Bringing the Pediatric Endocrine Spanish Speaking Community Together: First Virtual Pediatric Endocrine Meeting in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Central and South America.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric endocrinology is a specialty that is struggling worldwide to maintain adequately trained professionals. Pediatric endocrine care in Central America and Caribbean countries is often performed by pediatricians or adult endocrinologists due to the limited number of pediatric endocrinologists. These health care providers are seldom members of endocrine societies and frequently lack formal training in the field. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we describe the scope of a virtual conference in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes targeted to low- and middle-income countries to provide equal opportunities for access to medical education for health care professionals. METHODS: The virtual conference was sponsored by the Pediatric Endocrine Society (North America), Asociación Costarricense de Endocrinología (previously, Asociación Nacional Pro Estudio de la Diabetes, Endocrinología y Metabolismo), and Asociacion Centroamericana y del Caribe de Endocrinologia Pediátrica. The conference was free to participants and comprised 23 sessions that were either synchronous with ability for real-time interactive sessions or asynchronous sessions, where content was available online to access at their convenience. Topics included idiopathic short stature, polycystic ovarian syndrome, diabetes mellitus, telemedicine, Turner syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, obesity, central precocious puberty, and subclinical hypothyroidism. The participants were asked to evaluate the conference after its completion with a questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 8 speakers from Spain, Canada, Costa Rica, and the United States delivered the virtual event to 668 health care professionals from Guatemala, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina, the United States, Bolivia, Chile, Panama, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Belize, Spain, and Colombia. Name, profession, and country were fully disclosed by 410 (61.4%) of the 668 health care professionals. The profession or level of training of participants were as follows: pediatric endocrinologists (n=129, 19.3%), pediatricians (n=116, 17.4%), general practitioners (n=77, 11.5%), adult endocrinologists (n=34, 5.1%), medical students (n=23, 3.4%), residents in various specialties (n=14, 2.1%), and others (n=17, 2.6%). A total of 23 sessions were offered, most of which were bilingual (Spanish and English). Feedback from the evaluation questionnaire indicated that the content of the conference was very relevant to the participants' professional practice. Additionally, the participants reported that they were very satisfied with the organization, the web-based platform, and the sessions of the conference. CONCLUSIONS: Lack of accessibility to the latest and cutting-edge medical education in pediatric endocrinology and diabetes for medical professionals from low- and middle-income countries can be overcome with a virtual conference. Online availability, low cost, and easy-to-use technology were well received from the participants, who were overall very satisfied by the quality and the relevance of the sessions to their professional practice.

Aortic Calcification in Takayasu Arteritis: Risk Factors and Relationship With Activity and Vascular Lesion. It Is Not Only an Aging Question.

INTRODUCTION: Aortic calcification is a frequent finding in Takayasu arteritis (TA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors for aortic calcification in TA and its relationship with disease activity and the presence and type of vascular lesion. METHODS: Nineteen patients with TA underwent nonenhanced computed tomography to measure the calcium score of the aorta and its main branches, which were divided into 13 segments. In each segment, the type of vascular lesion was evaluated by noninvasive angiography. Clinical risk factors and disease activity scores were recorded. RESULTS: Eighteen of 19 patients (95%) were women, with a median age of 25 years. Median of calcium score was 69 AU (0-12,465 AU). Eleven of 19 patients (57.9%) had calcium score greater than 0. Age, evolution time, and dyslipidemia were higher in patients with calcium, whereas the National Institutes Health and Dabague disease activity scores were lower. There was no association between the presence of calcium and vascular lesion: 60 of 160 segments (37.5%) without calcium had some lesion, compared with 24 of 68 (35.3%) with calcium score greater than 0, p = 0.75. However, occlusion was more frequent in patients with calcium, whereas wall thickening was in those without calcium. CONCLUSIONS: Aortic calcification in TA is related to age, evolution time, and abnormalities in lipid profile and occlusion and, inversely with some activity scores. Identification of calcification could be useful in identifying patients that even without significant lesions might have accelerated atherosclerosis, and who might be benefited with specific treatment.

Insuficiencia mitral post-valvuloplastía mitral con catéter balón: incidencia, factores predictores y pronóstico / Mitral regurgitation following ballon-catheter mitral valvuloplasty

Un total de 205 pacientes con diagnóstico de estenosis mitral reumática, fueron sometidos a VMTP de octubre de 1990 a octubre de 1993: 178 mujeres y 27 hombres, con edades de 16 a 72 años, media de 38. La incidencia global de insuficiencia mitral fue de 10 por ciento antes de VMPT y de 37 por ciento post-VMPT (p<0.05): fue considerada grado I en 45 pacientes (22 por ciento), grado II en 24 pacientes (12 por ciento), grado III en 4 pacientes (2 por ciento) y grado IV en 3 pacientes (1.5 por ciento), con p de 0.003, 0.002, N.S. y N.S. respectivamente. De los 205 pacientes, 83 (40 por ciento) permanecieron sin cambios en la aparición y/o progresión de la I.M., en 55 pacientes (26.8 por ciento) apareció I.M. de novo (p0.004), en 47 pacientes (23 por ciento) la I.M. aumentó un grado (p0.002) y en 20 pacientes (9.7 por ciento) la I.M. aumentó 2 o más grados (p0.007). De las 138 comisurotomías realizadas con catéter de Inoue, la incidencia de I.M. fue de 56 pacientes (40.5 por ciento), mientras que de las 67 realizadas con doble balón fue de 11 pacientes (16.4 por ciento) p0.03. En cuanto a la severidad de la I.M. con técnica de Inoue y doble balón fue: grado I en 27 por ciento vs 9 por ciento (p0.001), grado II 9.4 por ciento vs 6 por ciento (p o.05), grado III 2.1 por ciento vs 1.5 por ciento (N.S.), y grado IV 2.1 por ciento vs 0 por ciento (N.S.). Sólo la presencia de calcio en las comisuras, y una puntuación ecocardiográfica mayor de 8 puntos, fueron encontradas como variables independientes predictoras de I.M. severa. La insuficiencia mitral leve y moderada, es frecuente en los pacientes sometidos VMTP, siendo mayor cuando es realizada con catéter de Inoue con relevancia estadística. En su forma severa, la insuficiencia mitral post-VMTP es poco frecuente, y también se aprecia más comúnmente si es realizada con catéter de Inoue, aunque sin alcanzar significancia estadística