Severe pulmonary hypertension and circulatory failure associated with Congenital syphilis. Case report.

BACKGROUND: Congenital syphilis is a vertical infection caused by Treponema pallidum. Despite the implementation of preventive strategies during pregnancy, its incidence is increasing, and it constitutes an important public health problem. Most patients with congenital syphilis are asymptomatic; however, a small group may develop severe disease at birth with the need of advanced resuscitation in the delivery room, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, and hemodynamic instability. Therefore, awareness is needed. METHODS AND RESULTS: This series describes the clinical course of two late preterm infants with congenital syphilis who developed acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, pulmonary hypertension, and circulatory collapse early after birth. Integrated hemodynamic evaluation with neonatologist-performed echocardiography (NPE) and therapeutic management is provided. CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive hemodynamic evaluation including early and serial functional echocardiography in these patients is needed to address the underlying complex pathophysiology and to help to establish accurate treatment.

Reports on the sensitivity enhancement in interferometric based biosensors by biotin-streptavidin system.

Antibody biotinylation is a process of attaching biotin molecules to antibodies by chemically modifying specific functional groups on the antibodies without altering their antigen recognition specificity. Biotin, a small vitamin, forms a strong and specific interaction with the protein streptavidin, resulting in a stable biotin-streptavidin (biotin-STV) complex. This biotin-STV interaction is widely exploited in various biotechnological applications, including biosensors. Biosensors are analytical devices that employ biological recognition elements, such as antibodies, enzymes, or nucleic acids, to detect and quantify target analytes in a sample. Antibodies are commonly used as recognition elements in biosensors due to their high specificity and affinity. In this study, the antibody anti-Bovine Serum Albumin (αBSA) has been biotinylated at different antibody:biotin ratios, and the stability of this labeling over time has been investigated. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the biosensor for detecting the Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) protein has been compared using the biotinylated antibody and the non-biotinylated form, showing a four-fold improvement in detection. This system was also compared with the Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) technique. The advantages of using biotinylated antibodies in biosensors include increased stability and reproducibility of the biorecognition layer, as well as flexibility in sensor design, as different biotinylated antibodies can be utilized for diverse target analytes without altering the sensor's architecture.

Peso del recién nacido y su correlación con la edad cronológica y ginecológica de las madres / New born weight and its correlation with the chronological and gynecological age of the mothers

El embarazo en adolescentes de hasta 15 años inclusive, o 3 años o menos de edad ginecológica, es considerado como de alto riesgo por el perfil biopsíquico de las madres. Las complicaciones que se asocian más frecuentemente al embarazo en éste grupo etáreo son: eclampsia, hipertensión arterial, partos prematuros, infecciones urinarias, mayor número de distosias de presentación y posición, mayor número de cesáreas y mayor frecuencia de recién nacidos de bajo peso, si las comparamos con las adultas. Objetivo: Estudiar la relación entre los pesos de hijos de madres adolescentes y la edad cronológica y genecológica de las mismas. Materiales y métodos: Se investigaron 106 historias clínicas pertenecientes a adolescentes de ó15 años, las que tuvieron sus partos entre el 01-01-98 al 31-12-1999 en el Hospital "Evita Pueblo" de Berazategui. Se realizó un estudio longitudinal, retrospectivo y de correlación. Las variables estudiadas fueron: edad cronológica de la madre, edad ginecológica, pesos de los recién nacidos. Se utilizó el programa estadístico: EPI-INFO-6.04C. Octubre 1997. CDC.EPO. Se aplicó el coeficiente de Correlación lineal de Pearson y el de determinación (RZ), Ó y ß seleccionados: 0,05. Resultados: Al estudiar la edad cronológica de la madre en relación al peso del recién nacido el R obtenido fue 0.13 y el R² 0.02, no significativo. Para edad ginecológica y peso del recién nacido el R y R² fueron 0.02 y 0,004 respectivamente. No significativos. Conclusión: No se halló correlación significativa entre edad cronológica, ginecológica de las madres y el peso de los recién nacidos per se. Los factores externos que pueden afectar los resultados perinatales pueden ser evitados con un buen control prenatal y un abordaje interdisciplinario