Zinc Supplementation Promotes a Th1 Response and Improves Clinical Symptoms in Fewer Hours in Children With Pneumonia Younger Than 5 Years Old. A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial.

Background: Pneumonia caused 704,000 deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2015. Zinc is an important micronutrient due to its role in immune function. Since 2004, WHO recommends zinc supplementation for children with diarrhea to shorten the duration and decrease severity. Zinc supplementation for children with pneumonia is controversial. Methods: A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted, and 103 children 1 month to 5 years old with pneumonia were included. Zinc or placebo was given during hospitalization. Clinical symptoms were recorded, and a blood draw was obtained to determine serum zinc levels, lymphoproliferation, and cytokines at hospitalization and at discharge of the patient; a nasal wash was obtained to detect viral or bacterial pathogens by multiplex RT-PCR. Results: Zinc supplementation improved in fewer hours the clinical status (76 ± 7 vs. 105 ± 8, p = 0.01), the respiratory rate (37 ± 6 vs. 57 ± 7, p = 0.04), and the oxygen saturation (53 ± 7 vs. 87 ± 9, p = 0.007) compared to the placebo group. An increase in IFNγ and IL-2 after treatment in the zinc group was observed. Conclusions: Zinc supplementation improved some clinical symptoms in children with pneumonia in fewer hours and induced a cellular immune response. Clinical Trial Registration: The trial was retrospectively registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03690583, URL https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03690583?term=zinc+children&cond=Pneumonia&draw=2&rank=1.

Maternal folic acid supplementation reduces the severity of cleft palate in Tgf-ß3 null mutant mice.

BACKGROUND: Cleft palate (CP) constitutes the most frequently seen orofacial cleft and is often associated with low folate status. Folate plays an essential role in the human body as a major coenzyme in one-carbon metabolism, including DNA synthesis, repair, and methylation. Whether the administration of isolated folic acid (FA) supplements prevents the CP caused by genetic mutations is unknown, as is its effect on the mechanisms leading to palate fusion. METHODS: FA was administered to females from two different strains of transforming growth factor ß3 heterozygous mice. Null mutant progeny of these mice exhibit CP in 100% of cases of varying severity. We measured cleft length, height of palatal shelf adhesion, and the number of proliferating mesenchymal cells. Immunohistochemistry was also carried for collagen IV, laminin, fibronectin, cytokeratin-17, and EGF. RESULTS: FA supplementation significantly reduced CP severity and improved palatal shelf adhesion in both strains both in vivo and in vitro. Medial edge epithelium proliferation increased, and its differentiation was normalized as indicated by the presence and disposition of collagen IV, laminin, fibronectin, and cytokeratin-17. CONCLUSIONS: A maternal FA supplementation reduces the CP appearance by improving the mechanisms leading to palatal shelf adhesion.

Ciprofloxacina vs cefotaxima en infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos / Ciprofloxacin vs cifotaxine in skin and bland tissues infections

Se realizó un estudio clínico abierto, prospectivo, comparativo y aleatorio en el cual se evaluó la seguridad y efectividad de la ciprofloxacina por vía oral (500 mg/12 horas) vs cefotaxima por vía parenteral (1 gr/8 horas) en el tratamiento de infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos. Del total de 60 pacientes incluidos en el estudio, 47 fueron evaluables, 25 pacientes en el grupo de ciprofloxacina y 22 en el grupo de cefotaxina. Ambos grupos fueron comparables en cuanto a sus características clínicas. En los dos grupo predominaron los microorganismos gram positivos, siendo el Staphylociccus aureus la cepa aislada con mayor frecuencia. Se obtuvo la curación en 23 pacientes (92%) y 22 pacientes (100%) en el grupo de ciprofloxamina y cefotaxima, respectivamente. Se apreció mejoría clínica en 2 pacientes con ciprofloxacina (8%). La erradicación bacteriológica se observó en el 92% en el grupo que recibió ciprofloxacina y en el 86,9% en el grupo que recibió cefotaxima. No hubo efectos colaterales importantes en nigún paciente. La ciprofloxacina es equivalente a la cefotaxima, en cuanto a su efectividad y tolerabilidad en este tipo de infecciones