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Introduction: For most women, pregnancy is a normoevolutive physiological state; however, this is not true in all cases, as some obstetric patients present with life-threatening complications requiring admission to the obstetric Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Our study aimed to identify the primary reasons for admission to the obstetric ICU of a tertiary care center in Sinaloa, Mexico, from January 1 to December 31, 2023. This objective is crucial for understanding and improving maternal healthcare. Our study was a retrospective, cross-sectional, and descriptive analysis of 83 patient records from the Women's Hospital of Sinaloa ICU. This unique approach provides valuable insights into the leading causes of obstetric ICU admissions. Results: The mean age was 24±7.25 years; the patients had a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 6 pregnancies; 65% had been terminated by delivery, 72.2% by cesarean section, and 14.1% by abortion. Prenatal care had not been provided in 27.7% of cases. The mean length of stay in the ICU was 3.1 days. Regarding marital status, 15.7% were single, 41.4% were married, and 43.4% were in a common-law relationship. Twenty-five point three percent had primary education, 42.2% had secondary education, 27.7% had high school, and 4.8% had professional studies. The most common diagnoses were preeclampsia with severity criteria (25.3%), obstetric hemorrhage (21.7%), hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome (9.6%), and eclampsia (7.2%). Conclusions: Our findings underscore the significance of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and obstetric hemorrhage as the leading causes of ICU admissions in our hospital. This knowledge is crucial for improving maternal healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reviews the developments on the Mexican economy in 2009. It notes that the Mexican government has looked for alternative sources of revenues during the global financial crisis through taxation. It adds that Mexican legislators have increased taxes including the value added tax, income tax, and cash deposits tax law. It also discusses the social security in labor and employment and criminal law amendments.

DNA damage and DNA repair ability by means of the comet assay and the hydrogen peroxide challenge in lymphocytes from 65 children exposed simultaneously to As and Pb in Region Lagunera, Mexico. The first exposure scenario was concerned with natural As contamination in drinking water affecting all children, particularly those attending the schools farthest from (Gomez Palacio) and closest to the smelter (Pedro Garcia). The second scenario related to additional Pb and As soil and dust contamination in the schools located in the smelter vicinity (Heroe de Nacozari and Pedro Garcia). Most children (93%) had As in urine (AsU) above 50 μg/L and 65% had blood Pb (PbB) above 10 μg/dL. The highest AsU median levels were observed in the school farthest from the smelter, whereas the highest PbB values were observed in the closest school. DNA damage and a decreased repair ability observed in children attending the schools were more severe than those reported for healthy Mexican children. However, the multivariate analysis did not show significant associations between DNA basal damage and PbB or AsU. Lymphocytes from 58% of the children did not respond to the peroxide challenge, and those had a more severe basal DNA damage. DNA repair capacity showed a slowed response and was negatively associated with AsU. Thus, in addition to reduced exposure, further studies are needed to ascertain if the deficiency in DNA repair is transient or if children are already displaying a mutator phenotype and are at risk of developing cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]