Several countries are extremely susceptible to climate change and the El Niño-costero phenomenon affected more than two million people in Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. We aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of stagnant waters in Lambayeque region, Peru during the lockdown caused by El Niño-costero phenomenon. We conducted a cross-sectional study performed in the four Lambayeque’s districts: (Chiclayo’s downtown, Mocupe, San José, and Pimentel), Perú. Two simultaneous samples were taken from each evaluation districts and were transported to Laboratory for their entire microbiological analysis. We isolate of human-pathogenic parasite (Trichuris trichiura (Linnaeus, 1771) and Entamoeba histolytica Schaudinn, 1903), and bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach 1884 and Salmonella typhi (Schroeter, 1886)) that showed patterns of resistance to conventional first-line antimicr...

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of chromosomal alterations in Canis familiaris with clinical neoplasms. Twenty-five patients from a veterinary clinic in Lima, Peru in 2015-2016 were monitored. Blood samples were collected by venous puncture for peripheral blood culture and chromosomal analysis and were stored for 3 ± 1 hours maximum. Cytogenetic processing and conventional GTG banding were performed. The report was made according to the recommendations of the Committee for the Standardized Karyotype of the Dog. The average age was 9.5 years (4-17 years) and the racial groups with greater frequency were the mestizo (20%), Golden Retriever (16%) and Shi-tzu (11.5%). Chromosomal alterations were observed in 72% of the patients. Of these, 9 (36%) were trisomies, 9 (36%) constitutive heterochromatins, 2 (8%) translocations, 2 (8%) deletions and 1 (4%) ring chromos...

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of chromosomal alterations in Canis familiaris with clinical neoplasms. Twenty-five patients from a veterinary clinic in Lima, Peru in 2015-2016 were monitored. Blood samples were collected by venous puncture for peripheral blood culture and chromosomal analysis and were stored for 3 ± 1 hours maximum. Cytogenetic processing and conventional GTG banding were performed. The report was made according to the recommendations of the Committee for the Standardized Karyotype of the Dog. The average age was 9.5 years (4-17 years) and the racial groups with greater frequency were the mestizo (20%), Golden Retriever (16%) and Shi-tzu (11.5%). Chromosomal alterations were observed in 72% of the patients. Of these, 9 (36%) were trisomies, 9 (36%) constitutive heterochromatins, 2 (8%) translocations, 2 (8%) deletions and 1 (4%) ring chromos...

Las neurociencias contemporáneas continúan separando el acto de ver en los procesos de la visión y los procesos de la motricidad ocular, sin plantear aun una explicación unificadora de ambos en una misma realidad: como el acto de mirar. El objetivo del presente artículo es explicar este acto a través de la serie de eventos neurológicos que suceden y entender que se mira con la conciencia. Se explican los procesos visuales en base al enfoque neurocientífico contemporáneo y la Teoría Sociobiológica Informacional en “La Peste de Azoth“ de Nicolas Poussin. Mientras que la explicación tradicional de la neurociencia refiere que todo estímulo activa un receptor, siguiendo una vía nerviosa hasta el cerebro, desde la Teoría Sociobiológica Informacional, el acto de mirar es una actividad epiconsciente, una construcción que resulta de la suma emergente de los cinco niveles de c...

Introducción: La procrastinación académica (AP) es un fenómeno global que afecta significativamente a los estudiantes universitarios, influyendo potencialmente en su rendimiento académico y bienestar mental. Objetivo: Investigar la relación entre los niveles de procrastinación académica y el rendimiento académico de estudiantes de enfermería durante su pasantía en el Perú. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio transversal, involucrando a 112 pasantes de enfermería, de 18 años y más, matriculados en el semestre 2019-I. Los participantes completaron la Escala de Procrastinación Académica (EPA), una escala tipo Likert que consta de 12 ítems, que midió dos dimensiones: autorregulación académica (9 ítems) y procrastinación de actividades (3 ítems). Se utilizó una puntuación umbral de 36 puntos para identificar altos niveles de procrastinación académica. El rendimiento a...

“Abstract Background and Aims: Low‐risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) are important in pregnant women because they are risk factors for Condyloma acuminatum and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in the newborn. On the other hand, HPV may contribute to the development of preneoplastic lesions such as LSIL in pregnant women. We aimed to assess the frequency of HPV infections in low‐grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) in Peruvian pregnant women. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted from 2011 to 2015 in 84 primiparous‐ and multiparous pregnant women (mean age: 27 ± 6.3 years). Pregnant women of 18–45 years attending gynecology outpatient department were included for the study. LSIL and HPV (nuclear irregularities, koilocytosis, and cytopathic effect) cellular alterations were reported using the Bethesda System guidelines. Results: Sixty‐four percent had cy...

Objective To ensure the health of newborns, it is necessary to perform high-quality diagnostic tests. The TORCH panel is a set of tests that identifies infectious pathogens such as Toxoplasma (Toxo) and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) that are common in low-setting populations. We performed TORCH panel quality planning using six sigma in a reference laboratory at Peru. Results This was a cross-sectional study. TORCH tests include Toxo, Rubella, CMV, and Herpes. We processed all samples by fourth-generation ELISA on the GEMINI XCR200 analyzer (Diatron, Budapest, Hungary). We obtained the imprecision from the annual data of the external quality assessment plan and we used the CLSI EP12-A3 guideline. In a total of 44,788 analyses, the average imprecision was 3.69 ± 1.47%, and CMV had lower imprecision (2.3 and 2.6% for IgM and IgG, respectively). Quality planning of the TORCH panel allowed estim...

“Introduction: Anxiety can affect front-line healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly in settings with influencing factors. Living with COVID-19 patients in hospital settings could affect mental health during lockdown. The present study aimed to estimate the anxiety levels of HCWs of the care center for COVID-19 Villa Panamericana during the first outbreak of COVID-19 in Peru. Methods: This is a descriptive and correlational study. Ninety-six HCWs were enrolled in this study (mean age 30±5.6 years). The care center for COVID-19 Villa Panamericana houses COVID-19 patients and HCWs in the same environment. We used the 14-item Hamilton anxiety rating scale questionnaire. Professionals were interviewed directly at the VP-19 rest towers. SPSS V.23 were used to analyze the data. Results: Fifty-four (56.3%) were male and the most frequent age group was 26-35 years (81.3%...

“Background: COVID-19 has been causing mental health problems around the world, with rural and indigenous peoples likely to be the most aected. This systematic review synthesizes and critically analyzes the existing literature on mental disorders in the rural Andean population in Latin America. Methods: A systematic review with narrative synthesis was carried out following the PRISMA guidelines. We searched nine databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Cochrane, Scielo, LILACS, and Latindex), five public prepublication servers (SocArXiv, medRxiv, bioRxiv, SportRXiv, and Preprints), ALICIA, and Google Scholar for articles that included the analysis of mental health problems using data collected from the rural Andean population in Latin America. These were eligible for inclusion. Articles that included NonLatin American populations (including European or ...

Introduction: During the unprecedented lockdown, COVID-19 is causing people to suffer from mental disorders in response to strict containment measures. Latin America is the third most severely affected continent, and restrictive measures can have many negative effects on mental health (such as anxiety, depression, and stress) that may arise with fear. We aimed to measure the spread of fear of COVID-19 in the Latin American population. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective study in 535 participants of six countries of Latin America (Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru), and a country of Europe (Spain) as a control, during 2020. We used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Results: The mean age was 31.2±13.2 years (70.8% under 30 years) and the majority were women (57.9%) and 76.6% had a technical, university, or postgraduate studies. Seven percent of participants...

“En el último medio siglo, la neurociencia ha sabido ganarse una posición hegemónica en el marco cultural y académico contemporáneo. En este artículo discutimos dos modelos para explicar al cerebro humano. Por un lado, existe el modelo de la neurociencia clásica, que es el modo de común con que se enseña neurociencia actualmente, suele dividir al cerebro en lóbulos o áreas. Por otro lado, el modelo inspirado en la Teoría Sociobiológica Informacional que considera al cerebro como un doble sistema de integración: paleocortical y neocortical, siendo este último (la conciencia) todo lo internalizado por una persona en el curso de una vida en sociedad. El objetivo de esta revisión es presentar estos dos modelos o enfoques (el “clásico” y el sociobiológico informacional”) para explicar al cerebro humano (por demás, uno de los grandes temas que cualquier enseñanza de...

“Introduction: Preeclampsia is the major cause of maternal death in Latin America, which presents with hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation, increasing the levels of inflammatory markers.We aimed to determine the ratio of LDH and protein/creatinine index (PCI) in Peruvian pregnant women with preeclampsia at the Hospital Nacional Docente Madre Niño San Bartolomé in 2017. Materials and methods: we conducted a cross-sectional study in 3415 pregnant preeclamptic women without eclampsia or HELLP syndrome. The kinetic method was used to determine urine creatinine (mg/dl), the turbidimetric method for protein quantification (mg/dl), and the kinetic method for LDH (U/L). Kendall’s Tau-b correlation and non-paired t-test were used. Results: Of the total, 168 (4.9%) had a clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia with a higher frequency in the 25-35 age group (41.7%). We observe...

“Background: Quality of life (QoL) is a multifactorial concept on the perception of the individual’s wellbeing underpinned by environmental, psychological, and physical factors. Several studies have shown changes in QoL in the COVID-19 pandemic and may be due to increases in mortality rates, however, no study has investigated this among Peruvian jungle dwellers. Here, we have sought to estimate the QoL of individuals before and after the increase in cases and deaths from COVID-19. Methods: A questionnaire-based longitudinal study was conducted in 102 inhabitants (mean 40.75 ± 7.49 years). The Spanish version of the WHOQOL-BREF was used in two stages: April and June. The first stage was accomplished before the first confirmed case of COVID-19, and the second stage was when the daily mortality rate was 3.5% with an incidence of 87%. Results: Sixty (54.8%) participants were women, 67 (...

Background: Burnout Syndrome (BS) is a work fatigue phenomenon that leads to physical exhaustion during care work, and there could be an increase in the proportion of nurses affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in those caring for infected patients. We aimed to determine BS in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An observational study was conducted on 100 nurses over the age of 18 and working in COVID-19 medical units in 2021. The 22-item Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire was used to estimate BS, and differences between age groups, gender, work time, and previous infection were estimated. Results: The majority of nurses (mean 30 ± 5.5 years) were women (78%), and the most frequent working time was from 1 to 10 years (58%). A total of 88% of the nurses had moderate BS, affecting more males, aged between 20 and 30 years, and without previous infection. The you...

“Introduction: Anxiety can affect front-line healthcare workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic mainly in settings with influencing factors. Living with COVID-19 patients in hospital settings could affect mental health during lockdown. The present study aimed to estimate the anxiety levels of HCWs of the care center for COVID-19 Villa Panamericana during the first outbreak of COVID-19 in Peru. Methods: This is a descriptive and correlational study. Ninety-six HCWs were enrolled in this study (mean age 30±5.6 years). The care center for COVID-19 Villa Panamericana houses COVID-19 patients and HCWs in the same environment. We used the 14-item Hamilton anxiety rating scale questionnaire. Professionals were interviewed directly at the VP-19 rest towers. SPSS V.23 were used to analyze the data. Results: Fifty-four (56.3%) were male and the most frequent age group was 26-35 years (81.3%...

“Objective: Autosomal and sex chromosome aneuploidies are associated with multiple risk factors that determine their frequency and their social and health impact. We aimed to determine the clinical, phenotypic, and demographic characteristics of Peruvian children and neonates with autosomal and sex chromosome aneuploidies. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted on 510 pediatric patients. We conducted a cytogenetic analysis with G-bands by trypsin using Giemsa (GTG) banding, and the results were reported using the International System for Cytogenetics Nomenclature 2013 system. Results: Of 399 children (mean age 2.1 ± 4 years), 84 (16.47%) had aneuploidies, with 86.90% being autosomal (73.81% trisomies). In autosomal aneuploidies, 67.85% (n=57) of the children had Down syndrome where the most common cause was free trisomy 21 (52 cases, 61.91%), followed by Rober...

“Introduction: Helicobacter pylori is one of the major infectious agents in low-income countries, and its clinical characteristics are unknown in many populations. Children are a susceptible population and can contract these pathogens through contaminated food and water. Objectives: To determine the presence of Helicobacter pylori in children under eight years of age of rural human settlements in Peru. Methods: This exploratory study was conducted with 25 child volunteers authorized by the parents for their evaluation, without precedent of any apparent clinical manifestation. Antigen detection of H. pylori in faeces by a rapid assay onsite H. pylori Ag. Rapid test according to the manufacturer’s requirements. Has been evaluated the social determinants related to possible infection. Results: The average age (2±1.8 years) of 14 girls was different from the average age (2.7±2.2 years)...

“Objective Depression is a mental problem that affects the well-being of healthcare workers, impacting the quality of care and even leading to commit suicide. We aim to the levels of depression in frontline healthcare workers during the first severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in Peru. Methods A prospective cohort study was designed in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Care and Isolation Center – Villa Panamericana in eastern Lima. Care and Isolation Center-Villa Panamericana houses about 150 healthcare workers and COVID-19 patients. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating scale was used for depression assessment. Results A total of 96 participants (30±5.6 years) were analyzed: 15 (15.6%) physicians, 39 (40.6%) nurses, 14 (14.6%) medical technologists, and 28 (29.2%) nurse technicians. Mild, moderate, and severe depression were present in 35 ...

“Background: Cytological samples are cleared with xylene in two or three baths during a Pap test, however, this solvent has a high degree of toxicity, and being a controlled reagent infers high costs for its purchase and implications for environmental pollution. We estimated the impact of xylene during the Pap test in terms of the number of liters and cost of two baths of xylene, and also estimated the impact with three baths Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in four hospitals of EsSalud in Peru in two stages. First, the analysis of the impact due to the use of two baths of xylene was conducted during the period 2015–2019, and second, the estimates were calculated based on the assumption of three baths of xylene for the years 2020–2025. The assumption was based on the recommendations of the 2018 EsSalud cytology guideline. The monthly amount of xylene was ~10 lite...

“Fish farms are one of the principal food industries located in peri-urban and rural communities that use available resources to ensure the quality of their products. However, trout can suffer from bacterial infections affecting the sector and being a key component of human health risk. We aimed to identify and characterize Enterobacteriaceae in 46 trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in two fish farms in Lima, Peru. Adult trouts older than seven weeks (> 200 grams weight) were included. Cultures were performed in duplicate (n=192 trials) with swabs from the squamous surface and visceral cavity. The isolates were identified with the Vitek® 2 Compact system, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were interpreted with the CLSI VET 03-A guide. At El Molino and El Angelito fish farms, 66 (68.8%) and 57 (59.4%) isolates were obtained. The most frequently isolated species were Escherichia ...