Implementing Strategies at the Workplace Level to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake in Argentina: A Controlled Interrupted Time-series Study.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common neoplasm. The immunochemical fecal occult blood test (iFOBT) is recommended for screening. The worksite setting has great potential to deliver preventive interventions. We aimed to design and evaluate the feasibility and potential impact of a multicomponent strategy in a workplace [Internal Revenue Agency of the Province of Buenos Aires (ARBA from its acronym in Spanish "Agencia de Recaudación de Buenos Aires") in Argentina].We used a quasi-experimental research design, a controlled interrupted time-series (ITS). The study involved: (i) a preintervention period (July 2015-September 2018); and (ii) an intervention period (October 2018-February 2019). We used semi-structured interviews and focus groups to design the intervention and to ensure feasibility and implementability. We fitted segmented linear regression models to evaluate changes in the monthly rates per 10,000 tests done in ARBA employees and controlling for the proportion of tests done in non-ARBA workers. A total of 1,552 ARBA employees aged 50 or more participated. Overall, iFOBT mean uptake rates were 16 times higher in the intervened during the five-month intervention period, remaining statistically significant after adjusting by the proportion of tests done in the control group (P < 0.001). The effect was higher in women aged 50 to 59 years. Activities were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A multifaceted workplace-based intervention proved to be feasible and acceptable to increase the uptake of colorectal cancer screening in employees of Argentina. Achieving high implementation rates requires building a healthy relationship with the partner organization, adding their values and views, and establishing agreed-upon mechanisms. PREVENTION RELEVANCE: Employee-facing multifaceted worksite cancer screening interventions are a valuable means to increase knowledge and utilization of workers. The controlled ITS showed that colorectal cancer screening mean uptake rates were 16 times higher in the intervened versus the control population during the intervention period, particularly among women aged 50 to 75.

[Influence of intra-abdominal hypertension on the respiratory mechanics of critically ill adult patients with invasive mechanical ventilation]. / Influencia de la hipertensión intraabdominal en la mecánica respiratoria de pacientes adultos críticamente enfermos con ventilación mecánica invasiva.

Objective: to describe the modifications in respiratory mechanics, the proposed ventilatory strategies and the correct positioning of critically ill adult patients with HIA and ACS with the requirement of IMV in the ICU.Data sources: the bibliographic search was carried out in Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar® without restriction of the language with publication date until July 31, 2019. Study selection: adult patients with a requirement for IMV and diagnosis of HIA and / or ACS who have performed the ventilatory monitoring and patient positioning analysis. Laboratory studies on animals will be excluded. Data extraction: the initial search identified 681 studies, of which 30 articles were included for data analysis. Synthesis of data: patients with VMI requirement should be allowed to increase airway pressures and use of high PEEP; Only in specific cases could recruitment and prone maneuvering be applied to maintain adequate alveolar ventilation. Inverted Trendelemburg positioning is useful, as it improves respiratory mechanics and prevents abdominal compression. Conclusions: alterations in respiratory mechanics produce a decrease in thoracic compliance, lung volumes and oxygenation disorders. The ventilatory strategy should consider Vt between 6-8 ml / kg according to predicted body weight, working pressure less than 14 cm H2O, plateau pressure of 30 cm H2O + PIA / 2 and sufficient levels of PEEP to prevent lung collapse in order to expiration.

Objetivo: describir las modificaciones en la mecánica respiratoria, las estrategias ventilatorias propuestas y el correcto posicionamiento de los pacientes adultos críticamente enfermos con HIA y SCA con requerimiento de VMI en UCI.Fuentes de datos: la búsqueda bibliográfica fue realizada en Pubmed, Cochrane Library y Google Académico® sin restricción del lenguaje con fecha de publicación hasta el 31 de julio de 2019. Selección de los estudios: pacientes adultos con requerimiento de VMI y diagnóstico de HIA y/o SCA que hayan realizado el análisis de monitoreo ventilatorio y posicionamiento del paciente. Se excluirán los estudios de laboratorio realizados en animales. Extracción de datos: la búsqueda inicial identificó 681 estudios, de los cuales se incluyeron 30 artículos para el análisis de datos. Síntesis de datos: los pacientes con requerimiento de VMI se debe permitir el aumento de las presiones en la vía aérea y utilización de PEEP elevada; sólo en casos específicos se podrían aplicar maniobras de reclutamiento y decúbito prono para mantener una ventilación alveolar adecuada. El posicionamiento en Trendelemburg invertido es de utilidad, ya que mejora la mecánica respiratoria y evita la compresión abdominal. Conclusiones: las alteraciones de la mecánica respiratoria producen una disminución de la compliance torácica, volúmenes pulmonares y trastornos en la oxigenación. La estrategia ventilatoria debe contemplar Vt entre 6-8 ml/kg según peso corporal predicho, presión de trabajo menor a 14 cm H2O, presión meseta de 30 cm H2O+PIA/2 y niveles suficientes de PEEP para prevenir el colapso pulmonar a fin de espiración.

The health and economic burden of smoking in 12 Latin American countries and the potential effect of increasing tobacco taxes: an economic modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, smoking tobacco causes 7 million deaths annually, and this toll is expected to increase, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. In Latin America, smoking is a leading risk factor for death and disability, contributes to poverty, and imposes an economic burden on health systems. Despite being one of the most effective measures to reduce smoking, tobacco taxation is underused and cigarettes are more affordable in Latin America than in other regions. Our aim was to estimate the tobacco-attributable burden on mortality, disease incidence, quality of life lost, and medical costs in 12 Latin American countries, and the expected health and economic effects of increasing tobacco taxes. METHODS: In this modelling study, we developed a Markov probabilistic microsimulation economic model of the natural history, medical costs, and quality-of-life losses associated with the most common tobacco-related diseases in 12 countries in Latin America. Data inputs were obtained through a literature review, vital statistics, and hospital databases from each country: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. The main outcomes of the model are life-years, quality-adjusted life-years, disease events, hospitalisations, disease incidence, disease cost, and healthy years of life lost. We estimated direct medical costs for each tobacco-related disease included in the model using a common costing methodology for each country. The disease burden was estimated as the difference in disease events, deaths, and associated costs between the results predicted by the model for current smoking prevalence and a hypothetical cohort of people in each country who had never smoked. The model estimates the health and financial effects of a price increase of cigarettes through taxes, in terms of disease and health-care costs averted, and increased tax revenues. FINDINGS: In the 12 Latin American countries analysed, we estimated that smoking is responsible for approximately 345 000 (12%) of the total 2 860 921 adult deaths, 2·21 million disease events, 8·77 million healthy years of life lost, and $26·9 billion in direct medical costs annually. Health-care costs attributable to smoking were estimated to represent 6·9% of the health budgets of these countries, equivalent to 0·6% of their gross domestic product. Tax revenues from cigarette sales cover 36·0% of the estimated health expenditures caused by smoking. We estimated that a 50% increase in cigarette price through taxation would avert more than 300 000 deaths, 1·3 million disease events, gain 9 million healthy life-years, and save $26·7 billion in health-care costs in the next 10 years, with a total economic benefit of $43·7 billion. INTERPRETATION: Smoking represents a substantial health and economic burden in these 12 countries of Latin America. Tobacco tax increases could successfully avert deaths and disability, reduce health-care spending, and increase tax revenues, resulting in large net economic benefits. FUNDING: International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.

Epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease in Mexico and Colombia: Analysis of health databases, mathematical modelling and a case-series study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn's Disease (CD) have a major impact on quality of life and medical costs. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence, incidence and clinical phenotypes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) cases in Mexico and Colombia. METHODS: We analyzed official administrative and health databases, used mathematical modelling to estimate the incidence and complete prevalence, and performed a case-series of IBD patients at a referral center both in Mexico and Colombia. RESULTS: The age-adjusted complete prevalence of UC per 100,000 inhabitants for 2015/2016 ranged from 15.65 to 71.19 in Mexico and from 27.40 to 69.97 in Colombia depending on the model considered. The prevalence of CD per 100,000 inhabitants in Mexico ranged from 15.45 to 18.08 and from 16.75 to 18.43 in Colombia. In Mexico, the age-adjusted incidence of UC per 100,000 inhabitants per year ranged from 0.90 to 2.30, and from 0.55 to 2.33 in Colombia. The incidence for CD in Mexico ranged from 0.35 to 0.66 whereas in Colombia, the age-adjusted incidence of CD ranged from 0.30 to 0.57. The case-series included 200 IBD patients from Mexico and 204 patients from Colombia. The UC/CD prevalence ratio in Mexico and Colombia was 1.50:1 and 4.5:1 respectively. In Mexico, the female/male prevalence ratio for UC was 1.50:1 and 1.28:1 for CD, while in Colombia this ratio was 0.68:1 for UC and 0.8:1 for CD. In Mexico the relapse rate for UC was 63.3% and 72.5% for CD, while those rates in Colombia were 58.2% for UC and 58.3% for CD. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated burden of disease of IBD in Mexico and Colombia is not negligible. Although these findings need to be confirmed by population-based studies, they are useful for decision-makers, practitioners and patients with this condition.

Conducting and Disseminating Epidemiological Systematic Reviews in Latin America and the Caribbean: Pitfalls and Lessons Learned.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the experience, pitfalls, and lessons learned in conducting and disseminating epidemiological systematic reviews (SRs) in Latin America and the Caribbean between 2007 and 2016. METHODS: We used a mixed-methods approach, including a descriptive cross-sectional study and a qualitative study of pitfalls and lessons learned. The following end points were analyzed: number of primary research studies included, country of origin, study design, risk of bias, citations in social media, number of researchers and experts involved, and time devoted by them to conduct SRs. Data for the qualitative study were collected through sessions with multiprofessional focus groups of the reviewers' core team held from February to March 2016. We performed a thematic analysis of the following domains: sources of information, evidence quantity and quality, statistical analysis, and dissemination of findings in both academic and social media. RESULTS: A total of 19 SRs were produced, including 1016 primary research studies. Brazil (35%) and Argentina (19%) contributed the largest number of studies. The most frequent design was cross-sectional (35%). Only 27% of the studies included in the SRs were judged as having a low risk of bias. We identified key challenges at different stages of the process. We found substantial difficulties in all domains derived from the thematic analysis and proposed potential solutions for each of them. CONCLUSIONS: There are large gaps in epidemiological evidence from primary research, particularly from population-based studies. Special approaches are needed to identify, assess, synthesize, interpret, and disseminate epidemiological evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean.

Características de los pacientes desvinculados de la ventilación mecánica invasiva: Un estudio multicéntrico / Characteristics of Patients Weaning From Invasive Mechnical Ventilation. A multicenter Study

El proceso de weaning incluye la liberación del paciente del soporte ventilatorio y del tubo orotraqueal y se clasifica en simple, dificultoso y prolongado, basado en la dificultad y la duración del mismo. El objetivo fue describir las características epidemiológicas de pacientes desvinculados exitosamente de la ventilación mecánica invasiva y establecer asociaciones entre los tipos de weaning y las variables que influyeron en la evolución de las mismas asociadas a la mortalidad. Realizamos un estudio de cohorte prospectivo, analítico, longitudinal y multicéntrico en tres unidades de terapia intensiva de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fueron incluidos sujetos que requirieron ventilación mecánica invasiva mayor a 12hs. y desvinculados exitosamente. Las variables estudiadas fueron tipo de weaning, tiempo en ventilación mecánica invasiva, falla de extubación, estadía y mortalidad en terapia intensiva. La prevalencia del weaning simple, dificultoso y prolongado correspondió a un 52.2% (95/182), 25.8% (47/182) y 22% (40/182), respectivamente. Aumentó el promedio de días de ventilación mecánica invasiva a 3,5 cada vez que cambió la categoría (Coefciente B: 3.5; SE 0.6). Aquellos pacientes que fallaron la extubación presentaron mayor riesgo de realizar weaning prolongado ( OR = 23; IC95%: 3.55-149.45). No se halló asociación entre la mortalidad y el tipo de weaning (OR = 0.68; IC95%: 0.31-1.51). En conclusión, no se asoció el tipo de weaning con mortalidad en la terapia intensiva. La falla de extubación, la traqueostomia y la presencia de delirio se asociaron con mayores días de ventilación mecánica invasiva.

The weaning process includes the release from the ventilatory support and endotracheal tube. It is classified into simple, difficult and prolonged, according to its difficulty and duration. The purpose was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of patients successfully weaned from invasive mechanical ventilation and establish associations between the different types of weaning and the variables influencing the evolution of these characteristics associated with mortality. We conducted a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal, analytical cohort study in three intensive care units of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. We included patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours and were successfully weaned from it. The variables to be analyzed were: type of weaning, amount of days the patients received invasive mechanical ventilation, extubation failure and length of stay and mortality in the intensive care unit. The prevalence of simple, difficult or prolonged weaning was 52.2% (95/182), 25.8% (47/182) and 22% (40/182), respectively. The average of days the patients received invasive mechanical ventilation increased to 3.5 every time the category changed (B Coefficient: 3.5; SE [standard error] = 0.6). Patients with extubation failure presented a higher risk of prolonged weaning (OR [odds ratio] = 23; CI [confidence interval] = 95%: 3.55-149.45). No association was found between mortality and type of weaning (OR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.31-1.51). In conclusion, the type of weaning was not associated with mortality in the intensive care unit. The extubation failure, tracheostomy and presence of delirium were associated with a larger amount of days receiving invasive mechanical ventilation.