Acquired tracheomalacia due to SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia.

INTRODUCTION: Several studies mentioned parenchymal findings after SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, but few studies have mentioned alterations in the airways. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of tracheomalacia and to analyse the clinical characteristics in a cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: The study population consisted of all patients with SARS-CoV-2 admitted a hospital serving a population of 500 000 inhabitants. Patients were visited between 2 and 6 months after hospital discharge. In this visit, all patients were subjected to an exhaustive clinical questionnaire and underwent clinical examination, pulmonary function tests and chest CT. RESULTS: From February 2020 to August 2021, 1920 patients were included in the cohort and tracheomalacia was observed in 15 (0.8%) on expiratory HRCT imaging. All patients with tracheomalacia also presented ground glass opacities in the CT scan and 12 patients had airway sequelae. CONCLUSIONS: Tracheomalacia is an exceptional sequela of SARS-CoV-2 survivors.

Rubella virus does not induce apoptosis in primary human embryo fibroblast cultures: a possible way of viral persistence in congenital infection.

Congenital rubella is a persistent infection that contrasts with acute postnatal infection. Basis of the Rubella virus (RV) persistence still remain unknown, though several hypotheses have been postulated. RV induces apoptosis in cell lines, maybe as a way of cell-autonomous defense mechanism against virus. Considering the pattern of c-oncogenes expression during embryogenesis, which promotes proliferation while it inhibits apoptosis in specific cells, at certain times, it can be proposed that when RV infection establishes early in gestation, embryo cells that are proliferating have their apoptotic pathways shut down; then infected proliferating embryo cells cannot execute their apoptotic death program. We here report that RV induces apoptosis in human normal-term placenta chorionic villi explants (CVE) and in monolayers of cytotrophoblasts (CTB), but does not induce apoptosis in primary human embryo fibroblasts (HEF) cultures. These results suggest distinct responses to RV infection when comparing differentiated cells, as CTB, to cells with high proliferating potential, as HEF. RV shoots apoptosis in the former, whereas in fibroblastic dividing cells derived from embryo, RV appears not to be enough stimulus to activate the genetic program of cell death.

Apoptosis induction by the infection with Gilchrist strain of rubella virus.

Apoptosis is an active process of cellular self-destruction, which can be initiated in response to several stimuli such as toxic substances, hormones, cytokines, trophic or osmotic modifications and viral infections. In this study, we demonstrate that in vitro rubella-virus (RV) induced cell death exhibited properties of apoptosis, characterized by condensation and segmentation of nuclei and internucleosomal cleavage of nuclear DNA. Apoptosis was not seen in the cells absorbed with UV-inactivated virus, indicating that the viral replication is required for the induction of apoptosis. Our results suggest that most of the cells undergoing apoptosis are non-infected neighboring cells.

Analysis of gene expression in fetal and adult cells infected with rubella virus.

Congenital infection with rubella virus (RUB) leads to persistent infection and congenital defects and we showed previously that primary human fetal fibroblasts did not undergo apoptosis when infected with RUB, which could promote fetal virus persistence [Adamo, P., Asís, L., Silveyra, P., Cuffini, C., Pedranti, M., Zapata, M., 2004. Rubella virus does not induce apoptosis in primary human embryo fibroblasts cultures: a possible way of viral persistence in congenital infection. Viral Immunol. 17, 87-100]. To extend this observation, gene chip analysis was performed on a line of primary human fetal fibroblasts (10 weeks gestation) and a line of human adult lung fibroblasts (which underwent apoptosis in response to RUB infection) to compare gene expression in infected and uninfected cells. A total of 632 and 516 genes were upregulated or downregulated in the infected fetal and adult cells respectively in comparison to uninfected cells, however only 52 genes were regulated in both cell types. Although the regulated genes were different, across functional gene categories the patterns of gene regulation were similar. In general, regulation of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes following infection appeared to favor apoptosis in the adult cells and lack of apoptosis in the fetal cells, however there was a greater relative expression of anti-apoptotic genes and reduced expression of pro-apoptotic genes in uninfected fetal cells versus uninfected adult cells and thus the lack of apoptosis in fetal cells following RUB infection was also due to the prevailing background of gene expression that is antagonistic to apoptosis. In support of this hypothesis, it was found that of a battery of five chemicals known to induce apoptosis, two induced apoptosis in the adult cells, but not in fetal cells, and two induced apoptosis more rapidly in the adult cells than in fetal cells (the fifth did not induce apoptosis in either). A robust interferon-stimulated gene response was induced following infection of both fetal and adult cells and many of the genes upregulated in both cell types were those involved in establishment of an antiviral state; this is the first demonstration of an interferon response at this early stage of human embryonic development. In both fetal and adult cells, interferon controlled but did not eliminate virus spread and apoptosis was not induced in infected fetal cells in the absence of interferon. In addition to the interferon response, chemokines were induced in both infected fetal and adult cells. Thus, it is possible that fetal damage following congenital RUB infection, which involves cell proliferation and differentiation, could be due to induction of the innate immune response as well as frank virus infection.

Isolation of Chlamydophila pneumoniae from atheromas of the carotid artery and their antibiotics susceptibility profile.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is pathogenically similar to a chronic inflammatory response. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a common manifestation of atherosclerosis. Chlamydophila pneumoniae has been suggested to play a role in the origin of PAD. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether C. pneumoniae is present in atherosclerosis lesions of the carotid artery wall in patients with PAD through several diagnostic methods and to characterize C. pneumoniae susceptibility profiles. METHODS: The presence of C. pneumoniae in 9 tissue samples from atherosclerotic lesions obtained by carotid endarterectomy was investigated by 3 methods. Karnofsky-fixed specimens were examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), isolation of C. pneumoniae was attempted in LLCMK2 cell structure (ICC), and the presence of chlamydial DNA was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The in vitro activities of azithromycin, roxithromycin and penicillin were tested in 4 isolations and the reference strain of C. pneumoniae (AR39). RESULTS: C. pneumoniae was detected in atherosclerotic plaques from 4 patients with PAD. The pathogen was identified by TEM, PCR and ICC. We report data of the in vitro susceptibility of 4 strains. These strains did not differ from respiratory AR39 strain in their susceptibility patterns to azithromycin, roxithromycin and penicillin. CONCLUSIONS: C. pneumoniae is frequently found in the advanced carotid atherosclerotic lesions of patients undergoing endarterectomy. Although these findings do not establish causality in carotid artery atherosclerosis, they should stimulate investigation of the possible causal or pathogenic role of C. pneumoniae. Notably, the profiles of antibiotic susceptibility of C. pneumoniae isolated from 4 of the patients did not differ from those of the reference strain.

Comportamiento epidemiológico de la rubéola en la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina / Epidemiology of rubella in the province of Cordoba,Argentina

Se presenta información que permite definir aspectos fundametales del comportamiento epidemiológico de la rubéola en Argentina y en particular en la provincia de Córdoba. Los datos indican que la enfermedad es endemoepidémica con brotes estacionales anuales y ciclos epidémicos periódicos. Los brotes estacionales se inician en julio o agosto, alcanzan su máxima incidencia entre octubre y diciembre y descienden a los niveles iniciales en febrero o marzo. Los datos obtenidos del Registro Nacional de Enfermedades Transmisibles de denuncia obligatoria revelan que de 1960 a 1979 se produjeron tres ondas epidémicas con picos de mayor incidencia en 1965,1969 y 1976. Esta última epidemia se destaca como la de mayor proporción registrada hasta ahora en el país. Dos encuestas serológicas realizadas en 1972-1973 y 1976-l977 con sueros de mujeres residentes en la provincia de Córdoba demostraron que la susceptibilidad a la rubéola en la edad gestacional no sobrepasaba el 14,3%

Rubéola y embarazo: control serológico en la determinación de riesgos y daños / Rubeola and pregnancy: serologic control in determination of risks and damages

Estudios que se realizaron durante la mayor epidemia de rubéola registrada en la República Argentina permiten analizar la utilidad de la prueba de inhibición de la hemaglutinación para el control serológico de embarazadas expuestas al contagio y para el diagnóstico de la rubéola durante el embarazo

Características morfológicas de placas producidas por el virus rubéola en cultivos de células Vero / Morphological characteristics of rubella virus plaques in Vero cell cultures

Bajo condiciones definidas de plaqueo, la cepa Gilschrist de virus rubeola mostró diferencias en la morfología y tamaño de placas en cultivos de células Vero. Estas diferencias se obtuvieron cambiando la concentración de suero fetal bovino. Cuando se utilizó 2% de suero, las placas formadas fueron definidas, mostrando células dispersas que retienen el colorante. En cambio, se formaron placas en forma de anillo cuando la concentración de suero fetal bovino fue modificada al 4%. Esta característica permanece constante después de varios pasajes de la cepa de virus en células Vero. Por ensayos comparativos se determinó la posibilidad de utilizar el efecto citopático en la titulación de virus rubeola, el que brindó títulos infectivos en el mismo orden logarítmico que el ensayo de placas

Aislamiento de cepas de Chlamydia trachomatis Lugol negativas / Isolation of lugol-free strains of Chlamydia trachomatis

Durante el período 1999-2000, se realizó el aislamiento de Chlamydia trachomatis (C trachomatis) a partir de 132 muestras genitales de una población seleccionada de la ciudad de Córdoba. Las inclusiones chlamydiales se revelaron por coloración de Lugol y por inmunofluorescencia indirecta con anticuerpos monoclonales (IFI-AcMn). Se obtuvieron 43 aislamientos positivos por IFI-AcMn, en cambio, sólo 40 fueron positivos por coloración de Lugol. Los 3 aislamientos IFI positivos y Lugol negativos desarrollaron inclusiones semejantes a las inclusiones chlamydiales, pero en su interior no habían retenido el colorante con iodo. Si como los resultados demuestran, existen cepas de C. trachomatis con nuevas características, el aislamiento en cultivo celular y el revelado por IFI-AcMn sería el método de elección para el diagnóstico de la infección por C. trachomatis

Aislamiento de Chlamydia trachomatis en poblaciones con diferente riesgo de infección / Isolation of Chlamydia trachomatis in populations with different risks of infection

El objetivo de este trabajo fue valorar el estado de situación de las infecciones producidas por Chlamydia trachomatis en pacientes que concurrieron a distintos servicios de enfermedades urogenitales, por diferentes motivos de consulta. Se estudiaron 154 pacientes y se establecieron cuatro grupos. En el grupo A de alto riesgo, integrado por varones que concurrieron a un servicio de enfermedades de transmisión sexual, se obtuvo un porcentaje de aislamiento del 50%; en el grupo B, constituido por varones que concurrieron a un servicio de urología, se obtuvo un 20,7% de positivos; en el grupo C, constituido por mujeres que concurrieron a un servicio de ginecología general, se obtuvo un 13,3% de aislamientos; y en el grupo D, integrado por varones y mujeres cuyo motivo de consulta fue la infertilidad, se obtuvo un valor de 4,3% de aislamientos. Los valores de aislamiento se alcanzaron después de la primoinoculación complementada con un pasage ciego en cultivos celulares. El número de parejas sexuales, la edad y los antecedentes de enfermedades de transmisión sexual influyeron en los porcentajes de recuperación de Chlamydia trachomatis, en los diferentes grupos estudiados