Neurodevelopmental assessment of normocephalic children born to Zika virus exposed and unexposed pregnant people.

BACKGROUND: Studies examining the association between in utero Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure and child neurodevelopmental outcomes have produced varied results. METHODS: We aimed to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes among normocephalic children born from pregnant people enrolled in the Zika in Pregnancy in Honduras (ZIPH) cohort study, July-December 2016. Enrollment occurred during the first prenatal visit. Exposure was defined as prenatal ZIKV IgM and/or ZIKV RNA result at enrollment. Normocephalic children, >6 months old, were selected for longitudinal follow-up using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSID-III) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE-2). RESULTS: One hundred fifty-two children were assessed; after exclusion, 60 were exposed and 72 were unexposed to ZIKV during pregnancy. Twenty children in the exposed group and 21 children in the unexposed group had a composite score <85 in any of the BSID-III domains. Although exposed children had lower cognitive and language scores, differences were not statistically significant. For ASQ:SE-2 assessment, there were not statistically significant differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study found no statistically significant differences in the neurodevelopment of normocephalic children between in utero ZIKV exposed and unexposed. Nevertheless, long-term monitoring of children with in utero ZIKV exposure is warranted. IMPACT: This study found no statistically significant differences in the neurodevelopment in normocephalic children with in utero Zika virus exposure compared to unexposed children, although the exposed group showed lower cognitive and language scores that persisted after adjustment by maternal age and education and after excluding children born preterm and low birth weight from the analysis. Children with prenatal Zika virus exposure, including those normocephalic and have no evidence of abnormalities at birth, should be monitored for neurodevelopmental delays. Follow-up is important to be able to detect developmental abnormalities that might not be detected earlier in life.

Outcomes After Second-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in Children Living With HIV in Latin America.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the long-term outcomes of children living with HIV in Latin America. Few studies have examined antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen switches in the years after the introduction of ART in this population. This study aimed to assess clinical outcomes among children who started second-line ART in the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology. METHODS: Children (<18 years old) with HIV who switched to second-line ART at sites within Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology were included. The cumulative incidence and relative hazards of virologic failure while on second-line ART, loss to follow-up, additional major ART regimen changes, and all-cause mortality were evaluated using competing risks methods and Cox models. RESULTS: A total of 672 children starting second-line ART were included. Three years after starting second-line ART, the cumulative incidence of death was 0.10 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08 to 0.13], loss to follow-up was 0.14 (95% CI: 0.11 to 0.17), and major regimen change was 0.19 (95% CI: 0.15 to 0.22). Of those changing regimens, 35% were due to failure and 11% due to toxicities/side effects. Among the 312 children with viral load data, the cumulative incidence of virologic failure at 3 years was 0.62 (95% CI: 0.56 to 0.68); time to virologic failure and regimen change were uncorrelated (rank correlation -0.001; 95% CI -0.18 to 0.17). CONCLUSIONS: Poor outcomes after starting second-line ART in Latin America were common. The high incidence of virologic failure and its poor correlation with changing regimens was particularly worrisome. Additional efforts are needed to ensure children receive optimal ART regimens.

Triple versus monoterapia antibiótica en apendicitis complicada: ensayo clínico abierto, Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social, Tegucigalpa / Triple versus antibiotic monotherapy in complicated appendicitis: open clinical trial, Honduran Social Security Institute, Tegucigalpa

Antecedentes: En Honduras no se dispone de evidencia publicada sobre diferencias en eicacia de esquemas terapéuticos basados en antibióticos para el manejo post-quirúrgico para apendicitis aguda complicada en niños. Objetivo: Determinar la eicacia y seguridad de triple versus monoterapia antibiótica en pacientes pediátricos con apendicitis aguda complicada, Hospital de Especialidades, Instituto Hondureño de Seguridad Social (IHSS), Tegucigalpa, 2011-2013. Métodos: Ensayo clínico abierto, dos esquemas terapéuticos: Triple Terapia (Ampicilina+Amikacina+Clindamicina, GrupoTT) y Ertapenem (GrupoE) durante 7 días. Se incluyeron pacientes con diagnóstico de apendicitis aguda complicada y sometidos a apendicectomía abierta. Los pacientes fueron evaluados en Consulta Externa, 7 días post-quirúrgicos. Se obtuvo aprobación por Comité de Etica en Investigación IHSS. Se utilizó prueba Chi-cuadrado, Riesgo Relativo, intervalo de conianza de 95% y valor de p<0.05 para determinar diferencias entre grupos. Resultados: Seincluyeron 58 pacientes en GrupoTT y 29 en Grupo E, edad media fue 7.3 años (IC95% 6.7-7.9) GrupoTT y 8 años (IC95% 7-9) GrupoE. La evolución promedio del cuadro clínico fue 31.6 horas GrupoTT y 43.8 horas GrupoE (p=0.034). No se encontró diferencias signiicativas respecto a efectos adversos de importancia clínica, complicaciones postoperatorias, estancia intrahospitalaria en días, o necesidad de readmisión por recurrencia/complicación posterior al alta. Discusión: La monoterapia con ertapenem presentó similar eicacia y seguridad que la triple terapia con Ampicilina+Amikacina+Clindamicina empleada actualmente en el tratamiento del paciente pediátrico con apendicitis complicada. El estudio está limitado por que los dos grupos de estudio fueron diferentes en la evolución de la enfermedad...(AU)

Mortality in Children with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Initiating Treatment: A Six-Cohort Study in Latin America.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risks of and factors associated with mortality, loss to follow-up, and changing regimens after children with HIV infected perinatally initiate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in Latin America and the Caribbean. STUDY DESIGN: This 1997-2013 retrospective cohort study included 1174 antiretroviral therapy-naïve, perinatally infected children who started cART age when they were younger than 18 years of age (median 4.7 years; IQR 1.7-8.8) at 1 of 6 cohorts from Argentina, Brazil, Haiti, and Honduras, within the Caribbean, Central and South America Network for HIV Epidemiology. Median follow-up was 5.6 years (IQR 2.3-9.3). Study outcomes were all-cause mortality, loss to follow-up, and major changes in cART. We used Cox proportional hazards models stratified by site to examine the association between predictors and times to death or changing regimens. RESULTS: Only 52% started cART at younger than 5 years of age; 19% began a protease inhibitor. At cART initiation, median CD4 count was 472 cells/mm3 (IQR 201-902); median CD4% was 16% (IQR 10-23). Probability of death was high in the first year of cART: 0.06 (95% CI 0.04-0.07). Five years after cART initiation, the cumulative mortality incidence was 0.12 (95% CI 0.10-0.14). Cumulative incidences for loss to follow-up and regimen change after 5 years were 0.16 (95% 0.14-0.18) and 0.30 (95% 0.26-0.34), respectively. Younger children had the greatest risk of mortality, whereas older children had the greatest risk of being lost to follow-up or changing regimens. CONCLUSIONS: Innovative clinical and community approaches are needed for quality improvement in the pediatric care of HIV in the Americas.