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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2024

Genetics of Latin American Diversity Project: Insights into population genetics and association studies in admixed groups in the Americas.

Latin Americans are underrepresented in genetic studies, increasing disparities in personalized genomic medicine. Despite available genetic data from thousands of Latin Americans, accessing and navigating the bureaucratic hurdles for consent or access remains challenging. To address this, we introduce the Genetics of Latin American Diversity (GLAD) Project, compiling genome-wide information from 53,738 Latin Americans across 39 studies representing 46 geographical regions. Through GLAD, we identified heterogeneous ancestry composition and recent gene flow across the Americas. Additionally, we developed GLAD-match, a simulated annealing-based algorithm, to match the genetic background of external samples to our database, sharing summary statistics (i.e., allele and haplotype frequencies) without transferring individual-level genotypes. Finally, we demonstrate the potential of GLAD as a critical resource for evaluating statistical genetic software in the presence of admixture. By providing this resource, we promote genomic research in Latin Americans and contribute to the promises of personalized medicine to more people.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[International cooperation for research in public health: the case of the Latin American Network of Perinatal Investigation].

Health research in Latin America faces serious shortcomings, especially considering the region's dire needs. Multicenter collaboration can be a valuable tool to promote scientific development. In 1985, investigators of four Latin American epidemiologic research centers created the Latin American Network for Perinatal Research. The analysis of the difficulties we had to face in order to implement the first joint study illustrates the obstacles people involved in multicenter projects have to overcome. The conclusion is that in spite of the difficulties, multicenter work is feasible and to be recommended. Results of this kind of studies reach a great external validity and are applicable to broad population sectors.

Argentina↗
PubMed2026

Quantitative trait loci mapping of gene expression and chromatin accessibility in primary fibroblasts reveals shared allelic effects between Latin American and European ancestries.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) analysis of molecular data has identified genetic variants associated with traits such as gene expression, and colocalization of these functional QTL with GWAS risk loci has offered insights into the genetic basis of human disease. We employed gene expression (RNA-seq) and chromatin accessibility (ATAC-seq) obtained from human primary fibroblasts to investigate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in cohorts ascertained for bipolar disorder of European (n = 150) and Latin American (n = 96) ancestries. RESULTS: Leveraging data from three countries of origin (The Netherlands, Colombia, Costa Rica) within our cohort, we characterized differences among individuals at the SNP, gene, and accessible-chromatin levels to compute ancestry-specific expression (e)QTLs and chromatin-accessibility (ca)QTLs. Across ancestries, we observed R2 ≥ 0.93 for eQTL effect sizes and R2 ≥ 0.95 for caQTLs, indicating a high degree of concordance. Integrating chromatin data with expression and genotype information enabled precise fine-mapping of eQTLs, yielding 203 genes with high-confidence (posterior probability > 90%) candidate regulatory pathways. In downstream analyses, transcriptome-wide (TWAS) and chromatin-wide (CWAS) association studies with brain- and skin-related GWAS identified 36 TWAS-significant genes and 77 CWAS-significant open chromatin regions. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the shared genetic regulatory mechanisms across European and Latin American ancestries, while demonstrating that ancestry-specific reference panels enhance the accuracy of TWAS and CWAS in diverse populations. More broadly, this study highlights the value of paired multi-omic datasets from diverse cohorts for interpreting disease-associated genetic variation.

Humans↗
PubMed1979

Relapsing polychondritis in a Latin American man.

The first known reported case of relapsing polychondritis in a Latin American man is presented. The 35-year-old man, demonstrating auricular chondritis, arthritis, nasal cartilage involvement, episcleritis and respiratory tract chondritis, was admitted to the hospital and treated with 60 mg of prednisone daily, prednisolone acetate 1% ophthalmic drops every waking hour and homatropine hydrobromide 5% ophthalmic drops twice daily. After discharge from the hospital, he received 30 to 60 mg of prednisone daily and prednisolone acetate 1% ophthalmic drops twic daily for about 18 months. A permanent trachestomy was placed, azathioprine, 150 mg daily, was given and prednisone dosage was tapered to 25 mg daily when the patient subsequently was hospitalized for colapsed airway and Cushing's syndrome. The classic symptoms, pathogenesis and treatment of the disease are reviewed. Systemic corticosteroids are the drugs of choice in relapsing polychondritis, with immunosuppressive drugs, azathioprine in particular, being used as adjuvants to lower steroid dosage requirements and to achieve greater control of symptoms in patients with the severe progressive disease. Treatment of the disease with dapsone alone is promising and may offer an alternative to high-dose steroids and immunosuppressive therapy.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗
PubMed1992

Demography of the human sex ratio in some Latin American countries, 1967-1986.

A sample based on hospital births recorded for the Latin American Collaborative Study on Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC) program was used in the present study to determine sex ratios for live births and for stillbirths. Sixty-four cities and 147 hospitals in 11 countries (Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, and Costa Rica) were included in the present analyses. The number of live births was 1,886,653 in the period 1967-1986, and the number of stillbirths was 24,818 in the period 1978-1986. The sex ratio for the total sample was 0.5112 for live births and 0.5477 for stillbirths. The sex ratio as a whole is decreasing with time in a parabolic fashion. Each country in our study behaved differently. Except for Peru and Uruguay, the countries experienced a significant decrease in the sex ratio after 1978 for live births; only Brazil did not show a temporal trend for the sex ratio for stillbirths.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed2026

Contrasting signals of selection at the EDAR gene in global and Latin American populations.

The EDAR gene is a classic target of positive selection in humans, mainly through the nonsynonymous variant rs3827760 (EDARV370A) associated with ectodermal traits. Using high-resolution data from the 1000 Genomes Project, we combined sliding-window F_ST, BayeScan, and extended haplotype homozygosity (EHH) analyses to examine global and Latin American patterns of differentiation. Globally, a strong signal of positive selection was confirmed at EDAR, dominated by the rs3827760 haplotype background and its extended linkage disequilibrium structure. In contrast, within Latin America, differentiation reflected admixture-driven haplotype persistence rather than contemporary selection. A genome-wide FST scan comparing individuals from the upper and lower quartiles of Native American ancestry showed that EDAR lies among the most highly differentiated regions in this contrast, consistent with ancestry-driven haplotype structure rather than post-admixture adaptive evolution. These results indicate that EDAR retains its evolutionary signature globally but not within recently admixed populations, where demographic history rather than selection shapes its genetic landscape.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

Parasitology screening of Latin American children in a primary care clinic.

A screening program based in a Massachusetts community hospital primary care clinic, which included 124 children from 12 different Latin American countries, demonstrated that nearly 35% were carriers of pathogenic parasites. The large majority (83.7%) of these children were asymptomatic at the time of the examination. Although there may be considerable variation based on country of origin, the present results, as well as a review of the literature, suggest this is likely to be a common finding among children born in most regions of Latin America. Compliance with the screening process was significantly higher in groups with higher infection rates and the successive yield in those patients who submitted two or more stool samples revealed that most pathogens were identified in the first sample. School-age children were found to have the highest risk for both roundworm infections and multiple parasitic infections. For those children with identified pathogens, nearly 90% received treatment. Current trends in immigration, international adoptions, and special circumstances including day care, family shelters, and increasing numbers of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children have made an appreciation of the extent of parasitosis, and awareness of possible management approaches, an important consideration for primary care physicians in the United States.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Extended family living among older people in six Latin American countries.

This study examined and compared demographic and urban/rural residence underpinnings to people 60 and over living in an extended family household in six Latin American countries. Household samples of the World Fertility Survey gathered in the middle 1970s were sued, as was a combination of crosstabular and logit techniques. We found that, in contrast to Western countries, a majority of the elderly population lived in extended family households. This was more likely in the Dominican Republic than in Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, or Peru, which was, in turn, more likely than in Mexico. However, such differences were most apparent among the married, not the unmarried. In all countries, unmarried people were more likely to live in extended family households than were married people. Among unmarried elderly, the likelihood was greater for women than for men. Contrary to initial expectations, neither urban/rural residence nor age among the elderly themselves tended to be important.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Incidence of 50 congenital malformations in 8 Chilean maternities participating in the Latin American Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC). 1982-1988].

The incidence of 50 congenital malformations detected among 106,457 consecutive deliveries, in 8 chilean maternities participating in ECLAMC (Latin American Study for Congenital Malformations) is presented. The global incidence of congenital malformations was 2.97 for every 100 newborn infants. 2.92% in live borns and 8.54% in stillborns respectively. The mortality among the whole live borns of this series was of 0.93%. The incidence of congenital malformations in chilean maternities was compared with the rest of ECLAMC and significant differences were found in many of them, being higher in some problems where more complex diagnostic methods are required and were available, as is the case with congenital heart disease (23.85% vs. 9.72%) and renal agenesia (2.07% vs. 0.6%). In other types of more obvious abnormalities there were differences which could be eventually attributable to genetic or environmental factors.

Chile↗
PubMed1991

[The treatment of chronic stable angina with isradipine. A cooperative Latin American study].

In order to study the efficacy and tolerance of isradipine, a new Ca++ antagonist for the treatment of stable chronic angina, a multicentric cooperative study was carried out in eight Latin American countries (Argentine, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela), which included 169 patients (60% men and 40% women), average age 62.6 +/- 9.7. Patients with more than 4 biweekly anginal crisis were accepted, with one or more of the following inclusion criteria: coronariographic evidence of obstruction greater than 60% in one or more vessels, IAM history, positive scintigraphy and positive effort test. The trial was single-blind, with placebo during the admission phase (2 weeks) and active treatment for 12 weeks. isradipine was administered in increasing doses of 2.5, 5, and 7 mg thrice a day, according to the presence or absence of anginal crisis. It was observed that the average frequency of weekly pains decreased from 8.2 +/- 7 under placebo to 6.3 +/- 7.5 under isradipine at low doses, and to 2.0 +/- 2.0 (p less than 0.001) under maximum doses. TNT intake decreased parallel also in a significant way. At the end of the trial, 37% of patients had become asymptomatic, and angina had reduced to less than two crisis a week in 33%. A clear relation doses-effect was observed. There was no alteration in laboratory exams neither in ECG. Seven patients had complications derived from the evolutional course of disease (2 IAM, 5 unstable angina and one sudden death). Adverse events were relatively frequent and the majority derived from vasodilator effect (tibial oedema 37%, flushing 17%, headache 23%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Organ transplantation: the Latin American legislative response.

As medical barriers to human organ transplants have fallen, serious legal and ethical obstacles have emerged. This article provides an overview of those obstacles, taking into account the relevant legislation in force in 16 Latin American countries in 1989. The author proceeds by considering postmortem and inter-vivos organ donations separately and examining the principal ethical and legal issues relating to each kind. In the case of postmortem donation these deal mainly with donor consent, recipient selection, funding of transplant costs, and possible conflict of interest. In the case of inter-vivos donation they relate again to donor consent and funding as well as to certain other matters-notably donor compensation, commerce in organs, and international sharing of organs. On the whole it is concluded that the countries of Latin America, together with the nations of the world in general, urgently need to develop more comprehensive legislation on organ procurement and transplantation.

Brain Death↗
PubMed1979

[Educational technology in nursing: the conceptual framework and the experience of the Latin American centers].

In the first part of the article the assertion is made that educational corpus of technology should not be regarded as something apart, but as a corpus of teaching methods, techniques and resources rationally organized to solve problems of material and conceptual situations and processes. Several educational technologies are explained on the basis of their underlying theoretical frameworks, and grass-root educational technology is advocated because, while it does not emphasize efficiency, it is capable of inducing innovations that are effective in that they actually accomplish changes. The second part reviews the results of the Latin American Program for Educational Technology in Nursing, which PAHO conducts through a network of centers in the nursing schools of several countries. The purpose of the Program is to disseminate modern educational technology and to endeavor to harmonize nurse training with demands and trends in the delivery of health services.

Education, Nursing↗
PubMed1977

Diarrhea of travelers to Mexico. Relative susceptibility of United States and Latin American students attending a Mexican University.

A clinic was established at Universidad de las Americas, Cholula, Puebla, Mexico for the study of acute diarrhea rates in newly-arrived students and full-time students. Diarrhea occurred in 22 of 55 newlly-arrived U.S. summer students (40%), compared to 28 of 142 U.S. full-time students (20%), 4 of 29 Venezuelan summer and full-time students (14%) and 7 of 66 Mexican full-time students (11%) (the differences were significant, p less than 0.005). Recurrent episodes of diarrhea during the month of study occurred in 15% of U.S. summer students, 4% of U.S. full-time students, and were non-existent in students from Latin America. As well as the 61 students with diarrhea enrolled in the incidence study, all students who developed diarrhea at the univeristy were encouraged to visit the clinic. This gave a total population of 130 cases of diarrhea. The illness that developed in students form the U.S. varied widely, but it typically consisted of seven to 13 unformed stools during the first 48 hours of illness, with illness persiting three to five days. Illness tended to be more severe in the U.S. students. Fifty per cent of the U.S. students with diarrhea had "severe" illness (greater than or equal to 10 unformed stools in first 48 hours) compared to 23% of the Latin Americans. This study indicates that the agents responsible for diarrhea in Latin America are widespread and that resistance to infection develops after prolonged or repeated exposure.

Diarrhea↗
PubMed2026

Latin American consensus on the medical oncologic management of early-stage HR+/HER2- breast cancer: Addressing regional disparities in Spanish-speaking countries.

PURPOSE: Substantial disparities persist in managing early-stage hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) breast cancer across Spanish-speaking Latin America, including limited access to genomic testing, systemic therapies, and fertility preservation. The Latin American Breast Cancer Association (LABCA) convened an expert panel to produce the first consensus tailored to Spanish-speaking countries. METHODS: A literature review (Embase, PubMed, Scopus, ClinicalKey, LILACS; 2014-2025), informed by ESMO/ASCO/NCCN/SEOM guidelines and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024565706), supported statement development. A steering committee of three experts of Spanish nationality supervised the process. Twenty-one specialists from 11 countries participated in a modified Delphi process; 31 items were voted in Round 1 and 25 statements were retained within scope. Consensus was pre-defined as ≥80% agreement (or median 7-9), with a mean/outlier rule reported alongside. RESULTS: Applying the ≥80% rule, 22 of 25 statements (88%) reached full consensus; three (1.3, 2.4, 3.3; 75-76%) were near-consensus and retained with caveats. Recommendations integrated clinicopathologic and molecular factors to guide risk stratification; genomic assays were reserved for selected scenarios and discouraged in very low-risk tumors or ≥4 positive lymph nodes. Consensus also covered ovarian suppression plus endocrine therapy, fertility preservation, sexual-health and genetic evaluation, and adjuvant CDK4/6 and PARP inhibitors when accessible. Marked heterogeneity in access was documented by country and sector. CONCLUSION: This consensus provides the first region-specific, evidence-based, resource-adapted recommendations for early-stage HR+/HER2- breast cancer in Spanish-speaking Latin America, aiming to reduce disparities and strengthen equitable oncology care.

Humans↗
PubMed1992

[Selenium, an essential and toxic element. Latin American data].

After a brief discussion of some of the aspects of importance, sources, deficiencies and excesses of selenium the great differences of ingestion between different countries are mentioned. Breast fed children from an area in Venezuela ingest 10 times the amount compared with children from Finland. Among sesame seed samples from 20 different countries used as Se indicators, the highest and the lowest values were found in those of Latin-American origin. With very few exceptions the highest and the lowest urinary and serum Se levels reported in the literature came from this region. The performance of more studies in Latin-America on Se is recommended. Urinary excretion and analysis of finger nails or egg-white of freely foraging hens could be used as suitable indicators.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

The health of Latin Americans exposed to polluted rivers: a triple-blind observational study. Interamerican Group for Research in Environmental Epidemiology.

Accelerating development in South America, with consequent contamination of rivers as the final common pathway of waste, raises concern about adverse effects on the health of riverine populations. We conducted a cross-sectional survey simultaneously in six Latin American nations among people living near a river known to be polluted in each country. Trace metals (arsenic, mercury and lead) were selected as indicators of exposure to industrial effluents. Within each country, we contrasted probability samples from three types of communities: one upstream of point sources of pollution and thus little exposed; one downstream from a site of major development; and one with intermediate exposure. The outcome variables were health status measures elicited by questionnaire and biochemical measures of blood and urine. We examined several possible explanatory and confounding variables, including housing conditions, nutrition, and source of drinking water. The field work was done with triple blinding in that data-gatherers and study subjects were unaware of their group membership and of the study hypotheses, those analysing, specimens and questionnaires were blind to country and community of origin of the material and the investigators reviewed the results in code, committing themselves to conclusions in writing before the codes were broken. Methods were carefully standardized across six countries during training, when pretesting data-gathering instruments and with double coding and extensive accuracy checks of computerized data. There were 900 eligible subjects from 18 communities in six countries. The overall response rate was 92%, the lowest 86%. Results showed an acceptable level of health in all communities and no relationship to exposure.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMed1991

Stillbirth rate and associated risk factors among 869 750 Latin American hospital births 1982-1986.

Fetal death is essential to evaluate perinatal outcome. Accurate stillbirth rate however is difficult to obtain; this is especially so in developing countries. Current information was obtained through a clinical-epidemiological study, ECLAMC, during the 1982-1986 period for a total sample of 869 750 births in 102 hospitals belonging to 11 Latin American countries. The overall stillbirth rate was 2.0%, the highest being in Bolivian (4.4%) and the lowest in Chilean hospitals (0.9%). In all countries there was a high mortality rate among male fetuses. The incidence of stillbirth in multiple pregnancies almost doubled that for singletons. A steady increase with increasing maternal age was observed. The proportion of all births in mothers 35 years of age or older was 10.1%, while the stillbirth proportion among all stillbirths in the same maternal age group was 18.8%. As expected, a higher fetal mortality rate (10.7%) was found in the low birthweight group (less than or equal to 2500 g) than in the group with birthweight greater than 2500 g (0.6%). One out of ten births occurred in the former group. A striking difference was observed in the stillbirth rate between hospitals with free obstetrical care (2.5%) and those in which any type of payment was required (1.4%). Although socioeconomical factors are probably the main factors responsible for fetal death, increased maternal age and a high incidence of low birthweight also contributed greatly to fetal mortality. These risk factors for fetal mortality should be the target of public health actions in these countries.

Adolescent↗