Epidemiología de la covid-19 en Bolivia / Epidemiology of covid-19 in Bolivia

Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo sobre la magnitud, evolución e impacto de la pandemia covid-19 en Bolivia, basado en los reportes diarios del Ministerio de Salud que incluyen datos sobre: casos nuevos, defunciones, casos acumulados, casos confirmados, sospechosos, descartados y recuperados. Los indicadores utilizados son: tasa de incidencia por 100.000 habitantes, tasa de letalidad, porcentaje de pacientes recuperados y diferencia entre descartados y confirmados. Los datos han sido organizados por períodos arbitrarios y por semanas epidemiológicas, y presentados por departamento sumado a la cifra promedio nacional. La información revela que en Bolivia la covid-19 está en plena actividad, y que no hay una manera segura de establecer cuándo los casos acumulados llegarán a su pico. (AU)

Retrospective descriptive study on the magnitude, evolution and impact of the covid-19 pandemic in Bolivia, based on daily reports from the Ministry of Health, which include data on: new cases, new deaths, accumulated cases, confirmed cases, suspects, discarded and recovered. The indicators used are: incidence rate per 100,000 habitants, case fatality rate, percentage of recovered patients and, difference between discarded and confirmed. The data has been organized by arbitrary periods and epidemiological weeks, and presented by department plus the national average figure. The information reveals that in Bolivia, covid-19 is in full swing, and that there is no sure way to establish when cumulative cases will peak. (AU)

Contribución del neuropéptido Y a la fisiología de la co-transmisión simpática humana: estudios en biopsias de vena safena / Neuropeptide Y contribution to the physiology of human sympathetic cotransmission: studies in saphenous vein biopsies

Background: It is known that the sympathetic varicosities co-store and co-release norepinephrine (NE) together with adenosine S-triphosphate (ATP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). Aim: To describe the chemical characterisation of stored and released NPY from the varicosities of sympathetic nerve terminals surrounding segments of the human saphenous vein, and the vasomotor activity of rings electrically depolarized or contracted by the exogenous application of the co-transmitters. Material and methods: Saphenous vein tissues were obtained from patients undergoing elective cardiac revascularization surgery. Results: The chromatographic profile of NPY extracted from biopsies is identical to a chemical standard of human NPY. Upon electrical depolarisation of the perivascular sympathetic nerve terminals, we demonstrated the release of NPY to the superfusion media, which did not exceed a 1percent of its stored content. The release of the peptide is sensitive to guanethidine, and to extracellular calcium, suggesting that the mechanism of its release is exocytotic in nature. The electrically evoked release of NPY is dependent on the frequency and duration of the electrical pulses. Phenoxybenzamine reduces the electrically evoked release of NPY. Exogenous application of NE and ATP contract saphenous vein rings; the simultaneous application of NE plus ATP causes a synergic response, effect which is further potentiated by the joint co-application of 10 nM NPY. Conclusions: Present results highlight the role of NPY as a sympathetic co-transmitter in the regulation of human vascular tone