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RESUMEN Introducción: el dengue es, de todas las enfermedades trasmitidas por vectores, la de mayor importancia, y constituye una prioridad de la salud pública. Objetivo: caracterizar el comportamiento de ingresos por dengue en el Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital General Docente Julio M. Aristegui Villamil, del municipio Cárdenas, en la provincia de Matanzas. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio retrospectivo descriptivo, en el período de enero a diciembre de 2019. El universo estuvo conformado por 779 casos que requirieron ingreso hospitalario, estudiándose de forma intencional la totalidad de la población comprendida entre los 4 y 18 años. Las variables estudiadas fueron: distribución de los casos ingresados por meses del año, grupo de edad, sexo y signos de alarma. Resultados: los meses de mayores ingresos fueron agosto (26,5 %) y julio (26,3 %), predominando el grupo de 15 a 18 años (43 %). Se observaron signos de alarma en 62 niños (8 %); la mayor frecuencia fue en el grupo de 15 a 18 años (50,0 %), con predominio en el sexo masculino (53,2 %). El dolor abdominal fue el síntoma de alarma más frecuente (70,9 %). Conclusiones: la mayor incidencia de casos de dengue se presentó en los meses de agosto y julio, en el grupo de edad de 15 a 18 años y en el sexo masculino. Poco menos de la décima parte presentó signos de alarma, correspondiendo la mitad de estos al grupo de edad de 15 a 18 años. La señal de alarma que prevaleció fue el dolor abdominal.
ABSTRACT Introduction: dengue is, among the vector-transmitted diseases, the most important one, and is a public health priority. Objective: to characterize dengue admissions behavior in the Pediatrics Service of the General Teaching Hospital Julio M. Aristegui Villamil, of the municipality of Cardenas, in the province of Matanzas. Materials and methods: a retrospective descriptive study was conducted in the period from January to December 2019. The universe was formed by 779 cases that were admitted in the hospital; the entire population between 4 and 18 years was intentionally studied. The variables studied were the distribution of the admitted cases by months of the year, age group, sex and warning signs. Results: the highest admission months were August (26.5 %) and July (26.3 %), predominating the 15-18 years age-group (43.0 %). Warning signs were observed in 62 children (8 %); the highest frequency was found in the 15-18 years group (50 %), with predominance in the male sex (53.2 %). Abdominal pain was the most frequent warning sign (70.9 %). Conclusions: the highest incidence of dengue cases occurred in August and July, in the 15-18 years age group and in the male sex. Less than a tenth part showed warning signs, half of them corresponding to the 15-18 years age group. The prevailing warning sign was abdominal pain.
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BACKGROUND: Analysis of fetal DNA from maternal plasma by PCR offers great potential for noninvasive prenatal genetic diagnosis. To further evaluate this potential, we developed and validated a standard protocol to determine whether fetal DNA sequences could be reproducibly amplified and measured across multiple laboratories in a common set of specimens. METHODS: Each of five participating centers in a National Institute of Child Health and Human Development consortium collected 20 mL of peripheral blood from 20 pregnant women between 10 and 20 weeks of gestation. The plasma fraction was separated according to a common protocol, divided, and frozen in five aliquots. One aliquot was shipped to each participating laboratory, where DNA was extracted according to a standard protocol. All plasma samples (n = 100) were then analyzed blindly for the presence and quantity of total DNA (GAPDH) and male fetal DNA (SRY) by real-time PCR. Genomic DNA was isolated from female and male cells at one center, quantified, and shipped to the others to serve as calibrators for GAPDH and SRY, respectively. RESULTS: The amplification of known quantities of DNA was consistent among all centers. The mean quantity of male DNA amplified from maternal plasma when the fetus was male ranged from 51 to 228 genome equivalents (GE)/mL. Qualitative concordance was found overall among centers. The sensitivity of the assay for detection of male DNA when the fetus was male varied from 31% to 97% among centers. Specificity was more consistent (93-100%) with only four false-positive results obtained across the entire study. CONCLUSIONS: All centers were able to consistently amplify frozen and shipped DNA. The PCR procedure used here is reliable and reproducible. Centers that extracted and amplified more DNA per milliliter of maternal plasma had superior sensitivities of Y chromosome sequence detection. The specificity of the assay was more consistent among centers. A robust and thoroughly optimized protocol for the extraction of DNA from maternal plasma is needed to make testing of fetal DNA in maternal plasma a clinically relevant analytical tool.