Cast bronchitis in infants and children.

Seventy-two children (age range, 3 months to 5.5 years) with a clinical diagnosis of obstructive bronchitis (asthmatoid or spastic bronchitis or bronchiolitis) were found to have bronchial casts in the gastric fluid, and in 2 additional cases casts were spontaneously expectorated in the bronchial exudate. Cast bronchitis had a long-term course of 10 to 24 months in 65 of the 74 patients. Common radiologic findings included bronchi presumably filled with secretions, areas of atelectasis, and lung emphysema of varying degrees. Cast bronchitis did not appear to be associated with eosinophilia and elevated serum IgE levels. Therefore, an extrinsic allergic mechanism is not likely involved in the pathogenesis of the condition. Bronchial casts had varying consistencies; although they were usually soft, they were sometimes rather hard. They were hollow, often ramified, and white and measured from 0.5 to 2 cm in length. Histologically, they consisted of metaplastic squamous epithelium with a varying degree of inflammatory cells and noncellular material. Some differences in biochemical composition were observed between bronchial casts and bronchial exudate of acute catarrhal bronchitis. No viruses could be isolated in 11 cast specimens. Our results suggest that cast formation is mainly related to the metaplastic transformation of the bronchial epithelium and that this metaplasia may play an important pathophysiologic role in certain infants and children with obstructive bronchitis.

Establecimiento en Cuba de la técnica de fertilización in vitro (FIV) y transferencia embrionaria (TE): informe preliminar / Establishment in Cuba of fertilization in vitro technique (FIV) and embryo transference (ET): preliminary report

La infertilidad constituye un serio problema de salud al nivel mundial con repercusiones psicosociales de extrema importancia. La fertilización in vitro y transferrencia embrionaria es considerada actualmente el tratamiento de elección en gran parte de las causas de infertilidad masculina y femenina. Se estableció en nuestro país el primer Programa de este tipo y se logró el primer éxito a los 10 meses de comenzado el trabajo. Hasta el presente se han obtenido 8 embarazos, de los cuales hay 3 nacimientos, 1 embarazo en curso, 1 ectópico y 3 abortos espontáneos tempranos. La tasa de embarazo es de 12,3