Oropouche virus (OROV) has re-emerged since late 2023 with expanding urban transmission in Latin America. OROV causes an acute febrile illness with symptoms overlapping other arboviral infections, complicating diagnosis. Recent reports of fatalities and suspected vertical transmission have raised concerns regarding disease severity. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of epidemiological and clinical features of OROV infection. We conducted a PRISMA-compliant systematic review by searching major bibliographic databases and preprint servers. Observational studies reporting OROV infection in febrile patients or the general population were included, and pooled prevalence estimates were calculated. 59 studies were included. The pooled seroprevalence of anti-OROV antibodies in the general population was 7% (95% CI, 0-21%). Among febrile patients, pooled prevalence was 16% (95% CI, 10-24%) by virus detection and 24% (95% CI, 13-36%) by serology. Sex distribution was comparable (male 51% vs female 49%), while infections were most common among individuals aged 20-39 years (38%; 95% CI, 32-43%). The most frequent symptoms were fever (94%; 95% CI, 90-98%), headache (87%; 95% CI, 84-91%), and myalgia (73%; 95% CI, 67-80%), with gastrointestinal and ocular manifestations also common. Compilation of reported fatal cases showed a rapidly progressive clinical course. 17 pregnancy-associated cases suggested possible vertical transmission with heterogeneous outcomes, including congenital abnormalities and fetal loss. OROV contributes to acute febrile illness in Latin America and presents as a multisystem disease. Emerging reports of fatal outcomes and pregnancy-associated adverse events warrant heightened clinical awareness, improved diagnostics, and strengthened surveillance.

Impact of CKD on Life Participation in Latin America.

Caribbean and South American team-based strategy to control hypertension (CATCH): Rationale and study design of a cluster randomized trial.

Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, is a likely underdiagnosed zoonotic disease that leads to reproductive failure in dogs and economic losses for kennels. Since 2020, cases in mainland France have been on the rise, with most attributed to the importation of dogs from Eastern Europe. However, the risk of introducing B. canis into mainland France through commercial dog imports from worldwide sources remains poorly characterized. To address this gap, a quantitative risk assessment was conducted using a stochastic scenario tree model incorporating the region of origin of the imported dogs. In addition, impact of management measures on the annual number of B. canis-infected dogs imported into France was evaluated. The results showed that the commercial dog imports represent a substantial risk for introducing B. canis into mainland France, with a median annual number of infected dogs imported estimated at 41.60 (95% PI: 5.12-8784.00). This risk was particularly high for imports originating from the USA, Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Latin America. The evaluation of management measures through simulations showed that the introduction of mandatory pre-import testing for B. canis, with 80% compliance or full enforcement-could significantly reduce the associated risk. These measures led to a reduction in the annual number of infected dogs imported into mainland France by a factor of 4 to 1000 compared to the baseline model. These findings highlight the need for implementing targeted management measures to prevent the introduction of B. canis into France.

To estimate the six-month prevalence of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) in a Colombian memory clinic using the Lewy Body Composite Risk Score (LBCRS) and interdisciplinary consensus diagnosis, and to describe the scale's clinical performance parameters. We analyzed data from 850 patients evaluated over six months at the Intellectus Memory Clinic in Bogotá, Colombia (HUSI). The LBCRS was applied in addition to a standardized interdisciplinary assessment that included clinical, paraclinical, and neuropsychological evaluations. Final diagnoses were established by consensus based on current international criteria for DLB. LBCRS data were available for 592 participants (69.6%). Of these, 42 (7.1%) screened positive (score ≥3), but only 5 (0.84%) received a consensus diagnosis of probable DLB. Six screened-positive patients were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD); in three, cognitive symptoms developed within one year of motor onset and could alternatively be classified as DLB, increasing the number of DLB cases to 8. The remaining LBCRS-positive patients were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, mild cognitive impairment, or no cognitive disorder. LBCRS performance in this setting demonstrated a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 94.2%, positive predictive value of 19%, and negative predictive value of 100%. The low incidence of DLB identified by interdisciplinary assessment, together with the discrepancy between LBCRS screening and final diagnoses, underscores the need for further research on the applicability and predictive value of LBCRS in Latin America.

Dengue is a climate-sensitive infectious disease and the world's fastest-growing vector-borne disease. It disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with children most severely affected. Dengvaxia (CYD-TDV) and Qdenga (TAK-003) are the only two licensed dengue vaccines currently available, while Butantan-DV (TV003) is an advanced candidate with promising Phase 3 clinical trial results. Despite the commercial availability of dengue vaccines, coverage remains low in areas with the greatest need. This is driven by technical, social, and geopolitical challenges, as well as growing vaccine hesitancy. There is also an added layer of clinical complexity associated with vaccination against dengue due to the antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) phenomenon, which can lead to vaccine-enhanced disease. Here, we review the current global landscape of dengue vaccine licensure and coverage, focusing on countries with the highest disease burden. We show that in many countries with a high dengue incidence, dengue vaccines have yet to be licensed, particularly in parts of Africa and South Asia. Even in regions where licensure is more widespread, such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, dengue vaccines are not well integrated into national immunisation programmes and can only be obtained through out-of-pocket payment. We therefore identify several state and market-driven systemic factors, as well as declining vaccine confidence, as barriers to scaling up dengue vaccine access in LMICs. These barriers must be addressed through creative solutions to ensure the equitable distribution of dengue vaccines to the populations and countries that need them the most.

Global breast cancer incidence, mortality, and survival among indigenous women: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Targeting Trypanosoma cruzi with indoles: mechanistic insights and implications for human health and Chagas disease therapy.

External validation and recalibration of cardiovascular risk scores for prediction of 10-year risk of fatal cardiovascular disease: a prospective, observational, population-based cohort analysis of adults in Mexico City.

Pediatric Movement Disorders at a Tertiary Referral Center in Bogotá: Clinical and Epidemiological Experience From Colombia.

Cardiovascular impact of neglected tropical diseases and their emergence in Europe due to new immigration patterns.

Sentinel node technologies in low-resource settings: Current evidence and future perspectives.

An MRC-5 cell based high-throughput, high-content imaging assay to identify hits against Trypanosoma cruzi intracellular parasites.

Biomarker recall and understanding among people living with metastatic breast cancer - results from an international patient survey.

Early identification of invasive bacterial infections (IBI) in febrile infants under 90 days is essential, with blood biomarkers widely used for their risk evaluation. However, their diagnostic performance may vary by causative organism or type of IBI. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study of infants ≤90 days with IBI treated in pediatric emergency departments of 18 hospitals (Spain and Latin America) from 2008 to 2022. IBI was defined by isolation or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of a pathogenic bacterium in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. Sensitivity of standard biomarker cutoffs was analyzed by pathogen and IBI type, with multivariate regression adjusting for age, sex, temperature, symptom duration and clinical presentation. Of 395 infants, Escherichia coli (45.6%) and Streptococcus agalactiae (25.6%) were the most frequently isolated bacteria, and bacteremia (43.8%) and bacteremic urinary tract infection (41.3%) were the most frequent IBI. Biomarker responses varied by organism and IBI type. E. coli IBIs showed higher white blood cell (WBC) and absolute neutrophil (ANC) counts and C-reactive protein levels than S. agalactiae IBIs. Only procalcitonin had high sensitivity for S. agalactiae IBIs. Standard cutoffs for WBC and ANC showed sensitivities below 50% for all pathogens and types of IBI. Biomarker levels in young febrile infants with IBIs depend on IBI type and causing bacteria. Increases in WBC, ANC and C-reactive protein are lower in isolated bacteremias than in bacteremic urinary tract infections. Procalcitonin is the best biomarker for ruling out S. agalactiae IBIs. These distinctions are key to interpreting lab tests and preventing underdiagnosis of invasive infections.

This study presents a comprehensive regional assessment of dosimetry capabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean countries (LAC). The study was conducted using surveys coordinated, elaborated and analyzed by the steering committee of the Latin American Network for the Optimization of Occupational Radiation Protection (REPROLAM). All the work was supported by the Technical Cooperation of International Atomic Energy Agency (TC IAEA) through the RLA9088 and RLA9091 regional projects. The investigation covers five different dosimetry fields: external, internal, computational, biological, and retrospective dosimetry. Answers from participants of 16 countries were received: A total of 32 individual monitoring services for external dosimetry, 24 centers for internal dosimetry, 38 researchers for computational dosimetry, 12 biological dosimetry laboratories members of the Latin American Biological Dosimetry Network (LBDNet), and 16 retrospective dosimetry facilities. In the case of external dosimetry, an analysis of the results from 13 countries reveals that thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) remains the main technology for external monitoring (79% of services), with a growing adoption of optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry (OSLD) systems. Using both TLD and OSLD, over 160,000 occupationally exposed workers are monitored regionally, predominantly in medical applications (75%). Internal dosimetry services (16 direct, 15 indirect services) focus primarily on thyroid monitoring due to extensive 131 I use in nuclear medicine in the region, but the results showed a lack of homogeneity in calibration and reporting levels. Monte Carlo-based computational dosimetry employs MCNP as the preferred code (25% of users). Biological dosimetry is well-established in the region through the LBDNet, with 21 laboratories capable of performing dicentric chromosome assays for emergency triage. LBDNet demonstrated to be a robust emergency response network. Retrospective dosimetry in the region relies predominantly on luminescence techniques. While dosimetry laboratories and techniques are well established in the region, several gaps have been identified which should be addressed in further approaches. These gaps include insufficient implementation of lens of the eye dosimetry ( H p ( 3 ) ), limited neutron dosimetry capacity, poor implementation of quality management system (60% of the IMS) and insufficient ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation (70% of those implementing a QMS, i.e. 42% of the total), a lack of standardized internal dosimetry protocols in the different laboratories, and the need for organizing periodic regional intercomparison exercises, which started with the 2023 intercomparison. The results of these surveys provide a baseline for the development of dosimetry infrastructure in the region, including the support of intercomparison exercises and training initiatives to strengthen occupational radiation protection across the countries. Continued support of the IAEA and other organizations to the development of the countries is essential for optimizing radiation protection of the workers. • A regional shift from TLD to OSLD was found, providing a benchmark for technological adoption in the region. • Gaps were detected in neutron dosimetry, lens of the eye dosimetry,protocols, intercomparison exercises, or QMS. • Recommendations for harmonizing dosimetry protocols and strengthening the dosimetry networks in the region.

Ambient PM2.5 exposure and increased dengue case fatality: a global multi-country analysis.

Genomic epidemiology of a 2023-2024 Oropouche virus disease outbreak in Iquitos, Peru: descriptive analysis of a case control study for acute febrile illness.

Comparative evaluation of an original microhaplotype panel and its expanded version for human identification and ancestry inference in Brazilian and admixed American populations.

A comprehensive dataset of customer behavior in Latin American Fintech: 12-month transactional and demographic data for churn analysis.