Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Paediatric Patients Diagnosed with COVID-19 in a Tertiary Hospital in Mexico City.

COVID-19 affects the paediatric population less frequently than adults. A retrospective study was performed in a tertiary paediatric hospital in Mexico City in children <18 years of age who were hospitalized with a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for SARS-CoV-2. Included in the study were 86 patients with a median age of 10 years old (IQR 2.6-14.3 years), who were classified in three groups: previously healthy, with chronic disease and immunosuppressed patients. The principal signs and symptoms were fever (81%), cough (51%) and headache (35%). A total of 20 patients (23%) required management in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and 17% needed mechanical ventilation for an average of 12.7 days (IQR 2-29 days). There was no statistically significant difference between the three clinical classification groups in those patients admitted to the PICU, most of which were previously healthy patients. The mortality rate was 5% (four patients). Given that the paediatric population is susceptible to infection, potential transmitters and to clinical presentations with variable degrees of severity, it is important to continue reinforcing social distancing measures.

The impact of environmental metals in young urbanites' brains.

Air pollution exposures are linked to cognitive and olfaction deficits, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration including frontal hyperphosphorylated tau and diffuse amyloid plaques in Mexico City children and young adults. Mexico City residents are chronically exposed to fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) concentrations (containing toxic combustion and industrial metals) above the annual standard (15 µg/m(3)) and to contaminated water and soil. Here, we sought to address the brain-region-specific effects of metals and key neuroinflammatory and DNA repair responses in two air pollution targets: frontal lobe and olfactory bulb from 12 controls vs. 47 Mexico City children and young adults average age 33.06±4.8 SE years. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (metal analysis) and real time PCR (for COX2, IL1ß and DNA repair genes) in target tissues. Mexico City residents had higher concentrations of metals associated with PM: manganese (p=0.003), nickel and chromium (p=0.02) along with higher frontal COX2 mRNA (p=0.008) and IL1ß (p=0.0002) and COX2 (p=0.005) olfactory bulb indicating neuroinflammation. Frontal metals correlated with olfactory bulb DNA repair genes and with frontal and hippocampal inflammatory genes. Frontal manganese, cobalt and selenium increased with age in exposed subjects. Together, these findings suggest PM-metal neurotoxicity causes brain damage in young urbanites, the olfactory bulb is a target of air pollution and participates in the neuroinflammatory response and since metal concentrations vary significantly in Mexico City urban sub-areas, place of residency has to be integrated with the risk for CNS detrimental effects particularly in children.

Identification of asthma risk factors in Mexico City in an International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood survey.

The International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC) has assessed the prevalence of asthma, as well as the factors related to the disease in different countries. The aim of this study was to identify asthma risks factors in Mexico City. Data were obtained from questionnaires of children participating in a phase 3b ISAAC survey. Two thousand ninety-eight boys and 2008 girls were recruited in the 6- to 7-year-old group and 3243 boy and 3333 girls were recruited in the 13- to 14-year-old group. Logistic regression was used to determine the asthma risks factors. In the logistic regression for cumulative and current asthma prevalence, the variables allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were the most important risk factors with the highest odds ratios (OR > 1.5; p < 0.05). The use of antibiotics and paracetamol in the first 12 months of life were related to cumulative asthma in both genders in the 6- to 7-year-old group. Contact of pregnant mother with farm animals was positively related with cumulative asthma in boys in the 6- to 7-year-old group. The main factors associated with the cumulative and current prevalence of asthma in both age groups were atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. Future interventions for the prevention and early diagnosis and treatment could be focused in the natural history of the atopic march.

Desventajas de la introducción de los jugos de frutas en la alimentación del lactante / Adverse reactions in the introduction of fruit juices in the infant nutrition

La introducción de los jugos de fruta en la alimentación del niño en el momento actual es controversial. El presente artículo muestra los efectos adversos que se producen secundarios a su uso. En nuestro país el 33 por ciento de los niños a los 3 meses de edad ya los consumen y para los 6 meses el porcentaje se eleva hasta el 100 por ciento. Los jugos de fruta son extractos líquidos derivados de la fruta que les dio origen, en su composición existen carbohidratos no absorbibles, como el sorbitol y otros en cantidades elevadas como la fructuosa. En nuesto laboratorio encontamos pH entre 3.6 y 4.0, con osmolaridades que van desde 680 hasta 1471 mOsm/L, dependiendo del tipo de fruta. Entre las más ácidas y con osmolaridad más elevada están el jugo de manzana y el de uva. La sintomatología secundaria al consumo de los jugos de fruta en los primeros 12 meses de vida es: dolor abdominal crónico, diarrea aguda y crónica, detención del crecimiento, exacerbación del reflujo gastroesofágico, caries dentales s síndrome del biberón. Los autores recomiendan que los jugos de fruta se ofrezcan en la dieta de los niños a partir del año de edadd

Tratamiento del asma / Treatment of asthma

En el presente trabajo revisamos el tratamiento actual del asma bronquial, proponiendo clasificación simple para catalogarla de acuerdo a la intensidad del cuadro tanto crónico como agudo. El objetivo de esta revisión es enfocar nuestros esfuerzos hacia un buen control ambiental, sobre todo intradomiciliario. En el proceso agudo recomendar el manejo de broncodilatadores principalmente por vía inhalada, por su rápida acción y para limitar sus efectos colaterales; siempre usarlos por razón necesaria, sin olvidar que durante la crisis hay inflamación importante, existiendo la posibilidad en cuadros de estado de mal asmático. Finalmente recalcar la importancia del manejo a largo plazo con el uso de antiinflamatorios tópicos