Passive smoking could still represent a risk factor in Mexican children with asthma

We have read with interest the article by Bedolla et al. [1] and we believe the lack of association between passive smoking and asthma might be a consequence of the way the variable was measured. They defined passive smoking as follows: “smoking was considered as passive when one or more cigarettes were consumed by one or by both parents in the presence of the children”. We would like to highlight some factors that could have been taken into count when defining this variable: time of smoking, frequency and number of cigarettes.
Authors: Pinedo Pichilingue, Aranza; Quijano Ono, Javier
Source: Asia Pacific Allergy

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10757/322423

Hepatitis B virus, syphilis, and HIV seroprevalence in pregnant women and their male partners from six indigenous populations of the Peruvian Amazon Basin, 2007–2008

Objective: To assess the seroprevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), syphilis, and HIV and associated risk factors in pregnant women and their male partners from six indigenous populations of the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in six indigenous populations from the Peruvian Amazon Basin. Blood samples were obtained and tested for HBV (antibodies to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)), for syphilis (rapid plasma reagin and microhemagglutination assay for Treponema pallidum antibodies), and for HIV (ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence test). A survey was also performed to identify associated risk factors. Results: One thousand two hundred and fifty-one pregnant women and 778 male partners were enrolled in the study. The seroprevalence of anti-HBc in pregnant women was 42.06% (95% confidence interval (CI) 39.28–44.85%) and in their male partners was 54.09% (95% CI 50.32–57.86%). The seroprevalence of HBsAg in pregnant women was 2.11% (95% CI 0.78–3.44%) and in their male partners was 3.98% (95% CI 1.87–6.08%). The seroprevalence of syphilis in pregnant women was 1.60% (95% CI 0.86–2.33%) and in their male partners was 2.44% (95% CI 1.22–3.66%). HIV seroprevalence in pregnant women was 0.16% (95% CI 0.02–0.58%) and in their male partners was 0.29% (95% CI 0.04–1.03%). Sexual risk factors were strongly related to blood markers of syphilis and HBV. Conclusions: Hepatitis B was found to be hyperendemic and strongly related to sexual factors, suggesting an important sexual component in the transmission of the disease in the populations studied. Syphilis was found to have an endemicity in pregnant women above the national level and this may be indicative of high mother-to-child transmission. HIV has started to show its presence in indigenous populations of the Amazon Basin and the results suggest the epidemic is concentrated.
Authors:Ormaeche, Melvy; Whittembury, Alvaro; Pun, Mónica; Suárez Ognio, Luis
Source:Int J Infect Dis

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10757/323397

Situs inversus totalis

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) es una enfermedad rara, en la cual existe transposición de los órganos torácicos y abdominales. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 65 años de edad, que acude a emergencias por dolor epigástrico de 20 horas de evolución que luego de unas horas migra a fosa iliaca izquierda asociado a hiporexia. En primera instancia, se sospecha del diagnóstico de diverticulitis, luego de los exámenes imagenológicos respectivos es descartada por encontrarse hallazgos correspondientes con situs inversus totalis y se plantea apendicitis del lado izquierdo. Por tal motivo, la realización de una adecuada historia clínica y examen físico apoyado en pruebas imagenológicas resultan importantes para tener en cuenta a la apendicitis como parte del diagnóstico diferencial, con el fin de evitar errores en su diagnóstico per se y tratamiento.; Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare disease in which there is transposition of thoracic and abdominal organs. The symptoms of appendicitis in SIT are often confused with other intraperitoneal processes such as diverticulitis. We report the case of a 65-year-old, attended by emergency epigastric pain of 20 hours of the onset after a few hours left iliac fosse migrates associated with hyporexia. Diverticulitis is diagnosed in the first instance, and after the respective imaging tests is discarded for being relevant findings with situs inversus totalis and left poses appendicitis. Therefore, the realization of an adequate medical history and physical examination supported by imaging tests are important to keep in mind, appendicitis as part of the differential diagnosis, in order to avoid errors in diagnosis and treatment..
Authors: Navarro, Veronica; Oshiro, Harumi; Peña, Bruce; Moquillaza Pineda, Fernando
Source:Revista de Gastroenterología del Perú

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10757/322409

A new virus A/H1N1, a new pandemic: A continuing risk to a globalized humanity

Influenza is a highly contagious disease. There are some historical descriptions of this condition by ancient Greek physicians, and the etiological agents have been known only for the last eight decades. The causative agent is the influenza virus, which has three main types: A, B, and C. Type A is capable of circulating within many different biological reservoirs, including humans, swine, and birds. It also has high genetic variability, which allows it to have minor antigenic drifts or mutations which are responsible of epidemics in humans. Sometimes changes are quite marked, leading to pandemics. In a globalized world, with more than 6 billion inhabitants, with many social inequities and evident climate changes, influenza viruses are a permanent risk for mankind. Clinical features for the different viral subtypes may vary from subtle infections to full blown and severe, life-threatening forms. Event with the great advances in diagnostics and immunization, the manufacture and distribution of new diagnostic kits may take some time, and new vaccines are not always readily available. Specific therapies against influenza are not well developed. There are two groups of drugs, the so called adamantane derivatives, such as amantadine and rimantadine, and the neuraminidase inhibitors, such as oseltamivir and zanamivir. Most vulnerable areas for the new flu pandemics include developing countries, particularly the poorest ones, so that the greatest effort must be made for helping these areas.
Authors: Osores Plenge, Fernando; Gómez Benavides, Jorge; Suárez Ognio, Luis; Cabezas Sánchez, César; Alave Rosas, Jorge; Maguiña Vargas, Ciro
Source: Acta méd. peruana

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10757/323238

Development of a 16S rRNA PCR-RFLP Assay for Bartonella Identification: Applicability in the Identification of Species Involved in Human Infections

Abstract We designed a 16S rRNA gene PCR-RFLP scheme to identify all currently described Bartonella spp. The 16S rRNA genes of all Bartonella spp. were in-silico analyzed in order to design a RFLP technique able to discriminate among different species. The restriction enzymes selected were MaeIII, MseI, Sau96I, BsaAI, DrdI, FokI, BssHII, BstUI, AluI, TspDTI and HphI which, according to a decision-making tree, facilitated the differentiation of all the currently described species of Bartonella.The technique was experimentally tested in different species of Bartonella, including human pathogenic B. bacilliformis and B. henselae with a 100% of concordance with the in-silico predicted patterns.This novel RFLP assay could be used to identify both human and non-human pathogenic Bartonella in diagnostic, phylogenetic and epidemiologic studies.
Authors: Del Valle, Luis J.; Jaramillo, Michael L.; Talledo, Miguel; Pons, Maria J.; Flores, Lidia; Quispe, Ruth L.; Ramírez, Pablo; García de la Guarda, Ruth; Alvarado, Débora; Espinoza-Culupú, Abraham; Del Valle Mendoza, Juana;Vargas, Martha; Ruíz, Joaquim
Source: Horizon Research Publishing

URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10757/322342