Candida parapsilosis endocarditis without vegetations at Echocardiography: a case report / Endocarditis por Candida parapsilosis sin vegetaciones ecocardiográficas: Un reporte de caso

ABSTRACT Candida endocarditis is a very serious manifestation of candida infections, and it has increased in incidence over the past years. Of these, C. parapsilosis has been described as a cause of endocarditis in native valves of intravenous drug users and prosthetic valves. We report the case of a female that developed a cerebrovascular accident secondary to emboli from aortic prosthetic valve C. parapsilosis endocarditis, despite apparently normal echocardiography. She received antifungal therapy without surgical intervention.

RESUMEN La endocarditis por Candida spp. es una manifestación muy grave de las infecciones por este patógeno y su incidencia ha ido aumentando en los últimos años. La Candida parapsilosis se ha descrito como causa de endocarditis en válvulas nativas de usuarios de drogas intravenosas y prótesis valvulares. Presentamos el caso de una mujer que desarrolló un accidente cerebrovascular secundario a émbolos fúngicos procedentes de una prótesis valvular aórtica infectada por C. parapsilosis, a pesar de un ecocardiograma sin vegetaciones. La paciente recibió tratamiento antifúngico sin necesidad de intervención quirúrgica.

Impacto científico y temático de la Rev. Cuerpo Méd. HNAAA: un análisis bibliométrico, 2011-2020

Introducción: El Perú posee un gran número revistas de áreas biomédicas, pero solo algunas han logrado visibilizar e indizar sus publicaciones en diferentes medios de indización de alcance global. Objetivo: Analizar las características de publicación de la Revista del Cuerpo Médico Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo (Chiclayo) a partir de indicadores bibliométricos. Material y métodos: Estudio descriptivo que analiza 587 registros bibliográficos de los artículos publicados en la revista durante 2011-2020, a partir de indicadores de impacto científico y análisis de términos. Resultados: La mayor producción de artículos corresponde a originales (60%; X̅=66). Los artículos publicados sobre medicina general obtuvieron más impacto en años anteriores. Los temas más frecuentes fueron estudios sobre pacientes de hospitales de Chiclayo, Lambayeque con casos de covid-19. Conclusiones: La Revista del Cuerpo Médico HNAAA se perfila como una publicación seriada de importancia para visibilizar la producción nacional y local por la cobertura temática en especialidades médicas de relevancia regional que publica.

Background: There are several journals about biomedical areas in Peru, however only a few have managed to make their publications avisible and indexed in different global indexing media. Objective: To analyze the main publication characteristics from Revista del Cuerpo Médico Hospital Nacional Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo (Chiclayo) based on bibliometric methods. Material and methods: Descriptive study that analyzes 587 articles published by the journal from 2011 to 2020, based on bibliometric methods and indicators: citations, scientific impact and co-word analysis. Results: Original articles were the highest types of document published (60%; X̅=66). Published research articles on general medicine received more impact in previous years than the recents. Most frequent topic analyzed were studies about patients from hospitals in Chiclayo city (Lambayeque) with covid-19 clinical cases. Conclusion: Revista del Cuerpo Médico HNAAA is emerging as an important serial publication to make local, national, and international production visible due to thematic coverage in relevant medical specialties.

[Cytomegalovirus hepatitis in a 2-month-old infant: a case report]. / Hepatitis por citomegalovirus en una lactante de 2 meses: reporte de un caso.

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is a cause of neonatal infection that can be asymptomatic; however, its complications are possible in some organs such as the nervous system and the liver. We report a case of a 2-month-old female infant with cytomegalovirus hepatitis characterized by abdominal distention, cholestasis, irritability, and poor breastfeeding. In the tests, liver involvement, periventricular microcalcifications, and sensorineural hearing loss were found. The diagnosis was determined by serum antibodies, confirmed with viral load in blood, urine, and liver tissue. Treatment with ganciclovir, vitamin K, and ursodeoxycholic acid was administered with adequate evolution. Cytomegalovirus hepatitis is a complication that may be associated with the involvement of other organs. Antiviral treatment for liver involvement is still controversial; however, it is recommended in children under one month of age if it is associated with neurological damage.

Uso racional de antimicrobianos en tiempos de COVID-19 en Perú: rol de los programas de optimización del uso de antimicrobianos e intervenciones desde el punto de vista de control de infecciones

La resistencia antimicrobiana (RAM) es una pandemia adicional de lenta evolución que precede a la pandemia de COVID-19 y continuará cuando esta termine. Sin embargo, en países como Perú, donde existe un alto consumo y prescripción inadecuada de antimicrobianos, puede pasar desapercibida y se puede esperar, en el futuro, un escenario más desafiante. Los programas de optimización de uso de antimicrobianos (PROA) son equipos multidisciplinarios de profesionales que tienen como objetivo retardar la aparición de organismos multirresistentes a través de estrategias como la auditoría de prescripciones o la creación de algoritmos de tratamiento antimicrobiano basados en las tasas locales de RAM. La dificultad en el diagnóstico oportuno de coinfecciones o superinfecciones en el curso clínico y progresión de la COVID-19 predisponen al uso inadecuado de antimicrobianos, lo que obliga a los PROA a adaptar sus estrategias en este panorama cambiante. En Latinoamérica, los PROA no solo tienen que fomentar el cambio de comportamiento en los prescriptores de antimicrobianos, sino también luchar contra la epidemia de información falsa (infodemia) y las campañas de desinformación sobre la COVID-19. Además, la pobre cultura local de prevención y control de infecciones obliga a revisar estrategias para mitigar el impacto posterior en la RAM.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an additional slow-evolving pandemic that precedes the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue when it ends. However, in countries like Peru, where high consumption and inadequate prescription of antimicrobials occur, AMR may go unnoticed and a more challenging future scenario can be expected. Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) consist of multidisciplinary teams of professionals that aim to slow down the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms through strategies such as prescription auditing or creation of antimicrobial treatment guidelines based on local AMR rates. The difficulty in the timely diagnosis of co-infections or superinfections in the clinical course and progression of COVID-19 leads to inappropriate use of antimicrobials, forcing ASPs to adapt their strategies in this changing scenario. In Latin America, ASPs not only have to promote behavior change in antimicrobial prescribers but also fight the epidemic of false information (infodemic) and disinformation campaigns on COVID-19. Furthermore, poor-quality infection prevention and control principles require evaluating strategies to mitigate the subsequent impact on AMR.

Hepatitis por citomegalovirus en una lactante de 2 meses: reporte de un caso

La infección por citomegalovirus congénito es una causa de infección neonatal que puede cursar asintomático; sin embargo, es posible sus complicaciones en algunos órganos como el sistema nervioso y el hígado. Reportamos un caso de una lactante mujer de 2 meses, con hepatitis por citomegalovirus caracterizado por distensión abdominal, colestasis, irritabilidad y pobre lactancia. En los exámenes se evidenció compromiso hepático, microcalcificaciones periventriculares e hipoacusia neurosensorial. El diagnóstico se determinó mediante anticuerpos séricos, confirmado con carga viral en sangre, orina y en tejido hepático. Se administró tratamiento con ganciclovir, vitamina K y ácido ursodesoxicólico con adecuada evolución. La hepatitis por citomegalovirus es una complicación que puede estar asociado con el compromiso de otros órganos. El tratamiento antiviral para el compromiso hepático aún es controversial; sin embargo, está recomendado en menores de un mes si está asociado a daño neurológico.

Congenital cytomegalovirus infection is a cause of neonatal infection that can be asymptomatic; however, its complications are possible in some organs such as the nervous system and the liver. We report a case of a 2-month-old female infant with cytomegalovirus hepatitis characterized by abdominal distention, cholestasis, irritability, and poor breastfeeding. In the tests, liver involvement, periventricular microcalcifications, and sensorineural hearing loss were found. The diagnosis was determined by serum antibodies, confirmed with viral load in blood, urine, and liver tissue. Treatment with ganciclovir, vitamin K, and ursodeoxycholic acid was administered with adequate evolution. Cytomegalovirus hepatitis is a complication that may be associated with the involvement of other organs. Antiviral treatment for liver involvement is still controversial; however, it is recommended in children under one month of age if it is associated with neurological damage.

Religious affiliation and the intention to choose psychiatry as a specialty among physicians in training from 11 Latin American countries.

The worldwide scarcity of psychiatrists makes the identification of the factors associated with the intention to choose this specialty an important issue. This study aims to evaluate the association between religious affiliation and the intention to choose psychiatry as a specialty among medical students from 11 Latin American countries. We conducted a cross-sectional, multi-country study that included first- and fifth-year students of 63 medical schools in 11 Latin-American countries between 2011 and 2012. The main outcome and measures were the intention to pursue psychiatry as a specialty over other specialties (yes/no) and religious affiliation (without: atheist/agnostic; with: any religion). A total of 8308 participants were included; 53.6% were women, and the average age was 20.4 (SD = 2.9) years. About 36% were fifth-year students, and 11.8% were not affiliated with any religion. Only 2.6% had the intention to choose psychiatry; the highest proportion of students with the intention to choose psychiatry was among students in Chile (8.1%) and the lowest among students in Mexico (1.1%). After adjusting for demographic, family, academic as well as personal and professional projection variable, we found that those who had no religious affiliation were more likely to report the intention to become a psychiatrist [OR: 2.92 (95%CI: 2.14-4.00)]. There is a strong positive association between not having a religious affiliation and the intention to become a psychiatrist. The possible factors that influence this phenomenon must be evaluated in greater depth, ideally through longitudinal research.

[Factors associated with level of knowledge and attitudes toward research among medical students in Peru, 2011]. / Factores asociados con el nivel de conocimientos y la actitud hacia la investigación en estudiantes de medicina en Perú, 2011.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with level of knowledge and attitudes toward research among undergraduate medical students in Peru. METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study, a validated questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to research was applied to a representative sample of students at 17 Peruvian medical schools. The categorical and quantitative variables were subjected to simple two-factor analysis with adjustment for intraclass correlation. Prevalence ratios were derived on the basis of generalized linear models using bifactorial and multifactorial analysis. RESULTS: Questionnaires from 1 554 students (51.0% women) with an average age of 20.5 ± 2.86 years were analyzed. Only 46.7% of the respondents had a good level of knowledge and 37.7% had appropriate attitudes toward research. The variables that correlated with a good level of knowledge were the respondent having completed at least four years of academic study, belonging to a research group, and having an adviser. Having appropriate attitudes toward research correlated with being a woman and having an adviser. No differences were found between the level of knowledge and attitudes of the students at the universities studied. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the level of knowledge about research was unsatisfactory and the attitudes toward it were inappropriate. In order to change this situation, it will be critical to make changes in the curriculum to ensure that students engage in research from the beginning of their academic careers and develop research skills in their final years of study.

Factores asociados con el nivel de conocimientos y la actitud hacia la investigación en estudiantes de medicina en Perú, 2011 / Factors associated with level of knowledge and attitudes toward research among medical students in Peru, 2011

OBJETIVO: Identificar los factores asociados con el nivel de conocimientos y la actitud relacionados con la investigación en los estudiantes de pregrado de la carrera de medicina en Perú. MÉTODOS: Estudio transversal analítico. Se aplicó un cuestionario validado sobre conocimientos, actitud y prácticas relacionados con la investigación a una muestra representativa de estudiantes de 17 facultades de medicina de Perú. Se realizó el análisis simple y bifactorial para las variables categóricas y cuantitativas, con ajuste de la correlación intraclase. Se modelaron las razones de prevalencia mediante análisis bifactorial y multifactorial con modelos lineales generalizados. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron los cuestionarios de 1 554 estudiantes (51,0% mujeres) con una edad promedio de 20,5 años ± 2,86. Solo 46,7% de los encuestados tenía un buen nivel de conocimientos y 37,7% una adecuada actitud hacia la investigación. Las variables asociadas con el buen nivel de conocimientos fueron: el año académico del encuestado a partir del 4.º, pertenecer a un grupo de investigación y contar con un asesor. Tener una adecuada actitud hacia la investigación se asoció con ser mujer y tener un asesor. No se encontraron diferencias entre el nivel de conocimientos y la actitud de los estudiantes de las universidades estudiadas. CONCLUSIONES: En general, el nivel de conocimientos sobre la investigación es deficiente y la actitud hacia ella, inadecuada. Para cambiar esta situación, es prioritario hacer cambios curriculares que garanticen la incorporación de los estudiantes a la investigación desde el inicio de la carrera y desarrollar competencias en investigación en los últimos años de estudio.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the factors associated with level of knowledge and attitudes toward research among undergraduate medical students in Peru. METHODS: In this analytical cross-sectional study, a validated questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to research was applied to a representative sample of students at 17 Peruvian medical schools. The categorical and quantitative variables were subjected to simple two-factor analysis with adjustment for intraclass correlation. Prevalence ratios were derived on the basis of generalized linear models using bifactorial and multifactorial analysis. RESULTS: Questionnaires from 1 554 students (51.0% women) with an average age of 20.5 ± 2.86 years were analyzed. Only 46.7% of the respondents had a good level of knowledge and 37.7% had appropriate attitudes toward research. The variables that correlated with a good level of knowledge were the respondent having completed at least four years of academic study, belonging to a research group, and having an adviser. Having appropriate attitudes toward research correlated with being a woman and having an adviser. No differences were found between the level of knowledge and attitudes of the students at the universities studied. CONCLUSIONS: In general, the level of knowledge about research was unsatisfactory and the attitudes toward it were inappropriate. In order to change this situation, it will be critical to make changes in the curriculum to ensure that students engage in research from the beginning of their academic careers and develop research skills in their final years of study.