Biomarkers.

Background: There is a need to develop neuropsychological measures to detect Alzheimer's disease (AD)-pathology and track cognitive changes along the AD trajectory. We previously showed that memory decline during word list learning (CERAD), associative memory (LAS-FNAME test), working memory (Visual Short-Memory Binding Test), and others, are associated with amyloid and tau pathology in members of Colombian families with autosomal dominant AD. Here we sought to determine whether associative verbal memory (Memory Binding Test - MBT, (Buschke, 2014)) is associated with PET in vivo markers of brain pathology and whether it can distinguish those who will develop dementia later in life due to autosomal-dominant AD from age-matched non-carriers.

Biomarkers.

Background: Dementia, encompassing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), poses a substantial public health challenge in Latin America. Barriers such as a shortage of healthcare professionals, limited medical accessibility, and underdiagnosis contribute to the complexity. While biomarkers aligned with the ATN framework (Amyloid, Tau, Neurodegeneration) have revolutionized diagnosis, their cost limits adoption in Latin America.

Biomarkers.

Background: Predicting Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) using polygenic risk scores (PRS) for late-onset forms holds promise, but its accuracy might be influenced by social determinants of health (SDOH). This study explores how considering SDOH alongside genes can improve prediction, focusing on potential differences for each disease.

Methods: Employing logistic regression in 677 individuals (287 AD, 102 FTD, and 288 controls) aged 40-80 from the ReDLat study across six Latin American countries, we investigated the potential for SDOH to modify the association between PRS and susceptibility to AD and FTD.

Drug Development.

Background: The LatAm-FINGERS trial marks a pioneering initiative as the first non-pharmacological clinical trial encompassing participants from 12 Latin American countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay. This initiative represents a significant advancement in promoting inclusivity and diversity in clinical trial recruitment, particularly in underserved populations.

Method: The LatAm-FINGERS trial is a multicenter randomized clinical trial evaluating a lifestyle intervention tailored for the Latin American population.

Dementia Care Research and Psychosocial Factors.

Background: LatAm-FINGERS - the first non-pharmacological multicenter randomized clinical trial in Latin America - is a valuable opportunity to study lifestyle in a heterogeneous and multiethnic population exposed to a large number of cardiovascular risk factors. Our aims are to study the risk distribution in the LatAm-FINGERS cohort and to explore the relationship between LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) and cognition.

Method: We calculated the risk of dementia using the LIBRA score in the entire cohort (n = 1200).

Burden of Wasting and Stunting in Colombia and Its Economic Impact: A Society's Perspective Analysis, 2021.

Background/objectives: Child malnutrition is a critical public health concern that significantly hampers children's physical and mental development and imposes serious economic burdens. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that malnutrition is responsible for half of all deaths among children under five, leading to long-term consequences such as lower educational achievement, decreased productivity, and deepened poverty. This study aims to estimate the burden of child malnutrition in Colombia for children up to four years old, assessing both direct and indirect costs from a societal perspective.

A Continuous Improvement Instrument for the evaluationof the ergonomics management system in the supply chain.

Nowadays, organizations must comply with high-quality standards, health and safety regulations, and socially sustainable practices to succeed in a globalized world. Supply Chains (SC) enable them to satisfy their customers' needs for quality products just in time and at the best price. However, management systems (MS) need to be improved to identify, evaluate, and control ergonomic risks, which opens a research opportunity for Ergonomics Management Systems (EMS) as they apply to sustainable SCs.

Cost-of-illness analysis of chronic urticaria clinical management in five countries of Latin America.

Introduction: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a disease with a high impact on the quality of life of patients. There are some evaluations of the economic cost of the disease in developed countries, but there is little information about the economic cost of the disease in developing countries. Our aim was to assess the economic diagnostic and therapeutic expenses of CSU in five Latin American (LA) countries.

"Penosissima, y rigorosa enfermedad" (Most Troublesome and rigorous disease): An analysis of the first medical-moral treatise on epilepsy in Latin America.

Introduction: The influence of the Enlightenment is evident with the mention of Herman Boerhave. The strong European influence draws attention with minimal expression of the social and medical concepts of pre-Colombian cultures such as the Aztec and Mayan.

Methods: A medical and cultural conceptual analysis of the text "Medical-moral report of the very painful, and rigorous disease of epilepsy" is carried out.

Efficacy and safety of surgical management for Rathke's cleft cysts in pediatric patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Rathke's cleft cysts (RCCs) are benign, cystic lesions that account for less than 5% of cases in the pediatric population. While asymptomatic RCCs often require only conservative management, symptomatic cases may necessitate surgical intervention. Advances in surgical techniques have improved the safety of these procedures.

FAST functional connectivity implicates P300 connectivity in working memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease.

Measuring transient functional connectivity is an important challenge in electroencephalogram (EEG) research. Here, the rich potential for insightful, discriminative information of brain activity offered by high-temporal resolution is confounded by the inherent noise of the medium and the spurious nature of correlations computed over short temporal windows. We propose a methodology to overcome these problems called filter average short-term (FAST) functional connectivity.

Chronic spontaneous urticaria remission definition and therapy stepping-down. WAO Position Paper.

Background: There is no global agreement on the definition of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) remission.

Objective: To generate a consensus for clinical definitions in CSU focused on remission.

Methods: The World Allergy Organization (WAO) Urticaria Committee systematically reviewed current available longitudinal articles.

"Effect of post-kidney transplant diabetes mellitus on long-term outcomes in a cohort of pediatric kidney transplant recipients from 2005 to 2022." Survival analysis.

Background: Post-transplantation diabetes mellitus and carbohydrate intolerance (PTDM/iCHO) are complications following solid organ transplantation, which significantly increases the risk of graft loss and mortality. However, data concerning long-term outcomes in paediatric kidney transplant recipients with PTDM/iCHO are scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the risk of graft loss in paediatric kidney transplant recipients with PTDM or iCHO compared with non-PTDM/iCHO.

Catalyzing sustainable development: insights from the international workshop on STI policies and innovation systems in Central America.

This article examines the landscape of Science, Technology, and Innovation policies in Central America, focusing on Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. These nations face significant challenges in leveraging STI for sustainable development, including financial constraints and limited resources. Additionally, Central America struggles with systemic issues such as corruption, violence, and high levels of emigration, further complicating efforts to advance STI.

The potential of Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4) to analyse medical notes in three different languages: a retrospective model-evaluation study.

Background: Patient notes contain substantial information but are difficult for computers to analyse due to their unstructured format. Large-language models (LLMs), such as Generative Pre-trained Transformer 4 (GPT-4), have changed our ability to process text, but we do not know how effectively they handle medical notes. We aimed to assess the ability of GPT-4 to answer predefined questions after reading medical notes in three different languages.

Permanent Neonatal Diabetes with High Insulin Requirements Due to a New Variant in the Gene.

Neonatal diabetes is an infrequent disorder that may present as transient, permanent, or syndromic. It is most commonly caused by pathogenic variants involving the ABCC8, KCNJ11, and INS genes. To describe a neonate with permanent diabetes mellitus due to a previously unreported variant in the INS gene, outlining the diagnostic complexities, therapeutic interventions, and related clinical challenges.

Mixed study on barriers of access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gestational malaria in pregnant women at risk from an endemic region of Colombia.

Background: Gestational malaria (GM) is a serious public health problem, control of GM requires guarantee universal access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment. In Colombia, no studies have been conducted on barriers to healthcare access for pregnant women exposed to GM. The objective of this study was to analyse the barriers to healthcare access for women at risk of GM in an endemic region of Colombia.

Therapeutic Hypothermia and Its Role in Preserving Brain Volume in Term Neonates with Perinatal Asphyxia.

Perinatal asphyxia is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, often resulting in hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) with long-term neurodevelopmental impairments. While therapeutic hypothermia has emerged as a promising intervention to reduce brain damage, its specific impact on key brain structures and long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes remains underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the effects of therapeutic hypothermia on brain volumetry, cortical thickness, and neurodevelopment in term neonates with perinatal asphyxia.

Effects of Manganese Carbonate Addition on the Carbocatalytic Properties of Lignocellulosic Waste for Use in the Degradation of Acetaminophen.

A carbon-based material was synthesized using potato peels (BPP) and banana pseudo-stems (BPS), both of which were modified with manganese to produce BPP-Mn and BPS-Mn, respectively. These materials were assessed for their ability to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) in the presence of MnCO to degrade acetaminophen (ACE), an emerging water contaminant. The materials underwent characterization using spectroscopic, textural, and electrochemical techniques.

Predicting Diagnostic Conversion From Major Depressive Disorder to Bipolar Disorder: An EHR Based Study From Colombia.

Objectives: Most bipolar disorder (BD) patients initially present with depressive symptoms, resulting in a delayed diagnosis of BD and poor clinical outcomes. This study aims to identify features predictive of the conversion from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to BD by leveraging electronic health record (EHR) data from the Clínica San Juan de Dios Manizales in Colombia.

Methods: We employed a multivariable Cox regression model to identify important predictors of conversion from MDD to BD.

Qualitative investigation into the functional problems of transtibial prostheses when amputees perform agricultural work.

Background: A significant number of Colombian farmers who are transtibial amputees are civilian victims of landmines. Current prostheses are inadequately adapted for agricultural work, resulting in functional challenges in this context.

Objectives: This study aims to analyze and categorize the functional problems of transtibial prostheses in the Colombian agricultural context, incorporating perspectives from prosthesis users, manufacturers, and designers.

Gradient boosting-based classification of interactome hub genes in periimplantitis with periodontitis - an integrated bioinformatic approach.

Introduction: Peri-implantitis, a destructive inflammatory condition affecting the tissues surrounding dental implants, shares pathological similarities with periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that impacts the supporting structures of natural teeth. This study utilizes a network-based approach to classify interactome hub genes associated with peri-implantitis and periodontitis, aiming to improve understanding of disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Methods: We employed gradient boosting and Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) to predict and classify these interactome hub genes.

Examining causal relationships between educational attainment and type 2 diabetes using genetic analysis: findings from the EPIC-InterAct study through Mendelian randomisation.

Introduction: Observational studies have shown that more educated people are at lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, robust study designs are needed to investigate the likelihood that such a relationship is causal. This study used genetic instruments for education to estimate the effect of education on T2D using the Mendelian randomisation (MR) approach.