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Several letters to the editor are presented in response to the release of the Spanish version of the article "Universal Health Coverage in Latin America" by the publication "MEDICC Review" and the concerns raised by Dr. Waitzkin concerning health care coverage in Cuba.

Background: Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae) is a highly praised plant that has spread in many tropical and subtropical countries. It has an impressive variety of medicinal uses with a high medicinal value. Aim. To evaluate the in vitro anti-microbial activity of aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of Moringa oleifera Lam. cultivated in Cuba. Methods: The MTT method was used to evaluate in vitro cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of different concentrations of the extracts from dry leaves of Moringa oleifera against Type 1 Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1), and type 2 Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-2). The determinations were made by microdilution, antimicrobial activity against the reference bacterial strains, and clinical isolates, then the minimum inhibitory concentration was calculated (MIC). Results: The hydroalcoholic extract showed toxicity at the 125 µg/ml concentration, whereas the aqueous extract stopped being toxic at 500 µg/ml in the Vero cells within the range of the concentrations evaluated. None of the extracts inhibited the in vitro replication of the HSV-1 and HSV-2 viruses, but they showed a powerful activity against the bacterial strains and yeast assayed at different levels. Conclusions: The extracts did not show in vitro antiviral activity against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in Vero cells, whereas the antibacterial activity was strong, suggesting that the leaves of Moringa oleifera might be a good candidate for an antibacterial agent from natural products against the different pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microorganism resistance to antibacterial drugs is a health problem throughout the world, for that reason it is necessary to find new therapeutic alternatives from natural sources. Propoaromiel (PHO) is a mixture of honey, propolis and essential oils. The objective of this work was to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of PHO against 239 microorganisms isolated from clinical samples: S. aureus (N= 53); S. pneumoniae (N = 37) and S. B. hemoliticcus (N = 49) N. meningitidis (N= 42); M. catarrhalis (N=5). P.aeruginosa (N= 37); E. coli (N=5); Salmonella sp (N=8); Proteus sp (N=2) and Hafnia (N=1). The in vitro activity was tested by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using the agar dilution method according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards Guidelines (NCCLS). All the microorganism suspensions were adjusted to a 0.5 MacFarland standard. To determine MIC, PHO two-fold dilutions were prepared ranging from 5.07 to 650 mg/ml. Muller Hinton Agar plates containing 5% sheep blood were used for bacterial growth. The plates were incubated 24 hours at 37°C in 5% CO2 humid atmosphere. N. meningitidis and S. pneumoniae strains showed the highest sensitivity (MIC90 30,4mg/ml). On the other hand, S.aureus (MIC90 243,7mg/ml) and Gram negative bacilli (MIC90 243.7mg/ml) were more resistant to PHO activity. PHO displayed antibacterial activity against all the strains studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We resurrected Typhlops cubae Bibron, 1843, a species considered as a nomen dubium for the past 55 years. Based on a designated lectotype and nearly 80 additional specimens, we redescribed the species and compare it with other congeners from the Bahamas, Cuba, and Hispaniola Islands. We found that Typhlops cubae is related to the Typhlops lumbricalis species group, restricting its distribution to western Cuba and Isla de la Juventud, and overlapping with Typhlops pachyrhinus along the Pinar del Río and Artemisa provinces. We also provided additional comments about the taxonomy of other Cuban Typhlops updating their geographical distribution.

Phylogenetic relationships among members of the freshwater fish tribe Girardinini were inferred to test existing colonization and diversification hypotheses for this group in the Caribbean. The genetic material examined was mitochondrial (cytochrome b, 1140 bp) and nuclear (RAG-1 and beta-actin, 2450 bp) DNA from 161 specimens representing 44 ingroup and three outgroup taxa. Our mtDNA and combined data matrix (mtDNA+nuclear DNA) results rendered a well-supported phylogeny for the tribe Girardinini and suggest the need to review the group's current taxonomy. From the data presented here, it may be inferred that the Girardinini diverged from other poeciliid fishes approximately 62 Mya ago in the Palaeocene period. This estimate, however, conflicts with the hypothesis that today's vertebrate fauna is the result of the more recent colonization of the Antillean islands during the Early Oligocene (35-33 Mya ago). The isolation of western, central and eastern Cuba during the Miocene and that of the Juventud Island and Guanahacabibes Peninsula during the Pliocene, are the main geologic events that could have promoted speciation in this group.

It is reported the infection due to Schistosoma intercalatum and the probable hybridization with Schistosoma haematobium in a patient from the eastern region of Africa, where it has not been demonstrated before. The main clinical manifestations were abdominal pain and diarrhea with blood. The diagnosis was possible thanks to the finding in the microscopic examination of the characteristic eggs of Schistosoma intercalatum in faeces and urine by the modified technique of Ziehl-Neelsen.

A study was conducted on the presence of Cryptosporidium sp in 47 Cuban adult patients infected by HIV in different infective stages in order to assess for the first time its prevalence in this group. The parasite was found in 18 patients (38.3%), of whom 18 (44.7%) were asymptomatic. The most frequent symptoms were aqueous diarrhea, fever, abdominal colics, asthemia and weight loss. Emphasis is placed on the frequently asymptomatic nature of these infections, which could be an important reservoir for nosocomial transmission of this disease among individuals with immunological disregulations.

Ninety one passengers coming from Africa, carriers of geohelminthes, were selected and treated with helminthicides of large use in our country (levamisole, mebendazole, thiabendazole). An excellent effective response was obtained for Ascaris lumbricoides (96.5%), and a good effective response was obtained for the rest of the parasites: Trichuri trichiura (88.5%), Strongyloides stercoralis (87.5%), and Necator americanus (78.9), according to data of therapeutical response efficiency of the WHO.