[Pepsinogen and gastrin in the noninvasive diagnosis of gastric atrophy. A case-control study in Peruvian population].

Introduction: Detection of gastric atrophy could be used for early diagnosis of gastric cancer in Perú. It was determined the pepsinogens I and II (PGI, PGII) and Gastrin-17 (G17) serum levels, and the PGI/PGII ratio as a non-invasive diagnostic test for gastric atrophy in Peruvian patiens.

Methods: Dyspeptic adults undergoing endoscopy and gastric biopsies were studied.

International course on emerging viruses in the Amazon region.

The international course Emerging Viruses: Global Approaches and Specificities of the Amazon Region was held in Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil, November 17-December 7, 2007. Organized as part of the Amsud-Pasteur research collaboration program (sponsored by Institut Pasteur), the course was held there primarily because Rondonia State is located in the Amazon region, a particular environment in which new viruses could emerge as a consequence of ecologic changes brought about by exploration and other human activities.

Epidemiology of Andean cutaneous leishmaniasis: incrimination of Lutzomyia ayacuchensis (Diptera: psychodidae) as a vector of Leishmania in geographically isolated, upland valleys of Peru.

The southernmost limit of the distribution of endemic Andean cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), commonly known as Uta, is localized in the western Andean valleys of Ayacucho, Peru. This area is completely isolated from other regions endemic for this disease. Identification of the insect vector for Andean CL was carried out by combining entomologic and parasitologic approaches.