Knowledge, attitudes, and practices about malaria in travelers to risk areas in Peru.

BACKGROUND: Travelers from international airports who travel to endemic countries know the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about malaria; however, it is still unknown to interprovincial travelers who go to the endemic regions of Peru. The objective is to determine the level of KAP about malaria among Peruvian travelers to risk areas. METHODS AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This are an analytical cross-sectional study of 277 passengers from a bus station in a low-risk area of malaria in Peru, whose destination was an intermediate/high-risk area during February-March 2018. Absolute and relative frequencies of personal variables associated with the trip and KAP were estimated. RESULTS: Less than 50% know the main symptoms of malaria and at what time of day there is a greater risk of becoming infected. Five out of ten people knew which practices were preventive against contagion, and four out of ten answered that the treatment can be given in a health establishment, pharmacy, or by some healer. CONCLUSIONS: Travelers to malaria endemic areas have a low level of knowledge and practice (39.7%) as well as an inadequate preventive attitude (35.4%) against malaria.

Strengthening capacities of multidisciplinary professionals to apply data science in public health: Experience of an international graduate diploma program in Peru.

Nowadays it is necessary to strengthen health information systems and data-based solutions. However, there are few graduate training programs in Peru to use tools and methods of data science applied in public health. This article describes the development process and the initial assessment regarding the experience of the participants in an international multidisciplinary diploma in data intelligence for pandemics and epidemics preparedness, which was carried out from January to May 2021. The diploma was structured in 7 modules and 40 Peruvian professionals participated, of which 11 (27.5%) were women, and 16 (40%) came from regions outside of Lima and Callao. We discussed the need to strengthen institutional and health professionals' capacity to adequately manage large volumes of data, information, and knowledge through the application of emerging technologies to optimize data management processes to improve decision-making in health.

Publication rate and factors associated with the publication of papers submitted to the National Scientific Congresses held by the Peruvian Medical Student Scientific Society between 2010 and 2014

Introduction: The National Scientific Congress (NSC) is an annual event held in Peru in which medical students from all over the country present their research work. Objectives: To determine the publication rate in indexed scientific journals of research papers submitted to the NSCs held between 2010 and 2014, as well as the factors associated with their publication, and to describe the characteristics of the published papers. Materials and methods: Retrospective study in which 407 abstracts of research papers were reviewed. A publication time window of 6 years (from submission) was considered. A bivariate analysis was performed to assess differences between categorical and numerical variables using the chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests, respectively. In addition, a multivariate analysis was performed using Poisson regression models (a crude and an adjusted model), calculating relative risk (RR) values with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) to determine the factors associated with the publication of papers. A significance level of p<0.05 was considered. Results: The publication rate and the median time until publication were 23.83% (95%CI: 19.93-28.23) and 14 months (IQR: 5-23), respectively. In the bivariate analysis, the year of submission and the number of advisors with experience in research that participated in the research paper were associated with the publication of the study (p=0.020 and p=0.007). In the multivariate analysis, it was found that papers with one advisor or those with two or more advisors were 2.19 and 2.61 times more likely to be published than those without advisors (RR=2.19, 95%IC: 1.10-4.36 and RR=2.61, 95%CI: 1.28-5.33, respectively). Conclusions: Nearly a quarter of the papers were published in a scientific journal and the participation of one or more advisors with research experience significantly increased the probability of publication.

Introducción. El Congreso Científico Nacional (CCN) es un evento anual realizado en Perú en el que estudiantes de medicina de todo el país presentan sus trabajos de investigación. Objetivos. Determinar la tasa de publicación de los trabajos de investigación presentados en las ediciones del CCN realizadas entre 2010 y 2014 en revistas científicas indexadas y los factores asociados a su publicación y describir las características de los trabajos publicados. Materiales y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo en el que se revisaron 407 resúmenes de trabajos de investigación. Se consideró una ventana de tiempo de publicación de 6 años (a partir de la presentación). Se realizó un análisis bivariado para evaluar las diferencias entre las variables categóricas y numéricas con las pruebas chi-cuadrado y U de Mann-Whitney, respectivamente. Además, se realizó un análisis multivariado mediante modelos de regresión de Poisson (uno crudo y uno ajustado), calculando valores de riesgo relativo (RR) con sus respectivos intervalos de confianza al 95% (IC95%) para determinar los factores asociados con la publicación de los trabajos. Se consideró un nivel de significancia de p<0.05. Resultados. La tasa y la mediana de tiempo de publicación fueron 23.83% (IC95%: 19.93-28.23) y 14 meses (RIC: 5-23), respectivamente. En el análisis bivariado, el año de presentación y el número de asesores con experiencia en investigación que participaron en el trabajo de investigación se asociaron con la publicación de los trabajos (p=0.020 y p=0.007). En el análisis multivariado, se encontró que los trabajos con un asesor o aquellos con dos o más asesores tuvieron una probabilidad de publicación 2.19 y 2.61 veces mayor que los que no tenían asesor (RR=2.19, IC95%: 1.10-4.36 y RR=2.61, IC95%: 1.28-5.33, respectivamente). Conclusiones. Casi una cuarta parte de los trabajos se publicaron en una revista científica y la participación de un o más asesores con experiencia en investigación incrementó significativamente la probabilidad de publicación.

Diagnostic performance of RT-PCR-based sample pooling strategy for the detection of SARS-CoV-2.

BACKGROUND: The rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 has created a shortage of supplies of reagents for its detection throughout the world, especially in Latin America. The pooling of samples consists of combining individual patient samples in a block and analyzing the group as a particular sample. This strategy has been shown to reduce the burden of laboratory material and logistical resources by up to 80%. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the pool of samples analyzed by RT-PCR to detect SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of diagnostic tests was carried out. We individually evaluated 420 samples, and 42 clusters were formed, each one with ten samples. These clusters could contain 0, 1 or 2 positive samples to simulate a positivity of 0, 10 and 20%, respectively. RT-PCR analyzed the groups for the detection of SARS-CoV-2. The area under the ROC curve (AUC), the Youden index, the global and subgroup sensitivity and specificity were calculated according to their Ct values that were classified as high (H: ≤ 25), moderate (M: 26-30) and low (L: 31-35) concentration of viral RNA. RESULTS: From a total of 42 pools, 41 (97.6%) obtained the same result as the samples they contained (positive or negative). The AUC for pooling, Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.98 (95% CI, 0.95-1); 0.97 (95% CI, 0.90-1.03); 96.67% (95% CI; 88.58-100%) and 100% (95% CI; 95.83-100%) respectively. In the stratified analysis of the pools containing samples with Ct ≤ 25, the sensitivity was 100% (95% CI; 90-100%), while with the pools containing samples with Ct ≥ 31, the sensitivity was 80% (95% CI, 34.94-100%). Finally, a higher median was observed in the Ct of the clusters, with respect to the individual samples (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The strategy of pooling nasopharyngeal swab samples for analysis by SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR showed high diagnostic performance.

Changes in liver function test levels in HIV patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Longitudinal study in Lima, Peru / Cambios en los valores de las pruebas de función hepática en pacientes con VIH en terapia antirretroviral de gran actividad (TARGA). Estudio longitudinal en Lima, Perú

Abstract Introduction: Estimating and monitoring changes in liver function tests is necessary to prevent the occurrence of chronic liver disease in HIV patients undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Objective: To determine the variation liver profile test levels in HIV patients undergoing HAART. Materials and methods: Retrospective longitudinal study conducted in 100 HIV patients treated at the Hospital Nacional Hipólito Unanue, Lima, Peru, between 2015 and 2017. Patients in all stages of clinical infection under HAART and with liver function panel results for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), and total protein (TP) were included. Three follow-up liver function tests (every 3 months) were performed while undergoing HAART and participants were categorized as having normal or elevated levels for all liver markers. Differences between the samples analyzed were determined using the paired-samples T test, with a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Participants' mean age was 33±9.56 years and 67% were male. Mean serum AST, ALT and ALP values decreased between the first and the third measurement (p=0.021, p=0.076 and p=0.002, respectively). No significant differences in GGT and TP levels were observed between the three measurements, nor between patients with normal and elevated AST, ALT, ALP and TP values, but significant differences were observed for GGT (p=0.010). Conclusions: Variations in liver marker levels were observed in all participants, with a decreasing trend in AST, ALT and ALP between the early and late stages of HAART, implying that this therapy could play a role in liver tissue damage.

Resumen Introducción. Para prevenir el desarrollo de enfermedad hepática crónica en pacientes con VIH, durante la terapia antirretroviral de gran actividad (TARGA) se deben estimar y monitorear cambios en el perfil hepático. Objetivo. Determinar la variación de las concentraciones del perfil hepático en pacientes con VIH durante la TARGA. Materiales y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo longitudinal realizado en 100 pacientes con VIH atendidos en el Hospital Nacional Hipólito Unanue, Lima, Perú, entre 2015 y 2017. Se incluyeron pacientes en todos los estadios de infección clínica que estuvieran recibiendo TARGA y en los que se contara con resultados del perfil hepático para alanina aminotransferasa (ALT), aspartato aminotransferasa (AST), fosfatasa alcalina (FA), gammaglutamiltranspeptidasa (GGT) y proteínas totales (PT). Se realizaron tres análisis de control de la función hepática durante la TARGA (1 cada 3 meses) y los participantes se agruparon en niveles normales y elevados para todos los marcadores hepáticos. Las diferencias entre las muestras analizadas fueron determinadas mediante la prueba t-Student para muestras relacionadas, con un intervalo de confianza de 95% y un nivel de significancia de p<0.05. Resultados. La edad promedio fue de 33±9.56 años y el 67% fueron varones. Los valores séricos promedio de AST, ALT y FA disminuyeron entre la primera y la tercera medición (p=0.021, p=0.076 y p=0.002, respectivamente). No se observaron diferencias significativas en los niveles de GGT y PT entre las tres mediciones, ni entre los pacientes con valores normales y elevados para AST, ALT, FA y PT, pero sí para GGT (p=0.010). Conclusiones. Se observaron variaciones en los niveles de los marcadores hepáticos de todos los participantes, con una tendencia a la reducción en AST, ALT y FA entre las etapas iniciales y finales de la terapia, lo que implica que la TARGA podría ejercer un rol en el daño tisular hepático.

Factors associated with the consumption of table salt with inadequate iodine concentrations: a population analysis at a Peruvian household level.

OBJECTIVE: Iodine deficiency is a public health problem, especially in Peru, where it affects women of childbearing age and school-age children. The objective of the study was to conduct a household-level analysis of the factors associated with the consumption of table salt with inadequate amounts of iodine in Peru. DESIGN: Analytical cross-sectional study using Peruvian household-level data from the Demographic and Family Health Survey. Table salt iodine concentrations were considered as the dependent variable ('inadequate' with iodine levels <30 PPM and 'adequate' with levels ≥30 PPM). The association between iodine concentrations in salt and independent variables was evaluated using crude and adjusted log-binomial regression models. SETTING: Peru. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 25 007 households were included. RESULTS: In Peru, 21·8 % households had inadequate table salt iodine concentrations. Belonging to the poorer and poorest wealth index, living in the Highlands natural region, and living with women of childbearing age with native mother tongue were identified as factors associated with inadequate iodine concentrations in table salt. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need to ensure that table salt with adequate iodine concentrations is available for poor populations, residents of the Highlands and households with ethnic presence. Likewise, it is necessary to promote good storage practices, greater regulation/law enforcement and better monitoring of the companies that manufacture or sell this product. Furthermore, the population needs to be informed of the disorders associated with iodine deficiency.

Maternal depressive symptoms are not associated with child anaemia: A cross-sectional population study in Peru, 2015.

INTRODUCTION: Approximately, one in three Peruvian children aged 6 to 59 months old have anaemia. Maternal depression, which may be disabling and affect the proper care of children, is associated with chronic malnutrition in their offspring. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate if there is an association between depressive symptoms of mothers with the presence of anaemia in their children. METHODS: Analytical cross-sectional study of the Peruvian Demographic Health Survey 2015, which is nationally representative. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) using a score of 10 as cut-off. The presence of anaemia was measured using HemoCue® and was considered positive when the haemoglobin was less than 11 g/dl. RESULTS: Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR and aPR) were calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI), using generalized linear models of the Poisson family. We analysed 6683 mother-child binomials. The prevalence of anaemia in the children and depressive symptoms in women were 28.7% (95% CI: 27.3-30.2) and 6.9% (95% CI: 6.1-7.9), respectively. We found no statistically significant association between these variables in the bivariable analysis or in the different multivariable models (aPR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.85-1.30). The sample did not have moderate or severe malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS: There is no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of anaemia in children of mothers with or without depressive symptoms. We recommend continuing research in this field to determine more associate factors to childhood anaemia in order to improve primary prevention interventions. Ideally, conducting longitudinal studies such as prospectives cohorts to determine risk factors should be done.

High prevalence of congenital generalized lipodystrophy in Piura, Peru.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is an autosomal recessive rare disease, with a worldwide prevalence of around 1 in every 12 million people. There are several case reports of patients with CGL in Piura, a region in northern Peru; however its regional prevalence is unknown. The objective was to determine the prevalence of CGL in the region of Piura, Peru during the years 2000-2017. A descriptive, observational study was carried out. A search of clinical histories of patients with the diagnosis of CGL attended between 2000 and 2017 in the pediatric and endocrinology services of the reference hospitals of the department of Piura and in the genetic and endocrinology services of the "Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño". A patient was considered to have CGL if they met the clinical criteria and or if they had a molecular diagnosis, in addition to patients with CGL from the department of Piura reported in previous publications. A total of 23 cases of CGL were found in Piura, the highest prevalence was in 2014 with 1.2 per 100,000 people, and by 2017 the prevalence was 0.86 per 100,000 people. In conclusion, the department of Piura has a high prevalence of CGL.

Características clínicas y epidemiológicas de la estrongiloidiasis en un hospital del Norte del Perú / Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of strongyloidiasis in a hospital in Northern Peru

Introducción: La infección por Strongyloides stercoralis constituye una de las enfermedades tropicales desatendidas en áreas endémicas como Perú, con una frecuencia global de 6,6%. Se puede diferenciar cuatro síndromes clínicos: agudo (SA), crónico (SC), hiperinfección (SH) y estrongiloidiasis diseminada (ED). Objetivo: Describir las características clínicas y epidemiológicas de los pacientes con diagnóstico de estrongiloidiasis. Material y métodos: Se estudió en forma retrospectiva 27 casos de pacientes con estrongioloidiasis atendidos en los meses de julio del 2014 a agosto del 2015 en el Hospital Regional Lambayeque, Perú. Resultados: Los pacientes tuvieron una mediana de edad de 41 años (rango intercuartílico: 2 a 84) y 74% (20/27) fueron varones. Se encontraron 10 casos (37,04%) de SC y 10 casos (37,04%) de SH. Del total, 63% presentaron eosinofilia, 85,2% anemia y 85,1% diarrea; 59,3% tuvo algún tipo de inmunocompromiso y 18,5% fallecieron. Conclusiones: La mayoría de pacientes con estrongiloidiasis de este estudio presentaron SC y SH, eosinofilia, anemia y algún tipo de inmunocompromiso. Asímismo, la alta frecuencia de estrongiloidiasis severa en pacientes con inmunocompromiso revela la necesidad de un tamizaje coproparasitológico con métodos específicos (Baerman y cultivo en agar) con el fin de detectar y tratar a tiempo la infección crónica previa.

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis infection is a neglected tropical disease in endemic areas such as Peru, with an overall frequency of 6.6%. Four clinical syndromes can be distinguished: acute (AS), chronic (CS), hyperinfection (HS) and disseminated strongyloidiasis (DS). Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with strongyloidiasis. Material and methods: 27 clinical charts of patients with estrongioloidiasis admitted from July 2014 to August 2015 at the Hospital Regional Lambayeque, from Peru, were reviewed. Results: The median age was 41 years (Interquartile range: 2 to 84) and 74% (20/27) were males. There were 10 (37.04%) cases of CS and 10 cases (37.04%) of HS. Of the total, 63% presented eosinophilia, 85.2% anemia and 85.1% diarrhea; 59.3% were some type of immunocompromise and 18.5% died. Conclusions: The majority of patients with strongyloidiasis in this study presented CS and HS, eosinophilia, anemia, diarrhea and some type of immunocompromise. Also, the high frequency of severe strongyloidiasis in patients with immunocompromise reveals the need for a coproparasitological screening with specific methods (Baerman and agar culture) to detect and treat previously chronic infection.

Enseñanza de idiomas en escuelas de medicina humana de Perú / Language teaching in Peruvian medical schools

Resumen Introducción. Las escuelas de medicina en Latinoamérica deberían asegurar que sus egresados conozcan ciertos idiomas además del español. Sin embargo, poco se ha descrito sobre el tema en Perú. Objetivo. Describir las características de la enseñanza de otros idiomas en escuelas de medicina humana de Perú. Materiales y métodos. Estudio transversal analítico realizado durante agosto de 2015 en escuelas de medicina humana de Perú. Se contactaron al menos dos estudiantes de cada escuela, quienes recolectaron las variables de interés. Después, se compararon los datos recolectados y se analizaron con el programa STATA v13. Resultados. Se obtuvieron datos de 36 escuelas de medicina. Todas contaban con al menos un curso de inglés, obligatorio en 25 escuelas. 6 escuelas tenían un curso de quechua. Las escuelas con cursos obligatorios de inglés se ubicaban en su mayoría fuera de Lima y comenzaron a funcionar antes de 1999. Gran parte de las escuelas públicas tenían cursos de inglés obligatorios, sin seminarios, prácticas, ni talleres, los cuales no se pueden convalidar y son brindados por la misma institución. Conclusión. Se encontró que pocas escuelas tenían al menos un curso de quechua, aunque todas ofrecen cursos de inglés.

Abstract Introduction: Medical schools in Latin America should ensure that their graduates know certain languages besides Spanish, however, little has been described on the subject in Peru. Objective: To describe the characteristics of second language teaching in medical schools of Peru. Materials and methods: Cross-sectional analytical study carried out in August 2015 in human medicine schools of Peru. At least two students from each school were contacted, and variables of interest were collected. Subsequently, the collected data were compared and analyzed using the STATA v13 program. Results: Data were obtained from 36 medical schools. All of them offered at least one English course -which was mandatory in 25 schools-, while 6 schools offered a Quechua course. The schools with compulsory English courses were located mostly outside Lima and began to operate before 1999. Many of the public schools offered compulsory English courses that include seminars, practices and workshops, which cannot be validated and are offered by the school. Conclusion: Few schools offered at least one Quechua course, although all of them offered English courses.