[Effectiveness and safety of endosonography-guided liver biopsy in liver disease at a level III public hospital]. / Efectividad y seguridad de la biopsia hepática guiada por endosonografía en enfermedad hepática en un hospital público de nivel III.

Parenchymal liver diseases are commonly evaluated by laboratory and imaging studies. However, in some cases a liver biopsy is required. Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) has been reported as a procedure with high diagnostic yield (90-100%) with low adverse event profile, but there are not studies which report about the experience and technique in our country. OBJECTIVE: Determinate the effectiveness and the safety of endosonography-guided liver biopsy in liver parenchymal disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective study was conducted at a III-2 level of care Public Hospital in Lima, Peru. It included patients over 18 years of age with suspicion of parenchymal liver disease who underwent EUS-LB for study hepatic parenchymal disease since March of 2018 to October of 2022. RESULTS: The diagnostic yield of the biopsies was 77.02%, with a mean length of the sample of 13.98mm (standard deviation 7.34) and a median of 8 complete portal spaces (0-50). Only 31.25% of the procedures were performed with a fine needle biopsy (FNB), finding a significant difference between the type of needle and the diagnostic yield (p=0.01). The most common histopathological diagnosis was autoinmune hepatitis. There were 2.08% of post-procedure complications. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-LB for the diagnosis of liver parenchymal disease had a diagnostic yield close to 80% in our region with a low profile of adverse events. However, more prospectives studies with a larger number of patients are required.

Peruvian psychiatry in America and the world: its journey in search of an identity.

Throughout history, Latin American psychiatry has followed a variety of routes as its mythic-religious origins experienced the various influences of European and North American ideas of the last three centuries. In its modern trajectory, a post-colonial subordination was followed by a more selective import of ideas and a critical approach to their application in the New Continent. At one point, the identity of Latin American psychiatry was essentially considered mestiza, social and critical, reflecting a search for autonomy and originality. In this journey, Peruvian psychiatry has been considered one of the most representative versions of the history and position of the discipline. This article attempts to detail the identity-seeking process of Peruvian and Latin American Psychiatry through the life and work of three notable Peruvian figures: Honorio Delgado, Carlos Alberto Seguín and Humberto Rotondo. Delgado fostered the need for scientific evidence in support of any piece of knowledge, as well as humanism as essential component of best service and optimal patient care. Seguín led studies on folkloric and ethnic psychiatry, stimulated integrated approaches to care, and advocated in favour of a regional identity for psychiatry.

[Massive digestive hemorrhage from secondary fistulas of great vessels to the digestive tract]. / Hemorragia digestiva masiva por fístulas secundarias de grandes vasos al tracto digestivo.

The formation of a fistula between large caliber arteries and the digestive tract is an uncommon complication of reconstructive surgery of the large vessels secondary to the use of vascular prostheses, which manifest themselves with massive hemorrhages with high mortality. We report two cases of aorto-enteric fistula and carotid-esophageal fistula that share common characteristics such as the clinical manifestation of massive and fatal gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with a history of vascular prosthesis placement.

[Efficacy and safety of echoendoscopy drainage of liquid peripancreatic collections in a reference hospital]. / Eficacia y seguridad del drenaje ecoendoscópico de colecciones líquidas peripancreá ticas en un hospital de referencia.

INTRODUCTION: Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided drainage is considered the best option for peripancreatic fluid collections drainage. There are no previous reports in our country of this type of endoscopic therapy. OBJECTIVES: To detail the characteristics, efficacy and safety of EUS-guided drainage of peripancreatic fluid collections at Edgardo Rebagliati Martins National Hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We carried out a retrospective cross-sectional study of all patients who underwent EUS-guided drainage of symptomatic peripancreatic fluid collections. Demographics, procedure-related endosonographic features and devices used were analyzed. We assessed the effectiveness with technical and clinical success rate. Clinical safety was assessed based on major immediate and delayed adverse events. Basic descriptive statistics was used. RESULTS: A total of 17 patients (9 women, 52.9% and 8 men, 47.1%) with peripancreatic fluid collections (10 pseudocysts and 7 walled-off necrosis) underwent EUS-guided drainage. The median age of the patients was 59 years (range 26 - 72 years). The mean diameter of the fluid collections was 14.8 cm (range 8-24 cm). Transgastric route was used in 16 cases (94.1%) and transduodenal route in 1 case (5.9%). Plastic stent (6 cases), biliary self expanding metal stent (4 cases) and lumen apposing stent (7 cases) were used. The technical success rate was 100% (17 patients), while clinical success rate was 70.6% (12 patients). Adverse events occurred in 41.2%: infection (2 cases), perforation, bleeding, plastic stent occlusion, stent migration into the collection cavity and out of the collection cavity (1 case each one). Surgical management of adverse events was necessary in 3 cases, while the 4 other cases only required medical - endoscopic management. CONCLUSIONS: EUS-guided drainage of peripancreatic fluid collections have a high technical and clinical success rate with a low percentage of adverse events.

[Clinical profile and results of acute pancreatitis in the Intensive and Intermediate Care Unit of a general hospital]. / Perfil clínico y resultados de la pancreatitis aguda en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos e Intermedios de un hospital genera.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an acute inflammatory process of the pancreas that, according to the 2012 Atlanta classification, can be mild, moderate or severe. OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and outcomes of patients with AP admitted to the intensive care and intermediate care unit of a general hospital and compare them with those described in the national and international literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Observational study of patients with AP treated over a period of 3 years. RESULTS: 59 cases were included; the female sex prevailed (54.2%), the average age was 59.3 years, the most frequent etiology was biliary (84.7%). Average entry severity scores were APACHE II of 12.4 points, SOFA of 4.9 points and Marshall modified of 2.8 points; The most frequent organ failure was respiratory (47.5%). The average stay in care was 13.9 days and in the hospital it was 23.3 days. No patients with mild or moderate AP died during their hospital stay, 6 patients with severe AP died during their hospital stay (20% of cases of severe AP). CONCLUSION: The cases of our hospital had a clinical and therapeutic profile similar to that described in the world and Latin American literature. A hospital staying was greater than that described in recent works, but our mortality was lower.

[Usefulness of intravenous contrast in pancreatic echoendoscopy. A case series]. / Utilidad del contraste endovenoso en ecoendoscopía pancreá tica. Reporte de casos.

The intravenous contrast (IV) allows for improving the diagnostic accuracy of echoendoscopy for many pathologic conditions. IV contrast provides a non-invasive method that through the use of real-time enhancement patterns (hypo, iso, and hypercaptation), a highly accurate histological diagnosis can be made by characterizing the microvasculature of an organ or a lesion. However, the lack of availability of IV contrast limited its use in our setting. We reported three cases of endoscopic ultrasound with IV contrast performed in the pancreatic department of National Hospital Eduardo Rebagliati Martins in Lima, Peru. We described the effectiveness of IV contrast in the diagnosis and the management of solid and cystic lesions in the pancreas.

[Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis: a case report]. / Pancreatitis autoinmune tipo 1: reporte de caso.

Autoimmune pancreatitis (PAI) is a rare pathology and an entity to consider in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and pancreatic mass. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pancreas with established clinical, radiological, serological and histopathological characteristics. The treatment is based on the use of corticosteroids and usually has a good response, with complete resolution of clinical, analytical and radiological parameters. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman with abdominal pain in the right hypochondrium and epigastrium associated with low weight. Normal laboratory tests. Abdominal TEM: pancreas increased in volume diffusely with peripancreatic halo. EUS: extensive heterogeneous lesion involving the head and body, FNA is performed. AP: lympho-plasmocitary infiltrate. IgG4: 520 mg / dL. It is determined that it is a probable type I autoimmune pancreatitis and it is decided to perform a therapeutic trial with corticosteroids. Tomographic control is performed at 4 weeks with adequate response.

[Usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound guided elastography in the assessment of solid pancreatic lesions]. / Utilidad de la elastografía guiada por ultrasonografía endoscópica en la evaluación de lesiones sólidas pancreáticas.

INTRODUCTION: endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) elastography is considered a useful tool for the evaluation of solid pancreatic lesions (SPL). OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of elastography in patients with SPL. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional study was performed at the Rebagliati Hospital between July 2017 and June 2018. Patients with a diagnosis of SPL and echoendoscopic study, elastography and FNA were included. Qualitative and quantitative elastography: strain ratio (SR) and strain histogram, were performed and analyzed with histopathological results. The diagnostic accuracy of EUS elastography in detecting malignancy was calculated using receiver operating curve analysis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy for the detection of malignancy were calculated. RESULTS: Out of 832 EUS examinations performed, 46 patients with SPL (mean age, 64.6 years; 29 women) were included in the study. Pancreatic adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 36 cases. In qualitative elastography, score 3 was most frequent (n = 39, 84.8%) with sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 88.9%, 30% and 76.1%, respectively, for predict adenocarcinoma. A strain ratio of 15 or higher (100% sensitivity, 66.7% specificity and 97.8% accuracy) and a histogram of less than 49 (66.7% sensitivity, 97.6% specificity and 95.6% accuracy) predicts malignancy in SPL, with area under a ROC curve of 0.941 (95% CI, 0.82 - 1.0). CONCLUSIONS: EUS elastography provides information to predict the malignant nature of the pancreatic lesion. In our study, the elastographic detection of a score 3, SR≥15 or a histogram <49 predicts the presence of malignancy in LSP.

Discovery of Novel Oral Protein Synthesis Inhibitors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis That Target Leucyl-tRNA Synthetase.

The recent development and spread of extensively drug-resistant and totally drug-resistant resistant (TDR) strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis highlight the need for new antitubercular drugs. Protein synthesis inhibitors have played an important role in the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) starting with the inclusion of streptomycin in the first combination therapies. Although parenteral aminoglycosides are a key component of therapy for multidrug-resistant TB, the oxazolidinone linezolid is the only orally available protein synthesis inhibitor that is effective against TB. Here, we show that small-molecule inhibitors of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs), which are known to be excellent antibacterial protein synthesis targets, are orally bioavailable and effective against M. tuberculosis in TB mouse infection models. We applied the oxaborole tRNA-trapping (OBORT) mechanism, which was first developed to target fungal cytoplasmic leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS), to M. tuberculosis LeuRS. X-ray crystallography was used to guide the design of LeuRS inhibitors that have good biochemical potency and excellent whole-cell activity against M. tuberculosis Importantly, their good oral bioavailability translates into in vivo efficacy in both the acute and chronic mouse models of TB with potency comparable to that of the frontline drug isoniazid.

[Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in symptomatic outpatients in Red Rebagliati (EsSalud) from 2010 to 2013, Lima, Peru]. / Prevalencia de Helicobacter pylori en pacientes sintomáticos de consulta externa de la Red Rebagliati (EsSalud),Lima, Perú, en el período 2010 â€" 2013.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in symptomatic outpatients in Red Rebagliati (EsSalud) from 2010 to 2013. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational, transversal and analytical study. Records of outpatients with diagnostic 13C-urea breath test of Helicobacter pylori in the period 2010-2013 were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 1711 patients, the overall prevalence of Helicobacter pylori was 45.5% (95% CI: 43.17-47.89) being higher in women than in men (47.1% vs. 42.1%, p=0.056). There were significant differences in age between infected and uninfected (44 vs. 39, p < 0.05), with association between age and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (p<0.001). The estimated prevalence in the pediatric population was 36.3% and was found positive in 201 (51.1%) women of childbearing age. Most (43.9%) came from the financial sector of the city. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in the study population was similar in both sexes and is related to age. The average socioeconomic status of Lima maintains the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori reported in the last years.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis gyrase inhibitors as a new class of antitubercular drugs.

One way to speed up the TB drug discovery process is to search for antitubercular activity among compound series that already possess some of the key properties needed in anti-infective drug discovery, such as whole-cell activity and oral absorption. Here, we present MGIs, a new series of Mycobacterium tuberculosis gyrase inhibitors, which stem from the long-term efforts GSK has dedicated to the discovery and development of novel bacterial topoisomerase inhibitors (NBTIs). The compounds identified were found to be devoid of fluoroquinolone (FQ) cross-resistance and seem to operate through a mechanism similar to that of the previously described NBTI GSK antibacterial drug candidate. The remarkable in vitro and in vivo antitubercular profiles showed by the hits has prompted us to further advance the MGI project to full lead optimization.

The development of an economic threshold for Nasonovia ribisnigri (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on lettuce in central Spain.

This study reports economic thresholds for the lettuce aphid Nasonovia ribisnigri (Mosley), based exclusively on cosmetic damage, that is, presence or absence of aphids at harvest time. Field trials were conducted in La Poveda Experimental Farm, Madrid (Spain) during autumn (2004 and 2005) and spring (2005 and 2006). Plants were arranged in plots and just before the formation of lettuce hearts they were infested with different densities of N. ribisnigri. Two days later, half of each plot was treated with tau-fluvalinate (Klartan24AF) and the other half remained as an untreated control. Economic thresholds were obtained from nonlinear regressions calculated between the percentage of commercial plants at the end of the crop cycle for both, treated and untreated semiplots, and the different initial densities of N. ribisnigri per plant. Two criteria were used to consider a commercial lettuce plant: a conservative estimate (0 aphids/plant) and a lax one (< 5 aphids/plant). Thus, an economic threshold was established for each season and criterium. The economic thresholds that were obtained with the most and least conservative criteria were in spring 0.06 and 0.12 aphids per plant, and in autumn 0.07 and 0.13 aphids per plant, respectively. These results show that to avoid cosmetic damage, insecticide sprays are required when a very low aphid density is detected in lettuce seedlings soon after transplant.

Solid-state water electrolysis with an alkaline membrane.

We report high-performance, durable alkaline membrane water electrolysis in a solid-state cell. An anion exchange membrane (AEM) and catalyst layer ionomer for hydroxide ion conduction were used without the addition of liquid electrolyte. At 50 °C, an AEM electrolysis cell using iridium oxide as the anode catalyst and Pt black as the cathode catalyst exhibited a current density of 399 mA/cm(2) at 1.80 V. We found that the durability of the AEM-based electrolysis cell could be improved by incorporating a highly durable ionomer in the catalyst layer and optimizing the water feed configuration. We demonstrated an AEM-based electrolysis cell with a lifetime of >535 h. These first-time results of water electrolysis in a solid-state membrane cell are promising for low-cost, scalable hydrogen production.

[Associated risk factors in patients with gastric intestinal metaplasia with mild gastroduodenal disease. Is it always related to Helicobacter pylori infection?]. / Factores de riesgo asociados a metaplasia intestinal gástrica en pacientes sin enfermedad gastroduodenal significativa. ¿Está siempre asociada la infección por Helicobacter pylori?

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the presence or absence of association of Helicobacter pylori infection (HP) as risk factor for gastric intestinal metaplasia (IM), and to determine concomitant cofactors. METHODS: A prospective, case-control study was performed from October 2010 to May 2011, in outpatients without significant gastroduodenal disease. The presence or absence of IM was diagnosed by gastric biopsies (case or control, respectively). H. Pylori infection, age, sex, smoking, alcohol drinking, family history of gastric cancer and bile reflux were evaluated. Odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% CIs were estimated by logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 440 patients (88 cases and 352 controls) were studied, with a mean age ± SD of 44.3 ± 15.7 years; 58.2% were women. Prevalence of HP infection was 51.6% in the population and 46.6% in patients with IM. The mean age was significantly higher in cases (56.5 years vs. 39, p = 0.0005), whereas no differences in other variables studied. In bivariate analysis, only age ≥ 50 years was a risk factor (OR = 4.47, 95% CI 2.66-7.57), whereas in multivariate analysis the risk factors were age ≥ 50 years (OR = 4.67, 95% CI 2.79-7.81), bile reflux (OR = 3.66, 95% CI 1.71-7.83) and history of alcohol drinking (OR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.33-4.03). HP infection showed an OR less < 1 (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.51-1.41). CONCLUSIONS: Risk factors associated with the presence of IM in outpatients without significant gastroduodenal disease were age ≥ 50 years, bile reflux and a history of alcohol drinking in the population studied. H. Pylori infection was not associated as risk factor for IM.

[Perception of pain during sigmoidoscopy flexible as an additional diagnostic method for irritable bowel syndrome]. / Percepción del dolor durante la sigmoidoscopia flexible como método diagnóstico adicional de síndrome de intestino irritable.

INTRODUCTION: Visceral hypersensitivity has been proposed as a biological marker of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the pain perception during sigmoidoscopy using a visual analog scale of pain in patients with or without IBS, and to assess the pain perception as diagnostic criteria for IBS. We further assessed the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency of pain scores to diagnose IBS. METHODS: A prospective case-control study in patients who underwent sigmoidoscopy for the evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms. All patients completed Rome III criteria questionnaires and divided into two groups: IBS and non-IBS. All participants reported pain scores on visual analog scales after of study. Differences were evaluated. We calculated a receiver-operator characteristic curve (ROC), sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency. RESULTS: We analyzed 20 patients with IBS and 20 controls. The pain scores were higher in IBS patients compared with non-IBS patients (median, 52.5 vs. 27.5, p = 0.006). The area under the curve was 0.84, at pain score level of ≥ 40 mm with a sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic efficiency of 85%, 75% and 80%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of pain perception was higher in IBS patients than in non-IBS patients during sigmoidoscopy. A score of pain perception in ≥ 40 mm may predict the diagnosis of IBS with good sensitivity (85%) and specificity (75%).

[Assessment of the indications of colonoscopy in the prediction of colon cancer diagnosis]. / Valoración de las Indicaciones de Colonoscopia en la Predicción Diagnóstica de Cáncer de Colon.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic value of colonoscopy indications as predictors of colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: A retrospective study of colonoscopy indications in Centenary Peruvian Japanese Clinic from 2006 to 2010 was performed. Diagnosis of CRC was considered as dependent variable whereas colonoscopy indications were considered as independent variables. For each indication we calculated the sensitivity (S), positive predictive value (PPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+) and number of colonoscopies needed to diagnose a case of CRC (NND). RESULTS: Of the 2290 colonoscopies analyzed, 58 (2.5%) had colorectal cancer, with a mean age of 66.5 } 12.4 years (range 27-84) of whom 89.7% were older than 50 years. The indications with greatest PPV were abdominal tumor (20.0%), liver metastases (16.7%), hematochezia (12.2%), suspicious radiological image (10.0%), constitutional syndrome (8.3%) and anemia (7.9%). The indications with greatest LR+ were liver abdominal tumor (9.62), liver metastases (7.70), hematoquezia (5.33), suspicious radiological image (4.28), (3.5) and anemia (3.31). The NND was 5 in hematoquezia and 10 in anemia, while others indications had negative NND or no significant. CONCLUSIONS: Indications of abdominal tumor, liver metastases, non-distal rectal bleeding, suspicious radiological image, constitutional syndrome and anemia were associated with colorectal cancer diagnosis. Non-distal rectal bleeding and anemia had adequate NND in diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing for Mycobacterium sps in High-Throughput Format.

The concept of antimicrobial susceptibility testing is an essential part of clinical microbiology. Antimicrobial testing has played a central role in the identification of new antibiotics and defining their clinical uses. Here we describe different approaches to determine the activity of compounds in medium or high-throughput format.

Efectividad y seguridad de la biopsia hepática guiada porendosonografía en enfermedad hepática en un hospital públicode nivel III

La evaluación de la enfermedad hepática parenquimal suele comprender exámenes de laboratorio y de imagen; sin embargo, en algunos casos se puede requerir una biopsia hepática. La biopsia del hígado guiada por endosonografía se ha reportado como un procedimiento con un rendimiento diagnóstico entre 90 a 100% con un perfil bajo de eventos adversos; sin embargo, no existen estudios que reporten la experiencia y el tipo de técnica empleada en nuestro país. Objetivo: Determinar la efectividad y la seguridad de la biopsia hepática guiada por endosonografía en enfermedad hepática parenquimal. Materiales y métodos: Estudio prospectivo realizado en un hospital público de nivel de atención III-2 en Lima, Perú, el cual incluyó pacientes mayores de 18 años con sospecha de alguna enfermedad hepática parenquimal que fueron sometidos a una biopsia guiada por endosonografía desde marzo del 2018 a octubre del 2022. Resultados: El rendimiento diagnóstico de las biopsias fue de 77,02%, con una longitud media de la muestra obtenida de 13,98 mm (desviación estándar 7,34) y una mediana de 8 espacios porta completos (0-50). Cabe mencionar que solo un 31.25% de procedimientos se realizaron con aguja fina de biopsia (FNB), encontrándose una diferencia significativa entre el tipo de aguja y el rendimiento diagnóstico (p=0,01). El diagnóstico histopatológico más frecuente el de hepatitis autoinmune. Y existieron un 2,08% de complicaciones post procedimiento. Conclusiones: Las biopsias guiadas por endosonografía para el diagnóstico de enfermedad parenquimal hepática tienen una efectividad cercana al 80% en nuestro medio y con un perfil bajo de eventos adversos; sin embargo, se necesitan estudios prospectivos y con un mayor número de pacientes.

Parenchymal liver diseases are commonly evaluated by laboratory and imaging studies. However, in some cases a liver biopsy is required. Endoscopic ultrasonography-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB) has been reported as a procedure with high diagnostic yield (90-100%) with low adverse event profile, but there are not studies which report about the experience and technique in our country. Objective: Determinate the effectiveness and the safety of endosonography-guided liver biopsy in liver parenchymal disease. Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted at a III-2 level of care Public Hospital in Lima, Peru. It included patients over 18 years of age with suspicion of parenchymal liver disease who underwent EUS-LB for study hepatic parenchymal disease since March of 2018 to October of 2022. Results: The diagnostic yield of the biopsies was 77.02%, with a mean length of the sample of 13.98mm (standard deviation 7.34) and a median of 8 complete portal spaces (0-50). Only 31.25% of the procedures were performed with a fine needle biopsy (FNB), finding a significant difference between the type of needle and the diagnostic yield (p=0.01). The most common histopathological diagnosis was autoinmune hepatitis. There were 2.08% of post-procedure complications. Conclusions: EUS-LB for the diagnosis of liver parenchymal disease had a diagnostic yield close to 80% in our region with a low profile of adverse events. However, more prospectives studies with a larger number of patients are required.

Energy density of foods and diets in Mexico and their monetary cost by socioeconomic strata: analyses of ENSANUT data 2012.

BACKGROUND: In January 2014, Mexico implemented an 8% tax on non-essential foods with energy density ≥275 kcal/100 g, with a view to prevent obesity. This study explored energy density of foods and diets in Mexico and their monetary cost across population subgroups. METHODS: Dietary intakes for 3057 adults (ages ≥19 years) were obtained from the nationally representative Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutrición (ENSANUT 2012). Energy density (kcal/g) was calculated for foods, food groups and total diets. The mean national retail prices for 153 foods were obtained from the National Institute for Geography and Statistics (INEGI). The monetary cost of total diets (MXN/day) was estimated by attaching food prices to dietary intakes from the ENSANUT food frequency questionnaire. A series of descriptive analyses and regression models examined associations among dietary energy density and diet cost by age, gender, rural or urban residence and socioeconomic status (SES). RESULTS: Energy-dense grains, fats and sweets cost less per calorie than did milk and dairy, meat, vegetables and fruit. Lower cost diets derived more calories from tortillas, tamales, beans and sugar, whereas higher cost diets contained more non-essential energy-dense processed foods and more sugar sweetened beverages, and fruits and vegetables. At each quintile of energy intake, higher dietary energy density was associated with lower energy-adjusted diet costs. Traditional energy-dense tortillas and tamales, also characterised by lower cost, were consumed more by the rural poor. Urban dwellers had more 'western-style' diets. CONCLUSIONS: Food patterns in Mexico appear to be driven by monetary cost and SES.

A new 'golden age' for the antitubercular target InhA.

The increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main contributing factor in unfavorable outcomes in the treatment of tuberculosis. Studies suggest that direct inhibitors of InhA, an enoyl-ACP-reductase, might yield promising clinical candidates that can be developed into new antitubercular drugs. In this review, we describe the application of different hit-identification strategies to InhA, which clearly illustrate the druggability of its active site through distinct binding mechanisms. We further characterize four classes of InhA inhibitors that show novel binding modes, and provide evidence of their successful target engagement as well as their in vivo activity.