Interdisciplinariedad y transdisciplinariedad en la genética médica

La Genética se ha nutrido de otras especialidades de las ciencias médicas y de las ciencias biológicas, físicas, químicas, sociales, psicológicas. Algunas especialidades han emergido de estas alianzas. De esta forma surgen la Citogenética, la Genética molecular, la Genética Bioquímica, la Genética Poblacional, entre otras; cada una se involucra de acuerdo a sus propios conceptos y métodos de investigación. En estos aspectos radica la interdisciplinariedad en las ciencias, en la existencia de puntos de contacto entre varias disciplinas, con participantes de diversas procedencias que contribuyen, desde la diversidad de su formación, a alcanzar objetivos comunes a todas las disciplinas involucradas.Otro concepto que es utilizado, en ocasiones indistintamente, es el de transdisciplinariedad, que nos guía hacia una comprensión del mundo desde la unidad del conocimiento. Existe transdisciplinariedad cuando se produce una completa integración teórica y práctica, cuando se genera nueva información acerca de la realidad de determinados fenómenos…(AU)

Salgen de Cuba: Una Red de Informática Provincial para Servicios Genéticos a Mujeres Embarazadas y Recién nacidos / Cubas Salgen: A Provincial Informatics Network for Genetic Services to Pregnant Women and Newborns

The Sancti Spíritus Provincial Medical Genetics Network has been using the Salgen IT platform since 2009 for health care, administrative and research activities concerning pregnant mothers and newborns. The network uses the national Infomed backbone to provide real-time connection between community-based polyclinics in primary health care and the Provincial Medical Genetics Reference Center. The platform has records for 23,025 pregnant women and sequential clinical data on genetic risk assessment in early pregnancy, first trimester ultrasound, sickle cell anemia screening, alpha-fetoprotein levels, cytogenetic antenatal diagnosis, second trimester ultrasound, delivery and newborn characteristics, neonatal metabolic screening, and infant clinical assessment. The system makes health care results immediately available and provides health alerts to enable timely preventive care for pregnant women. It also provides guidelines for processes and practices, and streamlines administrative and monitoring activities through statistical reports. The database generates indicators for assessing fetal growth and applies international standards for antenatal ultrasound quality control. Salgen provides a new source of information for medical research and knowledge management, and its use in this case fulfills Cuba's criteria for an integrated health services network(AU)

Genetic services in Mexico City.

In the year 2002, the population of Mexico was approaching 103 million inhabitants. Approximately 74% of them live in the cities with a continuous migration from rural to urban areas. Genetic departments are concentrated in the capital and other big cities. In this paper we review the current status of genetic departments in Mexico City, emphasizing the main areas of genetic services offered to the public and involved in research. We also comment on the deficiencies identified and suggest recommendations to improve the quality of the genetic services offered to the Mexican population.

Ethics and genetics in Latin America.

Genetic research in human beings poses deep ethical problems, one being the problem of distributive justice. If we suppose that genetic technologies are able to produce visible benefits for the well being of people, and that these benefits are affordable to only a favored portion of society, then the consequence is obvious. We are introducing a new source of inequality. In the first section of this paper, I attempt to justify some concern for the distributive consequences of applying genetics to human beings. This concern transcends a mere preoccupation for material equality. I argue that genetic inequality can undermine the very basis of social cooperation, at least regarding health care. The second section is more practical. My aim is to defend how, at least in some legal and cultural frameworks (such as those clearly apparent in some Latin American countries), the undesired distributive consequences of genetics are more likely to arise and more difficult to avoid.