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

Primary Health Care (PHC) is formed by the Basic Health Units (BHU and the Family Health Unit (FHU). PHC works as the main gateway to health care within the scope of the Unified Health System (UHS), defined by a set of actions related to the health of the population in which it operates. In this context, there is the BHU manager, a role created recently on the PHC. The objective of this study is to carry out an integrative review of the literature on the national scientific production, in the period from 2000 to 2020, regarding the main problems encountered and faced by the Primary Health Care (PHC) manager. This is an integrative literature review about the problems faced by the PHC manager within the UFS in the period from 2000 to 2020. For the selection of articles, a search was carried out in the databases: National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health - USA (PUBMED), Scientific Electronic Library online (SciELO) and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), and the Virtual Health Library: (BVS-BIREME). The research showed that there are problems in all BHUs, perceived differently by the agents responsible for their management. Despite the problems perceived differently by the managers and that there is no consensus on the subject, there are proposals that can prepare the manager to face the problems encountered.

This research is an educational Product's extract from a Professional Master in Science and Technology in Education published by a Federal Institute in Brazil. The Educational Product consisted of a Didactic Sequence planned and ordered in the teaching of the Urinary Incontinence content in the subject Physiotherapy in Women's Health, in an Undergraduate Physiotherapy course in the year 2021. Among the educational activities strategies of this Didactic Sequence there is the Rubrics proposal. The Rubric is an assessment tool in the teaching and learning process and in this proposal was built in a qualitative approach. This research aims to enhance the reflections for the formative assessment through the Rubrics tool in health education and thus provide subsidies for assessments in the areas' teaching and learning processes.

Introduction: The capacity of ticks as vectors for specific pathogens is determined by the species. Recent studies reevaluated the taxon Amblyomma cajennense as a complex of 6 species and A. mixtum Koch, 1844 as the only one present in Cuba. On the other hand, Rhipicephalus microplus is the only monoxene species of the genusRhipicephalus present on the island, which has been identified as a complex of 5 species based on phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial genomes.Methods: In this study, the morphological and molecular characterization of 4 Cuban field isolates belonging to the Amblyomma cajennense complex and of specimens of 2 colonies of R. microplus ticks established in the LNP from 2 Cuban isolates were performed using scanning electron microscopy and the morphological keys described for each species combined with phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes. Results and discussion: The U-shaped genital opening combined with long and thick setae densely distributed in the posterior notum of the female ticks from the 4 Cuban populations of the A. cajennense complex and the rounded bodies of all specimens are morphological characteristics attributed to the species A. mixtum. The characteristics observed in the specimens of the 2 colonies from the LNP coincided with the distinctive characteristics of the species belonging to the R. micropluscomplex but did not allow the species definition. The molecular phylogenies supported the presence of A. mixtumin Cuba with more than 84 % reliability and the classification in clade A or R. microplus s. s. of the Cuban specimens belonging to the R. microplus complex with more than 65 %. It is concluded that these results permitted an unequivocal identification of the four Cuban populations as belonging to the species A. mixtum and of the colonies from the LNP as R. microplus s. s.

Introduction: Transportation means are necessary to a proper collection of clinical samples for diagnosis of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and other respiratory viral infections. In order to achieve technological sovereignty, since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the Cuban National Center for Bioproducts developed and manufactured transportation means for nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) samples that were evaluated at IPK. Methods: The performance of BTU and TAN media, using NPS for detection of SARS-CoV-2 was evaluated with RT-PCR. As indicators of performance, we estimated the difference between Ct values obtained with studied media and reference media (BTV). Moreover, the agreement, the Kappa coefficient, and the stability of NPS samples were evaluated at 48 and 72 hours (h) for BTU, while for TAN this evaluation was followed up to 168 h. Results and discussion: The agreement was almost perfect with samples collected in TAN medium, whereas BTU showed moderate agreement. The stability of samples was 100 % for both mediums at 48 h, decreasing to 85,71 % for BTU medium at 72 h. However, for samples collected in TAN medium the stability was 100 % till 168 h. In contrast, no significant difference was observed regarding Ct between evaluated and reference media. It is concluded that the performance of evaluated media was adequate for SARS-CoV-2 detection using RT-PCR, comparable with BTV reference media. Our recommendation is to extend the evaluation of these media for microbiological diagnosis of other microorganisms.

Introduction: The Cuban vaccine CIMAvax-EGF® is useful in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with high serum concentrations of epidermal growth factor ([EGF]), the current predictor of response. However, the discrimination between healthy individuals and NSCLC patients by [EGF], which determines the diagnostic accuracy and efficacy of the biomarker, is questionable. The controversy occurs mainly due to methodological deficiencies in its estimation.Methods: This work presents a new methodology for the quantification of human serum EGF, aimed at controlling the factors causing bias and variability in the estimates. The approach includes the development of the quantification kit UMELISA EGF®, the standardization of sera separation, and the normalization of [sEGF] regarding platelets count, as well as its interpretation.Results: The study revealed that patients and controls differ only by circulating EGF, measured in sera separated 1h after phlebotomy ([EGF]1h) and not by the total EGF in platelets, estimated in sera collected 4h after blood draw ([EGF]4h). Several variables related to EGF, with discriminatory power (diagnostic value) and potentiality as a biomarker, were identified. Specially circulating ([EGF]1h) and platelet-retained EGF ([EGF]4h-[EGF]1h), both normalized by platelets count, discriminate better patients from healthy controls than circulating or total EGF. Conclusions: the greater discriminatory capacity of the normalized variables indicates their more direct relationship with the biology of the tumor, compared to the current efficacy biomarker; as well as its better performance in predicting the response to anti-EGF/EGFR therapies and to the CIMAvax-EGF® in particular; which, together with the safety and low cost of the UMELISA EGF® test, suggests its possible use in the screening and early diagnosis of the disease in populations at risk.

Introduction: Within Hispanicism, the study of intonation is generally approached with a tributary vision of orthodox structuralism, centered on the description of the system and its abstract units. The present research proposes a model based on a broader perspective founded on the Complexity Theory, which allows the definition of intonation patterns encoded in the Cuban variant of Spanish, as well as the study of the discursive functioning of prosody in its interaction with the rest of the semiotic systems of expression. Methods: The research uses a heterogeneous oral speech sample, conformed by audiovisuals, spontaneous speech, and laboratory speech. It proposes a work protocol structured in stages: first, the perceptual definition (auditory analysis), acoustic (acoustic analysis), and functional (semantic-pragmatic analysis) of intonation patterns in the speech of Havana; corroborated in a second stage through geolinguistic research methods in 14 points of the Cuban geography; third, the discursive study of prosody (acoustic and functional analysis) in academic and journalistic oral texts. Results: The research defined a system of 18 intonation patterns encoded in the speech of Havana. It proves that it is a functioning system in 14 points in the western, central, and eastern regions of the Island, with acoustic or functional variants depending on the context and gender of the speakers. The value of these units and other prosodic features is verified in the discourse structuring of topics, information highlighting, and meaning expression. As some conclusions, the study of intonation requires a broad perspective, which allows the definition of a system of stable units, but open and variable (acoustically and functionally) in their interactions with other means of expression and the contextual conditions of their use.

Introduction: Chemical admixtures are an important component in concrete formulation. Cuba imports these products, and the current demand is not covered. A multidisciplinary team was set to develop a new, locally developed plasticizer, produced with local raw materials.Methods: Characterization of the bio-product was done, as well as the validation of the increase in flow and the improvement of cement hydration. The product was formulated commercially and its use in concrete was also validated, including the impact on strength. A technology for the manufacture of the product was designed and implemented in a pilot plant.Results: the product CBQ-VTC® was developed. It meets the requirements of NC 228-1:2005 and NC 271: 2003 and allows an increase in the plasticity of cement pastes. It reduces the water (13%-15%) used in the concrete, generated increases (5%-10%) in the strength and reductions of 25 kg-28 kg of cement/m3 of concrete. MICONS issued the DITEC certificate Nr. 818, which allows commercial trading. A pilot plant with the capacity to produce up to 30 thousand liters per month has been set into production, and until beginning of 2021, 96 282 liters of the product have been sold, with savings above 1MM CUP and import substitution in the range of 60M USD. As some conclusions the bio-product has been proven as moderate fluidizer and its contribution to improving hydration, which reflects on modest increases in compressive strength in concrete. CBQ-VTC® is issued with a DITEC certificate for further commercial sales. The work presented closes a cycle of multidisciplinary research which ends up in a concrete product, that is produced and sold within the country, with savings in materials and import substitutions.

This paper reviews the main characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic, that showed the need of an interdisciplinary, integrated, compromised, fast answer of the science community in order to knew the phenomenon, to controlled and prevent, of the speed in the development and application of the scientific results, of the international interchange and collaboration, of the updating of the information in real time, of the participation of scientific institution, industry, governments, international organizations and the population.As it was evident in the Cuban case, to face such phenomenon it is required the politic will and the leadership of the government in order to mobilize economical and social sectors, with a high humanitarian sense, focus in the collaboration and the conscious commitment, the action of executives, workers and communities.COVID-19 will keep coexisting with us as and endemic. The construction of a new normality, better and fairer than the one that brought us here, requires to face all the dimensions of a complex reality, where it must be faced the unfair economic global order and the right to development of all countries must be accomplished.