P2X7 Receptor in Dendritic Cells and Macrophages: Implications in Antigen Presentation and T Lymphocyte Activation.

The P2X7 receptor, a member of the P2X purinergic receptor family, is a non-selective ion channel. Over the years, it has been associated with various biological functions, from modulating to regulating inflammation. However, its emerging role in antigen presentation has captured the scientific community's attention. This function is essential for the immune system to identify and respond to external threats, such as pathogens and tumor cells, through T lymphocytes. New studies show that the P2X7 receptor is crucial for controlling how antigens are presented and how T cells are activated. These studies focus on antigen-presenting cells, like dendritic cells and macrophages. This review examines how the P2X7 receptor interferes with effective antigen presentation and activates T cells and discusses the fundamental mechanisms that can affect the immune response. Understanding these P2X7-mediated processes in great detail opens up exciting opportunities to create new immunological therapies.

Respuesta inmune humoral por exposición a antígenos de SARS-CoV-2 en adultos con riesgo cardiovascular: The COmmunity Cohort / SARS-CoV-2 humoral immune response in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: The COmmunity Cohort Study

A partir de las recomendaciones emanadas del Comité Asesor en Vacunas y el Programa Nacional de Inmunizaciones, Chile implementó precozmente un proceso de vacunación de la población con vacunas provenientes de diferentes laboratorios. El estudio de los niveles de anticuerpos neutralizantes en diferentes subgrupos poblacionales, contribuye al establecimiento de los correlatos de protección frente a infección por SARS-CoV-2. En 2022 y 2023 establecimos una cohorte comunitaria de 914 adultos con factores de riesgo cardiovascular. En esta cohorte estamos midiendo la respuesta inmune humoral frente a exposición a antígenos de SARS-CoV-2, ya sea por vacunas o por infección, así como la incidencia de COVID-19 y otros eventos adversos. Esta cohorte, que llamamos, nos está entregando valiosa información sobre los niveles de anticuerpos neutralizantes en estas personas y su grado de protección frente al COVID-19.

Based on the recommendations of the Vaccine Advisory Committee and the National Immunization Program, Chile implemented an early vaccination process of the population with vaccines from different laboratories. The study of neutralizing antibody levels in different population subgroups contributes to the establishment of correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In 2022 and 2023 we set up a community cohort of 914 adults with cardiovascular risk factors. In this cohort we are measuring the humoral immune response to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, either by vaccines or infection, as well as the incidence of COVID-19 and other adverse events. This cohort, which we call The COmmunity Cohort, is providing us with valuable information on the levels of neutralizing antibodies in these individuals and their degree of protection against COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 humoral immune response in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: The COmmunity Cohort Study. / Respuesta inmune humoral por exposición a antígenos de SARS-CoV-2 en adultos con riesgo cardiovascular: The COmmunity Cohort.

Based on the recommendations of the Vaccine Advisory Committee and the National Immunization Program, Chile implemented an early vaccination process of the population with vaccines from different laboratories. The study of neutralizing antibody levels in different population subgroups contributes to the establishment of correlates of protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In 2022 and 2023 we set up a community cohort of 914 adults with cardiovascular risk factors. In this cohort we are measuring the humoral immune response to exposure to SARS-CoV-2 antigens, either by vaccines or infection, as well as the incidence of COVID-19 and other adverse events. This cohort, which we call The COmmunity Cohort, is providing us with valuable information on the levels of neutralizing antibodies in these individuals and their degree of protection against COVID-19.

A partir de las recomendaciones emanadas del Comité Asesor en Vacunas y el Programa Nacional de Inmunizaciones, Chile implementó precozmente un proceso de vacunación de la población con vacunas provenientes de diferentes laboratorios. El estudio de los niveles de anticuerpos neutralizantes en diferentes subgrupos poblacionales, contribuye al establecimiento de los correlatos de protección frente a infección por SARS-CoV-2. En 2022 y 2023 establecimos una cohorte comunitaria de 914 adultos con factores de riesgo cardiovascular. En esta cohorte estamos midiendo la respuesta inmune humoral frente a exposición a antígenos de SARS-CoV-2, ya sea por vacunas o por infección, así como la incidencia de COVID-19 y otros eventos adversos. Esta cohorte, que llamamos, nos está entregando valiosa información sobre los niveles de anticuerpos neutralizantes en estas personas y su grado de protección frente al COVID-19.

An ecological study on reinfection rates using a large dataset of RT-qPCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 in Santiago of Chile.

Introduction: As the SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, new variants pose a significant threat by potentially overriding the immunity conferred by vaccination and natural infection. This scenario can lead to an upswing in reinfections, amplified baseline epidemic activity, and localized outbreaks. In various global regions, estimates of breakthrough cases associated with the currently circulating viral variants, such as Omicron, have been reported. Nonetheless, specific data on the reinfection rate in Chile still needs to be included. Methods: Our study has focused on estimating COVID-19 reinfections per wave based on a sample of 578,670 RT-qPCR tests conducted at the University of Santiago of Chile (USACH) from April 2020 to July 2022, encompassing 345,997 individuals. Results: The analysis reveals that the highest rate of reinfections transpired during the fourth and fifth COVID-19 waves, primarily driven by the Omicron variant. These findings hold despite 80% of the Chilean population receiving complete vaccination under the primary scheme and 60% receiving at least one booster dose. On average, the interval between initial infection and reinfection was found to be 372 days. Interestingly, reinfection incidence was higher in women aged between 30 and 55. Additionally, the viral load during the second infection episode was lower, likely attributed to Chile's high vaccination rate. Discussion: This study demonstrates that the Omicron variant is behind Chile's highest number of reinfection cases, underscoring its potential for immune evasion. This vital epidemiological information contributes to developing and implementing effective public health policies.

Reporting of conflict of interests, source of funding, and ethics committee approval in randomized trials of three clinical specialties published in Spanish language

Background: Confidence in the results reported by randomized clinical trials (RCTs) depends mainly on the internal validity of the trial and its conduct, but also on other aspects related to health research such as the complete reporting of conflicts of interest (COI), funding sources and approval by ethics committees. Bias in the study results may arise from any one of these elements. Prior studies have explored the reporting of these items in the medical literature, but there are no reports on RCTs published in Spanish and Latin American journals. This study aimed to evaluate the reporting of COIs, funding sources, and approval by ethics committees of RCTs published in Spanish and Latin American journals in dentistry, geriatrics and neurology. Methods: We did a systematic retrospective survey of all RCTs published from 1990 to 2018 in dentistry, neurology, and geriatrics journals published in Spain and Latin America and included in the BADERI database (Iberoamerican journals and trials database by its initials in Spanish). We completed with hand searching. We included RCTs with a recoverable full text published between 1990 and 2018. We extracted data on sources of funding, COI statements, and ethics reviews. The extraction of these items in the RCTs included was done independently by two pairs of reviewers and in parallel for each article, with a third independent reviewer resolving discrepancies. We analysed compliance for each item. Results: We identified RCTs in 69 journals from Spain and Latin American countries. Dentistry accounted for 75% (n = 52) of the journals, neurology 20.6% (n = 14), and geriatrics 4.4% (n = 3). Of the total number of RCTs included in this study (n = 392), only 102 (26%) reported the presence or absence of a COI, 103 (26%) studies reported funding, and 43 (36%) included the ethics committee approval. Conclusions: RCTs published in the Spanish language in dentistry, neurology, and geriatrics had poor compliance with the reporting of a COI, source of funding, and ethics committee approval. Future research should evaluate the accuracy and completeness of COI statements and their relationship to the funding source and direction of the results.

Exploring physicians' perception of diagnostic information in clinical practice.

A well-informed diagnostic process results in better health outcomes and less overdiagnosis. While there have been studies conducted to explore doctors' knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding diagnostic test information, there are no reports from Latin America. We invited physician readers of a Latin American medical journal to answer a survey on their professional and demographic characteristics and previous exposure to diagnostic information training. Two hundred fifteen responded, of whom 88% agreed to some extent that diagnostic information is helpful for clinical practice and that more training is needed. This brief exploratory survey underscores the need for more resources to train in the diagnostic process and the utilization of diagnostic information in clinical practice. However, given the limitations of this study, more evidence is needed.

Un proceso de diagnóstico bien informado da lugar a mejores resultados de salud y a menos sobrediagnósticos. Aunque se han realizado estudios para explorar los conocimientos, las actitudes y la práctica de los médicos en relación con la información sobre las pruebas diagnósticas, no existen estudios realizados en América Latina. Invitamos a los médicos lectores de una revista médica latinoamericana a responder una encuesta de opinión sobre sus características profesionales y demográficas y su exposición previa a la formación en información diagnóstica. Recibimos 215 respuestas, de las cuales el 88% estuvo de acuerdo en que la información diagnóstica es útil para la práctica clínica, y que se necesita más capacitación. Esta breve encuesta exploratoria subraya la necesidad de dedicar más recursos en la formación sobre el proceso diagnóstico y la utilización de la información diagnóstica en la práctica clínica. Sin embargo, dado las limitaciones de este estudio se hace necesario mayor evidencia al respecto.

Exploring physicians' perception of diagnostic information in clinical practice / Exploración de la percepción de los médicos sobre la información diagnóstica en la práctica clínica

A well-informed diagnostic process results in better health outcomes and less overdiagnosis. While there have been studies conducted to explore doctors' knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding diagnostic test information, there are no reports from Latin America. We invited physician readers of a Latin American medical journal to answer a survey on their professional and demographic characteristics and previous exposure to diagnostic information training. Two hundred fifteen responded, of whom 88% agreed to some extent that diagnostic information is helpful for clinical practice and that more training is needed. This brief exploratory survey underscores the need for more resources to train in the diagnostic process and the utilization of diagnostic information in clinical practice. However, given the limitations of this study, more evidence is needed.

Un proceso de diagnóstico bien informado da lugar a mejores resultados de salud y a menos sobrediagnósticos. Aunque se han realizado estudios para explorar los conocimientos, las actitudes y la práctica de los médicos en relación con la información sobre las pruebas diagnósticas, no existen estudios realizados en América Latina. Invitamos a los médicos lectores de una revista médica latinoamericana a responder una encuesta de opinión sobre sus características profesionales y demográficas y su exposición previa a la formación en información diagnóstica. Recibimos 215 respuestas, de las cuales el 88% estuvo de acuerdo en que la información diagnóstica es útil para la práctica clínica, y que se necesita más capacitación. Esta breve encuesta exploratoria subraya la necesidad de dedicar más recursos en la formación sobre el proceso diagnóstico y la utilización de la información diagnóstica en la práctica clínica. Sin embargo, dado las limitaciones de este estudio se hace necesario mayor evidencia al respecto.

An exploratory study of citations in systematic reviews of randomized trials published in Latin American journals.

Introduction: The prevalence of inclusion of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals has not been evaluated yet. This study explores the extent to which randomized trials published in Latin American medical journals are cited and used in systematic reviews. Methods: We did a descriptive observational study on randomized trials published in MEDLINE-indexed Latin American journals from 2010 to 2015. The primary outcome was the inclusion of these trials in systematic reviews. The secondary outcome was the total number of citations each trial received, as reported by Google Scholar. Results: Twenty-nine journals were selected. After searching these journals, we found 135 trials that fulfilled the inclusion criteria accounting for 2% of all research articles published in these journals. Of these, 55 (41%) were included in 202 systematic reviews. Of the nine most-cited randomized trials by systematic reviews and meta-analyses, only two were published in Spanish. Nine received zero citations by any article type. Most had small sample sizes. Conclusions: The overall impact of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals is low. Little funding, language bias and small sample sizes may explain the low inclusion in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Introducción: La prevalencia de la inclusión de ensayos controlados aleatorizados publicados en revistas latinoamericanas aún no ha sido evaluada. Este estudio tiene como objetivo explorar el grado en que los ensayos aleatorizados publicados en revistas médicas latinoamericanas son citados y utilizados en revisiones sistemáticas. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo sobre los ensayos aleatorizados publicados en revistas latinoamericanas indexadas en MEDLINE entre 2010 y 2015. El resultado primario fue la inclusión de estos ensayos en revisiones sistemáticas. El resultado secundario fue el número total de citas que recibió cada ensayo según lo informado por Google Scholar. Resultados: Se seleccionaron 29 revistas. Después de buscar en estas revistas, se encontraron 135 ensayos que cumplían los criterios de inclusión, lo que representa el 2% de todos los artículos de investigación publicados en estas revistas. De estos, 55 (41%) fueron incluidos por 202 revisiones sistemáticas. De los nueve ensayos aleatorios más citados por las revisiones sistemáticas y los metaanálisis, sólo dos fueron publicados en español. Nueve recibieron cero citas por cualquier tipo de artículo. La mayoría tenían tamaños muestrales pequeños. Conclusiones: El impacto de los ensayos controlados aleatorios publicados en revistas latinoamericanas es bajo. La escasa financiación, el sesgo lingüístico y el pequeño tamaño muestral pueden explicar la escasa inclusión en las revisiones sistemáticas y los metaanálisis.

An exploratory study of citations in systematic reviews of randomized trials published in Latin American journals

Introduction The prevalence of inclusion of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals has not been evaluated yet. This study explores the extent to which randomized trials published in Latin American medical journals are cited and used in systematic reviews. Methods We did a descriptive observational study on randomized trials published in MEDLINE-indexed Latin American journals from 2010 to 2015. The primary outcome was the inclusion of these trials in systematic reviews. The secondary outcome was the total number of citations each trial received, as reported by Google Scholar. Results Twenty-nine journals were selected. After searching these journals, we found 135 trials that fulfilled the inclusion criteria accounting for 2% of all research articles published in these journals. Of these, 55 (41%) were included in 202 systematic reviews. Of the nine most-cited randomized trials by systematic reviews and meta-analyses, only two were published in Spanish. Nine received zero citations by any article type. Most had small sample sizes. Conclusions The overall impact of randomized controlled trials published in Latin American journals is low. Little funding, language bias and small sample sizes may explain the low inclusion in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Introducción La prevalencia de la inclusión de ensayos controlados aleatorizados publicados en revistas latinoamericanas aún no ha sido evaluada. Este estudio tiene como objetivo explorar el grado en que los ensayos aleatorizados publicados en revistas médicas latinoamericanas son citados y utilizados en revisiones sistemáticas. Métodos Se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo sobre los ensayos aleatorizados publicados en revistas latinoamericanas indexadas en MEDLINE entre 2010 y 2015. El resultado primario fue la inclusión de estos ensayos en revisiones sistemáticas. El resultado secundario fue el número total de citas que recibió cada ensayo según lo informado por Google Scholar. Resultados Se seleccionaron 29 revistas. Después de buscar en estas revistas, se encontraron 135 ensayos que cumplían los criterios de inclusión, lo que representa el 2% de todos los artículos de investigación publicados en estas revistas. De estos, 55 (41%) fueron incluidos por 202 revisiones sistemáticas. De los nueve ensayos aleatorios más citados por las revisiones sistemáticas y los metaanálisis, sólo dos fueron publicados en español. Nueve recibieron cero citas por cualquier tipo de artículo. La mayoría tenían tamaños muestrales pequeños. Conclusiones El impacto de los ensayos controlados aleatorios publicados en revistas latinoamericanas es bajo. La escasa financiación, el sesgo lingüístico y el pequeño tamaño muestral pueden explicar la escasa inclusión en las revisiones sistemáticas y los metaanálisis.

SARS-CoV-2 humoral immune response in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: the COmmunity Cohort Study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The COmmunity Cohort Study aims to determine, after natural exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines deployed in Chile to prevent COVID-19 in the context of the current pandemic, the strength and duration of detectable neutralising antibodies in adult ambulatory primary care patients with cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will set up a community-based longitudinal, prospective cohort study. The study will be conducted in two public outpatient clinics located in the southern district of Santiago, Chile. We expect to begin recruitment in the second quarter of 2022. Each patient will be followed up for at least 1 year after inclusion in the cohort. The eligible population will be adult patients registered in the Cardiovascular Health Programme. Exposure in this study is defined as any event where participants have contact with SARS-CoV-2 antigens from natural exposure or vaccination. The primary outcomes are seroconversion and strength and duration of the neutralising IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. Secondary outcomes are any COVID-19-related event or intercurrent morbidities or death. Data will be collected by extracting serial blood samples and administering a questionnaire at the first face-to-face contact and monthly follow-up time points. The sample size estimated for this study is 1060. We will characterise the cohort, determine the seroprevalence rate of neutralising antibodies at baseline and determine the rates of antibody decline using a longitudinal mixed-effects model. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Scientific Ethics Committee of the South Metropolitan Health Care Service approved the study protocol (Memorandum No 191/2021). We will present the results in two peer-reviewed publications and national and international professional and academic meetings. We will organise seminars with relevant stakeholders and hold town hall meetings with the local community. We will set up a COmmunity Cohort Study website at www.communitystudy.cl to disseminate the study purpose, research team and milestones.

Respondent-driven sampling: Advantages and disadvantages from a sampling method. / Respondent-driven sampling: ventajas e inconvenientes de un método de muestreo.

This article summarizes the main elements, advantages, and disadvantages of Respondent-driven Sampling (RDS). Some criticisms regarding the feasibility of the inherent assumptions, their point estimators, and the obtained variances are pointed out. This article also comments on the problems observed in the quality of reports. Surveys using RDS should be methodologically sound as they are being applied to define priorities in health programs and develop national and international policies for financing service delivery, among other uses. However, there is considerable potential for bias related to implementation and analytical errors. There is limited empirical evidence on how representative the results obtained by RDS are, and the quest to improve the methodology is still in progress. Nevertheless, to have confidence in RDS results, we must verify that the social structure of the networks conforms to the assumptions required by the theory, that the sampling assumptions are reasonably fulfilled, and that the quality of the report is optimal, particularly for methodological and analytical items.

Este artículo resume algunas consideraciones, ventajas e inconvenientes de esta técnica de muestreo conocida como Respondent-driven Sampling (RDS). Se señalan algunas críticas que han aparecido en la literatura científica respecto a la viabilidad de los supuestos inherentes a esta técnica y, en consecuencia, respecto a los estimadores puntuales y de las varianzas así obtenidas. También, se comentan los problemas observados en la literatura acerca de la calidad de los reportes de este tipo de estudios. Las encuestas que utilizan RDS deben ser metodológicamente de buena calidad, pues están siendo aplicadas extensamente para definir prioridades de programas sanitarios, para desarrollar políticas nacionales e internacionales de financiamiento de prestación de servicios, entre otras aplicaciones. Sin embargo, existe un amplio potencial de sesgo al usar este método, muchos de los cuales están relacionados con la implementación y los errores analíticos. La evidencia empírica sobre cuán representativos son los resultados obtenidos mediante RDS es limitada, y la búsqueda para mejorar la metodología es un área de investigación aún en progreso. No obstante, para tener confianza en los resultados publicados debe verificarse que la estructura social de las redes estudiadas se ajusta a los supuestos requeridos por la teoría de RDS, que los supuestos del muestreo se cumplen razonablemente y que la calidad del reporte es óptima, en particular respecto a los ítems metodológicos y analíticos.

What we know and dont know on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. / Lo que sabemos y no sabemos sobre SARS-CoV-2 y COVID-19.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has had an enormous impact on public health worldwide due to its rapid spread and pandemic behavior, challenges in its control and mitigation, and few therapeutic alternatives. In this review, we summarize the pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical presentation, and diagnostic techniques. In addition, the main lineages and the different strategies for disease prevention are reviewed, with emphasis on the development of vaccines and their different platforms. Finally, some of the currently available therapeutic strategies are summarized. Throughout the article, we point out the current knowns and unknowns at the time of writing this article.

La enfermedad por coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), causada por el virus SARS-CoV-2 descubierto en diciembre de 2019 en Wuhan, China, ha tenido un gran impacto en la salud pública a nivel mundial, por su rápida diseminación con comportamiento pandémico, su difícil control y escasas alternativas terapéuticas. En esta revisión, se resumen los mecanismos fisiopatológicos de la enfermedad, así como su presentación clínica y técnicas diagnósticas. Además, se revisan los linajes más importantes y las distintas estrategias de prevención de la enfermedad, con énfasis en el desarrollo de vacunas y sus diferentes plataformas. Por último, se resumen algunas de las estrategias terapéuticas disponibles en la actualidad.

A multiyear systematic survey of the quality of reporting for randomised trials in dentistry, neurology and geriatrics published in journals of Spain and Latin America.

BACKGROUND: The Iberoamerican Cochrane Network is currently developing an extensive project to identify Spanish-language journals that publish original clinical research in Spain and Latin America. The project is called BADERI (Database of Iberoamerican Essays and Journal) and feeds the research articles, mainly randomised clinical trials (RCTs), into CENTRAL (Cochrane Collaboration Central Register of Controlled Trials). This study aims to assess the quality of reporting of RCTs published in Spanish and Latin American journals for three clinical fields and assess changes over time. METHODS: We did a systematic survey with time trend analysis of RCTs for dentistry, geriatrics, and neurology. These fields were chosen for pragmatic reasons as they had not yet been completed in BADERI. After screening RCTs from 1990 to 2018 for randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials, we extracted data for 23 CONSORT items. The primary outcome was the total score of the 23 predefined CONSORT 2010 items for each RCT (score range from 0 to 34). The secondary outcome measure was the score for each one of these 23 items. RESULTS: A total of 392 articles from 1990 to 2018 were included as follows: dentistry (282), neurology (80), and geriatrics (30). We found that the overall compliance score for the CONSORT items included in this study for all 392 RCTs analysed was 12.6 on a scale with a maximum score of 34. With time, the quality of reporting improved slightly for all RCTs. None of the articles achieved the complete individual CONSORT item compliance score. The lowest overall compliance percentage was for item 10 (Randomisation implementation) and item 24 (Protocol registration), with a dismal 1% compliance across all included RCTs, regardless of country. CONCLUSIONS: CONSORT compliance is very poor in the 392 analysed RCTs. The impact of the CONSORT statement on improving the completeness of RCT reporting in Latin America and Spain is not clear. Iberoamerican journals should become more involved in endorsing and enforcing adherence to the CONSORT guidelines.

Quality of reporting for randomised clinical trials published in Latin American and Spanish journals: A protocol for a systematic survey of three clinical specialities.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of reporting refers to how published articles communicate how the research was done and what was found. Gaps and imprecisions of reporting hamper the assessment of the methodological quality and internal and external validity. The CONsolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) are a set of evidence-based recommendations of the minimum elements to be included in the reporting of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to ensure a complete and transparent account of what was done, how it was done and what was found. Few studies have been conducted on the impact of CONSORT on RCTs published in Latin American and Spanish journals. We aim to assess the reporting quality of RCTs of three clinical specialities published in Spanish and Latin American journals, as well as to assess changes over time and associations of quality with journal and country indicators. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will conduct a systematic survey of all RCTs published in Spanish-language journals in three clinical fields (dentistry, neurology and geriatrics) from 1990 to 2018. We will include RCTs from previous work that has identified all RCTs on these medical fields published in Spain and Latin America. We will update this work via handsearching of relevant journals. Assessment of quality of reporting will be conducted independently and in duplicate using the CONSORT 2010 Statement. We will also extract journal and country indicators. We will conduct descriptive statistics and secondary analyses considering the year, country, and journal of publication, among others. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The Universidad de Santiago de Chile's ethics committee approved the protocol. We will disseminate the results of this work in peer-reviewed scientific journals and conference proceedings. We expect to raise awareness among researchers, journal editors and funders on the importance of training in reporting guidelines and using them from the inception of RCT protocols.

Do we know the diagnostic properties of the tests used in COVID-19? A rapid review of recently published literature. / ¿Conocemos las propiedades diagnósticas de las pruebas usadas en COVID-19? Una revisión rápida de la literatura recientemente publicada.

COVID-19 has brought death and disease to large parts of the world. Governments must deploy strategies to screen the population and subsequently isolate the suspect cases. Diagnostic testing is critical for epidemiological surveillance, but the accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) and clinical utility (impact on health outcomes) of the current diagnostic methods used for SARS-CoV-2 detection are not known. I ran a quick search in PubMed/MEDLINE to find studies on laboratory diagnostic tests and rapid viral diagnosis. After running the search strategies, I found 47 eligible articles that I discuss in this review, commenting on test characteristics and limitations. I did not find any papers that report on the clinical utility of the tests currently used for COVID-19 detection, meaning that we are fighting a battle without proper knowledge of the proportion of false negatives that current testing is resulting in. This shortcoming should not be overlooked as it might hamper national efforts to contain the pandemic through testing community-based suspect cases.

COVID-19 ha traído muerte y enfermedad a gran parte del mundo. Los gobiernos deben desplegar estrategias para tamizar la población y aislar los casos sospechosos. Las pruebas diagnósticas son críticas en la vigilancia epidemiológica, pero no se conoce la exactitud (sensibilidad y especificidad) y la utilidad clínica (impacto sobre los desenlaces de salud) de los métodos diagnósticos actuales usados para la detección del SARS-CoV-2. Realicé una búsqueda rápida en PubMed/MEDLINE para encontrar estudios sobre las pruebas diagnósticas de laboratorio y de diagnóstico viral rápido. Después de correr las estrategias de búsqueda, encontré 47 artículos elegibles que son los que uso para esta revisión, en que comento las características de las pruebas y sus limitaciones. No encontré artículos que aborden la utilidad clínica de las pruebas actualmente usadas para la detección del COVID-19, lo que implica que estamos librando una batalla sin tener un conocimiento adecuado de cuál es la proporción de falsos negativos que resultan de los tests que hoy se aplican. No debemos ignorar esta dificultad, dado que podría obstaculizar los esfuerzos nacionales para contener la pandemia con arreglo a la aplicación de test diagnósticos a los casos sospechosos comunitarios.