RESUMO
Genetic epidemiology is a relatively new discipline that studies the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of human diseases. Taking advantage of genetic markers provided by molecular biological research, complex computerized algorithms, and large databases, the field of genetic epidemiology has undergone significant development over the past 10 years. Using concrete examples from recent scientific literature, this article describes the objectives and methodology of genetic epidemiology
La epidemiología genética es una disciplina relativamente reciente que estudia la interacción entre los factores genéticos y ambientales en el origen de las enfermedades humanas. Valiéndose de marcadores genéticos desarrollados a través de la biología molecular, de complejos algoritmos almacenados en computadoras y de amplias bases de datos, la epidemiología genética se ha desarrollado notablemente durante los últimos 10 años. El presente artículo describe los objetivos de la epidemiología genética y su metodología, empleando ejemplos concretos de la literatura científica reciente.
Assuntos
Epidemiologia , Doença Ambiental/congênito , Biologia Computacional , Biologia Molecular , Genética , Marcadores GenéticosRESUMO
La epidemiología genética es una disciplina relativamente reciente que estudia la interacción entre los factores genéticos y ambientales que dan origen a las enfermedades del ser humano. Valiéndose de marcadores genéticos desarrollados a través de la biología molecular, de complejos algoritmos almacenados en computadoras y de amplias bases de datos, la epidemiología genética se ha desarrollado notablemente durante los últimos 10 años. El presente artículo describe los objetivos de la epidemiología genética y su metodología, empleando ejemplos concretos tomados de la literatura científica reciente
Genetic epidemiology is a relatively new discipline that studies the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in the production of human diseases. Takingadvantage of the genetic markers provided by molecular biological research, complex computerized algorithms, and large databases, the field of genetic epidemiology has undergone notable development in the past 10 years. This article describes the objectives and methodology of genetic epidemiology, using concrete examples from the recent scientific literature
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Gravidez , Epidemiologia , Doença Ambiental/congênito , Biologia Computacional , Biologia Molecular , Genética , Marcadores GenéticosRESUMO
Malnutrition in the hospital is not a new or rare problem, however, it is often unrecognized. In order to determine the baseline nutritional characteristics of recently hospitalized patients, we assessed the nutritional status of all medical in-patients between April and December 1994 in a large hospital in the province of Buenos Aires. One hundred and seventy patients were derived from the internal Medicine ward and 176 patients from the General Surgery ward. Surgery patients were younger (median: 46 years vs 58 years of the Medicine patients). Among Medicine patients, cardiovascular and respiratory affictions were the most common (30 percent), while gastrointestinal disorders were more often seen in Surgical patients (71 percent). A weight loss of more than 10 percent (percent WL)was found in 12 percent of the Medicine and Surgery patients and a body mass index (BMI) of less than 19 kg/m2 was observed in about 5 percent of both groups. Ten percent of the Medicine patients and 14 percent of the Surgery patients were overweight. A mid-upper arm muscle circumference (MUAMC) less than the fifth percentile was found in 11 percent of the Medicine patients but in only 3 percent of the Surgery patients. These results suggest that this population of recently hospitalized patients is at high-risk for medical complications. Therefore, early nutrition assessment and appropriate nutrition intervention are required to improve clinical outcome and help reduce the cost of health care.
Assuntos
Humanos , Masculino , Feminino , Adulto , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Hospitalização , Avaliação Nutricional , Estado Nutricional , Índice de Massa Corporal , Distúrbios Nutricionais , Obesidade , Prevalência , Estudos ProspectivosRESUMO
This paper reviews the development of the field of medical informatics in Latin America. It also describes the preliminary results of a computer-based data management system, named AGUSTINA, which is comprised of maternal an infant data on 6195 deliveries that occurred between june 1990 and December 1995 in a hospital in the surroundings of Buenos Aires, Argentina. These data were fundamental for the instrumentation of preventive community-oriented activities in the area. Finally, this paper describes recommendations for future actions in the area of medical informatics in Latin America.