Se elaboró un índice de vulnerabilidad ante el COVID-19 para México a escala municipal (2,457 municipios) que permite identificar la distribución espacial de los diferentes factores que generan mayor susceptibilidad al daño o las consecuencias adversas que pueden tener las personas. El índice integra tres dimensiones de vulnerabilidad: demográfica, de salud y socioeconómica. A su vez, cada dimensión integra una serie de indicadores relacionados con el tipo de vulnerabilidad que expresan. La información resultante facilita la toma de decisiones sustentada en bases científicas.El índice de vulnerabilidad está clasificado en cuatro grados: Medio, Alto, Muy Alto y Crítico. El grado medio de vulnerabilidad se encuentra principalmente en los grandes centros urbanos que cuentan con la mayor infraestructura de salud, y la mayor capacidad económica. 63.2% de la población vive en municipios con vulnerabilidad media. El grado alto de vulnerabilidad se presenta en municipios con localidades urbanas de tamaño medio, y con una proporción de población indígena ligeramente menor a la media nacional. La infraestructura de salud es escasa. Su marginación se encuentra ligeramente debajo del promedio nacional. 17.6% de la población nacional reside en estos municipios. El grado muy alto de vulnerabilidad se observa en municipios que concentran 11.7% de la población nacional. Se trata de municipios de marginación por arriba del promedio nacional con áreas urbanas pequeñas. El porcentaje de población indígena se encuentra por arriba del promedio nacional. La infraestructura de salud es muy escasa, con una tasa de hacinamiento mayor a las primeras dos categorías. Los hogares cuentan con pocos medios de comunicación, y la producción económica es precaria.El grado crítico de vulnerabilidad se presenta en municipios que concentran al 7.5% de la población del país. Se trata de municipios primordialmente rurales con el porcentaje más alto de personas mayores de 60 años y una importante proporción de población indígena. Los servicios de salud son críticamente escasos. Su marginación está muy por arriba de la media nacional, muestran el mayor nivel de hacinamiento, el menor acceso a medios de comunicación y una economía muy precaria.Con base en los resultados se hace una serie de recomendaciones de las medidas urgentes que deben realizarse a nivel territorial con la finalidad de mitigar el potencial impacto del COVID-19 en la sociedad mexicana.

Semantic memory deterioration is a major component of the cognitive decline seen in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT); however, the exact nature of this deficit remains unclear. Some research data support a procedural deficit where there is an inability to access or retrieve the contents of semantic memory, while other data point to a degraded semantic store where the actual content of semantic memory is degraded. Additional information about semantic processing in DAT can be obtained through the use of an event-related potential (ERP) component known as N400. In the present study, ERPs were recorded from 10 young control participants, 10 elderly control participants, and 10 DAT patients in a picture-semantic matching task. Stimuli were presented sequentially as prime-target pairs, with one-half of the targets matching the primes via semantic relationships (e.g., piano-violin) and the other half mismatching the prime (e.g., helmet-violin). The task was to discriminate between semantically related and unrelated pairs of pictures. In the young and elderly control groups, ERPs generated a larger N400 for unrelated than related target pictures, with a maximum amplitude around 380 ms in the young group and around 480 ms in the elderly group. The amplitude of the N400 was significantly reduced in the DAT patients. However, a separate analysis of congruent and incongruent ERPs trials revealed significant differences only with the incongruent trials. The amplitude of incongruent recordings was larger for the elderly control group than for the DAT patients, while the amplitude for congruent recordings was similar in both groups. These findings are consistent with the neuropathological evidence that Alzheimer's disease is a neocortical disconnection syndrome in which there is a loss of structural and functional integrity of long corticocortical tracts. The semantic activation created by the context is not used efficiently in processing stimuli, which affects access to specific concepts and gradually leads to a breakdown in the structure and organization of semantic memory.

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Introduction: Sixty million Latinxs make up 26.4% of all COVID-19 cases in the United States. It is uncertain whether behaviors and beliefs of immunizations among Latinxs is influenced by social determinants of health. The purpose of this study was to examine how social determinants of health predict COVID-19 behaviors and beliefs toward immunization among Latinxs. Methods: In this exploratory study, 11 chapters from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses collaborated to recruit participants. The CDC National 2009 H1N1 Flu Survey was adapted to measure behaviors and beliefs about immunizations of COVID-19. The Health Access Survey was used to measure social determinants of health. Instruments were available in both Spanish and English. Results: Participants (n=228) with higher education and health insurance tended to have less worry about taking the vaccine. Access to resources and practicing COVID-19 protective factors was positively associated. Alternative medicine and use of COVID-19 protective factors were negatively associated. Exposure to drugs and violence was associated with a decrease in likelihood to pursue a vaccine. Conclusions: Latinx need education about COVID-19 and vaccinations. Access to health care services must be available. Results highlight the importance of careful measurement when assessing social determinants of health among Latinx.

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