Call for a change in research funding priorities: the example of mental health in Costa Rica / Solicitud de un cambio en las prioridades de financiamiento de la investigación: el ejemplo de la salud mental en Costa Rica

The World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 urges its Member States to strengthen leadership in mental health, ensure mental and social health interventions in community-based settings, promote mental health and strengthen information systems, and increase evidence and research for mental health. Although Costa Rica has strongly invested in public health and successfully reduced the burden of nutritional and infectious diseases, its transitional epidemiological pattern, population growth, and immigration from unstable neighboring countries has shifted the burden to chronic disorders. Although policies for chronic disorders have been in place for several decades, mental disorders have not been included. Recently, as the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica developed a Mental Health Policy for 2013-2020, it became evident that the country needs epidemiological data to prioritize evidence-based intervention areas. This article stresses the importance of conducting local epidemiological studies on mental health, and calls for changes in research funding priorities by public and private national and international funding agencies in order to follow the WHO Mental Health Action Plan.

El Plan de Acción sobre Salud Mental 2013-2020 de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) insta a sus Estados Miembros a que fortalezcan el liderazgo en el ámbito de la salud mental, garanticen las intervenciones de salud mental y asistencia social en los entornos comunitarios, promuevan la salud mental y fortalezcan los sistemas de información, e incrementen los datos científicos y las investigaciones sobre salud mental. Aunque Costa Rica ha invertido mucho en salud pública y ha reducido con éxito la carga de enfermedades nutricionales e infecciosas, su modelo epidemiológico transitorio, el crecimiento de la población y la inmigración desde países vecinos inestables han desplazado la carga de morbilidad hacia los trastornos crónicos. Aunque existen políticas en vigor dirigidas a los trastornos crónicos desde hace varios decenios, no se ha incluido en ellas a los trastornos mentales. Recientemente, cuando el Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica elaboró una Política Nacional de Salud Mental para el periodo del 2013 al 2020, se hizo evidente que el país necesita datos epidemiológicos para priorizar las áreas de intervención con base en pruebas científicas. Este artículo subraya la importancia de llevar a cabo estudios epidemiológicos de ámbito local sobre salud mental, y solicita cambios en las prioridades de financiamiento de la investigación por parte de los organismos de financiamiento públicos y privados, nacionales e internacionales, con objeto de cumplir con lo que establece el Plan de Acción sobre Salud Mental de la OMS.

Call for a change in research funding priorities: the example of mental health in Costa Rica.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020 urges its Member States to strengthen leadership in mental health, ensure mental and social health interventions in community-based settings, promote mental health and strengthen information systems, and increase evidence and research for mental health. Although Costa Rica has strongly invested in public health and successfully reduced the burden of nutritional and infectious diseases, its transitional epidemiological pattern, population growth, and immigration from unstable neighboring countries has shifted the burden to chronic disorders. Although policies for chronic disorders have been in place for several decades, mental disorders have not been included. Recently, as the Ministry of Health of Costa Rica developed a Mental Health Policy for 2013-2020, it became evident that the country needs epidemiological data to prioritize evidence-based intervention areas. This article stresses the importance of conducting local epidemiological studies on mental health, and calls for changes in research funding priorities by public and private national and international funding agencies in order to follow the WHO Mental Health Action Plan.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor expression in alternatively activated monocytes/macrophages during irreversible pulpitis.

The purpose of this study was to quantify the percentage and the mean fluorescence intensity of viable alternatively activated monocytes/macrophages (AAMø) CD163+ positive for calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRPr) within the total AAMø population in human dental pulp. Pulp tissue samples were collected from teeth with a clinical diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis (n = 13), pulps with induced inflammation (n = 13), and normal pulps (n = 13). All samples were labeled to identify positive cells for CGRPr and CD163 using a flow cytometry assay. Results demonstrated that a high percentage of total viable AAMø CD163+ expressed CGRPr on their membranes (72.12% in healthy pulp, 62.20% in irreversible pulpitis, and 58.01% in induced pulpitis). Significant differences were found between mean AAMø CD163+ fluorescence for CGRPr according to pulp condition, being greater in irreversible pulpitis. It can be concluded that AAMø CD163+ are expressed during normal and inflammatory processes, supporting the hypothesis that they could exercise an anti-inflammatory action that could be controlled by CGRP signaling after its binding.