Safety, Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of daily optimised doses of Rifampicin for the Treatment of Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.

Background: Higher than standard doses of rifampicin could improve the treatment outcome of drug-susceptible tuberculosis without compromising the safety of patients.

Methods: We performed a systematic review of prospective clinical studies including adults with pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB receiving rifampicin doses above 10mg/kg/day. We extracted the data on overall adverse events (AE), hepatic AE, sputum culture conversion (SCC) at week 8, recurrence, mortality, and pharmacokinetics.

Access in all areas? A roundup of developments in market access and health technology assessment: part 6.

In this update, we discuss an article covering the implementation challenges of the upcoming European Union Health Technology Assessment regulation, particularly focusing on the complexity of population, intervention, comparator and outcomes requirements across member states; a user guide to applying generalized cost-effectiveness analysis for broader value assessment and finally highlight an ongoing debate surrounding National Institute for Health and Care Excellence's severity modifier implementation.

Chlamydia in farms located in the Argentine-Brazilian-Paraguay tri-border.

Chlamydias are zoonotic pathogens, broadly present in several bird species and responsible for economic losses in animal production. Our study focused on assessing the prevalence of Chlamydial species posing zoonotic risks in farm animals within the highly biodiverse Argentine, Brazil, and Paraguay tri-border area, characterized by significant human interaction. We surveyed nine farms in an area and nasally swabbed a total of 62 animals, that included cattle, horses and pigs.

Carbapenem-Resistant Bacteremia in Pediatric Patients in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Data on the health impact of carbapenem-resistant bloodstream infections (CRE-BSIs) in pediatric populations from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are limited. This systematic review aims to examine the demographic, clinical, and microbiological aspects and resource utilization of this infection in children from this region. This systematic review investigates the impact of CRE-BSIs in pediatric populations across LAC.

Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma in Pediatric Patients: An International Collaborative Study.

Background: Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a rare malignant tumor, frequently affects pediatric patients, with 35%-40% occurring in the head and neck. This study analyzes the clinicopathologic profile of pediatric head and neck rhabdomyosarcomas from Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, and South Africa.

Methods: We reviewed 44 cases from 10 Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology services, conducting immunohistochemical analyses of desmin, myogenin, Myo-D1, and Ki67, with quantification via QuPath software.

Bone scan images dataset for study of bone metastases in adult breast cancer patients at IICS-UNA, Paraguay.

This article presents 582 bone scan images from 291 adult patients who attended the Nuclear Medicine Service at the Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Salud (IICS) of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción (UNA), Paraguay, between 2020 and 2024. The images were acquired using trimodal SPECT-CT-PET equipment, model AnyScan SCP, and the MEDISO brand. Approximately 20 mCi of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (Tc-MDP) was administered to each patient, producing whole-body planar images in anterior and posterior projections of the axial and appendicular skeleton with a resolution of 256 × 1024 pixels.

Impact of NPK fertilization on the metabolomic profile and nutritional quality of Portulaca oleracea L. using nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

Purslane is a plant with high nutritional content that is mainly produced in the central part of Mexico. The nutritional content of purslane depends on various factors such as climatic and soil conditions, phenology, and fertilization. This article describes the H NMR metabolomics profiling of purslane in relation to fertilization at two harvest stages: C and C (27 and 42 days after emergence).

Comprehensive histopathological analysis of gastric cancer in European and Latin America populations reveals differences in PDL1, HER2, p53 and MUC6 expression.

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) burden is currently evolving with regional differences associated with complex behavioural, environmental, and genetic risk factors. The LEGACy study is a Horizon 2020-funded multi-institutional research project conducted prospectively to provide comprehensive data on the tumour biological characteristics of gastroesophageal cancer from European and LATAM countries.

Material And Methods: Treatment-naïve advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma patients were prospectively recruited in seven European and LATAM countries.

Isospora tiedetopetei n. sp. (Chromista: Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from black-goggled tanagers Trichothraupis melanops (Vieillot, 1818) (Passeriformes: Thraupidae: Tachyphoninae) in South America.

Black-goggled tanagers Trichothraupis melanops (Vieillot, 1818) are passerine birds commonly observed in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Argentina and Paraguay. Tanagers are among the passerines with the highest prevalence and density of coccidian parasites, mainly due to their frugivorous feeding habits that favor fecal-oral transmission. In this context, the current study identifies a new species of Isospora Schneider, 1881 parasitizing black-goggled tanagers captured in the Itatiaia National Park, a protected area with a high degree of vulnerability in Southeastern Brazil.

[Successful removal of penicillin allergy label in a tertiary hospital in Paraguay].

Objective: To develop a treatment algorithm for patients with penicillin allergy.

Methods: Retrospective study, carried out in adult patients with penicillin allergy, who were in group 3 or 4 of the established classification, and attended the outpatient clinic of the Department of Pulmonology and Allergy of the Central Hospital of the Social Security Institute, between January 2021 and December 2022. Each patient underwent an amoxicillin provocation test, after obtaining informed consent.

Trends in the epidemiology of anxiety disorders from 1990 to 2021: A global, regional, and national analysis with a focus on the sociodemographic index.

Background: Anxiety disorders are widespread across the world. Understanding the global burden of anxiety disorders in the past and future can provide important references for optimizing prevention and control strategies in healthcare systems.

Methods: The estimation of anxiety disorders in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 using systematic review was conducted to describe incidence, prevalence and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) in 204 countries and regions from 1990 to 2021.

Effects of climate change on the occurrence and distribution of Western equine encephalitis virus in South America.

Objectives: The Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV) is a globally relevant vector-borne pathogen that causes encephalitis. The role of environmental variables in the epidemiology of WEEV has become greater in the context of climate change. In December 2023, a significant resurgence of WEEV began in South America, with major ongoing outbreaks in Argentina and Uruguay.

The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn and Rhesus alloimmunization in Latin American countries: a scoping review.

Background: Hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) is a condition due to maternal blood group antibodies targeting antigens in fetal red blood cells, with significant prenatal/perinatal morbidity and mortality. Severe HDFN cases are often associated with alloimmunization against Rhesus D (RhD) or Kell antigens. Information about HDFN epidemiology and treatment in Latin American countries is limited.

Barriers and facilitators for preventing mother-to-child transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi and hepatitis B in the Gran Chaco region: a qualitative analysis using the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR).

Background: Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of Trypanosoma cruzi and hepatitis B virus (HBV) increases morbidity and disability in Latin America and the Caribbean. The tailormade comprehensive antenatal care based on the Framework for the elimination of MTCT of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Chagas disease (EMTCT Plus) has been implemented in the region since 2018 through a private-public partnership. This study aimed to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention in preparing MTCT of T.

Sphingolipid profiling as a biomarker of type 2 diabetes risk: evidence from the MIDUS and PREDIMED studies.

Background: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has become a worldwide pandemic. While ceramides may serve as intermediary between obesity-related lipotoxicity and T2D, the relationship with simple glycosphingolipids remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to characterize the associations between blood glycosphingolipid and ceramide species with T2D and to identify a circulating sphingolipid profile that could serve as novel biomarker for T2D risk.

Assessment of heavy metals, PAHs, and pesticide levels in yerba mate on the European market.

Although yerba mate has been known and used for hundreds of years, not all of its properties have been fully understood yet. Yerba mate is a source of many desirable substances, but it may also contain toxic metals and other substances that are harmful to health. Fifteen samples of yerba mate tea from three South American countries were analyzed.

[Impact of the new intervention model to increase vaccination coverage in Paraguay, 2023Impacto de um novo modelo de ação para aumentar as coberturas vacinais no Paraguai, 2023].

Objective: To describe the impact of the new intervention model implemented by Paraguay across five districts of the Central Region in the last quarter of 2023, consisting of an integrated health services-based strategy to recover coverage with the tracer vaccine (pentavalent until April 2023, hexavalent thereafter) in children under 1 year of age; and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine for the 1-year-old population.

Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study with comparative analysis before (epidemiological weeks [EW] 1 and 34 of 2023) and after (EW35 and EW52 of 2023) the intervention. Three indicators were assessed: a) coverage with all three doses of pentavalent or hexavalent vaccine and first and second doses of MMR; b) productivity, represented by third doses of pentavalent or hexavalent vaccine administered; and c) dropout rates for the pentavalent or hexavalent and MMR vaccines.