Detección temprana de cáncer de mama y cervicouterino en localidades con concentración de población indígena en Morelos / Early detection of breast and cervical cancer among indigenous communities in Morelos, Mexico

Objetivo. Analizar la percepción de mujeres y proveedores de salud sobre cuándo y cómo realizar acciones para la detección temprana del cáncer de mama y cervicouterino en localidades de Morelos con presencia de población indígena. Material y métodos. Se entrevistó a 10 proveedores de salud y 58 usuarias en unidades médicas del primer nivel de atención de cinco localidades; luego se analizó la información con base en el paradigma de la teoría fundamentada. Resultados. El personal de salud está deficientemente familiarizado con los lineamientos oficiales para la detección de cáncer cervicouterino y de mama. Pocos practican sus labores bajo una perspectiva de sensibilización intercultural. Las usuarias tienen nociones imprecisas o equivocadas de las acciones de detección. Conclusiones. La necesidad de capacitación con apego a las normas es evidente. Urge asumir un abordaje con pertinencia cultural que permita la comunicación eficiente y alfabetización en salud para la detección oportuna de estos dos cánceres.

Objective. To analyze the perception in relation to when and how to perform actions for the early detection of breast and cervical cancer among women and health care providers in communities with a high percentage of indigenous population in Morelos, Mexico. Materials and methods. Ten health providers and 58 women users of health services were interviewed which have a first level of attention in five communities. The analysis was developed under the approach of the Grounded Theory. Results. Providers are poorly informed about current regulations and specific clinical indications for the detection of cervical and breast cancer. Few propitiate health literacy under intercultural sensitization. The users have imprecise or wrong notions of the early detection. Conclusions. The need for training in adherence to norms is evident. It is urgent to assume a culturally relevant approach to enable efficient communication and promote health literacy for early detection of these two cancers.

Ácido úrico: una molécula con acciones paradójicas en la insuficiencia cardiaca / The role of uric acid in heart failure

Complications and mortality of heart failure are high, despite the availability of several forms of treatment. Uric acid, the end product of purine metabolism would actively participate in the pathophysiology of heart failure. However, there is no consensus about its action in cardiovascular disease. Serum uric acid would have a protective antioxidant activity. This action could help to reduce or counteract the processes that cause or appear as a result of heart failure. However, these protective properties would vanish in the intracellular environment or in highly hydrophobic areas such as atherosclerotic plaques and adipose tissue. This review discusses the paradoxical action of uric acid in the pathophysiology of heart failure.

The role of xanthine oxidase and the effects of antioxidants in ischemia reperfusion cell injury

During last years considerable interest has been devoted to understand the role of oxugen radicals in the inschemia induced cell injury associated with reperfusion. In the brain and in others tissues, free radicals play a role as modulators of vascular tone as well as a cytotoxic role as part of the ischemia associated pathology. This review discusses methods for free radical detection in brain and in other tissues, mechanisms of radical production in the course of the ischemia reperfusion process, and the efficacy of potential antioxidant agents in post ischemia therapy, especially with respect to allopurinol, an inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, and the role of taurine and its derivatives as antioxidants in different organs including the brain.