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Medical researchers that work at the National Institutes of Health have a preponderant role in the scientific production of Mexico. This article focuses their behavior during the last 12 years, within the National System of Investigators (SNI). According to the citation and publication indices, the medical researchers are of greater productivity and quality. The number of investigators of the Institutes that have obtained their entrance to the SNI has grown in 129.8%, during the period of study and has been constant in each one of the Institutes of Health, with the exception of the INPer, that besides to have smaller number of researchers within the SNI, shows a tendency to low. The investigators level 1 have stayed between 10 to 12 per year in most of the Institutes, with exception of Nutrition, Cardiology and Public Health that have managed to maintain effective to more than 20 investigators of this level during the last 5 years; in the case of Nutrition over 30. These three Institutes also have maintained the greater number of investigators level 2 and 3; it emphasizes Nutrition that is counted with the average of publications by researcher in the institutes is of 4.9 +/- 3 papers. The researchers of Nutrition, Pediatría, the INPer and Neurology contribute with more than 4 publications by each year. Nevertheless, when we only included the publications of groups III-V, only the researchers of Nutrition publish annually 6 to 7 high quality research paper. All the professionals of the Institutes that have an appointment of Investigator in Medical Sciences do not belong to the SNI. In the case of the Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition, of 131 workers with this appointment (Julio 2003), only 47 (35.9%) belong to the NSI. When analyzing the participation of the professionals that do not belong to the SNI in the mentioned published papers from 1999 to 2002 it was found that of 484 publications of group III, in 108 (22%) nonmembers of the SNI and without appointment of investigator participated in these publications; of 85 of group IV, in 16 (19%) and of 52 of group V, in 12 (23%). Of the analysis of this information, strategies directed to particular groups can be undertaken, to mainly increase the scientific productivity in the National Institutes of Health and, to improve their quality and its scientific impact.

The immunopathogenic mechanisms of the human immunodeficiency virus infection and the precise events that are involved in the clinical latency period are extremely complex and remain unknown. Thus, at the present time, there is no way to prevent or revert the disease, though several and innovative forms of treatment have been developed and different clinical trials on immunization have been conducted. In this review, we describe the molecular biology of HIV-1, the dynamic interactions between HIV and the host, particularly in the clinical latency period, and the factors that induce viral expression. The consequences of HIV infection are influenced by the immunological state of the host, especially by the subtype 1 of CD4+ T cells. The subsequent reaction of the host immune system, with neutralizing antibodies and strong CD8+ T cells response, contain temporarily the course of HIV infection. However, the HIV generates strategies in order to face, evade, and destroy direct or indirectly the immune system. The virus is then activated and replicates without control, producing the progression to AIDS, and inevitably leading to the death. Only the understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms could offer definitive alternative treatment or control of HIV infection.

Herein we present our experience with 16 children in whom the diagnosis of SLE was established between May 1974 and April 1978. In eleven of them renal biopsy was performed. Five had family history of immunologic disease. Only one patient had history of anticonvulsant drug intake. The clinical picture resembles adult SLE, where the most frequent symptoms were arthritis, fever and dermatosis. Three patients showed focal proliferative glomerulonephritis; another 3, increased mesangial cellularity; 3 more presented diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis and another one had membranous glomerulonephritis. LE cells, antinuclear antibodies, anti-DNA were present in various combinations in all patients. Treatment with an average dose of 22.8 mg/day of prednisone, plus immunosuppressive therapy in 9 patients, has allowed a 36 months survival in 13 patients. Progressive renal involvement and tuberculosis were the cause of death in 3 cases. Our results are compared with those in the literature.