Hepatitis C screening and detection program in a large population: Epidemiological transition and characterization of the disease.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is considered an important public health challenge. Traditionally identified risk factors have undergone an epidemiological transition where other risk factors have become the main cause of new infections. OBJECTIVE: To describe risk factors associated to hepatitis C positivity through the evaluation of the epidemiological profile in hepatitis-C high-risk populations. METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted as part of an HCV screening program in Mexican population. All participants answered an HCV risk-factor questionnaire and took a rapid test (RT). All patients reactive to the test were subject to HCV PCR (polymerase chain reaction) confirmation. A logistic regression model was used to examine associations between HCV infection and risk factors. RESULTS: The study included 297 631 participants that completed a risk factor questionnaire and underwent an HCV rapid test (RT). In total, 12 840 (4.5%) were reactive to RT and 9257 (3.2% of participants) were confirmed as positives by PCR test. Of these, 72.9% had at least one risk factor and 10.8% were in prison. Most common risk factors were history of acupuncture/tattooing/piercing (21%), intravenous drug use (15%) and high-risk sexual practices (12%). Logistic regressions found that having at least one risk factor increased the probability of having an HCV-positive result by 20% (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.15-1.26), compared to the population without risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: We identified 3.2% of HCV-viremic subjects, all associated with risk factors and older age. Screening and diagnosis of HCV in high-risk populations (including underserved populations) should be more efficient.

Pollination service provided by honey bees to buzz-pollinated crops in the Neotropics.

Generalist honey bees grant significant pollination services worldwide. Although honey bees can provide compensatory pollination services, their service to buzz-pollinated crops, compared to specialized pollinators, is not clear. In this study, we assessed the contribution of Africanized honey bees (AHB) and native sonicating bees (NBZ) to the pollination of eggplant (Solanum melongena) and annatto (Bixa orellana) in Yucatan, Mexico, one of the largest producers of these crops in the Americas and a region with one of the largest densities of honey bees in the world. We first compared the relative frequency and abundance of both bee types on flowers of both crops. Secondly, we controlled access to flowers to compare the number and weight of fruit and number of seed produced after single visits of AHB and native bees. For a better assessment of pollination services, we evaluated the productivity of individual flowers multiply visited by AHB. The results were compared against treatments using pollinator-excluded flowers and flowers that were supplied with additional pollen, which allowed an overall measure of pollination service provision (PSP). Our results showed that AHB were the predominant flower visitors in both crops and that were poorly efficient on individual visits. Notably, fruit quantity and seed number increased concomitantly with the number of AHB visits per flower on eggplant, but not on annatto. Estimation of PSP revealed no pollination deficit on eggplant but that a deficit existed on the pollination services to annatto. We found that AHB numerical predominance compensates their poor individual performance and can complement the services of native bees on eggplant, but not on annatto. We discuss possible explanations and implications of these results for buzz-pollinated crops in the neotropics an area with little assessment of pollination services and a high density of honey bees.

Increased non-attendance at epilepsy clinic in patients with neuropsychiatric comorbidities: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: In patients with epilepsy, regular follow-up is vital for adequate seizure control, antiseizure drugs' (ASDs) side effects, psychiatric comorbidities, and planning for epilepsy surgery. Non-attendance creates barriers to adequate patient care, inefficient allocation of resources, loss of income, and unnecessary emergency department visits due to lack of seizure control. This study aimed to determine the causes and sociodemographic characteristics of the non-attendant population at the Epilepsy Clinic. METHODS: A prospective and observational study was carried out on patients treated at the Epilepsy Clinic of the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery (NINN) in Mexico from August 2015 to June 2016. A phone interview was made with all those patients who did not attend the epilepsy consultation. This call incorporated ad hoc questions to meet the objectives of this study. RESULTS: During the study period, 1299 patients had an appointment at the epilepsy clinic, where 233 (17.9%) patients missed their consultation, 123 (52.8%) were male, mean age was 35.9 ±â€¯14.42 years. The most frequent cause of non-attendance was forgetfulness of the appointment in 62 patients (26.6%). Two patients died; no patient was reported to have experienced SUDEP. Non-attendant patients showed statistically significant overall prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities (41.6%), particularly depression, anxiety, and interictal psychosis. CONCLUSION: Information on non-attendance at various specialist consultations is scarce, and to our knowledge, this is the first study to address non-attendance in patients with epilepsy in Latin America. Improving hospital protocols to reduce non-attendance can increase patient adherence to follow-up, ultimately improving the quality of care in the epilepsy clinic.

PHYSIOLOGICAL BASAL PARAMETERS OF FREE-RANGING OPOSSUMS ( DIDELPHIS VIRGINIANA) IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO.

The aim of the present study is to determine the basal parameters in opossums ( Didelphis virginiana) during physical examination in Yucatan, Mexico. Sixty-six opossums were captured and manually handled for physical examinations. Sex, age, cardiac and respiratory rate, body temperature, pulse, mucous membranes, capillary refill time, hydration, size of superficial lymph nodes, mental status, and body condition were evaluated. Also, comparisons between rectal and auricular temperatures were performed. The means of physiological parameters obtained were: cardiac frequency 146 beats per minute (95% confidence interval [CI]: 138.91-155.24), respiratory frequency 27.33 breaths per minute (95% CI: 25.15-29.64), and body temperature 34.01°C (95% CI: 33.71-34.31). In 54% of animals, a sinus arrhythmia was present. A significant difference was found between rectal and auricular temperature measurements. A variation of -1.64 to 1.14°C was obtained via the auricular thermometer compared with the rectal device.