Latin Research Articles

Oropouche Virus (OROV) in Pregnancy: An Emerging Cause of Placental and Fetal Infection Associated with Stillbirth and Microcephaly following Vertical Transmission

Oropouche virus (OROV) is an emerging arbovirus endemic in Latin America and the Caribbean that causes Oropouche fever, a febrile illness that clinically resembles some other arboviral infections. It is currently spreading through Brazil and surrounding countries, where, from 1 January to 1 August 2024, more than 8000 cases have been identified in Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, and Peru and for the first time in Cuba. Travelers with Oropouche fever have been identified in the United States and Europe. A significant occurrence during this epidemic has been the report of pregnant women infected with OROV who have had miscarriages and stillborn fetuses with placental, umbilical blood and fetal somatic organ samples that were RT-PCR positive for OROV and negative for other arboviruses. In addition, there have been four cases of newborn infants having microcephaly, in which the cerebrospinal fluid tested positive for IgM antibodies to OROV and negative for other arboviruses. This communication examines the biology, epidemiology, and clinical features of OROV, summarizes the 2023–2024 Oropouche virus epidemic, and describes the reported cases of vertical transmission and congenital infection, fetal death, and microcephaly in pregnant women with Oropouche fever, addresses experimental animal infections and potential placental pathology findings of OROV, and reviews other bunyavirus agents that can cause vertical transmission. Recommendations are made for pregnant women travelling to the regions affected by the epidemic.

A brazilok és császáraik

In official Brazilian historical memory, Peter I is considered the champion of independence, while Peter II as the guarantor of stability. The geographical distance between the two mausoleums is an indication of this duality. By establishing the imperial mausoleums, Brazilians have created an almost obligatory installation of national memory in Latin America: the Pantheon of the Heroes of Freedom. This study traces the history of these places of worship.

Populist international (dis)order? Lessons from world-order visions in Latin American populism

Abstract The study of populism's international links has grown significantly. Yet, there are gaps in conceptualizing potential implications for the international order. Our study contributes to filling this gap by asking: if a ‘populist international order’ (PIO) were to emerge, and populists could envision the world close(r) to their liking, what would this order look like? We pursue answers through a plausibility probe of three deductively-derived normative pillars: 1) cooperation under a PIO is characterized by more fractured, mostly symbolic, small-scale multilateralism; 2) a PIO relies on a narrow, selective embrace of the rule of law, to be respected only when seen as representing the wishes of the ‘real people’; and 3) the commitment to pluralism in ‘international society’ is replaced by an anti-pluralist, monolithic notion of popular sovereignty as the primary behavioural driver. Our analysis is based on contemporary populist leadership from Latin America: Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and Mexico's Andrés Manuel López Obrador. We examine how these populists have addressed our proposed PIO pillars in different ways and shaped their world-order visions in relation to them. The lessons derived from this study can contribute to bridging gaps regarding the effects of global populism in International Relations, including prospects of mitigating the systemic impact of populism on the international order.

The Gospel in Latin America: Historical Studies in Evangelicalism and the Global South, by David W. Bebbington, (ed.)

The Gospel in Latin America: Historical Studies in Evangelicalism and the Global South, by David W. Bebbington, (ed.)

Dengue vaccine endgame: why has the global response to exponential demand in the tropics been so slow?

IntroductionThere has been a dramatic global surge in dengue fever (DF) in recent years, with a projected 100-400 million cases annually and large outbreaks expected every 3-4 years. This concerning scenario is in sharp contrast to the very low availability of dengue vaccines to meet this spiraling demand, particularly affecting developing countries in Latin America and Africa. In our study, we aim to identify current vaccine development constraints, from a technological perspective, based on clinical trials and patent landscape data.MethodsThis study was conducted in a two-step methodology. First, candidates and launched products and methods used in the development or as part of DF vaccines were identified from the Cortellis Drug Discovery Intelligence (CDDI) platform. Second, the Derwent Innovation database was used to retrieve patent documents related to dengue vaccines. Data were collected in the period 2014-2024 (to identify the candidate and or launched vaccines) and 2018-2022 (to identify patent documents) with claims involving applications for dengue vaccine development. We presented these descriptive data in the following format: quantitative and qualitative assessments describing the vaccine development scenario and the claimed vaccine technologies.ResultsOur study indicated that 65% of dengue vaccines are still in phase 1 of development. The few current dengue vaccines that have reached phase 3 (1) and launched (2) have shown limited levels of individual protection for one or more dengue serotypes and there is an anemic pipeline of the next generation of more effective tetravalent dengue vaccines. Although the intelligent use of multiple dengue vaccine formulations in immunization campaigns can result in effective protection against all serotypes at the population level, the implementation of this is complex and challenging. The results of our study thus provide evidence of a worrisome global situation regarding the development of new dengue vaccine candidates.ConclusionTo reverse this scenario, there is an urgent need to implement new knowledge governance approaches and business models to stimulate an exponential increase in global vaccine development funding for dengue and several other vaccines.

Exploring agroforestry and food security in Latin America: a systematic review

Exploring agroforestry and food security in Latin America: a systematic review

Mental Health and Meditation in a Post-Pandemic Perú: A Normative Study of Upper Primary School Children

In a post-pandemic Perú, problems associated with the mental health of children have been highlighted and effective methods of intervention have been discussed. This study sought to examine: 1) current levels of depression, anxiety, and stress in Perúvian school children; 2) how these levels compare to other children in Latin America and elsewhere; 3) whether these levels are different when covaried for school, age, gender, and grade level; and 4) whether there are any indications that depression, anxiety, or stress are lower when Perúvian school children practice Transcendental Meditation. For a group of 809 children from two schools using the DASS-21, findings indicate depression M = 6.79, anxiety M = 6.31, and stress M = 7.37. These data indicate somewhat elevated levels when compared to other pre-pandemic adolescents in Australia, Chile, China, and Malaysia, but were lower when compared to a group of similar-aged children at another school in China. Preliminary results also suggest lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress can be observed in children who practice Transcendental Meditation as part of the school curriculum. School, age, gender, and grade level did not predict these differences, although girls had higher levels than boys, a finding consistent with other research.

Rhetoric as resistance leadership in the ‘buen vivir’ global movement: Framing on social media collective utopias inspired by nature to challenge the status quo

Environmental activists and social movements worldwide have directed different forms of resistance toward an unsustainable and unfair model of development based on limitless growth and continuous exploitation of natural resources and people. For these processes of resistance, using the Internet has been key in creating a global discourse and consciousness of environmental activism and collective action. Drawing from the resistance leadership and the social movement literature, this paper offers an overview of the environmental movement for the global ‘Buen Vivir’ that originates in Latin America and their struggle against environmental degradation and climate change. Implementing a content analysis of the movement’s social media, this study focuses on the role of rhetoric and framing as tools for resistance. Three main findings emerged after analyzing the data: (1) Framing injustices for enhancing global environmental consciousness; (2) Framing solutions for imagining possibilities inspired by nature; and (3) Framing a rationale for unfolding collective action and building networks. This paper contributes to the resistance leadership literature, bringing new insights and further knowledge of how people can effectively resist and challenge the status quo using rhetoric and framing through social media platforms.

A független Uruguay születése a brazil–argentin konfliktus során

The independence movements of Latin America lasted for a century, with sovereign states emerging in quick succession until 1898. Most of the Latin American countries declared war on the Spanish Monarchy to establish their autonomous governments. The case of Uruguayan independence differed from this process, as it was complicated by the rivalry between Argentina and Brazil. Both countries were dominant in the region and sought to occupy the valuable territory of Uruguay, leading to the Cisplatine War between 1825 and 1828. Uruguayan citizens had to fight against Spanish colonization and the impending occupation of two dominant neighbors concurrently. The diversity of the peoples populating Uruguay manifested in different interests, leading to the formation of various „political” groups. Some advocated for joining Argentina or Brazil, while others preferred Spanish dominance, or fought for freedom. Uruguay achieved independence on August 28, 1828, with the conclusion of the Cisplatine War, when both Brazil and Argentina accepted the independence of the country.

The Sandinista revolution: a global Latin American history; Nicaragua must survive: Sandinista revolutionary diplomacy in the global cold war

The Sandinista revolution: a global Latin American history; Nicaragua must survive: Sandinista revolutionary diplomacy in the global cold war

Enhancing Transitions of Care: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study on the Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Transition Management in a Latin American Hospital

Enhancing Transitions of Care: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study on the Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Transition Management in a Latin American Hospital

Incidence of university sustainability on university performance: An exploratory analysis from five private Latin American universities

Sustainability has become a generalized concern for society, specifically businesses, governments, and academia. In the specific case of universities, sustainability has been approached from different perspectives, some viewing it from environmental practices, management initiatives, operational criteria, green buildings, and even education for sustainable development. This research focuses on sustainability as a managerial practice and investigates how it affects the performance of five private universities in Medellin, Colombia. For this purpose, a literature review using a mixed sequential approach, including bibliometric and content analysis, was initially conducted. In the s second phase, more than 5000 responses from students, professors, and employees of the five mentioned private universities were collected. A previously validated instrument for both sustainability and performance was applied in the quantitative phase, and a novel dimensionality of the constructs was proposed by conducting an exploratory factor analysis using the SPSS software. Results were then processed through a structural equation analysis with the Smart PLS software. The impact of sustainability on university performance is verified, making some managerial recommendations.

Latin American foreign policies in the new world order: the active non-alignment option

Latin American foreign policies in the new world order: the active non-alignment option

Innovations in blood pressure measurement and reporting technology: International Society of Hypertension position paper endorsed by the World Hypertension League, European Society of Hypertension, Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension, and Latin American Society of Hypertension.

Blood pressure (BP) is a key contributor to the lifetime risk of preclinical organ damage and cardiovascular disease. Traditional clinic-based BP readings are typically measured infrequently and under standardized/resting conditions and therefore do not capture BP values during normal everyday activity. Therefore, current hypertension guidelines emphasize the importance of incorporating out-of-office BP measurement into strategies for hypertension diagnosis and management. However, conventional home and ambulatory BP monitoring devices use the upper-arm cuff oscillometric method and only provide intermittent BP readings under static conditions or in a limited number of situations. New innovations include technologies for BP estimation based on processing of sensor signals supported by artificial intelligence tools, technologies for remote monitoring, reporting and storage of BP data, and technologies for BP data interpretation and patient interaction designed to improve hypertension management ("digital therapeutics"). The number and volume of data relating to new devices/technologies is increasing rapidly and will continue to grow. This International Society of Hypertension position paper describes the new devices/technologies, presents evidence relating to new BP measurement techniques and related indices, highlights standard for the validation of new devices/technologies, discusses the reliability and utility of novel BP monitoring devices, the association of these metrics with clinical outcomes, and the use of digital therapeutics. It also highlights the challenges and evidence gaps that need to be overcome before these new technologies can be considered as a user-friendly and accurate source of novel BP data to inform clinical hypertension management strategies.

Bridging Implementation Science and Human-Centered Design: Developing Tailored Interventions for Healthier Eating in Restaurants

AbstractRestaurants are important institutions in the communities’ economy with the potential to promote healthier foods but have been under-engaged in public health nutrition efforts. In particular, independently owned, minority-serving and minority-owned restaurants, remain under-represented in nutrition promotion efforts despite disproportionate burdens of diet-related health outcomes among minority populations. Addressing this gap in engagement, we undertook a process of co-designing and implementing healthy eating-focused interventions in two Latin American restaurants in New York City, combining the Behavior Change Wheel intervention development framework with a Human-Centered Design approach. Restaurant owners and chefs were involved in the research synthesis and solution development processes, resulting in two tailored interventions. This paper describes this co-development process and offers reflections and lessons regarding: (1) implementation research in community settings, (2) the application of Human-Centered Design to promote the uptake of community-based interventions on food and health equity, and (3) the combined use of Human-Centered Design and Implementation science in these complex community settings.

II. Péter brazil császár szerepe a Brazíliába irányuló szíriai-libanoni bevándorlásban

After the abolition of the institution of slavery in 1888 and the boom in coffee cultivation, a labor shortage emerged in Brazil. The problem was to be solved by the organized resettlement of foreign, primarily European workers. Immigrants willing to work on the coffee plantations were provided with various subsidies by the state. Although only those immigrants engaged in agricultural work on the plantations received government support, this did not mean that the state prohibited spontaneous immigration. Spontaneous immigrants were those who did not arrive in Brazil through recruitment or agency activity and did not receive government support. Such were the Syrian–Lebanese workers who were mainly engaged in commercial rather than agricultural activities. From the second half of the nineteenth century, they left the Ottoman Empire in increasing numbers to try their luck in the Latin American country. The aim of this paper is to prove, relying on primary sources and the results of secondary literature, that even though Syrian-Lebanese immigration to Brazil was spontaneous, Pedro II of Brazil had an important role in encouraging it.

A chilei nemzetállam és a mapuche-kérdés a 19. században

The Chilean nation-state was consolidated in the nineteenth century, and one of the greatest challenges it faced was how to deal with the plight of the autonomous indigenous people, the Mapuches or Araucanas, who had resisted Spanish conquest for centuries. The aim of this article is to explore and interpret this problem, which has had a unique importance in the history of the Chilean nation-state, but has not been an equally significant issue in other Latin American countries. The study also examines the extent to which it is justified to trace the roots of the current conflict back to the Pinochet era alone.

Dependency Theory and Marxism in Latin America: Between Convergences and Contradictions

The emergence of Marxist dependency theory (MDT) in Latin America during the 1960s questioned the developmentalist doctrines of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the class alliance strategies of communist parties. MDT gained traction during the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s and saw a new cycle of ascension in the early 21st century with the rise of progressive governments during Latin America’s Pink Tide. While some MDT scholars identify with Marxism-Leninism, this article critically examines aspects of this claimed affinity. The hypothesis posits that MDT’s assertions diverge from fundamental Leninist concepts and the theoretical traditions of Marxist-Leninist parties, instead reviving in new forms the arguments of their opponents in classical Marxist debates. The analysis focuses on two key dimensions of MDT arguments: (1) political propositions concerning the two-stage theory and alliances with bourgeois sectors by proletarian parties and (2) theoretical propositions on superexploitation of labor and subimperialism.

Iron Trace Elements Concentration in PM10 and Alzheimer’s Disease in Lima, Peru: Ecological Study

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been linked to air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM). PM comprises various elements, including iron-rich particles that may reach the brain through inhalation. Lima, Peru is one of the most polluted cities in Latin America, with a high rate of AD. The study aims to evaluate the association between iron (Fe) trace elements in PM10 and AD cases in Lima, Peru. This retrospective ecological study used monthly Fe concentration data from the Peruvian Ministry of Health. AD cases (ICD-10-G30) and dementia in AD cases (DAD, ICD-10-F00) were obtained from the Peruvian CDC. Fe trace element data were available for six districts in Lima for the years 2017–2019 and 2022. Cases were standardized based on ≥60-year-old populations of each district. Hierarchical mixed-effects models of Gaussian and negative binomial families were constructed to evaluate both outcomes jointly (AD + DAD) and separately (AD, and DAD). A sensitivity analysis was conducted by excluding data from Lima’s downtown district. In the complete model, log-Fe concentration was associated with a higher rate of AD + DAD and DAD, and with a higher IRR for the three outcomes. After controlling for other metals, a higher DAD rate was observed (β-coeff = 6.76, 95%CI 0.07; 13.46, p = 0.048), and a higher IRR for AD + DAD (1.55, 95%CI 1.09; 2.20, p = 0.014) and DAD (1.83, 95%CI 1.21; 2.78, p = 0.004). The association was not significant in the sensitivity analysis. In conclusion, exposure to Fe through PM10 inhalation may be associated with the presence of AD in Lima.

Education of U.S. primary care physicians at the Latin American medical school in Cuba

Background: Growing global health disparities have led to an international call for reform in physician education to meet the need for more responsive providers, emphasizing social accountability, with its four main criteria being relevance, quality, cost-effectiveness, and equity. In contrast to traditional models, Cuba’s Latin American Medical School (la Escuela Latinoamericana de Medicina, ELAM) promotes primary healthcare for disadvantaged populations by providing free medical education to foreign students from low-income communities, including United States (U.S.) citizens. This study examines the processes and standards by which the Latin American Medical School provides socially accountable education, with an emphasis on current and former students from the U.S. The objective of this study is to assess the efforts of ELAM to educate medical students in socially accountable and ethical ways. Methods: Guided by the four abovementioned criteria of social accountability, we thematically analyzed survey comments from 56 past U.S. graduates of the ELAM and interviews with four current U.S. students and eight instructors. Results: Relevance of the ELAM´s training was reflected in the integration of public health practices (e.g., community assessments) and medical care relevant to local and international health concerns. Quality is manifested in the school’s promotion of evidence-based care through tailored academic content for the U.S. students, expanded educational facilities throughout Cuba, and extensive clinical experiences. ELAM exhibits cost-effectiveness via free education and other financial assistance. Promoting equity in healthcare is evident in students’ desire to care for underserved populations with whom they identify. Graduates, current students, and instructors demonstrate that educating physicians from marginalized communities helps to answer the call for social accountability; this was supported by the educational processes and achieved outcomes. Discussion: These findings indicate that the Latin American Medical School’s mission and core activities meet the WHO’s criteria for social accountability and advance current understanding of such programs.