Long-term impact on cardiopulmonary function and quality of life among patients recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 6-month follow-up period in Lima, Peru: FUNCTION cohort study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: The sequelae of COVID-19 have been described as a multisystemic condition, with a great impact on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems with abnormalities in pulmonary function tests, such as lower diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLco) levels and pathological patterns in spirometry; persistence of radiological lesions; cardiac involvement such as myocarditis and pericarditis; and an increase in mental disorders such as anxiety and depression. Several factors, such as infection severity during the acute phase as well as vaccination status, have shown some variable effects on these post-COVID-19 conditions, mainly at a clinical level such as symptoms persistence. Longitudinal assessments and reversibility of changes across the spectrum of disease severity are required to understand the long-term impact of COVID-19. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A prospective cohort study aims to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on cardiopulmonary function and quality of life after the acute phase of the disease over a 6-month follow-up period. Sample size was calculated to recruit 200 participants with confirmatory COVID-19 tests who will be subsequently classified according to infection severity. Four follow-up visits at baseline, month 1, month 3 and month 6 after discharge from the acute phase of the infection will be scheduled as well as procedures such as spirometry, DLco test, 6-minute walk test, chest CT scan, echocardiogram, ECG, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide measurement and RAND-36 scale. Primary outcomes are defined as abnormal pulmonary function test considered as DLco <80%, abnormal cardiovascular function considered as left ventricular ejection fraction <50% and abnormal quality of life considered as a <40 score for each sphere in the RAND-36-Item Short Form Health Survey. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (SIDISI 203725) and the Ethics Committee of the Hospital Cayetano Heredia (042-2021). Protocol details were uploaded in ClinicalTrials.gov. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences and open-access social media platforms. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05386485.

Clinical, Radiological and Functional Characteristics of Pulmonary Diseases among HTLV-1 Infected Patients without Prior Active Tuberculosis Infection.

The lifelong infection with the human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) has been associated with a variety of clinical manifestations; one of the less-explored is HTLV-1-associated pulmonary disease. Imaging of lung damage caused by the HTLV-1 hyperinflammatory cascade can be similar to sequelae from TB infection. Our study aims to describe the pulmonary lesions of HTLV-1-positive patients without past or current active TB and evaluate pulmonary function. We found that nine out of fourteen patients with no known TB disease history presented bronchiectasis, mainly found bilaterally while five presented pulmonary fibrosis. A normal pattern was found in most patients with a pulmonary functional test. Furthermore, there was no association between the PVL and the chest-CT scan findings, nor with spirometry results. However, the sample size was insufficient to conclude it.

[Ectopic thoracic pancreas]. / Pá ncreas ectópico torá cico.

We present the case of a 38-year-old man who eighteen years before for having chest pain went diagnosed as hydatid cyst. It was confirmed in multislice spiral tomography (TEM) that it had a heterogeneous mass of liquid content, with partially calcified walls located in the anterior mediastinum. It was removed, being the diagnosis, by the presence of groups of acinar cells and ducts with pancreatic appearance, panqueratin and CD68 positive, of a mediastinal ectopic pancreas. A case has never been reported in Peru and in medical literature it would be the thirty-first reported case of intrathoracic ectopic pancreas.

Páncreas ectópico torácico / Ectopic thoracic páncreas

RESUMEN Presentamos el caso de un varón de 38 años a quien por presentar dolor torácico se le hizo dieciocho años antes el diagnóstico de quiste hidatídico. Se confirmó en la tomografía espiral multicorte (TEM) que tenía una masa heterogénea de contenido líquido, con paredes parcialmente calcificadas localizada en el mediastino anterior. Se la extirpó, siendo el diagnóstico, por la presencia de grupos de células acinares y de conductos con apariencia pancreática, panqueratina y CD68 positivos, de un páncreas ectópico mediastinal. Nunca se ha reportado un caso en el Perú y en la literatura médica éste sería el trigésimo primer caso reportado de páncreas ectópico intratorácico.

ABSTRACT We present the case of a 38-year-old man who eighteen years before for having chest pain went diagnosed as hydatid cyst. It was confirmed in multislice spiral tomography (TEM) that it had a heterogeneous mass of liquid content, with partially calcified walls located in the anterior mediastinum. It was removed, being the diagnosis, by the presence of groups of acinar cells and ducts with pancreatic appearance, panqueratin and CD68 positive, of a mediastinal ectopic pancreas. A case has never been reported in Peru and in medical literature it would be the thirty-first reported case of intrathoracic ectopic pancreas.

[Fulminant myocarditis and acute gastroenteritis due to Coxsackie virus B6]. / Miocarditis fulminante y enfermedad diarreica aguda por Coxsackie virus B6.

We present the case of a young woman who suffered cardiogenic due to by Coxsackie virus B6. The patient attended a private clinic with an acute gastroenteritis and after one hour of receiving hydratation,she developed hypotension and shock, severe hypoxemia and bilateral lung infiltrate. The patient entered the Intensive Care Unit, where she received hemodynamic support. Due to the clinical picture and cardiac enzymes increase, a cardiac failure was suspected and the echocardiographic findings suggested "myocarditis". The evolution was successful and Coxsackie B6 virus infection diagnosis was made during the follow up by increase of the levels of antibodies for virus Coxsackie B6.

Miocarditis fulminante y enfermedad diarreica aguda por Coxsackie virus B6 / Fulminant myocarditis and acute gastroenteritis due to Coxsackie virus B6

Presentamos el caso de una paciente joven que presentó choque cardiogénico por virus Coxsakie B6. La paciente acudió a una clínica particular con un cuadro clínico compatible con gastroenterocolitis aguda a la que después de una hora de estar recibiendo hidratación y manejo del cuadro diagnosticado, se agregó hipotensión que llegó al estado de choque, hipoxemia severa y compromiso pulmonar bilateral intersticial por lo que ingresó a Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, donde recibió manejo de soporte. Debido al cuadro clínico y elevación de enzimas cardiacas se sospechó de compromiso cardiaco, la ecocardiografía evidenció cambios sugerentes de miocarditis. La evolución fue favorable y se le pudo dar de alta después de una semana. El diagnóstico etiológico del cuadro se hizo en el seguimiento, presentando serología con elevación de títulos para virus Coxsakie B6.

We present the case of a young woman who suffered cardiogenic due to by Coxsackie virus B6. The patient attended a private clinic with an acute gastroenteritis and after one hour of receiving hydratation,she developed hypotension and shock, severe hypoxemia and bilateral lung infiltrate. The patient entered the Intensive Care Unit, where she received hemodynamic support. Due to the clinical picture and cardiac enzymes increase, a cardiac failure was suspected and the echocardiographic findings suggested "myocarditis". The evolution was successful and Coxsackie B6 virus infection diagnosis was made during the follow up by increase of the levels of antibodies for virus Coxsackie B6.

Characteristics and publication patterns of theses from a Peruvian medical school.

BACKGROUND: Many medical schools require a student thesis before graduation. Publishing results in a peer-reviewed journal could be an indicator of scientific value and acceptability by the scientific community. The publication pattern of theses published by medical students in Peru is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the characteristics and publication pattern of theses in biomedical-indexed journals conducted by medical students in a university with the highest research output in Peru. METHODS: Data from registered theses between 2000 and 2003 were obtained from the university library. Publication of theses in biomedical journals was assessed in 2008 by a search strategy using PubMed, Google Scholar, LILACS, LIPECS and SciELO. RESULTS: Four hundred and eighty-two medical theses were registered between 2000 and 2003; 85 (17.6%) were published in biomedical-indexed journals. Of the published theses, 28 (5.8%) were published in MEDLINE-indexed journals, 55 (11.4%) in SciELO-indexed journals, 61 (12.6%) in LILACS-indexed journals and 68 (14.1%) in LIPECS-indexed journals. Most of the published theses (80%) were in Spanish and published in Peruvian journals; and 17 theses (20%) were published in foreign journals (all of them indexed in MEDLINE). In addition, 37 (43.5%) belong primarily to internal medicine, and 24 (28.2%) belong primarily to infectious diseases. Medical students were first authors in 71 (83.5%) of the articles. CONCLUSION: In this study, most of the published theses were in Spanish, published in local journals and indexed in LIPECS. The percentage of published theses in biomedical journals at this university is comparable with others coming from developed countries.