Gold-mining may play an important role in the maintenance of malaria worldwide. Gold-mining, mostly illegal, has significantly expanded in Colombia during the last decade in areas with limited health care and disease prevention. We report a descriptive study that was carried out to determine the malaria prevalence in gold-mining areas of Colombia, using data from the public health surveillance system (National Health Institute) during the period 2010-2013. Gold-mining was more prevalent in the departments of Antioquia, Córdoba, Bolívar, Chocó, Nariño, Cauca, and Valle, which contributed 89.3% (270,753 cases) of the national malaria incidence from 2010-2013 and 31.6% of malaria cases were from mining areas. Mining regions, such as El Bagre, Zaragoza, and Segovia, in Antioquia, Puerto Libertador and Montelíbano, in Córdoba, and Buenaventura, in Valle del Cauca, were the most endemic areas. The annual parasite index (API) correlated with gold production (R2 0.82, p < 0.0001); for every 100 kg of gold produced, the API increased by 0.54 cases per 1,000 inhabitants. Lack of malaria control activities, together with high migration and proliferation of mosquito breeding sites, contribute to malaria in gold-mining regions. Specific control activities must be introduced to control this significant source of malaria in Colombia.

Contribución de los autores:Lorena Matta: diseño del estudio, escritura del proyecto, revisión del artículo Mario Miguel Barbosa: recolección de la información, análisis y presentación de resultados Cristhian David Morales-Plaza: metodología, concepción de los fundamentos teóricos, búsqueda bibliográfica y escritura del artículo Introduction: Dengue virus infection is amongst the most important arboviral diseases in the country and has become a major global public health concern. Objective: To describe the clinical profile of patients with dengue virus infection hospitalized in a tertiary hospital in the city of Cali, Colombia. We also describe the trend analysis of the number of cases by epidemiological weeks in 2013. Materials and methods:We conducted a retrospective study of admitted patients suspected to have dengue infection in the Rafael Uribe Uribe Clinic in the year 2013. Patients with serological confirmation of dengue infection were classified according to the World Health Organization classification. Subsequently, the clinical parameters of the patients with dengue were described. Results: Of the 1,173 patients with suspected dengue, 287 (24.5%) were confirmed serologically; 152 (53%) were women and 135 (47%) males; 40.1% had no warning signs, 3.8% had warning signs and 25.1% had severe manifestations. The most common symptoms were fever (287;100%), myalgia (223;78%), and headache (183:64%). Hemorrhagic manifestations were recorded in 100 (34.8%)

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Introducción. La esquizofrenia altera la percepción del individuo, el pensamiento, el afecto y el comportamiento. El tratamiento farmacológico puede mejorar estas manifestaciones. Objetivo. Determinar los patrones de prescripción de medicamentos antipsicóticos en un grupo de pacientes afilados al Sistema General de Seguridad Social en Salud de Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo sobre base de datos de 6,2 millones de personas. Se seleccionaron los pacientes medicados con antipsicóticos, de ambos sexos, todas las edades, con tratamiento continuo de marzo a junio de 2012, y residentes de 57 ciudades colombianas. Se diseñó una base de datos sobre consumo de medicamentos, obtenidos por la empresa que dispensa dichos fármacos. Resultados. Se estudiaron 3.075 pacientes con edad promedio de 55,8±21,5 años; 50,3 % eran mujeres; 81,9 % recibían monoterapia y, 18,1 %, dos o más antipsicóticos. El orden de prescripción fue: atípicos, 77,1 %, y clásicos, 31,9 %. Los medicamentos más utilizados fueron: quetiapina (30,3 %), clozapina (23,7 %), levomepropamiza (18,4 %) y risperidona (14,9 %). Las combinaciones más frecuentes fueron: haloperidol más levomepromazina (n=67; 12,1 % de las asociaciones), clozapina más pipotiazina (n=54; 9,7 %) clozapina más risperidona (n=45; 8,1 %), quetiapina más levomepromazina (n=40; 7,2 %). Los medicamentos prescritos concomitantemente más frecuentes fueron: antidepresivos (n=998; 32,5 %); ansiolíticos (n=799; 26,0 %); hipolipemiantes (n=672; 21,9 %); antiparkinsonianos (341; 11,1 %) y antidiabéticos (n=327; 10,6 %). Conclusiones. Predominan los hábitos de prescripción de medicamentos de alto valor terapéutico, principalmente en la monoterapia antipsicótica. En la mayoría, se emplean en dosis superiores a las recomendadas. Se plantea la necesidad de diseñar estrategias educativas para corregir algunos hábitos de prescripción e investigaciones que evalúen la efectividad del tratamiento.Palabras clave: esquizofrenia, prescripciones de medicamentos, antipsicóticos, clozapina, haloperidol, farmacoepidemiología, Colombia. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v33i3.1529 Antipsychotic prescription patterns in patients affiliated to the Social Security Health System in ColombiaIntroduction: Schizophrenia alters individual perception, thought, affection and behavior. Drug therapy can improve these manifestations. Objective: To determine prescription patterns of antipsychotic drugs in a group of patients affiliated to the Social Security Health System in Colombia. Materials and methods:This was a descriptive study with a 6.2 million people database. We selected 3,075 patients medicated with antipsychotics, of both sexes, and all ages, with continuous treatment from March to June, 2012, and residing in 57 Colombian cities. We designed a database on drug consumption, obtained by the company that distributes the drugs to the patients. Results: A total of 3,075 patients were studied, with an age mean of 55.8 ± 21.5 years; 50.3% of the participants were women. Of all pa...

Most patients take ergotamine improperly, apart from the fact that potential interactions may increase the risk of health problems such as ergotism and coronary events. Physicians will require assessment measures, updated information, and continuous training.