Reference equations using segmented regressions for impulse oscillometry in healthy subjects aged 2.7-90 years.

Background: Published reference equations for impulse oscillometry (IOS) usually encompass a specific age group but not the entire lifespan. This may lead to discordant predicted values when two or more non-coincident equations can be applied to the same person, or when a person moves from one equation to the next non-convergent equation as he or she gets older. Thus, our aim was to provide a single reference equation for each IOS variable that could be applied from infancy to old age. Methods: This was an ambispective cross-sectional study in healthy nonsmokers, most of whom lived in Mexico City, who underwent IOS according to international standards. A multivariate piecewise linear regression, also known as segmented regression, was used to obtain reference equations for each IOS variable. Results: In a population of 830 subjects (54.0% female) aged 2.7 to 90 years (54.8% children ≤12 years), segmented regression estimated two breakpoints for age in almost all IOS variables, except for R5-R20 in which only one breakpoint was detected. With this approach, multivariate regressions including sex, age, height and body mass index as independent variables were constructed, and coefficients for calculating predicted value, lower and upper limits of normal, percentage of predicted and z-score were obtained. Conclusions: Our study provides IOS reference equations that include the major determinants of lung function, i.e. sex, age, height and body mass index, that can be easily implemented for subjects of almost any age.

Community Health Representatives as Trusted Sources for Increasing Representation of American Indian Communities in Clinical Research.

Indigenous and American Indian Alaskan Native (AI/AN) community members are systematically underrepresented in clinical trial research. This paper focuses on exploratory steps to partner with Native Nations of Arizona to engage Community Health Representatives (CHR) as a trusted source for building COVID-19 clinical trial research, including vaccine trials awareness. CHRs are frontline public health workers who apply a unique understanding of the experience, language, and culture of the population served. This workforce has entered the spotlight as essential to the prevention and control of COVID-19. METHODS: Three Tribal CHR programs were engaged to develop and refine culturally centered educational materials and a pre-post survey using a consensus-based decision-making approach. CHRs used these materials in brief education sessions during regular client home visits and community events. RESULTS: At 30 days post CHR intervention, participants (N = 165) demonstrated significantly increased awareness about and ability to enroll in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine trials. Participants also described a significant increase in trust in researchers, decreased perceived barriers related to cost for participation in a clinical trial, and improved belief that participation in a COVID-19 clinical trial for treatment was considered a benefit to American Indian and Alaskan Native people. CONCLUSION: CHRs as trusted sources of information, coupled with culturally centered education materials designed by CHRs for CHR clients, demonstrated a promising approach to improved awareness of clinical trial research generally and COVID-19 trials specifically among Indigenous and American Indian community members of Arizona.

Engaging Youth and Young Adults in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response via the "It's Our Turn" Crowdsourcing Contest.

As the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continued to progress into 2021, appeals were made to take a stronger focus on the perceptions and practices of youth and young adults (YYAs) regarding COVID-19 mitigation, as well as the impact of mitigation strategies on the overall wellbeing of YYAs. In this paper, we describe our efforts to increase YYA engagement in Arizona's COVID-19 response by pairing embedded values from youth participatory action research (YPAR) with a crowdsourcing challenge contest design. The research protocol and implementation are described, followed by a thematic analysis of YYA-led messaging portrayed in 23 contest submissions and reflections formed by 223 community voters after viewing contest submissions. The authors conclude that a YYA-led crowdsourcing contest presented an opportunity to (a.) investigate the perceptions and behaviors of YYAs and their networks regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigation efforts and (b.) amplify the voices of YYAs in the pandemic response. Perhaps even more importantly, this approach also offered insight into the exacerbated impact of the pandemic on YYA mental health and wellbeing, and the utility of YPAR in raising awareness of these effects among the contexts and social networks of YYAs.

Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities: Academic-community partnership to support workforce capacity building among Arizona community health workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has both highlighted and worsened existing health inequities among communities of color and structurally vulnerable populations. Community Health Workers, inclusive of Community Health Representatives (CHW/Rs) have entered the spotlight as essential to COVID-19 prevention and control. To learn about community experiences and perspectives related to COVID-19 and inform CHW/R workforce capacity building efforts, a series of focus groups were conducted with CHW/Rs throughout Arizona at two time points in 2021. Throughout the data collection and analysis process, researchers and community partners engaged in ongoing and open dialogue about what CHW/Rs on the ground were reporting as priority community concerns, needs, and challenges. Thus, CHW/Rs informed the development of culturally and linguistically relevant health education messages, materials, and training for CHW/Rs. In this community case study, we detail the efforts of partnership between a statewide CHW professional association and an academic research team that facilitated rapid decision-making and knowledge sharing to create community-grounded tools and resources supportive of CHW/R workforce capacity building in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community health worker intervention improves early childhood vaccination rates: results from a propensity-score matching evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Arizona's Health Start Program is a statewide community health worker (CHW) maternal and child health home visiting intervention. The objective of this study was to test if participation in Health Start during 2006-2016 improved early childhood vaccination completion rates. METHODS: This retrospective study used 11 years of administrative, birth certificate, and immunization records. Propensity score matching was used to identify control groups, based on demographic, socioeconomic, and geographic characteristics. Results are reported by historically disadvantaged subgroups and/or with a history of low vaccine uptake, including Hispanic/Latinx and American Indian children, and children of low socioeconomic status and from rural areas, children with teen mothers and first-born children. The average treatment-on-the-treated (ATT) effect estimated the impact of Health Start on timely completion of seven early childhood vaccine series: diphtheria/tetanus toxoids and acellular/whole-cell pertussis (DTaP/DTP), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B (Hep. B), measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), poliovirus, and varicella. RESULTS: Vaccination completion rates (by age five) were 5.0% points higher for Health Start children as a group, and on average 5.0% points higher for several subgroups of mothers: women from rural border counties (ATT 5.8), Hispanic/Latinx women (ATT 4.8), American Indian women (ATT 4.8), women with less than high school education (ATT 5.0), teen mothers (ATT 6.1), and primipara women (ATT 4.5), compared to matched control groups (p-value ≤ 0.05). Time-to-event analyses show Health Start children complete vaccination sooner, with a hazard rate for full vaccination 13% higher than their matches. CONCLUSION: A state-operated home visiting intervention with CHWs as the primary interventionist can effectively promote early childhood vaccine completion, which may reduce the incidence of preventable diseases and subsequently improve children's health. Effects of CHW interventions on vaccination uptake is particularly relevant given the rise in vaccine-preventable diseases in the US and globally. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Approved by the University of Arizona Research Institutional Review Board (Protocol 1701128802), 25 January 2017.

Impact of a Community Health Worker (CHW) Home Visiting Intervention on Any and Adequate Prenatal Care Among Ethno-Racially Diverse Pregnant Women of the US Southwest.

OBJECTIVES: Social and structural barriers drive disparities in prenatal care utilization among minoritized women in the United States. This study examined the impact of Arizona's Health Start Program, a community health worker (CHW) home visiting intervention, on prenatal care utilization among an ethno-racially and geographically diverse cohort of women. METHODS: We used Health Start administrative and state birth certificate data to identify women enrolled in the program during 2006-2016 (n = 7,117). Propensity score matching was used to generate a statistically-similar comparison group (n = 53,213) of women who did not participate in the program. Odds ratios were used to compare rates of prenatal care utilization. The process was repeated for select subgroups, with post-match regression adjustments applied where necessary. RESULTS: Health Start participants were more likely to report any (OR 1.24, 95%CI 1.02-1.50) and adequate (OR 1.08, 95%CI 1.01-1.16) prenatal care, compared to controls. Additional specific subgroups were significantly more likely to receive any prenatal care: American Indian women (OR 2.22, 95%CI 1.07-4.60), primipara women (OR 1.64, 95%CI 1.13-2.38), teens (OR 1.58, 95%CI 1.02-2.45), women in rural border counties (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.05-1.98); and adequate prenatal care: teens (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.11-1.55), women in rural border counties (OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.05-1.33), primipara women (OR 1.18, 95%CI 1.05-1.32), women with less than high school education (OR 1.13, 95%CI 1.00-1.27). CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: A CHW-led perinatal home visiting intervention operated through a state health department can improve prenatal care utilization among demographically and socioeconomically disadvantaged women and reduce maternal and child health inequity.

A multisectoral approach to advance health equity in rural northern Arizona: county-level leaders' perspectives on health equity.

BACKGROUND: Multisectoral and public-private partnerships are critical in building the necessary infrastructure, policy, and political will to ameliorate health inequity. A focus on health equity by researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers prioritizes action to address the systematic, avoidable, and unjust differences in health status across population groups sustained over time and generations that are beyond the control of individuals. Health equity requires a collective process in shaping the health and wellbeing of the communities in which we live, learn, work, play, and grow. This paper explores multisectoral leaders' understanding of the social, environmental, and economic conditions that produce and sustain health inequity in northern Arizona, a geographically expansive, largely rural, and culturally diverse region. METHODS: Data are drawn from the Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative's Regional Health Equity Survey (RHES). The RHES is a community-engaged, cross-sectional online survey comprised of 31 close-ended and 17 open-ended questions. Created to assess cross-sectoral regional and collective capacity to address health inequity and inform multisectoral action for improving community health, the RHES targeted leaders representing five rural northern Arizona counties and 13 sectors. Select open-ended questions were analyzed using an a priori coding scheme and emergent coding with thematic analysis. RESULTS: Although leaders were provided the definition and asked to describe the root causes of inequities, the majority of leaders described social determinants of health (SDoH). When leaders described root causes of health inequity, they articulated systemic factors affecting their communities, describing discrimination and unequal allocation of power and resources. Most leaders described the SDoH by discussing compounding factors of poverty, transportation, housing, and rurality among others, that together exacerbate inequity. Leaders also identified specific strategies to address SDoH and advance health equity in their communities, ranging from providing direct services to activating partnerships across organizations and sectors in advocacy for policy change. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that community leaders in the northern Arizona region acknowledge the importance of multisectoral collaborations in improving health equity for the populations that they serve. However, a common understanding of health equity remains to be widely established, which is essential for conducting effective multisectoral work to advance health equity.

Addressing maternal and child health equity through a community health worker home visiting intervention to reduce low birth weight: retrospective quasi-experimental study of the Arizona Health Start Programme.

OBJECTIVE: To test if participation in the Health Start Programme, an Arizona statewide Community Health Worker (CHW) maternal and child health (MCH) home visiting programme, reduced rates of low birth weight (LBW), very LBW (VLBW), extremely LBW (ELBW) and preterm birth (PTB). DESIGN: Quasi-experimental retrospective study using propensity score matching of Health Start Programme enrolment data to state birth certificate records for years 2006-2016. SETTING: Arizona is uniquely racially and ethnically diverse with comparatively higher proportions of Latino and American Indian residents and a smaller proportion of African Americans. PARTICIPANTS: 7212 Health Start Programme mothers matched to non-participants based on demographic, socioeconomic and geographic characteristics, health conditions and previous birth experiences. INTERVENTION: A statewide CHW MCH home visiting programme. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: LBW, VLBW, ELBW and PTB. RESULTS: Using Health Start Programme's administrative data and birth certificate data from 2006 to 2016, we identified 7212 Health Start Programme participants and 53 948 matches. Programme participation is associated with decreases in adverse birth outcomes for most subgroups. Health Start participation is associated with statistically significant lower rates of LBW among American Indian women (38%; average treatment-on-the-treated effect (ATT): 2.30; 95% CI -4.07 to -0.53) and mothers with a pre-existing health risk (25%; ATT: -3.06; 95% CI -5.82 to -0.30). Among Latina mothers, Health Start Programme participation is associated with statistically significant lower rates of VLBW (36%; ATT: 0.35; 95% CI -0.69 to -0.01) and ELBW (62%; ATT: 0.31; 95% CI (-0.52 to -0.10)). Finally, Health Start Programme participation is associated with a statistically significant lower rate of PTB for teen mothers (30%; ATT: 2.81; 95% CI -4.71 to -0.91). Other results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: A state health department-operated MCH home visiting intervention that employs CHWs as the primary interventionist may contribute to the reduction of LBW, VLBW, ELBW and PTB and could improve birth outcomes statewide, especially among women and children at increased risk for MCH inequity.

Using a Multisectoral Approach to Advance Health Equity in Rural Arizona: Community-Engaged Survey Development and Implementation Study.

BACKGROUND: Over the past decade, public health research and practice sectors have shifted their focus away from identifying health disparities and toward addressing the social, environmental, and economic determinants of health equity. Given the complex and interrelated nature of these determinants, developing policies that will advance health equity requires collaboration across sectors outside of health. However, engaging various stakeholder groups, tapping into their unique knowledge systems, and identifying common objectives across sectors is difficult and time consuming and can impede collaborative efforts. OBJECTIVE: The Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative at Northern Arizona University, in partnership with an 11-member community advisory council, is addressing this need with a joint community-campus effort to develop and implement a Regional Health Equity Survey (RHES) designed to generate an interdisciplinary body of knowledge, which will be used to guide future multisectoral action for improving community health and well-being. METHODS: Researchers and community partners used facilitated discussions and free listing techniques to generate survey items. The community partners pilot tested the survey instrument to evaluate its feasibility and duration before survey administration. Respondent-driven sampling was used to ensure that participants included leadership from across all sectors and regions of northern Arizona. RESULTS: Over the course of 6 months, 206 participants representing 13 sectors across the 5 counties of northern Arizona were recruited to participate in an RHES. Survey response rates, completion percentage, and sector representation were used to assess the effectiveness and feasibility of using a community-engaged apporach for survey development and participant recruitment. The findings describe the current capacity to impact health equity by using a multisectoral approach in northern Arizona. CONCLUSIONS: The Southwest Health Equity Research Collaborative effectively engaged community members to assist with the development and implementation of an RHES aimed at understanding and promoting multisectoral action on the root causes of health inequity. The results will help to build research and evaluation capacity to address the social, economic, and environmental conditions of health inequity in the region.

Leptospira in river and soil in a highly endemic area of Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: Leptospira are shed into the environment via urine of infected animals. Rivers are thought to be an important risk factor for transmission to humans, though much is unknown about the types of environment or characteristics that favor survival. To address this, we screened for Leptospira DNA in two rivers in rural Ecuador where Leptospirosis is endemic. RESULTS: We collected 112 longitudinal samples and recorded pH, temperature, river depth, precipitation, and dissolved oxygen. We also performed a series of three experiments designed to provide insight into Leptospira presence in the soil. In the first soil experiment, we characterized prevalence and co-occurrence of Leptospira with other bacterial taxa in the soil at dispersed sites along the rivers (n = 64). In the second soil experiment, we collected 24 river samples and 48 soil samples at three points along eight transects to compare the likelihood of finding Leptospira in the river and on the shore at different distances from the river. In a third experiment, we tested whether Leptospira presence is associated with soil moisture by collecting 25 soil samples from two different sites. In our river experiment, we found pathogenic Leptospira in only 4 (3.7%) of samples. In contrast, pathogenic Leptospira species were found in 22% of shore soil at dispersed sites, 16.7% of soil samples (compared to 4.2% of river samples) in the transects, and 40% of soil samples to test for associations with soil moisture. CONCLUSIONS: Our data are limited to two sites in a highly endemic area, but the scarcity of Leptospira DNA in the river is not consistent with the widespread contention of the importance of river water for leptospirosis transmission. While Leptospira may be shed directly into the river, onto the shores, or washed into the river from more remote sites, massive dilution and limited persistence in rivers may reduce the environmental load and therefore, the epidemiological significance of such sources. It is also possible that transmission may occur more frequently on shores where people are liable to be barefoot. Molecular studies that further explore the role of rivers and water bodies in the epidemiology of leptospirosis are needed.

Voices of Community Partners: Perspectives Gained from Conversations of Community-Based Participatory Research Experiences.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) has been documented as an effective approach to research with underserved communities, particularly with racial and ethnic minority groups. However, much of the literature promoting the use of CBPR with underserved communities is written from the perspective of the researchers and not from the perspective of the community partner. The purpose of this article is to capture lessons learned from the community partners' insight gained through their experiences with CBPR. A multi-investigator consensus method was used to qualitatively code the transcripts of a CBPR story-telling video series. Seven major themes were identified: (1) expectations for engaging in research, (2) cultural humility, (3) respecting the partnership, (4) open communication, (5) genuine commitment, (6) valuing strengths and recognizing capacities, and (7) collaborating to yield meaningful results. The themes drawn from the community partner's voice align with the tenets of CBPR advanced in the academic literature. More opportunities to include the community voice when promoting CBPR should be undertaken to help introduce the concepts to potential community partners who may be research cautious.

Correlación de los valores de sFlt-1, PlGF y su cociente en preeclampsia con criterios de severidad en una Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos / Correlation of the values of sFlt-1, PlGF and its precilampsy court with severity criteria in an Intensive Care Unit / Correlação dos valores de sFlt-1, PlGF e seu coeficiente em preeclampsia com critérios de gravidade em uma Unidade de Terapia Intensiva

Resumen: Introducción: La detección del desequilibrio entre los factores proangiogénicos/antiangiogénico (sFlt-1, PlGF, cociente sFlt-1/PlGF) en la sangre materna son herramientas de pronóstico y diagnóstico en preeclampsia. Objetivo: Determinar la correlación entre los valores sanguíneos de sFlt-1, PlGF, cociente sFlt-1/PlGF y las complicaciones en mujeres con preeclampsia severa. Material y métodos: Se estudiaron a mujeres que ingresaron a la UCI con diagnóstico de preeclampsia con criterios de severidad y se determinaron las variables clínicas y de laboratorio. Las concentraciones séricas de sFlt-1 y PlGF se realizaron con un equipo automático KRYPTOR compact Plus. Resultados: Encontramos que 33.3% fue preeclampsia temprana y 66.7% tardía. Los criterios de severidad fueron: 66.7% crisis hipertensiva y 33.3% encefalopatía hipertensiva. Existió una correlación negativa entre los valores de sFlt-1 y urea, creatinina, proteínas de orina en 24 horas, presión sistólica (TAS) y presión diastólica (TAD). La correlación fue pobre y no fue estadísticamente significativa. Existió una correlación positiva y estadísticamente significativa para ácido úrico. Existió una correlación negativa entre los valores de PlGF en TAS, TAD. No existió correlación entre los valores cociente sFlt-1/PlGF y las variables medidas como TAS, TAD. Conclusiones: Este estudio confirma que es posible identificar un desbalance angiogénico en mujeres con preeclampsia severa. Sin embargo, los marcadores angiogénicos no presentaron una correlación estadísticamente significativa con respecto a las variables clínicas y bioquímicas de preeclampsia en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos.

Abstract: Introduction: The detection of the imbalance between proangiogenic/antiangiogenic factors (sFlt-1, PlGF, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio), in maternal blood are prognostic and diagnostic tools in preeclampsia. Objective: To determine the correlation between blood values of (sFlt-1, PlGF, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio) and complications in women with severe preeclampsia. Material and methods: Women who were admitted to the ICU with a diagnosis of preeclampsia with severity criteria were studied, clinical and laboratory variables were determined. Serum concentrations of sFlt-1, PLGF were performed with a KRYPTOR compact Plus automatic equipment. Results: 33.3% were early preeclampsia and 66.7% late. The severity criteria occurred with 66.7% with hypertensive crisis and 33.3% with hypertensive encephalopathy. There was a negative correlation between the values of sFlt-1 and urea, creatinine, urine proteins in 24 hours, systolic pressure (ASD), diastolic pressure (ADT). The correlation was poor and not statistically significant. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation for uric acid. There was a negative correlation between PlGF values in TAS, TAD. There was no correlation between the sFlt-1/PlGF quotient values and the variables measured as TAS, TAD. Conclusions: This study confirms that it is possible to identify an angiogenic imbalance in women with severe preeclampsia. However, the angiogenic markers did not show a statistically significant correlation, with respect to the clinical and biochemical variables of preeclampsia in the Intensive Care Unit.

Resumo: Introdução: A detecção de desequilíbrio entre fatores pró-angiogênicos/antiangiogênicos (sFlt-1, PlGF, coeficiente sFlt-1/PlGF) no sangue materno são ferramentas de prognóstico e diagnóstico na pré-eclâmpsia. Objetivo: Determinar a correlação entre os valores sanguíneos de (sFlt-1, PlGF, coeficiente sFlt-1/PlGF) e complicações em mulheres com pré-eclâmpsia grave. Material e métodos: Foram estudadas mulheres admitidas na UTI com diagnóstico de pré-eclâmpsia com critérios de gravidade, determinou-se variáveis clínicas e laboratoriais. As concentrações séricas de sFlt-1, PLGF foram realizadas com um equipamento automático KRYPTOR compact Plus. Resultados: 33.3% eram pré-eclâmpsia precoce e 66.7% tardia. Os critérios de gravidade ocorreram com 66.7% com crise hipertensiva e 33.3% com encefalopatia hipertensiva. Houve correlação negativa entre os valores de sFlt-1 e uréia, creatinina, proteínas da urina em 24 horas, pressão sistólica (PAS) e pressão diastólica (PAD). A correlação foi ruim e estatisticamente não significante. Houve uma correlação positiva e estatisticamente significante para o ácido úrico. Encontrou-se uma correlação negativa entre os valores de PLGF no TAS, TAD. Não houve correlação entre os valores do quociente sFlt-1/PlGF e as variáveis medidas como PAS e PAD. Conclusões: Este estudo confirma que é possível identificar um desequilíbrio angiogênico em mulheres com pré-eclâmpsia grave. No entanto, os marcadores angiogênicos não apresentaram correlação estatisticamente significante com relação às variáveis clínicas e bioquímicas da pré-eclâmpsia na unidade de terapia intensiva.

Estandarización de la oscilometría de impulso y generación de ecuaciones piloto para generar valores de referencia en el Hospital Central Militar / Standardization of impulse oscillometry and the generation of pilot equations to generate reference values in the Central Military Hospital

Resumen Introducción La oscilometría de impulso es una prueba que evalúa la mecánica respiratoria a través de la aplicación de pequeños pulsos de presión que producen oscilaciones de flujo a una frecuencia determinada. Su aplicación relevante es en el estudio de las enfermedades de la vía aérea pequeña. El software integrado al equipo que ejecuta esta prueba genera cálculos de valores predictivos para cada uno de los parámetros oscilométricos, los cuales se basan en datos de población alemana. Objetivo Estandarizar la prueba de oscilometría de impulso y obtener ecuaciones piloto para valores de referencia. Material y métodos Se realizó un estudio experimental, analítico, prospectivo y longitudinal con sujetos voluntarios sanos. Se llevaron a cabo pruebas de espirometría y oscilometría de impulso basales y, tras broncodilatador, se registraron las impedancias, resistencias y reactancias del sistema respiratorio a 5, 10, 15 y 20 Hz. Los resultados se analizaron por sexo, edad, talla y peso. Se de 127 participantes sanos ingresaron al estudio, 51.5% del sexo efectuó un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple. Resultados Un total masculino (68) y 48.5% (64) del femenino, con edad promedio de 39.65 ± 15.26 años; la talla tuvo un promedio de 1.63 ± 0.09 m. Se demostró que el sexo influye en los valores de la oscilometría en el volumen corriente (VT), la impedancia, las resistencias y el área de reactancia (p < 0.05), y no afecta las reactancias (XRs) (p > 0.05); este parámetro está mayormente asociado a la talla (r = 0.727, r2 = 0.528). La edad incide en los valores de la oscilometría, ya que las resistencias (Rrs) son menores en los grupos más jóvenes; el IMC y el peso no comprometieron los valores de IOS. Conclusiones Este estudio proporciona ecuaciones piloto de referencia para los índices comunes de oscilometría de impulso en sujetos mexicanos. Así, integra una prueba de función pulmonar para facilitar la detección de alteraciones funcionales en vía aérea pequeña. Sugerimos realizar más trabajos en población mexicana, sobre todo de edad avanzada, para confirmar nuestros resultados y proporcionar una base más sólida a las ecuaciones de referencia para IOS, con un fin clínico y epidemiológico.

Abstract Introduction Impulse oscillometry is a test that evaluates the respiratory mechanics by the application of small pulses of pressure, which produce flow oscillations to a certain frequency. Its main application is in the study of the illnesses of the small airline. The integrated software of the test equipment generates predictive values for each of the oscillometric parameters, based on German population data. Objective To standardize the impulse oscillometry test in order to design pilot equations for reference values in our population. Material and methods We performed a pilot, experimental, analytical, longitudinal study with healthy volunteer subjects. Spirometry and impulse oscillometry tests were performed, both basal impedances, resistances, and reactances of the respiratory system to and after bronchodilator application; we measured and registered the 5, 10, 15, and 20 Hz. The results were analyzed by sex, age, height, and weight. The analysis was performed using a model of multiple linear retrogression. Results A total of 127 healthy participants were recruited, 51.5% men (68) and 48.5% (64) women, with an average age of 39.65 ± 15.26 years; their height was an average of 1.63 ± 0.09 m. It was proved that the gender influences the oscillometry values of tidal volume (VT), the impedance, the resistances and reactance area (p < 0.05), but not the reactances (XRs) (p > 0.05); this parameter is mainly associated with the size (r = 0.727, r2 = 0.528). The age influences the oscillometry values since the resistances (Rrs) are lower in the youngest groups; the BMI and the weight had no influence on the values of IOS. Conclusions This study provides pilot reference equations for the common indexes of impulse oscillometry in Mexican subjects, in order to integrate this test of pulmonary function to facilitate the detection of functional alterations in the small airline. We suggest more studies should be done on Mexican population, and especially on people of advanced age, to confirm our results and to provide a more solid base for the equations of reference to IOS, with clinical and epidemiologic purposes.

New Fossil Scorpion from the Chiapas Amber Lagerstätte.

A new species of scorpion is described based on a rare entire adult male preserved in a cloudy amber from Miocene rocks in the Chiapas Highlands, south of Mexico. The amber-bearing beds in Chiapas constitute a Conservation Lagerstätte with outstanding organic preservation inside plant resin. The new species is diagnosed as having putative characters that largely correspond with the genus Tityus Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones, Buthidae). Accordingly, it is now referred to as Tityus apozonalli sp. nov. Its previously unclear phylogenetic relationship among fossil taxa of the family Buthidae from both Dominican and Mexican amber is also examined herein. Preliminarily results indicate a basal condition of T. apozonalli regarding to Tityus geratus Santiago-Blay and Poinar, 1988, Tityus (Brazilotityus) hartkorni Lourenço, 2009, and Tityus azari Lourenço, 2013 from Dominican amber, as was Tityus (Brazilotityus) knodeli Lourenço, 2014 from Mexican amber. Its close relationships with extant Neotropic Tityus-like subclades such as 'Tityus clathratus' and the subgenus Tityus (Archaeotityus) are also discussed. This new taxon adds to the knowledge of New World scorpions from the Miocene that are rarely found trapped in amber.

[Post-traumatic intestinal stenosis. A case report]. / Estenosis intestinal postraumática. Informe de un caso.

Blunt abdominal trauma with intraperitoneal injury commonly presents with shock or acute abdomen. It infrequently presents later as bowel obstruction. Injury to mesenteric vessels or subclinical perforation are possible pathophysiologic mechanisms. Few and mainly anecdotal cases appear in the medical literature. One patient with this pathology is described herein.