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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Availability of HIV care in Central America.

Central America is an area with a growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic, but with marked limitations in its health care infrastructure. Estimated adult HIV infection rates range from 0.20% in Nicaragua to 2.01% in Belize. Hospitals and clinicians with experience in HIV care exist mainly, if not only, in capital cities and principal economic centers. Nationally sponsored social security systems in each country consistently offer a wider range of services than do ministry of health systems. Estimated access to the social security system ranges from 0% in Belize and 10% of the population in Honduras to 95% in Costa Rica. Combination antiretroviral therapy is not available through the ministries of health and zidovudine is only sporadically available for prevention of perinatal transmission. Combination therapy is available through the social security system in the countries of Guatemala, Panama, and Costa Rica only. A wide variety of antiretroviral agents are available through private pharmacies in all countries except Belize. With the exception of Costa Ricans, most people with HIV infection in Central America have limited access to HIV-specific health services and limited or no access to antiretroviral agents.

Central America↗
PubMed2005

Leishmania chagasi/infantum: further investigations on Leishmania tropisms in atypical cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis foci in Central America.

In Central America, apparently genetically identical Leishmania chagasi/infantum parasites cause cutaneous (CL) and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), the latter being more frequent in young children. The present study investigated if there were pathology-related differences in virulence between Honduran CL and VL strains using Mediterranean L. infantum strains as a reference. Macrophage infectivity and serum sensitivity, properties thought to be associated with virulence, were similar between CL and VL strains from both regions. Attention focused on the genome organisation of genes for two candidate virulence factors: Leishmania mitogen activated protein kinase (LMPK) and cysteine proteinase b (Cpb). Interestingly, the Mediterranean strains exhibited restriction enzyme polymorphisms associated with tropism for both LMPK and Cpb genes whereas no differences were observed for the Honduran strains. We also report relative genetic homogeneity of the Honduran strains as compared to the Mediterranean strains and discuss it in terms of the probable origin for the Central American L. chagasi/infantum.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Genetic variability among populations of the sand fly Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) from Central America.

Eleven Central American populations of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) were analyzed for genetic variation at 16 enzyme loci. The aim was to study the genetic structure among populations within this region and to identify demes that may represent different sibling species. Genotypic frequencies within populations agreed with Hardy-Weinberg expectations, indicating that there were no sympatric sibling species among these 11 populations. Levels of genetic distance between pairs of populations were very low (< 0.02). Some substructing was evident, because after genotypes of all populations mere pooled, 7 of the 16 enzyme loci deviated from Hardy-Weinberg expectations. Estimates of effective migration rates among populations (Nm) were low (3.7), indicating that gene flow was restricted. These data explained observed genetic substructuring when all genotypes were pooled.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Information systems design for development projects in Central America.

Present development projects in Central America, particularly food aid and food and nutrition education programs, are operating under severe management constraints which limit their potential to produce positive and measurable impacts on target communities and families. Thus, operational analysis and information systems are basic managerial tools to improve the efficiency of the projects. This paper presents an information system development methodology which has been used by the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) to assist different development projects of Central America. The methodology is geared on the one hand, towards systematizing the definition of the demand and of applications and, on the other, of the types of response required or deemed convenient, taking into account the technologies that are appropriate to the users' various capacities. The complete development cycle is based on good understanding of the social, organizational and human aspects of the project. Through the whole process, not only is the information system being developed and documented, but personnel is being trained and assisted in solving their problems, contributing thereby, to true transfer of technology. No new set of techniques of systems development is presented. What has been done is to carefully select elements of current technical practices, modifying tools and techniques to generate a unique methodology through which the information systems' requirements, specifications, and details may be expressed.

Central America↗