Characterization of the lung microbiome and inflammatory cytokine levels in women exposed to environmental risk factors: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Lung microbiome dysbiosis affects the immune system balance and promotes lung inflammation. We aimed to characterize and compare the lung bacteriome composition and the cytokine profile in women with normal lung function exposed to risk factors for chronic lung diseases (tobacco smoking and biomass-burning smoke exposure). METHODS: We included women with biomass-burning smoke exposure (BE, n = 11) and current smokers women (TS, n = 10). The bacteriome composition was performed in induced sputum, sequencing the 16 rRNA gene. Cytokine levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay multiplex assay in the supernatant of induced sputum. For quantitative variables, we used medians and minimum and maxim values. For the amplicon sequence variants (ASV) differential abundance testing between groups. RESULTS: At the taxa level, the phylum Proteobacteria was found in a higher proportion in the TS group concerning BE (p = .045); however, after the false discovery rate adjustment, this difference was not retained (p = .288). We found a higher concentration of IL-1ß in the TS group than in the BE group (248.6 vs. 177.9 pg/mL, p = .010). Women with high biomass-burning smoke exposure in an hour per day had a positive correlation with the abundance of Bacteroidota (ρ = 0.71, p = .014) and Fusobacteriota (ρ = 0.73, p = .011). FEV1/FVC had a positive correlation with an abundance of Bacteroidota, Proteobacteria, and Fusobacteria (ρ = 0.74, p = .009, ρ = 0.85, p = .001, and ρ = 0.83, p = .001, respectively). In tobacco smoking, women had a positive correlation (ρ = 0.77, p = .009) between cigarettes per day and Firmicutes' abundance. CONCLUSION: Compared to biomass-burning smoke-exposed women, current smokers have poor lung function and high levels of IL-1ß in sputum. Women with biomass-burning smoke exposure present an increased abundance of Bacteroidota and Fusobacteriota.

Genetic variants as risk factors for cigarette smoking at an early age and relapse to smoking cessation treatment: A pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Tobacco smoking is a complex and multifactorial disease involving both environmental and genetic factors. In the Mexican mestizo population, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cigarette smoking and a greater degree of nicotine addiction have been identified; however, no possible roles have been explored in regard to the age of onset of smoking or in the success of quitting. METHODS: In this study, 151 Mexican mestizo, who smoke cigarettes, were included. They were grouped according to the age at which they started smoking: those who started smoking before 18 years of age (early smokers, ES) and those who started smoking ≥18 years of age (late smokers, LS). In addition, relapse in smoking was evaluated at the first month after the end of treatment. Genetic association was evaluated characterizing 10 SNPs in 4 genes (CHRNA5, CHRNA3, NRXN1, and HTR2A). RESULTS: According to the dominant model of genetic inheritance, rs6313 (CT+TT) of the HTR2A gene was associated (p = 0.0201) with cigarette consumption at early ages (OR = 2.68, CI = 1.18-6.07). When the risk of relapse was analyzed one month after the end of treatment, regardless of the age of onset, the T allele (rs6313) of HTR2A appeared to be a risk factor for relapse (OR = 2.92, 95% CI = 1.06-8.11); the T allele was found more frequently in those who relapsed (50.0%) compared with people who maintained abstinence (25.4%) (p = 0.0332). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that in Mexican mestizos who smoke cigarettes, the presence of the T allele in rs6313 of the HTR2A gene increases the risk for the early onset of cigarette smoking as well as the risk for relapsing one month after completing smoking cessation treatment.

Síndrome de congestión pélvica como causa de dolor pélvico crónico / Pelvic congestion syndrome as a cause of chronic pelvic pain

El síndrome de Congestión Pélvica (SCP) es una causa reconocida de dolor pélvico crónico, el cual también se asocia a dispareunia y a varices a nivel vulvar. El flujo venoso retrógrado a través de venas pélvicas dilatadas y tortuosas secundarias a incompetencia valvular u obstrucción en las venas ováricas se ha considerado como la causa más probable. Se estima que el 60% de las pacientes con varices pélvicas son sintomáticas. La conexión directa con las venas arcuatas en el miometrio, el flujo de baja velocidad y el incremento del diámetro con la maniobra de Valsalva se asocian con la exacerbación de los síntomas. El tratamiento del SCP es aún controversial, pero la embolización endovenosa bilateral con escleroterapia ha reportado disminuir exitosamente los síntomas en la mayoría de los casos.

Pelvic congestion syndrome is a reported cause of chronic pelvic pain, which is also associated with dyspareunia and vulvar varicosities. Retrograde flow through tortuous and dilated pelvic veins that develop secondary to incompetent valves or obstruction in the ovarian vein is considered the most likely cause. It is estimated that up to 60% of patients with pelvic varicosities are symptomatic. Imaging techniques demonstrate multiple dilated veins surrounding the pelvic organs. Direct connection to the arcuate veins in the myometrium, low velocity flow, and increase in diameter after the Valsalva maneuver all are associated with symptoms. The treatment of pelvic congestion syndrome remains controversial, but bilateral transcatheter embolization with sclerotherapy is reported to successfully improve symptoms in most cases.

La muerte violenta de menores de 18 años en Costa Rica en el 2010 / The violent death of children under 18 years in Costa Rica in 2010

La motivación de este trabajo es la preponderancia de conocer el estado en que nos encontramos con respecto al peor resultado posible de la violencia infantil en Costa Rica (muerte) con el fin de facilitar el trabajo de creación de políticas de salud que protejan a una población con la garantía constitucional de dicha protección. Obtuvimos que la incidencia costarricense de muerte violenta en menores de 18 años durante el año 2010 fue de 12.31 por cada 100 mil habitantes menores de edad y de 3.72 por cada 100 mil habitantes del país. Además es destacable que se encontró una incidencia elevada en los extremos etarios (0-1 y 16-17), en varones, a principio de año, causado por asfixia o accidente de tránsito y en la provincia de San José.

Our motivation was to know the prevalence of the condition in which we find to be the worst possible outcome of violence against children in Costa Rica: death, to facilitate the work of creating health policies that protect this population with a constitutional guarantee of special protection. We obtained that the Costa Rican incidence of violent death under age 18 in 2010 was 12.31 per 100 000 children and 3.72 per 100 000 inhabitants. It is also remarkable that a high incidence was found: in the age extremes (0-1 and 16-17), in men, early in the year, caused by asphyxia or accident and in the province of San José.

Embriología del desarrollo de los bronquios y el parénquima pulmonar / Embryology of development of the bronchi and lung parenchyma

Las malformaciones congénitas de aparato respiratorio son un extenso número de patologías que oscilan en gravedad dependiendo del momento embriológico en que se dio el fallo y cuales mecanismos fueron afectados. En la revisión se profundiza en patologías congénitas como el secuestro broncopulmonar y la malformación adenomatoide quística...