Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most frequent liver disease, closely related with metabolic risk factors such as obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. In this context, γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) have shown correlations with steatosis severity and metabolic syndrome, respectively. This positions the GGT/HDL-C ratio as a potential diagnostic indicator for NAFLD. Objective: To assess the diagnostic performance of the GGT/HDL-C ratio for NAFLD in adults with obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study, designed as a diagnostic test evaluation. A secondary database of 249 adults with obesity was analyzed. The optimal cut-off point was ascertained using three methodologies, and five adjustment models were...

Introduction. Neonatal hypoglycemia is the most common and early metabolic disorder of the newborn, which can cause everything from transient irritability to states of seizure, apnea and death. The objective was to determine the risk factors associated with hypoglycemia in term newborns in a public hospital in northern Peru by creating a predictive model using logistic regression. Material and methods: The study presented a 1:1 paired case-control design, with a sample of 58 cases and 58 controls, based on the presence or absence of neonatal hypoglycemia. Maternal and neonatal variables were analyzed: gestational age, weight of the newborn, sex of the newborn, type of delivery, use of steroids, induction of labor, being the child of a diabetic mother, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), mother with pre-birth hydroelectrolytic disorder, meconium aspiration syndrome, and perinatal stre...

We aimed to conduct a scoping review to assess the profile of retracted health sciences articles authored by individuals affiliated with academic institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). We systematically searched seven databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Medline/Ovid, Scielo, and LILACS). We included articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2003 and 2022 that had at least one author with an institutional affiliation in LAC. Data were collected on the year of publication, study design, authors' countries of origin, number of authors, subject matter of the manuscript, scientific journals of publication, retraction characteristics, and reasons for retraction. We included 147 articles, the majority being observational studies (41.5%). The LAC countries with the highest number of retractions were Brazil (n = 69), Colombia (n = 16), and Mexico (n = 15)...

We aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with parents’ non-intention to vaccinate their children and adolescents against COVID-19 in Colombia and Peru. We performed a secondary analysis using a database generated by the University of Maryland and Facebook (Facebook, Inc). We Included adult (18 and over) Facebook users residing in LAC who responded to the survey between May 20, and November 5, 2021. We Included sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, mental health, economic and food insecurity, compliance with mitigation strategies against COVID-19, and practices related to vaccination against this disease. We estimated crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios with their respective 95 %CI. We analyzed a sample of 44,678 adults from Colombia and 24,302 from Peru. The prevalence of parents' non-intention to vaccinate their children and adolescents agains...

We aimed to estimate the prevalence and factors associated with parents’ non-intention to vaccinate their children and adolescents against COVID-19 in Colombia and Peru. We performed a secondary analysis using a database generated by the University of Maryland and Facebook (Facebook, Inc). We Included adult (18 and over) Facebook users residing in LAC who responded to the survey between May 20, and November 5, 2021. We Included sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, mental health, economic and food insecurity, compliance with mitigation strategies against COVID-19, and practices related to vaccination against this disease. We estimated crude (cPR) and adjusted (aPR) prevalence ratios with their respective 95 %CI. We analyzed a sample of 44,678 adults from Colombia and 24,302 from Peru. The prevalence of parents' non-intention to vaccinate their children and adolescents agains...

Users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have a lower intention to receive vaccines. Furthermore, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region are among the most affected areas by the COVID-19 pandemics and present a high proportion of CAM users. Therefore, this study evaluates the association between the consumption of herbal supplements or homeopathic remedies to prevent COVID-19 and the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the LAC region. We conducted a secondary data analysis of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) survey with Facebook to assess COVID-19 beliefs, behaviours, and norms. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with the log link function. The prevalence of the use of products to prevent COVID-19 was the following: c...

Objective: Determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, and good practices in anemic children and anemic child healthcare in Arequipa, Peru. Study design:  This is a cross-sectional survey. Participants were asked about their knowledge of childhood anemia, practices related to caring for anemic children, and adherence to treatment. Methods: This is a descriptive, transversal, relational field study. Three hundred mothers with anemic children were interviewed, from six districts of Arequipa, distributed at different geographic altitudes: medium-altitude, great-altitude, and sea level. Studied variables were related to socio-demographic factors, level of knowledge, anemic children care-related practices, and treatment adherence.  Results: 77.3% of children had mild anemia, 21.6% moderate, and 1% severe anemia. The number of children and disease severit...