Health and Economic Benefits of Complying With the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter in Nine Major Latin American Cities.

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the short-term preventable mortality and associated economic costs of complying with the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines (AQGs) limit values for PM10 and PM2.5 in nine major Latin American cities. Methods: We estimated city-specific PM-mortality associations using time-series regression models and calculated the attributable mortality fraction. Next, we used the value of statistical life to calculate the economic benefits of complying with the WHO AQGs limit values. Results: In most cities, PM concentrations exceeded the WHO AQGs limit values more than 90% of the days. PM10 was found to be associated with an average excess mortality of 1.88% with concentrations above WHO AQGs limit values, while for PM2.5 it was 1.05%. The associated annual economic costs varied widely, between US$ 19.5 million to 3,386.9 million for PM10, and US$ 196.3 million to 2,209.6 million for PM2.5. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need for policymakers to develop interventions to achieve sustainable air quality improvements in Latin America. Complying with the WHO AQGs limit values for PM10 and PM2.5 in Latin American cities would substantially benefits for urban populations.

Structure, Process, and Mortality Associated with Acute Coronary Syndrome Management in Guatemala's National Healthcare System: The ACS-GT Registry.

Background: Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) include ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina (UA). The leading cause of mortality in Guatemala is acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and there is no established national policy nor current standard of care. Objective: Describe the factors that influence ACS outcome, evaluating the national healthcare system's quality of care based on the Donabedian health model. Methods: The ACS-Gt study is an observational, multicentre, and prospective national registry. A total of 109 ACS adult patients admitted at six hospitals from Guatemala's National Healthcare System were included. These represent six out of the country's eight geographic regions. Data enrolment took place from February 2020 to January 2021. Data was assessed using chi-square test, Student's t-test, or Mann-Whitney U test, whichever applied. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: One hundred and nine patients met inclusion criteria (80.7% STEMI, 19.3% NSTEMI/UA). The population was predominantly male, (68%) hypertensive (49.5%), and diabetic (45.9%). Fifty-nine percent of STEMI patients received fibrinolysis (alteplase 65.4%) and none for primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (pPCI). Reperfusion success rate was 65%, and none were taken to PCI afterwards in the recommended time period (2-24 hours). Prognostic delays in STEMI were significantly prolonged in comparison with European guidelines goals. Optimal in-hospital medical therapy was 8.3%, and in-hospital mortality was 20.4%. Conclusions: There is poor access to ACS pharmacological treatment, low reperfusion rate, and no primary, urgent, or rescue PCI available. No patient fulfilled the recommended time period between successful fibrinolysis and PCI. Resources are limited and inefficiently used.

Valuing air quality impacts using stated choice analysis: trading off visibility against morbidity effects.

Direct valuation of air quality has as a drawback; that estimated willingness to pay figures cannot be apportioned to the several environmental goods affected by air quality, such as mortality and morbidity effects, visibility, outdoor recreation, among others. To address this issue, we implemented a survey in Santiago de Chile to identify component values of confounded environmental services by means of a choice experiment. We designed a survey where two environmental goods, a morbidity health endpoint and improved visibility, had to be jointly traded off against each other and against money in a unified framework. The health endpoint is a respiratory illness that results in an emergency room visit with a probability of hospitalization being required for appropriate treatment. Visibility is described as an aesthetic effect related to the number of days per year of high visibility. Modeling comprises both a logit model with covariates and a mixed-logit model. The results suggest that the health endpoint midpoint value is in a range from USD 2,800 to USD 13,000, mainly depending on the model and age stratum. The mid point value of an extra day of high visibility per year ranges from USD 281,000 to USD 379,000.

Nadroparina cálcica: una revisión de su farmacología básica y clínica / Nadroparin calcium: a review of its basic and clinical pharmacology

Objetivo. Evaluar críticamente la información sobre la farmacología básica y clínica de la nadroparina cálcica. Fuente de datos. Se hizo una búsqueda en la literatura científica de octubre de 1985 a septiembre de 2010, en las bases de datos electrónicas: Pubmed, Cochrane, MDConsult,Scielo y Medscape, y en el Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA).Selección de estudios. Se incluyeron los estudios publicados en inglés, español o francés, realizados en humanos y animales de experimentación, en los que se revisarala farmacología básica y clínica de la nadroparina cálcica. Extracción y síntesis de datos. Se revisaron 792 resúmenes y se seleccionaron 60artículos que cumplieron los criterios de inclusión, de acuerdo con un método se resolvieron todas las discrepancias por discusión y consenso.Conclusión. En algunos estudios la nadroparina cálcica ha mostrado una eficacia igual o superior a la de la heparina no fraccionada y la de un placebo. Sin embargo, la información evaluada no es lo suficientemente sólida para considerar superior lanadroparina frente a las otras heparinas de bajo peso molecular. La literatura científica muestra que, en general, el tratamiento con estas últimas es más seguro y costo-efectivo que con heparina no fraccionada. No existen pruebas suficientes, fuertes y concluyentes para calificar la nadroparina cálcica como superior aotras heparinas de bajo peso molecular en el tratamiento antitrombótico. Las de bajo peso molecular han demostrado una reducción significativaen la angiogénesis tumoral y un aumento en la supervivencia de pacientes con enfermedades oncológicas. Sin embargo, se requieren más investigaciones para caracterizar y comprender mejor este nuevo hallazgo...

Objective: To evaluate critically the evidence on the basic and clinical pharmacology of nadroparin calcium.Data source: We conducted a literature review from October 1985 to September 2010 in the electronic databases: Pubmed, Cochrane,MD Cosult, Medscape, Scielo and Instituto Nacional de Vigilancia de Medicamentos y Alimentos (INVIMA).Study selection: Studies published in English, Spanish or French made in humans and animals for experimentation which reviewed the basic and clinical pharmacology of nadroparin calcium wereincluded. Data extraction and synthesis: 792 abstracts were reviewed by authors and 60 papers were selected that met inclusion criteria according to a standardized method All discrepancies were resolved by discussion and consensus. Conclusion: Some studies have shown that the efficacy of nadroparin calcium is equal or superior to unfractionated heparin (UFH) and placebo, however, the strength of assessed evidencehas been insufficient for considering nadroparin calcium superior to other low molecular weight heparins (LMWH). Literature shows that LMWHstherapy is more cost-effective and safer than UFH therapy in general. It does not exist enough, strong and conclusive evidence for considering antithrombotic nadroparin calcium therapy greater to other LMWHs. LMWHs have shown a significantreduction in tumor angiogenesis and increased survival in oncology patients. To conduct further research is necessary to characterize and understand better this new finding...

Health, wealth, and air pollution: advancing theory and methods.

The effects of both ambient air pollution and socioeconomic position (SEP) on health are well documented. A limited number of recent studies suggest that SEP may itself play a role in the epidemiology of disease and death associated with exposure to air pollution. Together with evidence that poor and working-class communities are often more exposed to air pollution, these studies have stimulated discussion among scientists, policy makers, and the public about the differential distribution of the health impacts from air pollution. Science and public policy would benefit from additional research that integrates the theory and practice from both air pollution and social epidemiologies to gain a better understanding of this issue. In this article we aim to promote such research by introducing readers to methodologic and conceptual approaches in the fields of air pollution and social epidemiology; by proposing theories and hypotheses about how air pollution and socioeconomic factors may interact to influence health, drawing on studies conducted worldwide; by discussing methodologic issues in the design and analysis of studies to determine whether health effects of exposure to ambient air pollution are modified by SEP; and by proposing specific steps that will advance knowledge in this field, fill information gaps, and apply research results to improve public health in collaboration with affected communities.

International expert workshop on the analysis of the economic and public health impacts of air pollution: workshop summary.

Forty-nine experts from 18 industrial and developing countries met on 6 September 2001 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, to discuss the economic and public health impacts of air pollution, particularly with respect to assessing the public health benefits from technologies and policies that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Such measures would provide immediate public health benefits, such as reduced premature mortality and chronic morbidity, through improved local air quality. These mitigation strategies also allow long-term goals--for example, reducing the buildup of GHG emissions--to be achieved alongside short-term aims, such as immediate improvements in air quality, and therefore benefits to public health. The workshop aimed to foster research partnerships by improving collaboration and communication among various agencies and researchers; providing a forum for presentations by sponsoring agencies and researchers regarding research efforts and agency activities; identifying key issues, knowledge gaps, methodological shortcomings, and research needs; and recommending activities and initiatives for research, collaboration, and communication. This workshop summary briefly describes presentations made by workshop participants and the conclusions of three separate working groups: economics, benefits transfer, and policy; indoor air quality issues and susceptible populations; and development and transfer of dose-response relationships and exposure models in developing countries. Several common themes emerged from the working group sessions and subsequent discussion. Key recommendations include the need for improved communication and extended collaboration, guidance and support for researchers, advances in methods, and resource support for data collection, assessment, and research.