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    Reconstructing severe acute respiratory infection dynamics from ICD-10 hospital discharge data: a 10-year analysis of 11.2 million discharges in Ecuador, 2014–2023
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-07-22) ; ; ;
    Fuentes-Tumbaco, Natasha Bella
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    Escobar-Naranjo, Mónica
    Background – In many low- and middle-income countries, surveillance of severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) relies on administrative hospital data without virological confirmation, and its ability to capture epidemic dynamics and age-specific burden remains uncertain. Methods – We analyzed 11, 232, 698 hospital discharges recorded by Ecuador's National Institute of Statistics and Censuses between 2014 and 2023, identified SARI episodes using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes under broad and length-of-stay–restricted case definitions, and incorporated a neonatal component that included perinatal respiratory codes for infants younger than 1 year. Serfling harmonic regression was used to estimate seasonal baselines and excess SARI admissions at national, provincial, and age-stratified levels. Results – Administrative data identified 538, 272 SARI discharges and revealed marked heterogeneity in incidence and case fatality across provinces and age groups. A previously unrecognized shift in ICD-10 coding from respiratory to perinatal chapters produced an apparent 99% decline in infant SARI after 2014; reclassifying perinatal respiratory codes restored stable high SARI rates in infants and increased their estimated burden by nearly ten-fold. Nationally, we identified 50 epidemic weeks with 77, 352 excess SARI discharges (95% CI 70, 030–85, 982), while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted typical seasonality, reducing admissions but increasing mortality among older adults. Conclusions – Routinely collected hospital discharge data can reconstruct SARI epidemic dynamics and geographic disparities in the absence of virological surveillance, but are highly sensitive to coding practices. Incorporating neonatal perinatal respiratory codes into SARI definitions is essential to avoid underestimating infant burden and misinforming public health priorities. Copyright © 2026 Angamarca-Iguago, Cagua-Ordónez, Parise-Vasco, Fuentes-Tumbaco, Escobar-Naranjo, Reytor-González and Simancas-Racines.
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    Perception, knowledge and attitudes of Ecuadorian dentists towards patients with molar incisor hypomineralization
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-06-08)
    Armas-Vega, Ana
    ;
    ; ; ;
    Ribadeneira-Morales, Jennifer
    Background – Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) is one of the most prevalent enamel development defects in contemporary dental practice. Understanding perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes of professionals towards this condition is key to optimizing clinical protocols and improving therapeutic results. Objective – To evaluate the perception, knowledge and attitudes of Ecuadorian dentists about diagnosis and management of patients with MIH. Methods – A cross-sectional observational study was carried out using a self-administered survey of registered dentists in Ecuador. A validated 19-question questionnaire was applied that explored demographic characteristics, knowledge of etiology and prevalence, attitudes towards clinical management, and therapeutic choices. In addition, two clinical cases with photographic support were included to evaluate treatment decisions. The statistical analysis incorporated descriptive statistics, chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, and multivariate logistic regression models. Results – A total of 352 dentists participated, predominantly working in private practice (71.9%), particularly in general dentistry (61.1%). Most practitioners reported observing MIH monthly (45.7%) and perceived an increase in its occurrence (67.0%). Demarcated opacities were the most frequent clinical manifestation (93.2%), with antibiotics being the main reported etiological factor (31.8%). The frequency of observation varied significantly between specialties (p < 0.05). Management was considered difficult, with durability of restorations being the main concern. Glass ionomer (37.5–71.4%) was the primary therapeutic choice, followed by fluoride varnish (22.6–37.5%). In the multivariate logistic regression model, professionals with 6–10 years of experience showed significantly higher odds of adequate knowledge (adjusted OR = 2.23, 95% CI: 1.14–4.37, p = 0.019). No independent predictors of favorable attitude towards MIH management reached statistical significance after multivariate adjustment. Conclusions – MIH is recognized as a growing and complex problem. It is frequently observed with demarcated opacities as the predominant sign and antibiotics as the main etiological factor. Its management is challenging, and professional experience appears to influence clinical knowledge. Continuing education and the development of standardized clinical protocols are needed to strengthen professional competence in MIH management. © 2026 Armas-Vega, Parise-Vasco, Angamarca-Iguago, Cagua-Ordoñez, Reytor-González, Ribadeneira-Morales, Rösing, Noal and Simancas-Racines.
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    Socioeconomic disparities and nutritional aging: how food insecurity and financial hardship accelerate health decline in older adults
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-06-08) ;
    Campuzano-Donoso, Martín
    ;
    Román-Galeano, Náthaly-Mercedes
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    Castano Jimenez, Janeth
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    Paz-Yépez, Carolina
    This narrative review examines how socioeconomic disparities accelerate health decline in older adults. As the global population ages, older age represents a major risk factor for chronic diseases, frailty, and disability, particularly in socially disadvantaged groups. While adequate nutrition is essential to healthy aging, approximately 28% of the global population experiences moderate or severe food insecurity, with older adults disproportionately affected in resource-limited settings. Food insecurity and financial hardship are consistently associated with poorer diet quality, including lower Healthy Eating Index scores (e.g., ~51 vs. >57 in food-secure peers), and increased risk of adverse outcomes such as sarcopenia, frailty, and cognitive decline. Notably, food-insecure older adults are also more likely to experience overweight or obesity (OR ≈ 1.29), reflecting reliance on energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets. These disparities are shaped by structural and socioeconomic factors, including low income, limited education, inadequate social safety nets, and inequitable neighborhood food environments. Addressing these challenges requires a shift from individual-level interventions to systemic, interdisciplinary, and culturally-tailored approaches. Copyright © 2026 Reytor-González, Campuzano-Donoso, Román-Galeano, Castano Jimenez, Paz-Yépez, Montalvan and Simancas-Racines.
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    Personalized nutrition for healthy aging: precision diets based on genomic, metabolic, and microbiome profiles
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-08-05) ;
    Román-Galeano, Náthaly Mercedes
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    Castano Jimenez, Janeth
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    Oentiono, Oki Yonatan
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    Yoong, Washington A.
    The global increase in life expectancy has been accompanied by a parallel rise in the burden of chronic diseases, many of which are influenced by diet and lifestyle. Conventional dietary guidelines, though broadly beneficial, often fail to account for the wide heterogeneity in nutritional needs, metabolic responses, and health trajectories observed among older adults. This limitation has spurred interest in personalized nutrition—a precision approach that leverages individual genomic, metabolomic, and gut microbiome profiles to tailor dietary interventions for healthy aging. Recent advances in omics technologies have deepened our understanding of how genes, circulating metabolites, and microbial ecosystems interact with diet to influence disease risk, physical function, and longevity. This review explores the conceptual foundations, technological enablers, and clinical applications of personalized nutrition, highlighting key evidence from 2020 to 2025. It examines how precision models are being used to improve outcomes in older adults, discusses ethical and social barriers to implementation, and outlines future directions including artificial intelligence and real-time monitoring tools. Personalized nutrition represents a transformative opportunity to shift from population-based dietary advice to individualized strategies that can promote resilience, reduce frailty, and extend healthspan in the aging global population. Copyright © 2026 Reytor-González, Román-Galeano, Castano Jimenez, Oentiono, Yoong, Montalvan and Simancas-Racines.
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    Temporal Dynamics of Innate Immune Activation and Viral Interference During Sequential Co-Infection with Influenza A Virus and SARS-CoV-2: Molecular Mechanisms, Clinical Evidence, and Therapeutic Implications
    The concurrent circulation of influenza A virus (IAV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has unveiled complex host–pathogen interactions governed by temporal dynamics of innate immune activation. This narrative review synthesizes evidence from human air–liquid interface (ALI) epithelial models, animal studies (hamster, ferret), clinical cohorts, and randomized controlled trials (2015–2026) to delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying viral interference between these two major respiratory pathogens. Prior IAV infection induces a robust type I/III interferon (IFN) response and broad interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) upregulation that restricts subsequent SARS-CoV-2 replication within a critical 24–72 h temporal window. Conversely, SARS-CoV-2 employs a multi-layered immune evasion strategy that blunts IFN induction, providing minimal heterologous protection. Simultaneous co-infection tends to exacerbate disease severity. Host genetic determinants, including OAS1 and TLR7 variants, modulate interference capacity. Therapeutically, early pegylated IFN-λ shows clinical benefit, while experimental evidence from in vitro and animal models suggests oseltamivir may paradoxically reduce IAV-induced interference. These findings underscore the need for multi-pathogen diagnostics, temporally informed clinical decision-making, and IFN-based therapeutic strategies during co-circulation periods. © 2026 by the authors.
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    Perimenopausal symptom burden: implications for health, work and earlier clinical management
    (Informa UK Limited, 2026-09-11)
    Rodríguez-Vidal, Doris
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    Blümel, Juan E.
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    Chedraui, Peter
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    Vallejo, María S.
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    Costa-Paiva, Lucia
    Objective: Perimenopausal women often experience symptoms impairing quality of life, yet they receive limited clinical attention. This study aimed to assess symptom burden, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and work-related outcomes across reproductive aging stages. Method: Secondary analysis included 1478 women aged 40–54 years from 12 Latin American countries, classified by age and menstrual status into four groups: age 40–44 years with regular cycles (reference), age 45–49 years with regular cycles, age 45–49 years with irregular cycles (perimenopause) and age 50–54 years with absent menses (early postmenopause). Symptoms, HRQoL, work-related outcomes and job satisfaction were assessed using validated instruments Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. Results: Symptom severity increased progressively across stages, with severe symptoms rising from 18.3% (reference group) to 50.6% in postmenopausal women (p < 0.001). Compared with the reference group, women with irregular cycles and those with absent menses had higher odds of severe symptoms (odds ratio [OR] 2.97 and 3.71), lower HRQoL (OR 1.62 and 1.97) and lower job satisfaction (OR 2.01 and 3.07), respectively. Menopausal stage was not independently associated with work-related quality of life. Conclusion: Symptom burden and its impact on health and job satisfaction emerge before menopause and may inform earlier, stage-specific clinical guidance. © 2026 International Menopause Society.
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    Micronutrient risk with GLP-1 receptor and dual incretin agonists in obesity: Mechanistic pathways, clinical signals, and a monitoring framework
    (Elsevier BV, 2026-09) ;
    Campuzano-Donoso, Martín
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    Rossetti, Gianluca
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    Cobellis, Luigi
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    Pilone, Vincenzo
    Background: Incretin-based pharmacotherapies, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonists, have transformed obesity management by producing substantial weight loss through appetite suppression, reduced energy intake, and gastrointestinal effects. These mechanisms may also modify dietary intake, gastrointestinal physiology, and weight-loss–related metabolic adaptations, raising concern about micronutrient disturbances during long-term treatment. Methods: This narrative clinical review synthesizes evidence on mechanistic pathways, clinical signals, and monitoring considerations related to micronutrient risk during incretin-based obesity pharmacotherapy. Evidence was integrated from dietary studies, observational cohorts, mechanistic investigations, clinical trials, pharmacovigilance reports, and literature on obesity-related micronutrient physiology. Results: Micronutrient vulnerability appears to arise from the interaction between reduced food intake, lower dietary diversity, gastrointestinal intolerance, delayed gastric emptying, rapid weight loss, and baseline nutritional risk. The most relevant signals involve hematologic, fat-soluble, bone-related, trace element, and electrolyte domains, particularly iron, vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, zinc, with additional context-dependent concerns involving thiamine, folate, vitamin A, other fat-soluble vitamins and potassium. Most abnormalities reported to date are subclinical or indirect, but clinically meaningful consequences may occur in susceptible individuals, including those with prior bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal disorders, poor baseline diet quality, older age, or prolonged nausea and vomiting. Conclusion: Micronutrient risk during incretin-based obesity pharmacotherapy is likely multifactorial and patient-specific. Individualized nutritional assessment and targeted laboratory monitoring should be considered for high-risk patients, while prospective studies are needed to define incidence, clinical relevance, and evidence-based monitoring strategies. © 2026 The Authors
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    Bridging the gap: technology-driven solutions to overcome food insecurity and improve nutrition access for older adults
    (Frontiers Media SA, 2026-07-07) ;
    Campuzano-Donoso, Martín
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    Munizaga, Maritza Aguirre
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    Oentiono, Oki Yonatan
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    Jimenez, Janeth Castano
    Food insecurity and social isolation are interrelated challenges affecting many older adults, with overlapping pathways that include limited income, reduced mobility, difficulty shopping or preparing meals, loss of shared mealtime routines, and lack of practical support for food procurement. These pathways may contribute to poorer dietary intake, malnutrition risk, deteriorating health, and reduced quality of life. As the global population ages, digital health and assistive technologies may support selected aspects of nutrition access, care coordination, and social connectedness, although their effects depend on implementation context and the availability of human and community support. This review explores the potential of tools such as wearable devices, telehealth services, virtual community centers, GIS mapping, and mobile markets in addressing these challenges. It also highlights the importance of integrating caregivers and coordinated care teams into technology-driven interventions to improve outcomes for older adults with limited access to traditional services. While these innovations present exciting opportunities, barriers such as the digital divide, limited digital literacy, data privacy concerns, and the risk of widening existing health disparities must be addressed. Ensuring that technologies are designed inclusively, ethically, and with input from older users is essential for building scalable, sustainable solutions that truly enhance the quality of lives of aging individuals. As digital health continues to evolve, it must prioritize equity, accessibility, and human-centered design to effectively support aging in place and reduce the burden of food insecurity and social isolation. Copyright © 2026 Reytor-González, Campuzano-Donoso, Munizaga, Oentiono, Jimenez, Montalvan and Simancas-Racines.
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    Higher-Protein Nutrition and Concurrent Exercise in Obesity: A Narrative Review of Body Composition, Metabolic Health, and Physical Function
    (MDPI AG, 2026-07-11) ;
    Loor-Cedeño, Andrés
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    Gavilanes, Dolores Jima
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    Matos, Andri
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    Obesity care increasingly requires outcomes that extend beyond total body weight. Although weight reduction remains clinically meaningful, the scale alone does not indicate whether fat mass, lean tissue, muscle quality, strength, mobility, or physiological reserve have changed in a favorable direction. This narrative review examines the combined role of higher-protein dietary strategies and concurrent exercise in adults with obesity, with emphasis on body composition, metabolic health, and physical function. Higher-protein dietary strategies may support satiety, improve the tolerability of energy restriction in some patients, and attenuate lean-tissue loss during weight reduction, while evidence for superior long-term weight loss remains inconsistent. Exercise provides complementary stimuli to protein-focused nutrition: resistance training supports strength, muscle function, and lean-tissue preservation, while aerobic and interval-based training contribute to cardiorespiratory fitness, regional adiposity reduction, and selected cardiometabolic adaptations. Concurrent training offers a practical framework for integrating these stimuli, with value primarily as multidomain coverage rather than as evidence of universal superiority over other modalities. The main rationale for combining protein adequacy with exercise is preservation of usable physical function during weight loss, particularly in older adults, patients with sarcopenic-obesity risk, and individuals undergoing rapid pharmacological or surgical weight reduction. Overall, the available evidence is most consistent with viewing higher-protein nutrition and structured exercise as complementary strategies for improving the quality of weight loss, rather than as a single protocol for maximizing scale-weight reduction. Longer pragmatic trials are needed to clarify phenotype-specific responses, feasible protein targets, exercise progression, monitoring strategies, and functional outcomes. © 2026 by the authors.
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    Endometriosis as a Systemic and Complex Disease: Toward Phenotype-Based Classification and Personalized Therapy
    (2026) ;
    Emilia Jiménez-Flores
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    Martha Montalvan
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    Raquel Horowitz
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    Valeria Araujo
    Endometriosis is traditionally conceptualized as a pelvic lesion–centered disease; however, mounting evidence indicates it is a chronic, systemic, and multifactorial inflammatory disorder. This review examines the molecular dialog between ectopic endometrial tissue, the immune system, and peripheral organs, highlighting mechanisms that underlie disease chronicity, symptom variability, and therapeutic resistance. Ectopic endometrium exhibits distinct transcriptomic and epigenetic signatures, disrupted hormonal signaling, and a pro-inflammatory microenvironment characterized by inflammatory mediators, prostaglandins, and matrix metalloproteinases. Immune-endometrial crosstalk fosters immune evasion through altered cytokine profiles, extracellular vesicles, immune checkpoint molecules, and immunomodulatory microRNAs, enabling lesion persistence. Beyond the pelvis, systemic low-grade inflammation, circulating cytokines, and microRNAs reflect a molecular spillover that contributes to chronic pain, fatigue, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation, and emerging gut–endometrium interactions. Furthermore, circulating biomarkers—including microRNAs, lncRNAs, extracellular vesicles, and proteomic signatures—offer potential for early diagnosis, patient stratification, and monitoring of therapeutic responses. Conventional hormonal therapies demonstrate limited efficacy, whereas novel molecular targets and delivery systems, including angiogenesis inhibitors, immune modulators, epigenetic regulators, and nanotherapeutics, show promise for precision intervention. A systems medicine framework, integrating multi-omics analyses and network-based approaches, supports reconceptualizing endometriosis as a systemic inflammatory condition with gynecologic manifestations. This perspective emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to advance diagnostics, therapeutics, and individualized patient care, ultimately moving beyond a lesion-centered paradigm toward a molecularly informed, holistic understanding of endometriosis.
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