Objetivos. Analizar la densidad mineral ósea (DMO) en personajes de la élite moche del complejo arqueológico de Sipán en Lambayeque-Perú y determinar la existencia o no de la osteoporosis en la población de los antiguos moches. Material y métodos. Se analizaron piezas óseas (calcáneo y radio-cúbito) de seis personajes de la élite Moche procedentes de cinco tumbas de complejo Sipán. Se usó la tecnología DXA (absorciometría dual de rayos x) ósea periférica mediante un equipo periférico PIXI - GE. Se analizó la DMO, T-score y % de T-score. Resultados. De los seis personajes evaluados, cinco de ellos presentaron una DMO baja por lo tanto una masa ósea disminuida. Los datos obtenidos para el señor de Sipán fueron los que mostraron valores muy bajos de DMO en radio-cúbito izquierdo (0,407 gr/cm2), comparado con los otros personajes como el viejo señor con una DMO de 0,4...

In December 2019, China became the center of a pneumonia outbreak of unknown cause that caught the world’s attention. It was the new coronavirus 2019 (2019-nCoV or SARS-CoV-2), which has rapidly spread to the rest of the world. As of March 31, 2020, around 800,000 cases and 38,714 deaths have been reported worldwide. In Peru, 950 cases and 24 deaths have been reported. The virus has been found to affect most frequently elderly people, immunocompromised individuals or those with comorbidities. In this review article, we offer a comprehensive overview of current knowledge related to therapeutic alternatives for COVID-19, from drugs with proven antiviral activity that have been regularly used in other pathologies (arbidol, remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, favipiravir) to drugs that have been usually used as antiparasitic (chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine) or antibacterial agents (teicop...

Objective: To describe the presence and the concentration of neutralizing antibodies at serum of healthcare professionals inoculated with the Sinopharm anti-SARS-CoV2 vaccine. Materials and methods: Descriptive and transversal research. A total of 117 healthcare professionals inoculated with two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine having quantitative data of neutralizing antibodies at serum (detected by eCLIA) were included. Age, sex, neutralizing antibodies concentration and previous diagnostic of COVID-19 diseases were the variables. Results: A significant increase on neutralizing antibodies concentration were detected on pre- COVID-19 vaccinated persons regarding those vaccinated without previous diagnostic of the viral infection (p < 0,001). Conclusions: the study evidence that Sinopharm vaccine boost immunity against the new coronavirus on previously infected persons and suggest that ...

During the last few weeks, Peru has been a spectator of what has been happening in certain European countries and in the United States of America, where there has been a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, mostly due to the delta variant of SARS CoV-2. The increase in severe clinical forms and hospitalizations has led to increased vaccination and greater interest in the process, particularly in cities with low immunization rates. Still, the United States lags behind the European Union in inoculations and many of its citizens remain reluctant to receive the vaccine.

Objective: To describe the concentration of neutralizing antibodies in serum from healthcare professionals who received any of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines developed by Sinopharm, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson, or CureVac’s vaccine candidate. Materials and methods: An observational, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional research which included 217 healthcare professionals fully vaccinated with Sinopharm, Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson’s vaccines, or CureVac’s vaccine candidate. The presence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in serum was determined in these individuals using the electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA). Variables such as age, sex, history of infection with SARS-CoV-2, concentration of neutralizing antibodies and brand of vaccine administered were considered. Results: Sixteen point six zero percent (16.60 %) of the healthcare professionals stated tha...

El 9 de febrero de 2024 se cumplieron tres años desde que la vacuna de la empresa Sinopharm fue aplicada por primera vez en el Perú; los profesionales de la salud fueron el primer grupo poblacional en recibirla (1). Este hito ocurrió mientras los peruanos vivían en un contexto de imparable confusión y creciente temor ante el virus SARS-CoV-2, pero con la esperanza de que la ciencia, haciendo gala de sus herramientas, pudiera mostrar a la población la tan ansiada luz al final del túnel pandémico. En el Centro de Investigación de Virología de la Universidad de San Martín de Porres (CIV-USMP) se ha revisado información relevante, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, y se ha reflexionado sobre los tres años transcurridos desde aquella primera dosis de la vacuna BBIBP-CorV de Sinopharm en nuestro país.

Durante siglos, los humanos hemos buscado formas de protegernos contra enfermedades mortales. Desde experimentos y oportunidades hasta el lanzamiento mundial de vacunas en medio de una pandemia, la inmunización posee una larga historia. Las vacunas se han convertido en los mejores “salvavidas” para la humanidad frente a cualquier otro invento en medicina durante la historia del hombre (1).Desde el punto de vista histórico, desde el siglo XV, el hombre ha intentado prevenir diversas enfermedades contagiosas, por ejemplo, cuando se expuso intencionalmente la viruela a personas sanas, una práctica conocida como variolización. Algunas fuentes históricas sugieren que estas prácticas ya se ensayaban en el año 200 a. C. en China. En 1796, el médico inglés Edward Jenner inoculó el material recogido de una lesión de viruela bovina al niño James Phipps, de 8 años. A pesar de que l...

Objective: To know the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection among an adult population of Lima, Peru 2017. Materials and methods: Descriptive, prospective, cross-sectional study. Population of volunteers older than 18 years, of both sexes, with or without general gastrointestinal discomfort. A screening campaign was carried out in the districts of Magdalena and Chorrillos in the city of Lima, Peru, in January 2017. For the diagnosis, CTK Biotech’s OnSite H. pylori Ab Combo Rapid Test CE was used. Results: One hundred forty (140) patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 36.6 years old, being 22.1% male and 77.9% female. The seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection was 63.6%. Conclusions: We conclude that Helicobacter pylori infection is common in the city of Lima, with no difference between gender and age.

La pandemia por el SARS-CoV-2, tiene un impacto actual con más de 114 millones de casos y una cifra mayor a 2.5 millones de fallecidos. En el contexto diagnóstico aparecen nuevas técnicas inmunológicas dentro de ellas el inmunoensayo magnético con soporte de nanopartículas. El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar un nuevo ensayo de aglutinación inmunomagnética (IMA) microfluídica rápida y semicuantitativa de anticuerpos anti- SARS CoV-2 IgA-IgM/IgG basado en la agregación de nanopartículas magnéticas detectadas por un lector electrónico (Virotrack Ab. COVID 19 y Blubox, Blusense diagnostics). El estudio es de diseño analítico, transversal y prospectivo. Se evaluó 141 muestras de voluntarios con o sin la infección y se comparó con el método rápido de inmunoensayo de flujo lateral (IEFL) para la detección de los anticuerpos anti- SARS CoV-2. La sensibilidad y especificida...

Since its appearance in December 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 infection spread rapidly to the whole world. About 80 % of COVID-19 patients have mild to moderate symptoms, 20 % develop severe respiratory symptoms, and about 6 % may require mechanical ventilation. In the absence of clinically proven treatment guidelines, several well-known drugs began to be evaluated in clinical trials for their likely benefits in the treatment of COVID-19. Among them is the antiparasitic drug ivermectin, one of the avermactins produced by the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis, discovered in the seventies by Professor Omura's group in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry. Ivermectin has been shown to inhibit the interaction between viral protein and importin α/β1 heterodimer, leading to inhibition of viral replication. This mechanism of action of ivermectin against SARS-CoV-2 was recently demonstrated...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, older people have been the group with the highest mortality rate, especially those who require long-term care for having lost their functional ability. These people are living at home with their family or in a nursing home. It has been described that older people may develop an oligosymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection or particular symptoms of the disease. Therefore, symptom-based screening is not the most recommended strategy in this scenario. Since it is necessary to detect early cases in the elderly population, this research work analyzes and proposes the best available alternatives for attaining such goal.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). This virus can enter the host through different routes, such as the oropharynx, nasopharynx and intradermal routes, among others. In 2022, an outbreak was reported in which the virus seemed to have mutations that would make it spread more efficiently. We present three cases of monkeypox in a family of eight members. Patient 1, a 32-year-old man, presented with a papule under the left eye, which was hatched manually by his wife. He then developed endophthalmitis associated with fever and headache, in addition to nonpainful vesicular pruritic lesions on the extremities and genitalia. He was eventually clinically diagnosed with monkeypox infection. Patient 2, a 27-year-old woman (wife of patient 1), presented with vesicular and pustular lesions on the chest, extremities and anal area six days after exposure through close cont...

Objective: To determine the variables associated with sedentary lifestyle in young students of a public institution of higher education in Lima-Peru. Materials and methods: An observational, cross-sectional, analytical, retrospective study. Data was collected from the students’ medical evaluation form and academic records. The sample consisted of 187 higher education students. Variables such as age, sex, weight, height, abdominal perimeter, academic term, academic performance and academic program were assessed. The students’ annual medical evaluation included answering the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). For the identification of the variables associated with sedentary lifestyle, the chi square-test was used. A significance level of 95 % was accepted (p <0.05). Results: The average age was 18.6 years (CI 16.9 - 20.3), 80 % were male, 39 % were obese/overweigh...

Humankind is currently facing a challenge that distinguishes no borders, ideologies, socioeconomic systems, ethnic groups, religions or cultures. It is a war that unites us as a biological species, in which the main weapons come from research aimed at improving health systems. In this war, governments and international health organizations define the strategy; and health systems and law enforcement agencies, together with citizens’ support, carry out actions and fight the battles. However, the most important battle is fought inside each of us. Just like Perseus fought against Hades in a battle of titans to prevent the Earth from turning into hell, the immune system activates a powerful machinery in which molecules and cells of the innate and acquired immune system jointly act to defeat SARS-Cov-2: a machinery that follows a script written by evolution, and that will leave in our immune...

In 2019, in the city of Wuhan, China, patients were diagnosed with a novel coronavirus originally named 2019-nCoV, currently known as SARS-CoV-2. The alarming expansion of this pandemic makes it necessary to find out and implement reliable diagnostic methods in order to properly detect and treat patients, thus contributing to slowing down the spread of the disease. It is extremely important to have trained professionals in sample collection, good clinical laboratory practices, and molecular and hematological techniques to adequately detect any cases of infection with this virus. Moreover, standardized protocols are essential for obtaining, transferring and storing samples to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Dengue is a viral infection which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and has four serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4). The disease triggers a variety of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild forms without warning signs to severe lifethreatening forms. We present the case of a 5-year-old boy, from the province of Callao, whose first symptoms were fever, headache and general malaise. On the third day, the child had mild abdominal pain and little vomiting; subsequently, abdominal distension, jaundice and choluria. He was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit being alert and with moderate dehydration, jaundice, edema, distended and tender abdomen, shifting dullness and liver 2 cm below the right costal margin. Complementary tests revealed liver failure, hepatosplenomegaly and pleural effusion in the bases. Using a reactive IgM ELISA, severe dengue was diagnosed, as well as a ...

The novel COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is currently challenging humankind. This virus originated in bats has probably been transmitted to humans through pangolins in the Wuhan marine market (China) by the end of 2019. It is spread by droplets of saliva or through contaminated materials, making it extremely important to isolate infected people who may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The typical clinical features of this disease are fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and general malaise. This member of the coronavirus family shows higher infectivity but lower mortality rates (2–3 %) than its predecessors. Laboratory tests to detect the virus include reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests or immunoassays.

OBJETIVO: La terapia de un inhibidor de la bomba de protones más dos antibióticos es el tratamiento más aceptado para la infección por el Helicobacter pylori. Sin embargo, no hay consenso sobre su duración. El objetivo fue comparar los porcentajes de erradicación del esquema de omeprazol+amoxicilina+claritromicina administrados durante 7 vs 10 días. METODOLOGÍA: Seleccionamos pacientes del Hospital Militar Central y Policlínico Peruano-Japonés con síntomas del tracto gastrointestinal superior y Helicobacter pylori. Excluimos aquéllos con úlcera péptica. Para el diagnóstico se tomaron biopsias para la prueba de la ureasa, PCR, cultivo y coloración con plata. Empleamos omeprazol+claritromicina+ amoxicilina, durante 7 días versus 10 días. Realizamos endoscopía control al mes de terminado el tratamiento, y utilizamos técnicas de biología molecular para diferenciar las re...