospital in human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) positive patients.

Background: Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is an aggressive neoplasm of T-lymphocytes associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) infection. As HTLV-1 is endemic in native ethnics in South America, and its infection leads to several chronic diseases as ATLL with poor prognosis, we aimed to present three ATLL cases and to review current literature.

Case Reports: Two cases were from the mountains of Peru, while one was from an endemic harbor of the country.

Nocebo effect in randomized clinical trials of antidepressants in children and adolescents: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare the incidence of adverse events between active and placebo arms of randomized clinical trials in depressive children and adolescents (C&A) with antidepressant treatments, in order to look for similarities in both groups that allow to establish a possible nocebo effect.

Methods: Systematic search strategy (January 1974-March 2013) in electronic databases, conference abstracts, and reference list of systematic reviews and included studies to identify parallel randomized placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants in C&A (<19 years) with major depressive disorder, and one or more interventions of any orally administered antidepressant. The pooled adverse events were calculated based on a fixed-effect model and statistical analysis involved the risk ratio (RR) of adverse events, with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI).