Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “PUERTO RICO”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Undergraduate average predicts performance by Puerto Rico residents in a Puerto Rican medical school.

This study examines the relationship between undergraduate grade-point average and several parameters that measure performance for a pool of 316 Hispanic Puerto Rico residents admitted to a private medical school in Puerto Rico as freshmen between 1979 and 1983. Significant positive linear correlation was found between the undergraduate average and the medical school cumulative, basic science and clinical science grade-point averages of all Puerto Rico residents who achieved graduation from this school (linear correlation coefficient r = +0.25, +0.22, +0.24, respectively; P less than 0.01 in all cases). Significant negative linear correlation was found between the undergraduate average and the percentage of students experiencing academic difficulty during medical school (r = -0.85, P less than 0.05). On the other hand, correlation between the undergraduate average and student performance on the first two parts of the National Medical Board Examination was not statistically significant (Part I: r = +0.11, P less than 0.2; Part II: r = +0.12, P less than 0.3). No correlation was observed between undergraduate average and subjective evaluation of graduate performance during the first postgraduate year.

Achievement↗
PubMed1999

Hospitalizations for suspected dengue in Puerto Rico, 1991-1995: estimation by capture-recapture methods. The Puerto Rico Association of Epidemiologists.

Capture-recapture estimations compare the results of 2 or more independent surveillance systems for the same event, and by measuring the degree of overlap between them, provide an estimate of the total number of events, and therefore the completeness of ascertainment in each system. The Puerto Rico Department of Health and the Dengue Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) monitor dengue activity in Puerto Rico through 2 distinct surveillance systems: diagnostic specimens from patients with suspected dengue and infection control nurses' reports on patients hospitalized for suspected dengue. The patient listings from these systems were used in a 2-sample, capture-recapture calculation to estimate the total number of persons with suspected dengue hospitalized from 1991 to 1995. The laboratory positivity rate for suspected dengue cases who submitted appropriately timed serum samples in those years ranged from 72.1% to 81.2%. The laboratory-based (diagnostic sample) surveillance system (routinely used to monitor hospitalizations for suspected dengue) detected an average of 1,197 hospitalized cases during non-epidemic years, and 4,329 cases during the epidemic year of 1994. The detection rate of this system averaged 42% of the numbers derived by the capture-recapture method. In non-epidemic years, an estimated average of 2,791 patients (range = 1,553-3,481) was estimated to have been hospitalized with a clinical diagnosis of dengue, compared with 9,479 during 1994. These results demonstrate the under-detection inherent in passive surveillance systems for hospitalized cases of suspected dengue, and illustrate the value of capture-recapture techniques to better estimate the true incidence of hospitalizations for this disease.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Measuring asthma disparities in Hispanics: adherence to the national guidelines for asthma treatment in emergency departments in Puerto Rico.

BACKGROUND: Puerto Rico has the highest prevalence of asthma in the United States. Currently, there are no data on actual care given to asthmatic patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of documented adherence to the 1997 National Asthma Education Prevention Program guidelines regarding care given in emergency departments (EDs) in Ponce, Puerto Rico. METHODS: A case series was conducted using 6,002 ED records with a physician-based diagnosis of asthma for 1999 through 2001. RESULTS: A history of asthma attack was documented in 82.0% of the cases and in all age groups. In-home beta-agonist use was recorded in only 5.7% of the medical records. Documentation of previous admissions to the ED and the intensive care unit were found in 3.5% and 0.33% of the records, respectively. Nocturnal symptoms before the ED visit were found in only 6.4% of the records, and asthma treatment at home was found in 39.9%. Accessory muscle retraction was documented in 99.1% of the cases, and oxygen saturation was found in 23.2%. Treatment with nebulized beta-agonist was found in 72.1% of the records, and intravenous or oral corticosteroid use was found in 84.1%. Follow-up appointments were detected in 64.8% of the cases, and referrals to specialists were given in only 5.3%. Rate ratios between our data and those of other researchers indicate that there are geographical differences in compliance with the guidelines. CONCLUSION: Of the variables tested, only one had acceptable levels of compliance, as evidenced in the patient's records, indicating that there are alarming differences in ED evaluation and treatment compared with the 1997 National Asthma Education Prevention Program guidelines.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Content and construct validity of a Spanish translation of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory for children living in Puerto Rico.

Although Puerto Rican children with disabilities are at high risk for poor developmental outcomes, no standardized measures are validated for use with these children. In this study, we evaluated the content and construct validity of a Spanish translation of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) for use with children living in Puerto Rico. Methods included expert content review, surveys of parents, and the evaluation of 44 children with and without disabilities, who were matched for socio-economic status, age, and gender. The results demonstrated that the translated version of the PEDI is valid; yet additional research is warranted to identify socio-cultural influences on the performance and capability of typically developing Puerto Rican children.

Child↗
PubMed2004

B-virus and free-ranging macaques, Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico, risk for transmission of B-virus from free-ranging rhesus monkeys to humans has become a serious challenge. An incident with an injured rhesus monkey, seropositive for B-virus, resulted in inappropriate administration of antiviral postexposure prophylaxis. This incident underscores the importance of education about risks associated with interactions between humans and nonhuman primates.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Expectations and outcomes for patients given mental health care or spiritist healing in Puerto Rico.

In Puerto Rico, spiritism offers a traditional alternative to community mental health services. The author compares reported expectations and outcomes of mental health center patients and patients of spiritist healers. The spiritists' patients reported significantly higher expectations, especially for mood and feeling complaints. Both patient groups had a similar duration and severity of symptoms. The outcome ratings of spiritists' patients were significantly better than those of therapists', but this difference could be accounted for by the higher expectations of the spiritists' patients. With these exceptions, the findings do not account for the selection of one type of treatment over the other.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Heterosexual transmission of HIV--Puerto Rico, 1981-1991.

Puerto Rico has the second highest overall rate of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) cases among states and territories of the United States and the second highest rate of cases among women (1,2). Although heterosexual transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among persons reported with AIDS has increased throughout the United States--accounting for 8% of all U.S. AIDS cases diagnosed in 1991 (2,3)--the proportion of cases attributed to heterosexual transmission is highest in Puerto Rico (18%). This report summarizes data collected through the Puerto Rico AIDS Surveillance Program to characterize AIDS cases associated with heterosexual transmission during 1981-1991.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1981

An apparent inverse relationship between serum cholesterol and cancer mortality in Puerto Rico.

In the Puerto Rico Heart Health Program, a prospective epidemiologic study, 9824 men living in defined urban and rural areas of Puerto Rico have been followed for approximately eight years. Periodic examinations have been used to assess potential cardiovascular risk factors and to monitor coronary heart disease events. Although the emphasis of the study has been oriented to cardiovascular disease, all causes of death have been closely monitored. During the observation period, 179 deaths from cancer have occurred in the age group 45--64 years. The distribution of cancer deaths varies from that of the mainland, with a greater percentage being oral, pharyngeal and stomach, and a lesser frequency being lung. Serum cholesterol measured at the first examination in 1965 was found to vary inversely with subsequent mortality from cancer. This trend was significant overall for the rural area and in the age group 45--54 years in the urban area. Multivariate analysis with other covariables did not eliminate the cholesterol relationship in the rural men, although relative weight, ventricular rate, hematocrit and cigarette smoking made independent contributions in certain age groups in both locations. The association between serum cholesterol and cancer mortality in the rural area and in the young urban area suggests that further investigation is needed to determine whether the relationship is causal, a secondary association to some other unidentified set of primary factors, or merely a physiological reaction to early and undiagnosed stages of the cancer process.

Cholesterol↗
PubMed1990

Breastfeeding patterns in Puerto Rico.

In the 1950s, Puerto Rico began an active industrialization program. We used data from the 1982 Puerto Rico Fertility and Family Planning Assessment to describe the trend in the incidence of breastfeeding in Puerto Rico over time and to ascertain some of its determinants. From 1946 through 1982, 5,884 infants were born among this statistically representative sample of reproductive-aged women. The proportion of infants who had ever been breastfed was 59 percent for births before 1960 (mean duration = 7.8 months), dropped to 25 percent for infants born from 1970 to 1974 (mean duration = 4.9), and rose to 38 percent for births delivered from 1980 to 1982 (mean duration = 3.4). Prior breastfeeding experience was an important determinant of breastfeeding a newborn. Infants of mothers who had breastfed a previous baby were 7.3 times more likely to be breastfed (95% confidence interval = 6.6, 8.0) compared with infants of mothers who had not previously breastfed. The 38 percent of infants who were breastfed in Puerto Rico in the early 1980s is below the 74 percent to 97 percent reported in Latin America and below the 54 percent reported in the United States for the same period. This study provides baseline data for any future intervention strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Abnormalities of sexual development in Puerto Rico: status report].

Puerto Rico presents the highest incidence in the world of anomalous sexual development. The authors have collected over 3100 cases in the past 19 years. Clinical and laboratory studies suggest possible estrogenic contamination of meats and poultry products. Variation in diet provides protection to a significant number of patients. The possibility of mycotic contamination of food employed in animal husbandry by Fusarium sp., and mycotoxins capable of estrogenic effects have been suggested in a preliminary study. Private and government investigators are active in the study of the condition, but more fiscalizing action is needed. A detailed study of food components for possible contaminants determination is considered mandatory.

Adolescent↗