Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Introduction: healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have a higher prevalence among critically ill patients. Contextualized studies are needed to clarify their characteristics and predictive factors.Objective: to identify the characteristics and predictive factors of healthcare-associated infections.Methods: a cohort study was conducted on 364 patients. Characteristics were compared between patients with and without infections. To identify predictive factors, infection was considered the dependent variable, and severity indexes, comorbidity, and length of stay were considered independent variables. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were applied.Results: HAIs developed in 7.9 % of patients. Of these, 62.1 % were male (p = 0.025). The mean age was estimated at 44.9 years (95 % CI: 38.0–51.7) (p = 0.098). The average Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 15.1 (95 % CI: 12.7–17.6), and the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 3.0 (95 % CI: 1.7–4.3). The main infection site was bloodstream infection (31.0 %). The most frequent microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (27.5 %) and Enterobacter spp. (27.5 %). Mechanical ventilation (adjusted OR: 7.7, 95 % CI: 2.6–22.8) and length of stay ≥ 7 days (adjusted OR: 2.8, 95 % CI: 1.1–6.9) were identified as predictive factors.Conclusions: patients are characterized by older age, higher severity, organ dysfunction, and comorbidities. Mechanical ventilation and a length of stay ≥ 7 days are predictive factors for the development of healthcare-associated infections.

Abstract Introduction: Chemotherapy is a fundamental strategy in the treatment of breast cancer, significantly improving survival. However, it is associated with significant adverse cardiovascular effects, primarily cardiotoxicity, which can manifest early or late. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in surviving patients. Identifying early predictive factors of cardiotoxicity is vital to optimize clinical management and prevent serious complications. Objective: To identify risk factors for early chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer. Method: An analytical cohort study was conducted with 511 patients undergoing oncological treatment, attended in the Cardio-Oncology clinic at Carlos Manuel de Céspedes Hospital between September 2021 and April 2023. Bivariate analyses and logistic regression were applied to identify significant associations with an alpha level of 0.05. Results: The prevalence of cardiotoxicity was 14.4% (mean age 59.9 ± 12.6 years). Independently associated factors included atrial fibrillation (Exp. β = 22.3; p < 0.001), anemia (Exp. β = 14.9; p < 0.001), dyslipidemia (Exp. β = 5.7; p < 0.001), prolonged QTc interval (Exp. β = 5.5; p < 0.001), smoking (Exp. β = 4.8; p < 0.001), decreased glomerular filtration rate (Exp. β = 4.4; p = 0.002), and hypertensive heart disease (Exp. β = 4.1; p = 0.001). Conclusions: These factors allow for the development and validation of robust predictive models for early intervention and preventive management of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.  

Palliative care is a special clinical approach to caring for people with serious illnesses, with the explicit purpose of improving their quality of life. This approach helps patients, families, and caregivers cope with the problems associated with life-threatening diseases. With the objective of identifying scientific publications focused on the training of medical science professionals and on the theoretical shortcomings observed in the knowledge level of undergraduate medical students regarding palliative care for terminally ill patients, a systematic review was conducted on 29 articles published in Spanish, obtained from reliable sources and indexed in databases addressing this topic. Results were obtained from 26 articles in Google Scholar and 3 in SciELO Regional. It is concluded that there is evidence showing that a high percentage of undergraduate medical students have limited knowledge about palliative care for patients with serious terminal illnesses. The study demonstrates the need to implement, from the basic cycle, educational activities aimed at strengthening knowledge related to palliative care, as well as coping with death and end-of-life dilemmas.

Scientific publications allow the dissemination of results and experiences within the research community in a specific field of knowledge and serve as a measure of intellectual activity. The present study aims to characterize the scientific publications of collaborators of the Cuban Medical Mission in Venezuela during the period from January 2023 to March 2025. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, and bibliometric study was conducted on the scientific publications produced by these collaborators during the mentioned period. All scientific articles were included (N=37). The variables analyzed were: age and gender of the authors, publications by document type, study types, main databases and directories in which they are indexed, and bibliometric indicators. The predominant age group among authors was 40–59 years, and most were female. Original articles and descriptive observational studies indexed in Scientific Electronic Library Online and Latindex predominated. The average number of bibliographic references per article was 35.9, with a Price index of 0.43. It is concluded that the characterization of scientific publications by collaborators of the Cuban Medical Mission in Venezuela offers an encouraging perspective associated with scientific knowledge and its dissemination in Medical Sciences. Indexing in recognized databases and directories, along with the use of bibliometric indicators, reflects their quality.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the maxillary third molar and the maxillary sinus through radiographic determination. This is an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study that collected data from 500 panoramic radiographs recorded in the database of the radiology department at the Manuel Cedeño specialty clinic. The technique used was observation, and the instrument consisted of radiographs of patients aged 14 to 30 who attended the radiology department of the stomatological specialty clinic during the 2023–2024 period. Regarding the results from 80 male and 160 female patients, the most frequent position according to Winter was vertical (48.8 %), and Class 3 in relation to the maxillary sinus (40.4 %). It is concluded that the use of radiographic studies is essential for decision-making. The most common position of the maxillary third molar in patients aged 14 to 30 years was the vertical position. It can be stated that there is a significant relationship between the maxillary third molar and the maxillary sinus, especially when there is a Class 3, 4, or 5 relationship according to the Jung and Cho classification and a mesioangular position according to the Winter classification. The age group most susceptible to oroantral complications is the 14 – 19-year range.

Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome is a serious disease that affects infant mortality. Its cause, due to a surfactant deficiency, has been studied to develop medications aimed at preventing newborn deaths. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of Surfacen® use in neonatal respiratory distress. A literature review was conducted between June and July 2025 in Spanish, using keywords from the Health Sciences Descriptors. Information from the last five years was collected through Google Scholar and the SciELO, LILACS, and PubMed databases. Only 20 studies met the inclusion criteria. Analysis and synthesis methods were used, allowing for the interpretation of the literature found and the organization of knowledge. The use of surfactant in patients with neonatal respiratory distress improves oxygenation and reduces the need for mechanical ventilation. The decrease in hospital stay and infant mortality, along with significant improvements in parameters such as the exhaled flow rate, validate its efficacy and safety. Surfacen® is a highly effective drug for treating respiratory diseases such as neonatal respiratory distress. Its ability to reduce surface tension and facilitate alveolar expansion demonstrates its effectiveness in improving oxygenation and minimizing the use of mechanical ventilation.

Seminal vesicle cysts are a congenital urological anomaly. They are present from birth but become symptomatic during the second and third decades of life. A 5-year-old male patient presented with mild lower abdominal (hypogastric) pain, which occasionally increased during defecation. An ultrasound was performed, revealing an anechoic, rounded image with well-defined walls consistent with a seminal vesicle cyst. The chosen therapeutic approach was puncture and aspiration drainage of the lesion. Regarding imaging techniques, the gold standard is Computed Tomography (CT) scan. Benign seminal vesicle tumors are extremely rare in childhood and may go unnoticed due to the mild symptoms. Treatment strategies have focused on surgical removal via laparoscopy as the best option.

El dengue, enfermedad viral trasmitida por mosquitos y muy conocida por la comunidad médica, ha aumentado enormemente su incidencia en las últimas décadas y en la actualidad puede afectar a cerca de la mitad de la población mundial que está en riesgo de contraerla, reportándose cada año entre 100 y 400 millones de infecciones.

Las parasitosis intestinales son ampliamente prevalentes en niños de áreas tropicales y subtropicales a nivel mundial. En Cuba, las últimas encuestas nacionales de parasitismo intestinal han evidenciado que los niños representan el grupo más vulnerable. Con el objetivo de determinar la prevalencia de infecciones con parásitos intestinales y factores de riego en niños de la provincia de Granma, se realizó un estudio de corte transversal en 1300 niños en el periodo de abril a junio de 2023. Se analizó una muestra de heces por cada niño, la cual fue procesada por tres técnicas parasitológicas y se recogieron datos clínico-epidemiológicos de interés a través de un cuestionario validado. La prevalencia de infecciones con parásitos intestinales fue de tan solo 12,5%. Los parásitos intestinales de importancia médica más frecuentes fueron Giardia duodenalis (5,5%) y Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar (2,3%). Los municipios de Pilón y Jiguaní presentaron los mayores valores de prevalencia de infecciones con parásitos intestinales. No se identificaron factores de riesgo relacionados con un mayor riesgo de infección por parásitos intestinales en estos niños estudiados, la mayoría de ellos asintomáticos. Se reportó una baja prevalencia de infecciones con parásitos intestinales a nivel provincial. Los datos evidencian que se hace necesario capacitar en el diagnóstico parasitológico en la red de Microbiología de la provincia, y revitalizar los programas de prevención y control de las parasitosis intestinales.