Perfil de lípidos y lipoproteínas en inmigrantes chinos residentes en Costa Rica / Lipid and lipoprotein profile of Chinese immigrants living in Costa Rica

The lipid profile and food pattern of 50 Chinese immigrants living in San JosÚ, Costa Rica were studied during 1999. The results showed that 35 of the immigrants had high levels of total cholesterol (> or = 5.16 mmol/L) and 51 had high concentrations of LDL-Cholesterol (> or = 2.84 mmol/L). Moreover, 36 of them had high levels of triglycerides (> 1.69 mmol/L) and only the 15 had low concentrations of HDL-cholesterol (< or = 0.90 mmol/L). The ratio of men with high levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and low levels of HDL-cholesterol was larger that the one in women; although this difference was not significant. 41 of the studied population presented Castelli's Indexes (TC/HDL-C) above 4.5. In general, around 80 of the Chinese immigrants consume vegetables 5-6 times/week and 50 consume fruits with the same frequency. A high percentage of the immigrants eat food with animal protein more than 3 times/week and around 23 eat frequently snacks and fast foods. Our data suggest that the Chinese immigrants still keep some characteristics of their nutritional culture. Nevertheless, they have changed their food pattern to a more atherogenic one. It's important that nutritionists and other health professionals evaluate in detail the factors associated with the change in the food pattern of the immigrants, in order to avoid an increase in the rates of morbi-mortality of coronary disease in this group of population.

Identificación histológica de Helicobacter pylori por los métodos de tinción de Warthins-Stary y Giménez en biopsias gástricas / Histological identification of Helicobacter pylori for methods of Warthin-Starry and Gimenez in gastric biopsies

En el presente estudio se comparan sensibilidad, especificidad y valores predictivos positivos y negativos de dos métodos de tinción : Warthin-Starry y Giménez, utilizando como referencia la técnica de cultivo para el diagnóstico de Helicobacter pylori, en biopsias gástricas. De los 49 pacientes estudiados, el 71.4 por ciento fueron positivos por la técnica de cultivo y el 69.4 por ciento por ambas tinciones. Para las tinciones de Warthin-Starry y Giménez se obtuvo una sensibilidad y especificidad de 97 por ciento y 85.7 por ciento y de 97.7 por ciento y 78.6 por ciento respectivamente. Los valores predictivos positivos y negativos para los dos tinciones fueron de alrededor de un 90 por ciento. Aún cuando el cultivo no es el método más sensible de diagnosticar la infección por H. pylori permanece como el más específico. Ambs tinciones demostraron correlación con el cultivo bacteriano para el diagnóstico de H. pylori.