[Epidemiologic overview of smoking in Mexico]. / Panorama epidemiológico del tabaquismo en México.

Smoking is one of the main preventable causes of disease and death worldwide; 3.5 million smokers die annually. This essay shows the progress made against this epidemic in our country and points out the relevance of implementing a comprehensive program to control smoking. Results from three national surveys conducted in Mexico in 1988, 1993, and 1998 are analyzed and compared. On the one hand, the strategies should include preventive actions, protection of non-smokers, smoking cessation, banning of smoking advertisement, and tax increases; on the other hand, controlling smoking and its consequences on health depend on all of us.

[Single weekly dose of recombinant erythropoietin in children with chronic renal insufficiency]. / Dosis semanal única de eritropoyetina recombinante en niños con insuficiencia renal crónica.

OBJECTIVE: To study the results of a single dose weekly treatment with subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin in the anemia of children with end stage renal failure patients. DESIGN: We studied 19 patients 6 to 17 years old with end-stage renal failure under ambulatory peritoneal dialysis at the Centro Médico Nacional of the city of León, State of Guanajuato. All had required an average of 2.8 red blood cell transfusions during the previous 18.2 months. The criteria for inclusion were: severe normocytic normochromic anemia (Hct < 20%) without infectious or systemic illness, blood pressure under the 97th percentile for their age, normal hepatic function, and absence of convulsive crisis. The erythropoietin was subcutaneously administered once a week at a dose of 130 +/- 15 U/kg of body weight (SD). All patients received minimal daily iron and folic acid requirements. RESULTS: The initial average values for hemoglobin and hematocrit were 6.6 +/- 0.9 g/dL and 20.6 +/- 3.3% respectively. They increased to 9.4 +/- 0.9 g/dL and 28.8 +/- 2.5% after 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). The patients did not receive blood transfusions during the study period and their blood pressure remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: The subcutaneous administration of erythropoietin in our study increased the hemoglobin and hematocrit values in our patients with a substantial reduction in secondary effects and in cost of treatment.