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Objectives. To characterize, by means of bibliometric indicators, the scientific publications of the Peruvian Experimental Medicine and Public Health Journal, 2010-2017. Materials and Methods. A bibliometric study in which the publications were retrieved from the data base of Scopus. The bibliometric production indicators were: number of publications per year and type of publication. Brief original and original articles were considered as units of analysis based on number of authors, institutional affiliation, and country of corresponding author, type of research and study design. The impact indicators were: number of citations by publication according to Scopus, metric of impact, such as CiteScore, Scimago Journal & Country Rank (SJR), and SciELO Public Health. Results. A total of 1,045 publications were made by the RPMESP: 40.1% of publications corresponded to original articles and original briefs; 1,837 authors contributed with these publications; 134 institutional affiliations were declared by the corresponding authors; 48,0% were research works on determinants of a health problem; on the other hand, 90.5% corresponded to observational studies. The publications analyzed received 945 citations, of which 78.5% were for publications for the 2010-2013 period. Conclusions. Four of ten publications of the RPMESP correspond to brief original or original articles. According to diverse formulas of calculation, the impact metric of the RPMESP shows an ascending trend; however, their magnitude is lower versus other regional journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of scientific health research requires a sustained and articulated research system that is consistent with the research priorities, as well as both internal and external funding, and availability of competent human resources. The Mining Canon, a constitutional right, has been partly used to foster applied scientific research in public universities (PU). In addition, the National Health Institute (INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE SALUD - INS) is devoted, among others, to promoting, managing and disseminating health research development at a national level. As part of these activities, a technical team was created to provide technical assistance to PU for research development using Mining Canon funds by making local adjustments to research protocols promoted by the INS and assumed by the professors-researchers at the Universities. This article aims at describing the reality of research at Peruvian public universities that have access to Mining Canon funds, as well as to elaborate on the work the INS is carrying out in order to strengthen research capabilities, starting with the development of research proposals that could potentially be funded by the Mining Canon. [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]

In order to determine the frequency and characteristics of the use of medicinal plants in patients from two third-level hospitals in the city of Cusco, a cross-sectional study was conducted between August and September 2011. For data collection, an instrument was built and validated through experts' judgment. The sample included 250 people selected in a non-probabilistic way. 83.2 and 75.3% informed having had used medicinal plants sometime during their lives and in the last month, respectively; additionally, 85.7 indicated that they wished their doctor would have prescribed them medicinal plants. Their most frequent uses include digestive problems (62.4%) as well as urinary (42.4%) and respiratory problems (40.4%). We conclude that the use of medicinal plants is widely spread among users of two hospitals in the city of Cusco. Utilization patterns show that patients wished the physicians of the health system prescribed medicinal plants in their consults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]