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Objective. To determine the concordance between five diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome (MS) among teenagers from a Peruvian high Andes region. Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out with secondary data from an intervention study in two public schools in 2019. We included 397 teenagers who lived in the city of Cajamarca, in the Andean region of Peru. We applied the criteria from the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP-III) modified by Cook, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the American Heart Association (AHA), Ferranti, and the World Health Organization (WHO). The point prevalence and interval prevalence were estimated with the five criteria. The Kappa concordance coefficient with an 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was estimated. Results. The Ferranti criterion identified 17.1% (95%CI: 13.4 to 20.8) of teenagers with MS, followed by the ATP-III criterion with 4.3% (95%CI: 2.3 to 6.3); the other criteria identified a lower frequency. The best concordance was found between the AHA and ATP-III criteria (k = 0.905); the WHO and IDF criteria had a coefficient of 0.628. The five criteria coincided in classifying six adolescents (1.5%) as MS. Conclusions. The AHA and ATP-III criteria modified by Cook had almost perfect concordance, which was also found for both sexes. The ATP-III, Ferranti, IDF, AHA and WHO criteria agree in less than 2% when identifying MS in the same group of adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objetives: To measure the scientific production of the Peruvian National Institute of Health (INS) through bibliometric indicators of production, collaboration and impact. Materials and methods: Bibliometric study of original publications from journals indexed in Scopus and Scielo Peru in the period between 1998 and 2018. The production indicators were: the number of publications per year and per subperiod (1998-2008 and 2009- 2018), by theme, and by journal. The collaboration indicators were: the co-authorship index, the number of institutional signatures, the national and international collaboration rate, the proportion of first-time authorship with INS affiliation. The impact indicators were: the number of citations per year, citation/document index, the proportion of documents ever cited and the citation speed. Results: A total of 618 publications had at least one author with INS affiliation. From these, 55.9% (346/618) were published in Peruvian scientific journals and 30 INS authors were major producers. From the publications total, 49.0% (303/618) had a first author with INS affiliation. Regarding the subject of investigation, 132 (21.4%) publications were on vector-borne diseases; 9.7% (60), on tuberculosis; and 9.5% (59), on zoonoses. The international collaboration rate was 38.8%. The ratio of citations/documents was 12.8 for the entire period. The H index of publications with INS participation was 37. Conclusions: In the last two decades, the contribution of the INS was focused on infectious diseases. On the other hand, it is required to strengthen the productivity indexes of INS authors, as well as consolidating the new thematic lines that they have developed in the last decade. This effort will allow the INS to improve its function as a public research institute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific institutions and their achievements are built on people and their stories. In this case, Dr. César Náquira Velarde constitutes a prominent figure in Peru's public health, to which he contributed until days before his departure at 85 years of age. Dr. Náquira actively participated in the founding of the Daniel A. Carrión Institute of Tropical Medicine of the National University of San Marcos from where - through research and teaching - he has trained doctors and specialists in the field of parasitology and tropical medicine. However, his greatest contribution was in the study of Chagas disease. He also served as a public official and decision maker, as he was head of the National Institute of Health of Peru and permanent technical advisor of the Ministry of Health of Peru, in the areas of his specialty. We highlight his role as a teacher for many generations of doctors and his authority as an expert in the field of medical parasitology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Peruvian Journal of Experimental Medicine and Public Health (RPMESP) was first published in 1942 under the name Journal of Experimental Medicine. Since then, it has been the official scientific dissemination vehicle of the Peruvian National Institute of Health, which was founded in 1936. Telémaco Battistini Sánchez was directly involved in both historical events. Based on some passages of his personal history and on the historical juncture of global and Latin American science between 1865 and 1950, we can understand why the term "experimental medicine" is used in the name of said journal. The aim of this article is to describe a series of events in the history of science which started off in Europe and continued in Peru and triggered the decision to give the name 'Journal of Experimental Medicine' to a journal that since its inception has published observational studies--more so in recent decades--, especially in the field of public health, while the number of publications of studies in experimental medicine has drastically decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, research institutions have focused their efforts on generating scientific knowledge and disseminating it through traditional mechanisms such as scientific publications. Recently, several Latin American countries, through entities dedicated to the promotion of Science, Technology, and Innovation, are promoting the development of scientific culture in the general population, through various strategies of dissemination, popularization, or scientific appropriation. The National Institute of Health has implemented strategies of scientific divulgation, such as programs of educational visits in museums, divulgation in social networks and events of scientific divulgation. Scientific dissemination requires the development of new strategies or the adaptation of models implemented in countries of the region. It is important to implement new spaces and technologies that bring science closer to the community, such as new thematic museums or open laboratories, as well as the improvement of capacities in researchers and scientists for the adequate dissemination and effective communication of their research results [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequalities in terms of access and quality of healthcare persist, especially among Andean populations, such as the community of Chopcca. Here, we describe the perception of healthcare provided in medical facilities as well as the practices linked to health care in residents of settlements in the Huancavelica region. We carried out a cross-sectional study by means of a structured questionnaire administered to 775 residents of urban and rural towns of the Yauli and Paucará districts. 68.7% refer always using medicinal plants to cure themselves; 86.7% never made a "payment" to Mother Earth; 81.4% has not practiced coca qaway or sara qaway. 88.5% of respondents visit the medical facility when they fall ill. 57.4% refer that the healthcare staff always transmits confidence and security, this proportion is higher in rural vs. urban areas (64.6% versus 28.8%). The communities under study demand the healthcare services offered by the formal system; nevertheless, traditional cultural practices persist, being the most important one the use of medicinal plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human type 1 T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1) infection has been described in many areas of the world, including Caribbean countries, Japan, Africa, Oceania and South America. In this review we define the endemicity of HTLV-1 in the country proposing four epidemiological criteria. Then we discuss the core subject of the review, which is the vertical transmission of HTLV-1. This mechanism is one of the main forms of transmission in our country. Within the development of this particular topic, we present an estimated rate of vertical transmission and the risk factors associated to vertical transmission based on an exhaustive review of the national and international literature. This review pretends to provide a first approach to the vertical transmission of HTLV-1, an aspect poorly studied in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of symptomatic respiratory (SR) cases in the Peruvian population aged 15 years and over between 2013 and 2015. A secondary analysis of the Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES) was carried out. The subjects of the study were people aged 15 years and over who answered these interview questions: Do you currently have a cough with phlegm? How long have you had a cough with phlegm? People who had had a cough and phlegm for 15 days or more were defined as having SR. The prevalence of SR was 3.3% in 2013 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.8-3.9%), 3.8% in 2014 (95% CI: 3.5-4.1%), and 3.3% in 2015 (95% CI: 3.0-3.6%). The prevalence of SR was greater than 5% in people aged 60 years and over, in people in the poorest quintile, and in residents of rural areas. We conclude that 3-4% of Peruvian people aged 15 years and over report cough with phlegm for =15 days. The proportion with SR varies according to the region of the country. It is recommended that the expected number of symptomatic SR cases be assessed and that Peruvian healthcare be adjusted as necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To estimate the frequency of self-reporting of road traffic accidents in the previous year in the general population and to determine the associated factors. Materials and methods. We conducted a secondary analysis of the data of the III National Survey of Drug Use in the General Population of Peru, 2006. We measured socio-demographical variables: age, gender, place of origin, educational level and marital status. We also evaluated the use of legal, illegal and medical drugs. The independent variable was the self-reporting of a road traffic accident. We performed the descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis of the socio-demographical variables and the drug use (legal and illegal), together with the self-reporting of the traffic accident. Results. The frequency of reporting of road traffic accidents in the last year according to the survey was 2.93% (95%CI: 2.92-2.94). The associated factors for self-reporting of a road traffic accident were: to live in the jungle areas (OR: 2.03; 95%CI:1.55-2.65), male gender (OR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.46-2.22), legal drugs use in the last year (OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.53-2.55), alcohol consumption in the last year (OR: 1.82; 95%CI: 1.44-2.32) and medical drugs use in the last year (OR: 2,45, 95%CI 1,63-3,68). Conclusions. The prevalence of self-reporting of road traffic accidents in the last year was very high compared to similar studies and other reporting sources. The variables associated with having had a traffic accident were: living in the jungle area, being male, legal drug use in the last month, especially alcohol and medical drug use in the last month. It is necessary to think carefully about the information system of the road traffic accidents in order to achieve a better picture of the problem putting emphasis in the legal drugs use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. To calculate the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its associated characteristics in selected populations residing in the urban areas of two districts in the Cajamarca region. Materials and methods. Cross-sectional study performed in 2014, obtaining randomized samples from three target study populations: high school students, university students, and schoolchildren mothers. In adults, MetS was defined by means of Third Adult Treatment Panel (ATP III) criteria, and in teenagers, the modified Cook criteria were used. A structured survey on healthy practices and unhealthy habits was implemented. MetS estimations were carried out for each study population, and stratified by sex. A bivariate analysis was performed to identify MetS-related characteristics. Results. We enrolled 1,427 participants (586 high school students, 305 university students, and 536 schoolchildren mothers) The estimated frequency of MetS in high school students was 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.7-4.8%), 1.6% (95% CI = 0.5-3.8%) in university students, and 23.5% (95% CI = 19.8-27.2%) in mothers. The most prevalent components were low HDL levels (37.0%, 60.5%, and 72.4%) and hypertriglyceridemia (46.4%, 29.9% and 38.4%), in high school students, university students, and mothers, respectively. Conclusions. MetS frequency was higher in the mothers of schoolchildren (adult women). The MetS phenotype profile in adult women was characterized by an elevated frequency of abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia (hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL cholesterol), while dyslipidemia was prevalent in teenagers and university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To analyze the evolution of published scientific articles on HIV/AIDS in Peru. Methods. A bibliometric analysis of papers on HIV/AIDS published in journals indexed in MEDLINE, SciELO and LILACS until October 2010. We selected research papers fully developed in Peru, and multicenter studies with participating Peruvian sites. Results. We identified 257 publications on HIV/AIDS, showing an increase since 2003. The average publication delay was 2.8±1.8 years. Only 94 (36.6 %) articles were published in Spanish. The most studied areas were epidemiology (36.6 %) and clinical topics (35.8 %). The cross-sectional design was the most frequent (56.8 %) followed by case series. According to the WHO classification, studies to learn more about the disease and risk factors predominated (85.6 %) and according to the intervention areas, 46.7 % focused on diagnosis and treatment. Most studies were conducted in Lima (65.9 %). 48.2 % of studies focused on people living with HIV/AIDS. finally, Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública was the journal that published most articles on HIV/AIDS (9.7 %). Conclusions. We found a growth in scientific production on HIV / AIDS in Peru; however, we believe that the research undertaken was not based on an agreed national agenda or national research priorities, which might have limited its dissemination and application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]