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Abstract: Following the change, in the way we monitored cyclosporine (CsA) levels in January 2000 namely from C0 to C2 concentrations, in renal ¿de novo¿ allograft recipients, some patients treated with concomitant ketoconazole experienced liver toxicity, a complication that had not been previously seen with CsA monitoring using C0. Therefore, we decided to compare the outcomes of patients transplanted using CsA levels monitored by C0 (1998 to 1999) who also had simultaneous C2 determinations (group A) with those of recipients transplanted after 2000 (group B). All received steroids, azathioprine, and CsA plus ketoconazole. Recipients were followed for at least a year after transplantation. Patients in group B showed higher CsA C2 levels, AUC concentrations, and drug doses during the immediate postsurgical period, and at 2 weeks as well as 4 and 6 months posttransplantation. Six group B patients (26%) but no group A recipients displayed, severe liver toxicity characterized by jaundice, elevated liver enzymes, with negative serological tests for CMV, HVC, and HVB. There was a correlation between the GOT and the C2 CsA levels; both normalized 15 to 55 days after CsA dose reduction. High C2 CsA levels, which have been recommended when the drug is used alone in renal transplantation, cannot be used in patients taking ketoconazole, because C2 neither represents nor correlates with AUC drug exposure. Thus high C2 levels may produce liver toxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Introducción: Existe escasa información y no actualizada sobre la presencia de triatominos en el departamento de San Martín, zona amazónica de nuestro país, y es importante actualizarla, ya que hay reportes recientes de casos de enfermedad de Chagas procedentes de la amazonía peruana cuyos vectores serían triatominos silvestres. Objetivos: Conocer la distribución geográfica de triatominos hematófagos en Huallaga y Picota, San Martín, Perú. Determinar los índices entomológicos, sus hábitos alimenticios y caracterizar los tripanosomatídeos que portan. Diseño: Investigación descriptiva observacional. Lugar: Red de Salud Huallaga y Picota, Laboratorio Regional de la Región de Salud San Martín. Laboratorios del Instituto Nacional de Salud. Participantes: Viviendas de 6 distritos de las provincia de Huallaga y 9 de Picota, del Departamento de San Martín. Intervenciones: La búsqueda de triatominos fue en 3 362 viviendas de áreas periurbanas y rurales. Mediante la prueba de precipitina, se determinó la fuente de alimentación. Se aisló tripanosomatídeos mediante infección en ratones Balb/C e inoculación en medio agar sangre, y por PCR se caracterizó el genoma por amplificación del espaciador intergénico del gen miniexón. Principales medidas de resultados: Determinar si Huallaga y Picota, San Martín, Perú, son zonas de riesgo de enfermedad de Chagas. Resultados: En 46 viviendas, de 3 362 muestreadas se capturó 53 triatominos adultos pertenecientes a Rhodnius pictipes (56,6%), Panstrongylus geniculatus (41,5%) y Eratyrus mucronatus (1,9%). Se reporta P. geniculatus por primera vez para las dos provincias. Los índices de infestación para ambas provincias fueron 1,4% y 3,8%, respectivamente, y corresponden al índice de infección natural; mientras que el índice de dispersión fue 30,1%. En R. pictipes se identificó cinco fuentes de alimentación (pollo, humano, perro, cobayo y gato) y en P. geniculatus un perfil alimentario mixto: perro/gato/pollo. Los Trypanosoma spp. aislados de R. pictipes, procedente de Sacanche (Huallaga), corresponden a TCI (350 pb); resultado similar se obtuvo en los 10 clones de este aislamiento. Conclusiones: Los resultados nos indican que, en las localidades estudiadas, R. pictipes y P. geniculatus estarían pasando por un proceso de domiciliación y que en las localidades de Huallaga R. pictipes sería el principal vector de Trypanosoma cruzi TC1; por lo que, dichas localidades estarían consideradas como zonas de riesgo de enfermedad de Chagas.

Abstract Background Adenoviruses are the second most prevalent cause of acute lower respiratory infection of viral origin in children under four years of age in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of this study was to analyze the clinical features and outcome of acute lower respiratory infection associated with different adenovirus genotypes in children. Methods Twenty-four cases of acute lower respiratory infection and adenovirus diagnosis reported in a pediatric unit during a two-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Adenovirus was detected by antigen detection and isolation in HEp-2 cells. Adenovirus DNA from 17 isolates was studied by restriction enzyme analysis with Bam HI and Sma I. Results Subgenus b was found in 82.3% of the cases, and subgenus c in 17.7%. Within subgenus b, only genotype 7 was detected, with genomic variant 7h in 85.7% (12/14) and genomic variant 7i in 14.3% (2/14). Mean age was 8.8 ±; 6 months, and male to female ratio was 3.8: 1. At admission, pneumonia was observed in 71% of the cases and bronchiolitis in 29%. Malnutrition occurred in 37% of the cases; tachypnea in 79%; chest indrawing in 66%; wheezing in 58%; apneas in 16%; and conjunctivitis in 29%. Blood cultures for bacteria and antigen detection of other respiratory viruses were negative. During hospitalization, fatality rate was 16.7% (4 /24). Of the patients who died, three had Ad 7h and one Ad 7i. Thus, fatality rate for adenovirus type 7 reached 28.6% (4/14). Conclusions These results show the predominance of adenovirus 7 and high lethality associated with the genomic variants 7h and 7i in children hospitalized with acute lower respiratory infection.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains the most common clinically significant infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality., Objectives: The present study was designed to describe and compare the incidence of untreated CMV reactivation (uCMVr), clinically significant infection (cs-CMVi) and disease (CMVd), as well as CMV-related hospitalization and outcome of allo-HCT patients, either treated with letermovir (LET) primary prophylaxis or managed with preemptive therapy (PET)., Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study of adult CMV seropositive allo-HCT patients who either received primary prophylaxis with LET within the first 100 days after HCT or were managed with PET., Results: The study population comprised 105 patients (28 in the LET group and 77 in the PET group). Compared to the PET group, patients in the LET group received more allo-HCT from alternative donors (54.5% vs. 82.14%, P=0.012 ). More than half of the patients in both groups were classified as high risk for CMVd. In the LET vs. PET group, cs-CMVi and CMVd developed respectively in 0 vs. 50 (64.94%), P=<0.0001 , and 0 vs. 6 (7.79%), P=0.18 . In the LET group, uCMVr occurred in 5 (17.8%) and were all considered blips. Hospital admissions related to cs-CMVi or CMVd in the PET group vs. LET group were 47 (61.04%) vs. 0, respectively, P=<0.0001 . No differences were observed in 100-day mortality., Conclusions: LET primary prophylaxis proved effective in preventing cs-CMVi and CMVd and reducing hospitalizations in allo-HCT adults. Blips can occur during prophylaxis and do not require LET discontinuation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Fabián Herrera received fees from MSD as a speaker and Advisory Board. Pablo Bonvehí received fees from MSD as a speaker and consultant. Diego Torres, Leandro Riera, and Patricio Duarte received speaker’s fees from MSD. The rest of the authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Purpose: This study aims to describe the total EEG energy during episodes of intracranial hypertension (IH) and evaluate its potential as a classification feature for IH., New Methods: We computed the sample correlation coefficient between intracranial pressure (ICP) and the total EEG energy. Additionally, a generalized additive model was employed to assess the relationship between arterial blood pressure (ABP), total EEG energy, and the odds of IH., Results: The median sample cross-correlation between total EEG energy and ICP was 0.7, and for cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) was 0.55. Moreover, the proposed model exhibited an accuracy of 0.70, sensitivity of 0.53, specificity of 0.79, precision of 0.54, F1-score of 0.54, and an AUC of 0.7., Comparison With Existing Methods: The only existing comparable methods, up to our knowledge, use 13 variables as predictor of IH, our model uses only 3, our model, as it is an extension of the generalized model is interpretable and it achieves the same performance., Conclusion: These findings hold promise for the advancement of multimodal monitoring systems in neurocritical care and the development of a non-invasive ICP monitoring tool, particularly in resource-constrained environments., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study aimed to characterize the network structure of pandemic grief symptoms and suicidal ideation in 2174 people from eight Latin American countries. Pandemic grief and suicidal ideation were measured using the Pandemic Grief Scale and a single item, respectively. Network analysis provides an in-depth characterization of symptom-symptom interactions within mental disorders. The results indicated that, "desire to die," "apathy" and "absence of sense of life" are the most central symptoms in a pandemic grief symptom network; therefore, these symptoms could be focal elements for preventive and treatment efforts. Suicidal ideation, the wish to die, and the absence of meaning in life had the strongest relationship. In general, the network structure did not differ among the participating countries. It identifies specific symptoms within the network that may increase the likelihood of their co-occurrence and is useful at the therapeutic level., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The apnea test, employed for brain death assessment, aims to demonstrate the absence of respiratory drive due to hypercapnia. The tracheal oxygen insufflation apnea test mode (I-AT) involves disconnecting the patient from invasive mechanical ventilation (iMV) for approximately 8 minutes while maintaining oxygenation. This test supports the diagnosis of brain death based on a specified increase in PaCO2. Common complications include hypoxemia and hemodynamic instability, and lung collapse-induced reduction in end-expiratory lung volume (EELV). In our case series utilizing electrical impedance tomography (EIT), we observed that continuous positive airway pressure during the apnea test (CPAP-AT) effectively mitigated lung collapse. This resulted in improved pulmonary strain compared to the disconnection of iMV. These findings suggest the potential benefits of routine CPAP-AT, particularly for potential lung donors, emphasizing the relevance of our study in providing quantitative insights into EELV loss and its association with pulmonary strain and potential lung injury.

The present study explored the predictive capacity of fear of COVID-19 on the intention to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the influence in this relationship of conspiracy beliefs as a possible mediating psychological variable, in 13 Latin American countries. A total of 5779 people recruited through non-probabilistic convenience sampling participated. To collect information, we used the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Vaccine conspiracy beliefs Scale-COVID-19 and a single item of intention to vaccinate. A full a priori Structural Equation Model was used; whereas, cross-country invariance was performed from increasingly restricted structural models. The results indicated that, fear of COVID-19 positively predicts intention to vaccinate and the presence of conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines. The latter negatively predicted intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. Besides, conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19 vaccines had an indirect effect on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the 13 countries assessed. Finally, the cross-national similarities of the mediational model among the 13 participating countries are strongly supported. The study is the first to test a cross-national mediational model across variables in a large number of Latin American countries. However, further studies with other countries in other regions of the world are needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of a general measure of the perception of governmental responses to COVID-|19 (COVID-SCORE-10) in the general population of 13 Latin American countries., Methods: A total of 5780 individuals from 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries selected by non-probabilistic snowball sampling participated. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed and the alignment method was used to evaluate invariance. Additionally, a graded response model was used for the assessment of item characteristics., Results: The results indicate that there is approximate measurement invariance of the COVID-SCORE-10 among the participating countries. Furthermore, IRT results suggest that the COVID-SCORE-10 measures with good psychometric ability a broad spectrum of the construct assessed, especially around average levels. Comparison of COVID-SCORE-10 scores indicated that participants from Cuba, Uruguay and El Salvador had the most positive perceptions of government actions to address the pandemic. Thus, the underlying construct of perception of government actions was equivalent in all countries., Conclusion: The results show the importance of initially establishing the fundamental measurement properties and MI before inferring the cross-cultural universality of the construct to be measured., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The present study aimed to evaluate the measurement invariance of the Obsession with COVID-19 Scale (OCS) among seven Latin American countries: Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Although the OCS has been used in several countries and languages, there is a need for approaches that better integrate the cross-cultural equivalence of the scale. A total of 3185 people participated in the study. The results indicated the presence of a unidimensional structure and good reliability indices for the OCS in each country. The alignment method indicated that the OCS is an invariant measure of COVID-19 obsession among the populations of seven Latin American countries. The findings based on IRT analysis indicated that all OCS items had adequate discrimination and difficulty parameters. The findings contribute to the understanding of the internal structure of the scale in different countries at the same time, something that has been pending evaluation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the need for rapid diagnostic tests. The gold standard test is reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RT-PCR requires equipment and trained personnel, and results may take a long waiting time. The BD Veritor® System is a rapid chromatographic method used for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 antigen in symptomatic individuals. The primary objective of this study is to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the antigen test (AT) compared to the RT-PCR in the pediatric population. Population and methods. Prospective study with a diagnostic test. All children younger than 17 years in the first 5 days of symptom onset, who consulted between July 2021 and February 2022, were included. A minimum of 300 specimens was estimated to achieve an accuracy of ±8.76% and ±3.68% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Specimens were analyzed in parallel using both methodologies. Results. Of 316 paired samples, 33 were positive by both methods; 6 were positive only by RT-PCR. The specificity of the AT was 100%; sensitivity was 84.6%, with a positive and negative predictive value of 100% and 98%, respectively. Conclusions. The AT proved to be useful in the diagnosis of pediatric patients with COVID-19 in the first 5 days of symptom onset, although those with a negative AT and high clinical suspicion should confirm their result with a RT-PCR. Clinical trial registration: PRIISA.BA - Record number: 4912 - Date of registration: 07/07/2021., (Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría.)

This commentary addresses the post-COVID-19 syndrome and its implications for workers' health. Post-COVID-19 syndrome consists of a set of physiological and psychological symptoms resulting from SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection, which occur continuously for several weeks or months. Therefore, it is an affectation that has multiple consequences for the recovery of people's health, and compromises the ability to perform daily activities, including work, whether in person or remotely. Although several studies have been published so far, and several long-term consequences on people's health have been demonstrated, most have not adequately delved into the implications for the health of workers, their families, and the socioeconomic cost for governments. The aim of this paper is to highlight this public health issue and to encourage more specialized research., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.)