Mortalidad por mesotelioma en Argentina, 1980-2013

Se estimó la tasa de mortalidad por mesotelioma y su distribución sociodemográfica y temporal en Argentina para el período 1980-2013 con datos del Sistema de Estadísticas Vitales del Ministerio de Salud de la Nación. Se encontraron 3.259 defunciones por mesotelioma, lo que resulta en una tasa de mortalidad estandarizada por edad de 3,1/1.000.000 en 1980 y de 5,7/1.000.000 en 2013, con un aumento promedio del 84,1% en 34 años. El incremento de la tendencia fue más claro a partir de 1997. En todos los años, la tasa de mortalidad fue mayor en hombres que en mujeres. Los resultados sugieren antecedentes de exposición al asbesto en el pasado. Aparentemente, la exposición predominante fue la ocupacional, más común entre los hombres que concentraron los casos. Se recomiendan acciones dirigidas a hacer más efectiva la prohibición ya en vigor y la vigilancia en salud orientada a los ambientes de trabajo, trabajadores previamente expuestos y la población en general.Mesothelioma mortality and its socio-demographic and temporal patterns in Argentina from 1980 to 2013 were estimated using data from death certificates obtained from the Vital Statistics System of Argentina’s National Ministry of Health. There were 3,259 mesothelioma deaths corresponding to an age-adjusted mortality of 3.1/1,000,000 in 1980 and 5.7/1,000,000 in 2013, an average increase of 84.1% in 34 years. This raising trend became clearer after 1997. Males had higher mortality estimates compared with women in every year of the series; these findings suggest past exposure to asbestos. It is plausible that the asbestos exposure was mostly occupational, which is more common among men. Actions related to reinforcing the asbestos ban already in place and strengthening health surveillance directed at workplaces, previously exposed workers, and the population in general are recommended

Studies on the ecology of medical care: a comparative analysis in historical perspective, 1928-2018

In the definition of health policies and decision-making on the part of health officials, there is often a prevailing separation between clinical practice, epidemiology, and public health. Although this division is naturalized from the viewpoint of hospitals and public agencies, it is artificial in the context of concrete territories and communities, where problems are not structured according to the fragmentation of knowledge, but rather express the complexities of the problems faced by individuals and population groups. In this context, this article compiles and analyzes studies on the ecology of medical care carried out between 1928 and 2018 that have revisited the pioneering study “The ecology of medical care” by White, Williams and Greenberg. The discussion is structured around three central issues: 1) recurrent themes in studies on the ecology of medical care; 2) health information systems and health surveys; and 3) the institutional hegemony of hospitals in the health field

Displacing xeno-racism: The discursive legitimation of native supremacy through everyday accounts of 'urban insecurity'

Socio-cultural approaches to fear of crime have suggested that responses to questionnaires may channel broader social attitudes towards other culturally-related topics which also shape the public meaning of 'crime', such as immigration. Building on this idea, this article uses a discourse analytic framework to examine how xeno-racist ideas, claims and positions are metonymically worked through everyday opinions about 'urban insecurity' as a crime-related construct. The analysis of open-ended interviews with ordinary citizens in Barcelona shows that the position of a 'threatening Other', typically afforded by the insecurity narrative, is pervasively constructed in xeno-racial terms, whether explicitly or by implication, but is rhetorically rejected on the narrative grounds of its alleged criminal acts. This xeno-racial version of the criminalized Other is itself managed in interaction as a sensitive topic through a set of deracialization strategies that displace rejection from the language of immigration towards culturally contiguous languages of incivilities, cultural differences and socioeconomic disadvantage. The article deepens the ideological versatility of discourses that subtly warrant the structural privilege of 'natives' vis-a-vis 'immigrants', thereby legitimizing a tenacious system of native supremacy

Populations in epidemiology and mental health. Reflections on the theoretical-methodological assumptions

En base a los avances alcanzados hasta el presente se constata la falta de un tratamiento conceptualmente fundado del concepto de población, en los principales manuales examinados. Esta vacancia, cobra especial relevancia cuando se refiere al campo de la epidemiología en salud mental. Aun cuando el estudio se encuentra en desarrollo, nos interesará poner en discusión algunos interrogantes que hacen parte de las conclusiones de nuestro estudio: ¿qué se evalúa a nivel poblacional cuando se detecta cierta incidencia de un trastorno mental? o, para decirlo de otra manera: ¿cuál es la patología, a nivel de la población, que se pone en evidencia con un más o menos de una tasa de patología o trastornos mentales? Este asunto está ampliamente desarrollado por Juan Samaja (1995). Desde una perspectiva inferencial-interpretativa: ¿qué conclusiones a nivel de la sociedad en su conjunto pueden alcanzarse a partir de una tasa de un más o un menos de "esquizofrenia", "demencia precoz", "fobia", "neurosis obsesiva", etc.? ¿Qué diagnósticos se siguen de una epidemia de suicidios o de las pandemias de las violencias en su conjunto (OMS, 1993)? Todos estos interrogantes problematizan la relación entre indicador e interpretación epidemiológica en el campo de la salud mental. Propondremos en esa dirección examinar los criterios que permitan tematizar “unidades poblacionales genuinas” (Samaja, 2006), para poder extraer de ello inferencias en términos de los diversos padecimientos psicológicos o psicosociales poblacionales.One of greater importance is added, which could be defined in the following terms: what is assessed at the population level when a certain incidence of a mental disorder is detected? or, to put it another way: what is the pathology, at the level of the population that is evidenced with a more or less of a rate of pathology or mental disorders? (This issue is widely developed in Samaja, 1995). All modern epidemiology is based on inferences that ranges from indicators - primarily rates and correlations - to populational diagnoses; that is, assessment of a poverty, inequity, etc. of the population conceived as a whole. But if the perspective is returned to the field of mental health then one might wonder what inference is valid to make when it comes to pathologies of the so called "psi" field? What inferences at the level of society can be reached from a rate of plus or minus "schizophrenia", "early dementia", "phobia", "obsessive neurosis", etc.? And even more: what diagnosis is followed by an epidemic of suicides or pandemics of violence as a whole (WHO, 1993). The problematization between epidemiological indicator, and analytical inference, takes on this special field. Theorizations are required to characterize populations in terms of various psychological or psycho-social conditions. But this means going far beyond the mere description of the material conditions of life, to enter into representational, ethical, axiological and constitutional aspects of the social plot. It requires the examination of the processes of production and reproduction of social life at various scales. Understand and examine the conflicts that, at a given time and context, create these objective conditions of life, to understand their impact at the subjective level.Facultad de Psicologí

Approximations in Fusion and Breakup reactions induced by Radioactive Beams

Some commonly used approximations for complete fusion and breakup transmission coefficients in collisions of weakly bound projectiles at near barrier energies are assessed. We show that they strongly depend on the adopted classical trajectory and can be significantly improved with proper treatment of the incident and emergent currents in the WKB approximation.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Cesarean sections and social inequalities in 305 cities of Latin America

Background: Cesarean section (CS) is a surgical procedure that, when medically justified, can help reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Worldwide CS rates (CSR) have been increasing; Latin America has rates that are among the highest in the world. Aim: Describe the variability of CSR across cities in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru and examine the relationship of individual-level, sub-city, and city-level socioeconomic status (SES) with CSR. Methods: We used individual level data from vital statistics over the period 2014–2016 (delivery method, mother's age and education), census data to characterize sub-city SES and city GDP per capita from other sources compiled by the SALURBAL project. We fitted multilevel negative binomial regression models to estimate associations of SES with CSR. Results: 11,549,028 live births from 1,101 sub-city units in 305 cities of five countries were included. Overall, the CSR was 52%, with a wide range across sub-cities (13–91%). Of the total variability in sub-city CSRs, 67% was within countries. In fully adjusted model higher CSR was associated with higher maternal education [(PRR (CI95%) 0.81 (0.80–0.82) for lower educational level, 1.32 (1.31–1.33) for higher level (ref. medium category)], with higher maternal age [PRR (CI95%) 1.23 (1.22–1.24) for ages 20–34 years, and 1.48 (1.47–1.49) for ages ≥ 35 years (ref. ≤19 years], higher sub-city SES [(PRR (CI95%) 1.02 (1.01–1.03) per 1SD)], and higher city GDP per capita [(PRR (CI95%): 1.03 (1.00–1.07) for GDP between 10,500–18,000, and 1.09 (1.06–1.13) for GDP 18,000 or more (ref. <10,500)]. Conclusion: We found large variability in CSR across cities highlighting the potential role of local policies on CSR levels. Variability was associated in part with maternal and area education and GDP. Further research is needed to understand the reasons for this pattern and any policy implications it may have.Fil: Perner, Mónica Serena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Ortigoza, Ana. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Trotta, Andrés. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Yamada, Goro. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Braverman Bronstein, Ariela. Drexel University; Estados UnidosFil: Friche, Amélia Augusta. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Alazraqui, Marcio. Universidad Nacional de Lanús; ArgentinaFil: Diez Roux, Ana Victoria. Drexel University; Estados Unido

Hacia una metodología de seguimiento del Trabajo Final de Postgrado: Diseño, aplicación y evaluación

Se presenta la aplicación y evaluación de una metodología de tutorización de los Trabajos Finales de Postgrado cuya finalidad es contribuir a la emprendeduría y la ocupabilidad de los estudiantes. La metodología consistió en la compartimentación de tareas, calendarización y seguimiento continuo de los trabajos. Los resultados muestran una valoración positiva de la actividad por parte de la mayoría del estudiantado, señalando que el tipo de trabajo exigido se ajusta a las tareas profesionales

Treatment and follow-up of a domestic ferret (Mustela putorius furo) with clinical leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum

Leishmania infantum infection including treatment and follow up in domestic animals other than dogs and cats has not been described at this moment. This article describes the anti-Leishmania treatment and follow-up of a ferret (Mustela putorius furo) with leishmaniosis. A combined therapeutic protocol established for the patient, not yet approved for ferrets, was a combination of meglumine antimoniate plus allopurinol. A follow-up was established monthly during the first year in order to monitor the health condition of the patient. Six months after commencing allopurinol therapy, xanthine crystalluria was observed in urine sediment with no other urine alterations detected by urine analysis. The ferret worsened progressively with diarrhoea and weight loss after cohabiting with another ferret diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidium parvum was isolated in faecal samples from the patient detected by three different methods including Ziehl-Neelsen staining, a qualitative test to detection of C. parvum antigens and finally a specific molecular analysis to characterize the species. To the best of the authors´ knowledge, this is the first report providing information about anti-Leishmania protocol therapy used and follow-up in a domestic ferret with clinical leishmaniosis. Veterinarians practicing in endemic areas should be aware of this infection in ferrets at risk and their susceptibility especially when immunosuppressive conditions are present

Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in household domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) in Spain, 2019–2023

SARS-CoV-2 is the causal agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans that emerged in late 2019. This virus is able to infect humans and different animal species. Among pets, cats and ferrets are more susceptible to be infected by the SARS-CoV-2. Epidemiological studies are an important tool to provide information under natural conditions of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus. In comparison to cats, limited epidemiological studies have been performed in domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) reporting the presence of antibodies in this species. This study analysed the presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in 432 cliend-owned ferrets from different geographical areas of Spain during the different waves of COVID-19 outbreaks from December 2019 to May 2023 (42 months). For this purpose, anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies were detected by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent method (ELISA) using the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike antigen and confirmed by serum virus neutralization assay. Eighteen of the 432 ferrets included were seroreactive by the in-house ELISA (4.17%, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 2.65–6.49). In this sense, the wave of COVID-19 with the higher number of seropositive ferrets occurred during the seventh wave when the different Omicron subvariants were the dominant virus variants. Our results suggest that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in domestic ferrets in natural conditions is low. Further research is need to evaluate the potential risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from human to pets

Prevention of Asbestos Exposure in Latin America within a Global Public Health Perspective

Background: Asbestos consumption in Latin America (LA) amounts to 10% of yearly global production. Little is known about the impact of asbestos exposure in the region. Objective: To discuss scientific and socio-economic issues and conflicts of interest and to summarize epidemiological data of asbestos health effects in LA. Discussion: Recent data on chrysotile strengthened the evidence of its carcinogenicity and showed an excessive risk of lung cancer at cumulative exposure levels as low as 1.5 fibre-years/ml. Technology for substitution is available for all asbestos-containing products and ceasing asbestos production and manufacturing will not result in unemployment and loss of income, except for the mining industry. The flawed arguments used by the industry to maintain its market, both to the public and in courtrooms, strongly relies on the lack of local evidence of the ill effects and on the invisibility of asbestos-related diseases in LA, due to the limited number of studies and the exposed workers’ difficulty accessing health services. The few epidemiological studies available show clear evidence of clusters of mesothelioma in municipalities with a history of asbestos consumption and a forecasted rise in its incidence in Argentina and Brazil for the next decade. In Brazil, non-governmental organizations of asbestos workers were pivotal to counterbalance misinformation and inequities, ending recently in a Supreme Court decision backing an asbestos ban. In parallel, continuous efforts should be made to stimulate the growth of competent and ethical researchers to convey adequate information to the scientific community and to the general public