Arsenic exposure and respiratory outcomes during childhood in the INMA study.

Ingested inorganic arsenic (iAs) is a human carcinogen that is also linked to other adverse health effects, such as respiratory outcomes. Yet, among populations consuming low-arsenic drinking water, the impact of iAs exposure on childhood respiratory health is still uncertain. For a Spanish child study cohort (INfancia y Medio Ambiente-INMA), low-arsenic drinking water is usually available and ingestion of iAs from food is considered the major source of exposure. Here, we explored the association between iAs exposure and children's respiratory outcomes assessed at 4 and 7 years of age (n = 400). The summation of 4-year-old children's urinary iAs, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was used as a biomarker of iAs exposure (∑As) (median of 4.92 µg/L). Children's occurrence of asthma, eczema, sneeze, wheeze, and medication for asthma and wheeze at each assessment time point (i.e., 4- and 7-year) was assessed with maternal interviewer-led questionnaires. Crude and adjusted Poisson regression models using Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) were performed to account for the association between natural logarithm transformed (ln) urinary ∑As in µg/L at 4 years and repeated assessments of respiratory symptoms at 4 and 7 years of age. The covariates included in the models were child sex, maternal smoking status, maternal level of education, sub-cohort, and children's consumption of vegetables, fruits, and fish/seafood. The GEE-splines function using Poisson regression showed an increased trend of the overall expected counts of respiratory symptoms with high urinary ∑As. The adjusted expected counts (95% confidence intervals) at ln-transformed urinary ∑As 1.57 (average concentration) and 4.00 (99th percentile concentration) were 0.63 (0.36, 1.10) and 1.33 (0.61, 2.89), respectively. These exploratory findings suggest that even relatively low-iAs exposure levels, relevant to the Spanish and other populations, may relate to an increased number of respiratory symptoms during childhood.

Serogrupos y resistencia antimicrobiana de Neisseria meningitidis causantes de enfermedad invasiva en Paraguay

RESUMEN La enfermedad meningocócica representa un problema de salud pública y una de las principales causas de morbilidad y mortalidad en todo el mundo. Los serogrupos que causan la mayor carga de enfermedad a nivel global son A, B, C, W e Y. El objetivo del estudio fue describir los serogrupos y la resistencia antimicrobiana de Neisseria meningitidis aisladas de enfermedad invasiva en Paraguay durante el periodo 2010-2020. Se estudiaron todas las muestras de líquido cefalorraquídeo y sangre con aislamientos o detección de ADN por PCR de N. meningitidis de pacientes de diversas edades, que fueron remitidas al Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública durante el periodo 2010-2020, dentro del marco de la vigilancia epidemiológica de meningitis (n=163) en Paraguay. La mayor frecuencia de hallazgos de N. meningitidis se observó en el grupo de edad de < 1 año. El 25,7% de los casos correspondió al serogrupo B, el 52,1% al serogrupo C, 18,4% al serogrupo W y 3,7% al serogrupo Y. En el 2018, se evidenció la mayor cantidad de casos por serogrupo C (n=27). La menor frecuencia de sensibilidad disminuida a penicilina G fue en el 2010 (12,5%) y la mayor en el 2014 (100,0%). Se registró un aumento de casos por serogrupo C a partir del 2017, posicionándose como serogrupo prevalente hasta el 2020, y además, un aumento de la sensibilidad disminuida a la penicilina. La vigilancia es de importancia en el control de la enfermedad meningocócica para detección de brotes, estimación de la carga de enfermedad, análisis de resistencia antimicrobiana, distribución de serogrupos y evaluaciones de estrategias de control.

ABSTRACT Meningococcal disease represents a public health problem and one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The serogroups that cause the highest burden of disease globally are A, B, C, W, and Y. The aim of the study was to describe serogroups and antimicrobial resistance of Neisseria meningitidis isolated from invasive disease in Paraguay during the 2010-2020 period. Samples of cerebrospinal fluid and blood with isolates or detection of DNA by PCR of N. meningitidis from patients of different ages referred to the Central Public Health Laboratory during the period 2010-2020 within the framework of the epidemiological surveillance of meningitis (n = 163) in Paraguay were studied. The highest frequency of N. meningitidis findings was observed in the <1 year age group, 25.7% of the cases corresponded to serogroup B, 52.1% to serogroup C, 18.4% to serogroup W and 3.7% to serogroup Y. In 2018, the highest number of cases by serogroup C (n = 27) was found. The lowest frequency of decreased sensitivity to penicillin G was in 2010 (12.5%) and the highest in 2014 (100.0%). There was an increase in cases due to serogroup C in 2017, positioning itself as the prevalent serogroup until 2020, in addition, there was an increase in decreased sensitivity to penicillin. Surveillance is important in the control of meningococcal disease for outbreak detection, estimation of the burden of disease, analysis of antimicrobial resistance, serogroup distribution, and evaluations of control strategies.

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Intake during Pregnancy and Child Neuropsychological Development: A Multi-Centre Population-Based Birth Cohort Study in Spain.

Background: There are few studies that look at the intake of all types of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) during the different stages of pregnancy along with a long-term neuropsychological follow-up of the child. This study aims to explore the association between maternal n-3 PUFA intake during two periods of pregnancy and the child's neuropsychological scores at different ages. Methods: Prospective data were obtained for 2644 pregnant women recruited between 2004 and 2008 in population-based birth cohorts in Spain. Maternal n-3 PUFA intake during the first and third trimester of pregnancy was estimated using validated food frequency questionnaires. Child neuropsychological functions were assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant Development version one (BSID) at 1 year old, the McCarthy Scale of Children's Abilities (MSCA) at 4 years old, and the Attention Network Test (ANT) at 7 years old. Data were analysed using multivariate linear regression models and adjusted for potential covariates, such as maternal social class, education, cohort location, alcohol consumption, smoking, breastfeeding duration, and energy intake. Results: Compared to participants in the lowest quartile (<1.262 g/day) of n-3 PUFA consumption during the first trimester, those in the highest quartile (>1.657 g/day) had a 2.26 points (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41, 4.11) higher MSCA general cognitive score, a 2.48 points (95% CI: 0.53, 4.43) higher MSCA verbal score, and a 2.06 points (95% CI: 0.166, 3.95) higher MSCA executive function score, and a 11.52 milliseconds (95% CI: −22.95, −0.09) lower ANT hit reaction time standard error. In the third pregnancy trimester, the associations were weaker. Conclusions: Positive associations between n-3 PUFA intake during early pregnancy and child neuropsychological functions at 4 and 7 years of age were found, and further clinical research is needed to confirm these findings.

Caracterización molecular de carbapenemasas en bacilos gramnegativos circulantes en hospitales de Paraguay. Primer cuatrimestre 2021 / Molecular characterization of carbapenemases in Gram-negative bacilli circulating in hospitals of Paraguay. First quarter of 2021

La resistencia a los antimicrobianos (RAM), representa un grave problema por el uso indiscriminado de antimicrobianos de amplio espectro. En nuestro país, durante el primer cuatrimestre del año, se observó un aumento inusual en el número de aislamiento de gérmenes multirresistentes, sobre todo de bacilos gramnegativos, los cuales fueron remitidos al laboratorio de referencia con el objetivo de caracterizar los genes de resistencia a los carbapenemes. Estudio observacional y prospectivo de corte transversal en 456 aislamientos de bacilos gramnegativos provenientes de 11 centros colaboradores de la Red Nacional de Vigilancia de la RAM, remitidos al Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública entre enero y abril de 2021, para la detección molecular (reacción en cadena de la polimerasa múltiple) de los genes de resistencia enzimática bla OXA-51, bla OXA-23, bla OXA-24, bla OXA-48, bla OXA-58, bla NDM, bla KPC, bla IMP, bla VIM. Trescientos sesenta correspondieron a bacilos gramnegativos no fermentadores: 346 Acinetobacter baumannii y 14 Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 96 fueron miembros de Enterobacterales, siendo prevalente Klebsiella pneumoniae (81). Todos los aislamientos de Acinetobacter baumannii resultaron ser productores de carbapenemasas: OXA-23 (94%), NDM (4%), NMD+OXA-58 (2%); en Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 7 de los 14 aislamientos (50%) fueron portadores de metalobetalactamasa del genotipo NDM (100%). Los genotipos NDM (92%) y KPC (8%) fueron confirmados en Enterobacterales. La resistencia plasmídica a carbapenemes es endémica en nuestro país, siendo prevalentes los genotipos OXA-23 en Acinetobacter baumannii y NDM en Pseudomonas aeruginosa y Enterobacterales

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a serious problem due to the indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials. During the first quarter of the year, an unusual increase in the number of isolation multi-resistant germs, especially gram-negative bacilli was observed, specially of Gram-negative bacilli which were referred to the reference laboratory in order to characterize the carbapenems resistance genes. Observational and prospective cross-sectional study in 456 isolates of Gram-negative bacilli from 11 collaborating centers of the National AMR Surveillance Network, referred to the Central Public Health Laboratory (LCSP) between January and April 2021, for molecular detection (multiple polymerase chain reaction) targeting the enzymatic resistance genes: bla OXA-51, bla OXA-23, bla OXA-24, bla OXA-48, bla OXA-58, bla NDM, bla KPC, bla IMP, bla VIM. Of the 456 isolates studied, 360 corresponded to non-fermenting Gram-negative bacilli, of which 346 were confirmed as Acinetobacter baumannii and 14 Pseudomonas aeruginosa; 96 were Enterobacterales, being Klebsiella pneumoniae (81) the most prevalent. All isolates of Acinetobacter baumannii carried genes encoding carbapenemases, being the OXA-23 (94%) followed by NDM (4%) and NDM +OXA-58 (2%). In Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains, 7 of the 14 isolates (50%) were carriers of NDM metallobetalactamase (100%). No carbapenemase gene was detected in the remaining 7. In all Enterobacterales strains, the presence of carbapenemases of the NDM (92%) and KPC (8%) genotypes were confirmed. Plasmid resistance to carbapenems is endemic in our country, being the OXA-23 genotypes prevalent in Acinetobacter baumannii and NDM in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Enterobacterales

Association of Iron Status and Intake During Pregnancy with Neuropsychological Outcomes in Children Aged 7 Years: The Prospective Birth Cohort Infancia y Medio Ambiente (INMA) Study.

Early iron status plays an important role in prenatal neurodevelopment. Iron deficiency and high iron status have been related to alterations in child cognitive development; however, there are no data about iron intake during pregnancy with other environmental factors in relation to long term cognitive functioning of children. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between maternal iron status and iron intake during pregnancy and child neuropsychological outcomes at 7 years of age. We used data from the INMA Cohort population-based study. Iron status during pregnancy was assessed according to serum ferritin levels, and iron intake was assessed with food frequency questionnaires. Working memory, attention, and executive function were assessed in children at 7 years old with the N-Back task, Attention Network Task, and the Trail Making Test, respectively. The results show that, after controlling for potential confounders, normal maternal serum ferritin levels (from 12 mg/L to 60 mg/L) and iron intake (from 14.5 mg/day to 30.0 mg/day), respectively, were related to better scores in working memory and executive functioning in offspring. Since these functions have been associated with better academic performance and adaptation to the environment, maintaining a good state of maternal iron from the beginning of pregnancy could be a valuable strategy for the community.