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Background and Purpose: Epidemiological data about stroke are scarce in low- and middle-income Latin-American countries. We investigated annual incidence of first-ever stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) and 30-day case-fatality rates in a population-based setting in Tandil, Argentina., Methods: We prospectively identified all first-ever stroke and TIA cases from overlapping sources between January 5, 2013, and April 30, 2015, in Tandil, Argentina. We calculated crude and standardized incidence rates. We estimated 30-day case-fatality rates., Results: We identified 334 first-ever strokes and 108 TIAs. Age-standardized incidence rate per 100 000 for Segi's World population was 76.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 67.8-85.9) for first-ever stroke and 25.1 (95% CI, 20.2-30.7) for first-ever TIA, 56.1 (95% CI, 48.8-64.2) for ischemic stroke, 13.5 (95% CI, 9.9-17.9) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 4.9 (95% CI, 2.7-8.1) for subarachnoid hemorrhage. Stroke incidence was slightly higher for men (87.8; 95% CI, 74.6-102.6) than for women (73.2; 95% CI, 61.7-86.1) when standardized for the Argentinean population. Thirty-day case-fatality rate was 14.7% (95% CI, 10.8-19.5) for ischemic stroke, 24.1% (95% CI, 14.2-36.6) for intracerebral hemorrhage, and 1.9% (95% CI, 0.4-5.8) for TIA., Conclusions: This study provides the first prospective population-based stroke and TIA incidence and case-fatality estimate in Argentina. First-ever stroke incidence was lower than that reported in previous Latin-American studies, but first-ever TIA incidence was higher. Thirty-day case-fatality rates were similar to those of other population-based Latin-American studies., (© 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.)

The availability of population-based epidemiological data on the incident risk of stroke is very scarce in Argentina and other Latin American countries. In response to the priorities established by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, PREVISTA was envisaged as a population-based program to determine the risk of first-ever and recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack incidence and mortality in Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study will be conducted according to Standardized Tools for Stroke Surveillance (STEPS Stroke) methodology and will enroll all new (incident) and recurrent consecutive cases of stroke and transient ischemic attack in the City of Tandil between May 1st, 2013 and April 30, 2015. The study will include patients with ischemic stroke, non-traumatic primary intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and transient ischemic attack. To ensure the inclusion of every cerebrovascular event during an observation period of two years, we will instrument an 'intensive screening program', consisting of a comprehensive daily tracking of every potential event of stroke or transient ischemic attack using multiple overlapping sources. Mortality would be determined during follow-up for every enrolled patient. Also, fatal community events would be screened daily through revision of death certificates at funeral homes and local offices of vital statistics. All causes of death will be adjudicated by an ad-hoc committee. The close population of Tandil is representative of a large proportion of Latin-American countries with low- and middle-income economies. The findings and conclusions of PREVISTA may provide data that could support future health policy decision-making in the region., (© 2013 The Authors. International Journal of Stroke © 2013 World Stroke Organization.)

Staphylococcus aureus is a major nosocomial pathogen that causes severe morbidity and mortality in many hospitals worldwide. Besides, the incidence of S. aureus bacteremia has significantly increased over the past decades. The aims of this study were to detect the risk factors for methicillin resistance and mortality and to evaluate vancomycin susceptibility in methicillin-resistant isolates. Thus, 39 S. aureus isolates from blood cultures of hospitalized patients with bacteremia were studied in Nueva Clínica Chacabuco Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina during 01/2006-12/2008. The overall mortality was 51.3%, which was significantly associated with methicillin resistance (OR: 4.20, IC95%: 1.08-16.32, p: 0.05), even though it was not an independent mortality predictor as it was the mechanical ventilation (OR: 15.99, IC95%: 3.24 - 78.86). Previous surgery (OR: 17.23, IC95%: 1.80-164.60) and hospitalization in intensive care units (OR: 21.12, IC95%: 2.33-191.30) were independent predictors of meticillin-resistance. No isolates were found with reduced vancomycin susceptibility. All the studied isolates were in vitro susceptible to vancomycin with a MIC50 and MIC90 of 0.5 μg/ml.