Evaluación de resultados de una encuesta de satisfacción del proceso editorial, Revista Médica Hondureña, 2016-2020 / Evaluation of results of a satisfaction survey of the editorial process, Revista Médica Hondureña, 2016-2020

Antecedentes: En el proceso editorial participan autores, editores, revisores pares y lectores, quienes contribuyen a la calidad de las publicaciones biomédicas. Objetivo: Evaluar los resultados de una encuesta de satisfacción dirigida a autores y revisores pares que participaron en el proceso editorial de la Revista Médica Hondureña (RMH), periodo 2016- 2020. Metodología: Análisis retrospectivo de los formularios completados en línea por autores y revisores pares, invitados a participar voluntariamente por correo electrónico durante diciembre 2020-julio 2021. La encuesta incluyó 16 preguntas que registraron características del proceso editorial y sugerencias de mejora. La satisfacción se clasificó en 5 categorías, de muy satisfecho a muy insatisfecho. Los resultados se presentan como frecuencias y porcentajes de las variables estudiadas. Resultados: Se analizaron 53 encuestas, completadas por 88.7% (47) autores y 11.3% (6) revisores pares. El 94.3% (50) describió como claras las instrucciones para autores, 77.4% (41) indicó haber recibido respuesta oportuna, 71.7% (38) recibió asesoría personalizada, 90.5% (48) describió como muy probable/probable su disposición a enviar artículos o colaborar como revisor par; algunas limitantes para participar fueron falta de tiempo e inexperiencia. El 69.8% (37) expresó estar muy satisfecho/satisfecho en comparación a 17.0% (9) que expresó insatisfacción con el proceso editorial. Discusión: En esta muestra limitada de usuarios, más de 2/3 expresó una percepción positiva y satisfacción con el proceso editorial. Es necesario impulsar la mejora continua de la RMH y promover el fortalecimiento del ecosistema de la investigación en el gremio médico y colaboradores en Honduras...(AU)

Alpha estrogen receptor polymorphisms and their association with breast density. / Polimorfismos del receptor de estrógenos alfa y su asociación con la densidad mamaria.

BACKGROUND: In the development of breast cancer (BC), estrogen exposure and the increase in breast density (BD) are two determinant factors for BC risk. OBJECTIVE: To identify the relationship between the XbaI and PvuII polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor (ER-alpha) with BD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study which included 225 women, aged 40-65 years, without evident cancer data, who underwent routine mammography for early BC diagnosis in a radiology department. Two groups were formed: women with increased and with normal BD. Participants were genotyped for the XbaI and PvuII polymorphisms. RESULTS: 19.1% had normal weight, 37.7% overweight, and 43.2% were obese women. In relation to high-risk patterns, 105 women had increased BD and 120 had normal BD (53.3%). The frequency of women with increased BD was also lower in postmenopausal women. Regarding the type of BD, there was no statistically significant difference between frequencies of PvuII and XbaI genotypes. Logistic regression showed that only age and body mass index (BMI) were associated with BD. CONCLUSION: PvuII and XbaI ER-alpha genotypes were similar among women with dense and non-dense breasts; differently, other factors were associated with BD (age, BMI and menopausal status). Therefore, emphasis should be placed on clinical practice in the relationship between BMI and BD.

INTRODUCCIÓN: En el desarrollo de cáncer de mama (CaMa), la exposición estrogénica y el aumento de la densidad mamaria (DM) son dos factores determinantes de riesgo. OBJETIVO: Identificar la asociación entre los polimorfismos XbaI y PvuII del receptor de estrógenos (ER-alfa) con la DM. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal que incluyó 225 pacientes de 40-65 años, sin datos evidentes de cáncer, que se realizaron mastografía de rutina en un departamento de radiología para diagnóstico precoz de CaMa. Se clasificaron en dos grupos: con presencia o ausencia de DM aumentada. Se les tomó muestra sanguínea para extraer DNA y determinar los polimorfismos XbaI y PvuII del gen ER-alfa. RESULTADOS: 19.1% tuvo peso normal, 37.7% sobrepeso y el 43.2% obesidad. En relación con la DM, 105 tuvieron mama densa (46.7%) y 120 mama no densa (53.3%). La frecuencia de mujeres con mama densa fue inferior en las mujeres posmenopáusicas. En cuanto al tipo de DM, no hubo diferencia significativa entre las frecuencias en los genotipos de PvuII y XbaI. La regresión logística mostró que solo la edad y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) fueron factores determinantes de la DM. CONCLUSIONES: Los genotipos PvuII y XbaI del ER-alfa fueron similares entre las mujeres con mama densa y no densa; en contraste, otros factores se relacionaron con la DM (edad, IMC y estado menopáusico). Por ende, en la práctica clínica se debe enfatizar la relación del IMC con la DM, pues esta representa un factor de riesgo de CaMa.

Addiction and Other Reasons Adolescent Smokers Give to Justify Smoking.

BACKGROUND: The primary purpose of this paper is to examine youth addiction and other justifications for adolescent smoking, and how they affect the level of consumption. METHODS: Data from the Spanish 'State Survey on Drug Use among High School Students' aged between 14 and 18 years old were used in this paper. To account for the nature of the cigarette consumption data, several count data models were estimated in order to select the one that best fits adolescent smoking consumption. RESULTS: Most adolescent smokers smoke because it relaxes them, and about a quarter of them recognize that they are addicted. Moreover, the latter group smoke 44% more cigarettes than the rest (IRR = 1.444), revealing the strong addictive nature of tobacco, even at early ages. Moreover, parents' smoking increases the probability of smoking and has an impact on the level of consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The implications of these findings offer insight for parents, researchers, educators, and cessation interventionists, as awareness of self-reported and other predictors held by smoking youth creates a vantage point to facilitate changes in smoking behavior.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of the introduction of the human papillomavirus vaccine in Honduras.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Honduras. With the availability of a vaccine to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), the causative agent for cervical cancer, the Honduran Secretary of Health undertook a cost-effectiveness analysis of introducing the HPV vaccine to support their national decision-making process. METHODS: A national multidisciplinary team conducted this analysis with the CERVIVAC model, developed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization's ProVac Initiative. The cumulative costs and health benefits of introducing the HPV vaccine were assessed over the lifetime of one single cohort of 11-year-old girls. We assumed a three-dose series with 95% vaccination coverage of the cohort using a mixture of school-based and facility-based delivery. To estimate national cervical cancer cases and deaths, we used United Nations demographic projections and GLOBOCAN estimates based on registry data from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Based on estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Division of Intensified Cooperation with Countries (ICO), we assumed that 70% of cervical cancer would be due to vaccine types HPV16 and HPV18. We used a vaccine dose price of US$ 13.45 and evidence from the scientific literature to estimate vaccine effectiveness. National information was used to estimate health service utilization and costs of cervical cancer treatment. All costs and health benefits were discounted at 3%. RESULTS: Upon fully vaccinating 86,906 11-year old girls, 2250 (undiscounted) cervical cancer cases and 1336 (undiscounted) deaths would be prevented over the lifetime of the cohort. After discounting future health benefits at 3% per year, the equivalent cases and deaths prevented were 421 and 170. HPV vaccination is estimated to cost around US$ 5 million per vaccinated cohort, but this would be offset by around US$ 1 million in avoided costs borne by the government to treat cervical cancer. Furthermore, 4349 discounted disability adjusted life years (DALYs) could be avoided at a cost of US$ 926 per DALY avoided, making HPV vaccination in Honduras a highly cost-effective intervention. DISCUSSION: The net cost of HPV vaccination per DALY avoided is less than the WHO threshold for cost-effectiveness. However, at a cost of around US$ 5 million per vaccinated cohort, an important element to consider in this discussion is the budgetary implications that the introduction of the HPV vaccine would cause for the country. CONCLUSIONS: When comparing the costs and benefits of HPV vaccine introduction in Honduras, it is clear that this intervention would be highly cost-effective and that the intervention would greatly reduce cervical cancer disease. For these reasons, it is in the country's best interest to explore financing opportunities that could support the vaccine's introduction.

Aging linked to type 2 diabetes increases oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.

Oxidative stress (OxS) and inflammation are physiopathological mechanisms related to diabetes and aging. We evaluated the additive effect of diabetes and aging on OxS and inflammation in a cross-sectional comparative study of 228 subjects: (1) 56 healthy adults (mean age, 47 ± 7 years); (2) 60 diabetic adults (mean age, 52 ± 6 years); (3) 40 healthy elderly adults (mean age, 67 ± 7 years); and (4) 72 diabetic elderly adults (mean age, 68 ± 7 years). We measured levels of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), plasma lipid peroxides, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, total antioxidants, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The results indicate that diabetes is a risk factor for subjects with high serum levels of TNF-α (odds ratio [OR] = 12.1; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 5.0-28; p < 0.001); this correlation becomes stronger when it is also associated with aging (OR = 14; 95% CI, 3.7-53.7; p < 0.05). Likewise, we observed that diabetes is an independent risk factor for OxS (OR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-3.8; p < 0.05), and a stronger factor in older patients (OR = 3.1; 95% CI, 1.3-7.5; p < 0.05). Our findings suggest that aging, in concert with diabetes, exerts an additive effect on OxS and inflammation.

DD genotype of angiotensin-converting enzyme in type 2 diabetes mellitus with renal disease in Mexican Mestizos.

AIM: The DD genotype of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has been suggested as a major contributor of diabetic nephropathy in several populations. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether micro/macroalbuminuria is associated with ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in Mexican Mestizos with type 2 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A total of 435 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, of whom 233 had albuminuria, were characterized for the ACE I/D polymorphism by the polymerase chain reaction method. RESULTS: Clinical and biochemical characteristics and frequencies according to DD, ID and II genotypes in patients with and without albuminuria showed no significant differences. However, only females with micro/macroalbuminuria showed higher frequency of a DD genotype than those without albuminuria (27.9%, 21.2% and 10.5%, respectively; P