Effectiveness of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis in infants with respiratory syncytial virus disease in Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most important childhood infections. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis in preterm infants at a high risk of severe respiratory syncytial virus infection during the RSV season in Colombia. METHODOLOGY: A prospective observational non-comparative multicenter study in six Colombian cities. At the beginning of the RSV infection season, palivizumab prophylaxis, up to five doses, was administered to infants born at ≤32 weeks of gestation, infants younger than six months, infants under one year of age with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), infants one year or less of age with hemodynamically significant acyanotic and non-acyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD), and with follow-up during the immunoprophylaxis until one month after the last dose. RESULTS: The study enrolled 600 patients, 91.8% of which were born at ≤ 32 weeks of gestation. BPD was observed in 54.9% of infants. 49% were born at < 32 weeks gestation and presented BPD. 6.9% had hemodynamically significant acyanotic and non-acyanotic CHD 53.3% received three or more doses of palivizumab. The mean interval between doses was 39.6 days. 1.8% of patients were hospitalized due to a confirmed RSV infection. Overall mortality was 1.2%, whereas the mortality by RSV in infants undergoing prophylaxis was 0.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Palivizumab was a clinically effective, well-tolerated treatment in the Colombian population. The safety profile of palivizumab reflects the findings from previous studies in developed countries.

Towards understanding global patterns of antimicrobial use and resistance in neonatal sepsis: insights from the NeoAMR network.

OBJECTIVE: To gain an understanding of the variation in available resources and clinical practices between neonatal units (NNUs) in the low-income and middle-income country (LMIC) setting to inform the design of an observational study on the burden of unit-level antimicrobial resistance (AMR). DESIGN: A web-based survey using a REDCap database was circulated to NNUs participating in the Neonatal AMR research network. The survey included questions about NNU funding structure, size, admission rates, access to supportive therapies, empirical antimicrobial guidelines and period prevalence of neonatal blood culture isolates and their resistance patterns. SETTING: 39 NNUs from 12 countries. PATIENTS: Any neonate admitted to one of the participating NNUs. INTERVENTIONS: This was an observational cohort study. RESULTS: The number of live births per unit ranged from 513 to 27 700 over the 12-month study period, with the number of neonatal cots ranging from 12 to 110. The proportion of preterm admissions <32 weeks ranged from 0% to 19%, and the majority of units (26/39, 66%) use Essential Medicines List 'Access' antimicrobials as their first-line treatment in neonatal sepsis. Cephalosporin resistance rates in Gram-negative isolates ranged from 26% to 84%, and carbapenem resistance rates ranged from 0% to 81%. Glycopeptide resistance rates among Gram-positive isolates ranged from 0% to 45%. CONCLUSION: AMR is already a significant issue in NNUs worldwide. The apparent burden of AMR in a given NNU in the LMIC setting can be influenced by a range of factors which will vary substantially between NNUs. These variations must be considered when designing interventions to improve neonatal mortality globally.

First report case with negative genetic study (array CGH, exome sequencing) in patients with vertical transmission of Zika virus infection and associated brain abnormalities.

INTRODUCTION: Zika virus (ZIKV) is a little-known emerging mosquito-borne flavivirus. The perinatal ZIKV infection was associated with birth defects during the Brazilian outbreak. There was an increased risk of intrauterine transmission of the virus and a marked increase in the number of newborns with microcephaly. We report on two such cases. CASE REPORT: The first case was a 25-year-old pregnant woman from Colombia who became acutely ill with general symptoms during the tenth week of gestation, followed by severe generalized itching and maculopapular rash for approximately five days. This case was reported during the epidemic stage of the ZIKV infection in Colombia. At 23.3 gestational weeks, ultrasonography showed abnormal intracranial anatomy with cerebral ventriculomegaly, microcephaly, and parenchymal calcification. Given the grave prognosis, the patient elected to terminate the pregnancy at 25 gestational weeks. The second case was a 24-year-old pregnant woman who became acutely ill during the 17th week of gestation, which corresponded with the ZIKV epidemic in Colombia. At 30.5 gestational weeks, ultrasonography showed isolated fetal cerebral ventriculomegaly. We detected ZIKV in the amniotic fluid; however, the virus was not detected in the urine or serum of the mother or fetus. Tests for dengue virus, chikungunya virus, Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, HIV, hepatitis B and C, and parvovirus B19 were all negative. Different samples obtained from the placenta, amniotic liquid, and cerebrospinal fluid were positive for viral isolation of ZIKV RNA using TaqMan RT-PCR. Additionally, the parents and fetuses were tested for genetic diseases using whole exome sequencing and array CGH to rule out possible genetic syndromes that produce these congenital abnormalities. CONCLUSION: These were the first cases in Colombia to show early vertical transmission of ZIKV and the first cases associated with congenital cerebral abnormalities in which molecular, infectious, and genomic tests were performed.

Teratoma cervical congénito: reporte de casos / Congenital cervical teratoma: case report

Los teratomas cervicales son tumoraciones infrecuentes y su ubicación a este nivel solo se presenta en el 6 % de todos los tumores de este tipo. Su pronóstico depende del tamaño, localización, tasa de crecimiento, compromiso en la vía aérea, y el manejo adecuado de la lesión. En la literatura se encuentran pocos reportes de casos, dado que dicha enfermedad es poco común. En la Fundación Valle del Lili, en el año anterior, se recibieron varios recién nacidos con masas en el cuello de los cuales dos correspondieron a teratomas congénitos. En el presente reporte se describen dos recién nacidos con grandes masas en cuello, sin diagnóstico prenatal, una de ellas con compromiso hasta región del lóbulo temporal, y en ambos casos con marcado compromiso de la vía aérea y lesiones de rápido crecimiento. El manejo inicial fue la resección quirúrgica con participación del grupo interdisciplinario de la Unidad de Neonatología. El estudio anatomopatológico reportó un teratoma benigno en el primer caso y en el segundo un teratoma inmaduro. Se resalta el manejo interdisciplinario y se incluyen los estudios de imágenes, resultados histopatológicos y se realiza revisión amplia de la literatura existente.

Cervical teratomas are rare tumors in newborns, usually represent close 6% of all of them. Pronostic depend of extension, localization of the mass, optim treatment, rate of growth and level of airway compromise. There are few reports of cases because of low frecuency of presentation. Last year in the Valle del Lili Foundation we admited some newborns with cervical tumors, two of them with congenital teratomas. We present two neonates patients with giant neck masses present at birth, without prenatal diagnosis, one with compromise until temporal lobe and both with severe airway compromise. Initial management was surgical excision with pediatric surgeon, neurosurgeon and interdisciplinary group of specialists of the neonatal intensive care unit. Histopathology study of the lesion reported benign teratoma in the first case and immature teratoma in the second one. We recognize interdisciplinary management and included imagenology histopathology studies and literature review is done.

Malabsorcion de carbohidratos en el sindrome diarreico del nino / Carbohydrate malabsortion in diarrheal syndrome of dhildren

Entre marzo y agosto de 1987 se estudiaron 86 ninos con edades comprendidas entre 1 y 24 meses, quienes habian ingresado al Servicio de Lactantes del Hospital Infantil de Medellin, con deshidratacion secundaria a enfermedad diarreica aguda, prolongada o cronica. Una vez hidratados se inicio la alimentacion con dieta que contenia lactosa. Mediante la prueba de Clinitest se hizo el diagnostico de intolerancia a la lactosa y a las maltodextrinas; la primera estaba presente en el 78% de los pacientes y la segunda en el 10%. No hubo diferencias significativas en la frecuencia de malabsorcion en cuanto al tiempo de evolucion de la riarres ni al estado nutricional de los pacientes. La intolerancia a las maltodextrinas fue significativamente mayor en los menores de seis meses. Los resultado con la prueba de Benedict fueron similares a los encontrado con el Clinitest. Aun cuando en general el ph fecal es mas bajo en los casos de intolerancia, se concluye que su sola medcicion no confirma tal entidad.

Between March and August 1987 we studied 86 children aged 1 to 24 months, who had been admitted to the Lactant Service at Hospital lnfantil, Medellín, Colombia. They were dehydratedas a result of acute, chronic or prolonged diarrhea. Once rehydration was obtained they were put on a lactose-containing diet. Lactose and maltodextrine intolerance were diagnosed employing Clinitest and were found to be present in 78 and 10% respectively. The frequency of malabsortion was not significantly different in regards to duration of diarrhea or nutritional status of patients. Maltodextrine intolerance was significantly more common in those under six months of age. Benedict test and Clinitest ylelded similar results. Fecal pH was generally lower in children with intolerance but this finding was not confirmatory of the presence of this entity