Evolution of scientific productivity in dentistry: tracking postgraduate publications at a Peruvian university

IntroductionScientific production indicators help universities quantitatively and qualitatively assess postgraduate students’ publications and contribute to the optimization of research processes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of publication in scientific journals of the documents submitted by postgraduate dentistry students to obtain a second professional specialty title and master's and doctoral degrees at a private Peruvian university over seven years.Materials and methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted, considering the population and the records of documents submitted to obtain the second professional specialty title and the master's and doctoral degrees in dentistry at a private Peruvian university, published in its institutional repository from 2017 to 2023. The primary outcome was publication in scientific journals, and the covariates were the year of formal submission of the document, postgraduate level, modality of document preparation, area of dentistry specialty according to the American Dental Association, year of publication, international indexing, impact factor (IF), and quartile. A descriptive analysis was performed to obtain absolute and relative frequencies.ResultsBetween 2017 and 2023, out of 322 documents submitted to receive the second professional specialty title and the master's and doctoral degrees published in the institutional repository, 72 were published in scientific journals. Of these, 81.94% (n = 59) were published in an internationally indexed scientific journal, with 13.56% (n = 8) published in a journal with an IF≥2 and 10.18% (n = 6) in a Q1 category journal.DiscussionIn low-income countries, the nexus between education and scientific output is multifaceted. While education serves as a critical catalyst, numerous challenges constrain the expansion of research. These nations contribute a mere 2% of global scientific production, despite confronting significant public health issues, underscoring a notable discrepancy between educational attainment and research productivity. The disparities in scientific output across universities in Latin America, Asia, and Europe are shaped by a confluence of cultural and economic determinants. In conclusion, 22.36% of the documents submitted to obtain the second professional specialty title and the master's and doctoral degrees by postgraduate dentistry students at a private Peruvian university over seven years were published in scientific journals

Sympathetic overactivity precedes metabolic dysfunction in a fructose model of glucose intolerance in mice

De Angelis K, Senador DD, Mostarda C, Irigoyen MC, Morris M. Sympathetic overactivity precedes metabolic dysfunction in a fructose model of glucose intolerance in mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 302: R950-R957, 2012. First published February 8, 2012; doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00450.2011.-Consumption of high levels of fructose in humans and animals leads to metabolic and cardiovascular dysfunction. There are questions as to the role of the autonomic changes in the time course of fructose-induced dysfunction. C57/BL male mice were given tap water or fructose water (100 g/l) to drink for up to 2 mo. Groups were control (C), 15-day fructose (F15), and 60-day fructose (F60). Light-dark patterns of arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR), and their respective variabilities were measured. Plasma glucose, lipids, insulin, leptin, resistin, adiponectin, and glucose tolerance were quantified. Fructose increased systolic AP (SAP) at 15 and 60 days during both light (F15: 123 +/- 2 and F60: 118 +/- 2 mmHg) and dark periods (F15: 136 +/- 4 and F60: 136 +/- 5 mmHg) compared with controls (light: 111 +/- 2 and dark: 117 +/- 2 mmHg). SAP variance (VAR) and the low-frequency component (LF) were increased in F15 (>60% and >80%) and F60 (>170% and >140%) compared with C. Cardiac sympatho-vagal balance was enhanced, while baroreflex function was attenuated in fructose groups. Metabolic parameters were unchanged in F15. However, F60 showed significant increases in plasma glucose (26%), cholesterol (44%), triglycerides (22%), insulin (95%), and leptin (63%), as well as glucose intolerance. LF of SAP was positively correlated with SAP. Plasma leptin was correlated with triglycerides, insulin, and glucose tolerance. Results show that increased sympathetic modulation of vessels and heart preceded metabolic dysfunction in fructose-consuming mice. Data suggest that changes in autonomic modulation may be an initiating mechanism underlying the cluster of symptoms associated with cardiometabolic disease.FAPESPFAPESP [2006/51551-3, 2007/57595-5]CNPq [482520/2009-4, 306011/2010-7, 479766/2011-8]CNPqNational Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of Health [R-01-HL-093567]CNPq-BPQCNPqBPQFoundation for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education [Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES)] [Process 010405-1]Foundation for the Improvement of Postsecondary Educatio

Time Elapsed Since the Last Dental Care Visit in Peruvian Older Adults: A Three-Year Analysis of a National Population Survey

This study aimed to determine the time elapsed since the last dental care visit and its associated factors among older adults in Peru from 2019 to 2021. This was an analytical cross-sectional study utilizing secondary data analysis. The population comprised 210,862 records of older adults from 2019 to 2021, with a final sample of 11,215 records. The dependent variable was the time elapsed since the last dental care visit, while the independent variable was the year, with population characteristics included as covariates. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed. The mean time elapsed since the last dental care visit was 7.93 years ( SD  = 8.03) in 2019, 7.93 years ( SD  = 7.28) in 2020, and 7.76 years ( SD  = 8.01) in 2021, with non-statistically significant difference between medians ( p  = .050). Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis indicated that a model incorporating year, health, geographic, and socio-demographic characteristics demonstrated a greater determination coefficient ( R 2 % = .90) and validity ( p  < .001). The mean time elapsed since the last dental care visit among older adults in Peru was 7.93 years in both 2019 and 2020, and 7.76 years in 2021; geographic characteristics, wealth index, and age were identified as associated factors

Cardiovascular interactions between losartan and fructose in mice.

AIM: To determine whether pharmacological blockade of angiotensin (Ang) ATI receptors alters the cardiovascular, metabolic, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE and ACE2) responses to a fructose diet in mice. METHODS: C57BL male mice were fed with a 60% fructose diet for 8 weeks in combination with losartan treatment on week 9 (30 mg/kg per day). Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and autonomic balance were monitored using radiotelemetry with spectral analysis. Renal ACE and ACE2 activity and protein levels as well as Ang II and Ang 1-7 were measured. RESULTS: Fructose impaired glucose tolerance and increased plasma cholesterol and insulin. These effects were not corrected by losartan treatment. Fructose increased BP and HR but only during the dark period. Short-term losartan treatment decreased BP by 16% in the fructose group but had no effect in controls. This was accompanied by a decrease in BP variance and its low-frequency component. Fructose increased Ang II (plasma and kidney) and ACE 2 (renal activity and protein expression). Losartan alone increased plasma Ang II in plasma and ACE2 in kidney. There were no changes in renal Ang 1-7 levels. CONCLUSIONS: Losartan reversed the pressor effect of a high fructose diet, demonstrating that there are prominent interactions between a dietary regimen that produces glucose intolerance and an antihypertensive drug that antagonizes Ang signaling. The mechanism of change may be via renal Ang II rather than the ACE2/Ang 1-7 pathway because the fructose losartan combination resulted in lowered renal Ang II without changes in Ang 1-7

Impact of Prolonged Isolation on Adolescents with Drug-susceptible Tuberculosis in Lima, Peru: a Qualitative Study

Objectives Patients with tuberculosis (TB) generally are instructed to isolate at the beginning of treatment in order to prevent disease transmission. The duration of isolation varies and may be prolonged (ie, lasting 1 month or more). Few studies have examined the impact of isolation during TB treatment on adolescents, who may be more vulnerable to its negative effects. Methods This study took place from 2018 through 2019 in Lima, Peru, where the Ministry of Health mandates the exclusion of patients with TB from educational institutions for at least 2 months. Using semi-structured guides, we conducted individual in-depth interviews with adolescents who received treatment for drug-susceptible TB, their primary caregivers and health providers. We performed thematic analysis of the transcribed interviews. Results We interviewed 85 participants: 34 adolescents, 36 caregivers and 15 healthcare workers. At the time of their TB diagnoses, 28 adolescents were in secondary, postsecondary, vocational or military school. Adolescents with drug-susceptible TB were prescribed home isolation usually for 2 (and occasionally for 1) months. Consequently, they could neither attend school nor socialise with family members or friends. Two primary themes emerged from the interviews. First, as a result of their exclusion from school, most adolescents fell behind academically and had to repeat a semester or academic year. Second, absence from school, separation from friends and loved ones, and reinforcement of TB-related stigma (arising from fear of TB transmission) harmed adolescents’ mental health. Conclusion Prolonged isolation led to educational setbacks and emotional trauma among adolescents with TB. Prolonged isolation is not supported by current evidence on TB transmission and is problematic from a human rights perspective, as it violates adolescents’ rights to education and freedom of movement. Isolation recommendations should be re-evaluated to align with data on TB transmission and the principles of patient-centred care

Muscle metaboreflex activation during dynamic exercise vasoconstricts ischemic active skeletal muscle

Metabolite accumulation due to ischemia of active skeletal muscle stimulates group III/IV chemosensitive afferents eliciting reflex increases in arterial blood pressure and sympathetic activity, termed the muscle metaboreflex. We and others have previously demonstrated sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction of coronary, renal, and forelimb vasculatures with muscle metaboreflex activation (MMA). Whether MMA elicits vasoconstriction of the ischemic muscle from which it originates is unknown. We hypothesized that the vasodilation in active skeletal muscle with imposed ischemia becomes progressively restrained by the increasing sympathetic vasoconstriction during MMA. We activated the metaboreflex during mild dynamic exercise in chronically instrumented canines via graded reductions in hindlimb blood flow (HLBF) before and after α1-adrenergic blockade [prazosin (50 μg/kg)], β-adrenergic blockade [propranolol (2 mg/kg)], and α1 + β-blockade. Hindlimb resistance was calculated as femoral arterial pressure/HLBF. During mild exercise, HLBF must be reduced below a threshold level before the reflex is activated. With initial reductions in HLBF, vasodilation occurred with the imposed ischemia. Once the muscle metaboreflex was elicited, hindlimb resistance increased. This increase in hindlimb resistance was abolished by α1-adrenergic blockade and exacerbated after β-adrenergic blockade. We conclude that metaboreflex activation during submaximal dynamic exercise causes sympathetically mediated α-adrenergic vasoconstriction in ischemic skeletal muscle. This limits the ability of the reflex to improve blood flow to the muscle. </jats:p