Challenges and inputs of the gender perspective to the study of vector borne diseases.

The analysis of social determinants and gender within the health-disease-care process is an imperative to understand the variables that define the vulnerability of populations, their exposure risks, the determinants of their care, and the organization and participation in prevention and control programs. Ecohealth incorporates the study of the social determinants and gender perspectives because the emergency of dengue, malaria and Chagas disease are bound to unplanned urbanization, deficient sanitary infrastructure, and poor housing conditions. Gender emerges as an explanatory element of the roles played by men and women in the different scenarios (domestic, communitarian and social) that shape exposure risks to vectors and offer a better perspective of success for the prevention, control and care strategies. The objective is to contribute to the understanding on the gender perspective in the analysis of health risks through a conceptual framework

Epidemiological Characteristics of Dengue Disease in Latin America and in the Caribbean: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Dengue, an important mosquito-borne virus transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti, is a major public health issue in Latin America and the Caribbean. National epidemiological surveillance systems, usually based on passive detection of symptomatic cases, while underestimating the true burden of dengue disease, can provide valuable insight into disease trends and excess reporting and potential outbreaks. We carried out a systematic review of the literature to characterize the recent epidemiology of dengue disease in Latin America and the English-speaking and Hispanic Caribbean Islands. We identified 530 articles, 60 of which met criteria for inclusion. In general, dengue seropositivity across the region was high and increased with age. All four virus serotypes were reported to circulate in the region. These observations varied considerably between and within countries and over time, potentially due to climatic factors (temperature, rainfall, and relative humidity) and their effect on mosquito densities and differences in socioeconomic factors. This review provides important insight into the major epidemiological characteristics of dengue in distinct regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, allowing gaps in current knowledge and future research needs to be identified

NAT2 global landscape: Genetic diversity and acetylation statuses from a systematic review

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2 has been related to drug side effects and cancer susceptibility; its protein structure and acetylation capacity results from the polymorphism’s arrays on the NAT2 gene. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, cornerstones of the pharmacological effects, have shown diversity patterns across populations, ethnic groups, and even interethnic variation. Although the 1000 Genomes Project database has portrayed the global diversity of the NAT2 polymorphisms, several populations and ethnicities remain underrepresented, limiting the comprehensive picture of its variation. The NAT2 clinical entails require a detailed landscape of its striking diversity. This systematic review spans the genetic and acetylation patterns from 164 articles from October 1992 to October 2020. Descriptive studies and controls from observational studies expanded the NAT2 diversity landscape. Our study included 243 different populations and 101 ethnic minorities, and, for the first time, we presented the global patterns in the Middle Eastern populations. Europeans, including its derived populations, and East Asians have been the most studied genetic backgrounds. Contrary to the popular perception, Africans, Latinos and Native Americans have been significantly represented in recent years. NAT2*4, *5B, and *6A were the most frequent haplotypes globally. Nonetheless, the distribution of *5B and *7B were less and more frequent in Asians, respectively. Regarding the acetylator status, East Asians and Native Americans harboured the highest frequencies of the fast phenotype, followed by South Europeans. Central Asia, the Middle East, and West European populations were the major carriers of the slow acetylator status. The detailed panorama presented herein, expands the knowledge about the diversity patterns to genetic and acetylation levels. These data could help clarify the controversial findings between acetylator states and the susceptibility to diseases and reinforce the utility of NAT2 in precision medicine

Systematic literature review of instruments that measure the healthfulness of food and beverages sold in informal food outlets

Abstract Background Informal food outlets, defined as vendors who rarely have access to water and toilets, much less shelter and electricity, are a common component of the food environment, particularly in many non-Western countries. The purpose of this study was to review available instruments that measure the quality and particularly the healthfulness of food and beverages sold within informal food outlets. Methods PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were used. Articles were included if they reported instruments that measured the availability or type of healthy and unhealthy foods and beverages by informal food outlets, were written in English or Spanish, and published between January 1, 2010, and July 31, 2020. Two trained researchers reviewed the title, abstract and full text of selected articles; discrepancies were solved by two independent researchers. In addition, the list of references for selected articles was reviewed for any additional articles of relevance. The quality of published articles and documents was evaluated using JBI Critical appraisal checklist for analytical cross-sectional studies. Results We identified 1078 articles of which 14 were included after applying the selection criteria. Three additional articles were considered after reviewing the references from the selected articles. From the final 17 articles, 13 measurement tools were identified. Most of the instruments were used in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Products were classified as healthy/unhealthy or produce/non-produce or processed/unprocessed based on availability and type. Six studies reported psychometric tests, whereas one was tested within the informal food sector. Conclusions Few instruments can measure the healthfulness of food and beverages sold in informal food outlets, of which the most valid and reliable have been used to measure formal food outlets as well. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an instrument that manages to measure, specifically, the elements available within an informal one. These actions are extremely important to better understand the food environment that is a central contributor to poor diets that are increasingly associated with the obesity and Non-communicable disease (NCD) pandemic

NAT2 global landscape: Genetic diversity and acetylation statuses from a systematic review.

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase 2 has been related to drug side effects and cancer susceptibility; its protein structure and acetylation capacity results from the polymorphism's arrays on the NAT2 gene. Absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, cornerstones of the pharmacological effects, have shown diversity patterns across populations, ethnic groups, and even interethnic variation. Although the 1000 Genomes Project database has portrayed the global diversity of the NAT2 polymorphisms, several populations and ethnicities remain underrepresented, limiting the comprehensive picture of its variation. The NAT2 clinical entails require a detailed landscape of its striking diversity. This systematic review spans the genetic and acetylation patterns from 164 articles from October 1992 to October 2020. Descriptive studies and controls from observational studies expanded the NAT2 diversity landscape. Our study included 243 different populations and 101 ethnic minorities, and, for the first time, we presented the global patterns in the Middle Eastern populations. Europeans, including its derived populations, and East Asians have been the most studied genetic backgrounds. Contrary to the popular perception, Africans, Latinos and Native Americans have been significantly represented in recent years. NAT2*4, *5B, and *6A were the most frequent haplotypes globally. Nonetheless, the distribution of *5B and *7B were less and more frequent in Asians, respectively. Regarding the acetylator status, East Asians and Native Americans harboured the highest frequencies of the fast phenotype, followed by South Europeans. Central Asia, the Middle East, and West European populations were the major carriers of the slow acetylator status. The detailed panorama presented herein, expands the knowledge about the diversity patterns to genetic and acetylation levels. These data could help clarify the controversial findings between acetylator states and the susceptibility to diseases and reinforce the utility of NAT2 in precision medicine

Irrespeto y maltrato durante el parto y el aborto en América Latina: revisión sistemática y metaanálisis

Objetivo. Esta revisión sintetiza la evidencia cuantitativa, general y desglosada por categorías tipológicas de la falta de respeto y maltrato en la atención institucional del parto y el aborto en América Latina y el Caribe. Métodos. Mediante búsquedas sistemáticas se identificaron 18 estudios primarios. Se calcularon Q e I2 y se realizaron metaanálisis, metarregresiones y análisis de subgrupos con la aplicación de un modelo de Der Simonian-Laird de efectos aleatorios agrupados con varianza inversa y la transformación arco-seno doble de Freeman-Tukey. Resultados. Se identificaron estudios realizados en cinco países de América Latina. No se identificaron estudios del Caribe. La prevalencia agregada de falta de respeto y maltrato durante el parto y el aborto fue de 39%. La medida agregada para este fenómeno durante el parto fue de 43% y la medida agregada en los casos de aborto fue de 29%. La heterogeneidad elevada no permitió generar medidas agregadas según categorías tipológicas. No obstante, se presentan las frecuencias de formas específicas del fenómeno agrupadas tipológicamente. Conclusiones. La evidencia sugiere que la falta de respeto y maltrato durante la atención del parto y el aborto son problemas de derechos humanos y salud pública prevalentes en algunos países de la Región. Es necesario lograr consenso internacional sobre la definición y operacionalización de este problema y desarrollar métodos estandarizados para su medición. Lo anterior es imprescindible para el alcance de las metas de la Agenda 2030 relacionadas con la reducción de la morbimortalidad maternoperinatal y la eliminación de todas las formas de violencia y discriminación contra la mujer