Active Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface Enhanced Internet of Medical Things.

The incredible potentiality of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) in addressing power supply and obstacle environment of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has been capturing our interest. Considering the nettlesome "double-fading" effect introduced by passive RIS, we investigate an active RIS-enhanced IoMT system in this article, where the wireless power transfer (WPT) from power station (PS) to IoMT devices and the wireless information transfer (WIT) from IoMT devices to the access point (AP) are both implemented with the assistance of active RIS. Aiming to maximize the sum throughput of the considered IoMT system, a joint design of time schedules and reflecting coefficient matrices of the active RIS is proposed. Trapped by the non-convex and obstinate optimization problem, we explore the semi-definite programming (SDP) relaxation and successive convex approximation (SCA) techniques based on alternating optimization (AO) algorithm. Simulation results verify our solution approach to the intractable optimization problem and showcase the boosted spectrum and energy efficiency of the active RIS-enhanced IoMT system.

«Antes de la siguiente aplicación, retira la película blanca» / «Before Applying the Next Dose, Peel the White Film Off the Lesion»

No disponible

Prospective evaluation of Streptococcus pneumoniae serum antibodies in patients with primary immunodeficiency on regular intravenous immunoglobulin treatment

BACKGROUND: This is a prospective study that assessed pneumococcal antibody levels in PID patients under intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment using different brands. METHODS: Twenty-one patients receiving regular IVIG every 28 days were invited to participate: 12 with common variable immunodeficiency, six with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia and three with hyper-IgM syndrome. One blood sample was collected from each patient just prior to IVIG administration at a threemonth time interval during one year. A questionnaire was filled in with patient's demographic data and history of infections during the study period. Streptococcus pneumoniae antibodies against six serotypes (1, 5, 6B, 9V, 14 and 19F) were assessed by ELISA both in patients' serum (trough levels) and in IVIG samples. RESULTS: Median total IgG trough serum levels were 7.91 g/L (range, 4.59-12.20). All patients had antibody levels above 0.35 g/mL to the six serotypes on all four measurements. However, only 28.6% of patients had pneumococcal antibodies for the six analysed serotypes above 1.3 g/mL on all four evaluations during the one-year period. No correlation was found between IgG trough levels and pneumococcal specific antibodies. Eighteen of the 21 patients (85.7%) had infections at some point during the 12-month follow-up, 62/64 (96.9%) clinically classified in respiratory tract infections, four of which were pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: Pneumococcal antibodies are present in a high range of concentrations in sera from PID patients and also in IVIG preparations. Even maintaining a recommended IgG trough level, these patients can be susceptible to these bacteria and that may contribute to recurrent respiratory infections

No disponible

Evaluación del videolaringoscopio TruviewPCD para la intubación de niños / Assessment of TruviewPCD videolaryngoscope for intubation in children

Objetivo. El objetivo de este estudio observacional y prospectivo fue evaluar la utilidad de TruviewPCD para la intubación pediátrica en la práctica clínica y generar datos para nuevos estudios. Material y método. Incluimos 86 niños consecutivos intervenidos de cirugía otorrinolaringológica, pediátrica o ambas, bajo anestesia general con intubación orotraqueal. Los niños que presentaban 2 o más criterios de dificultad para el manejo de la vía aérea se excluyeron del estudio. Realizamos análisis estadístico descriptivo. Resultados. Ochenta y tres pacientes se intubaron con TruviewPCD. Datos demográficos: edad 4,9 (2,8) años, peso 19,5 (7,7)kg. Setenta y nueve niños se intubaron en el primer intento y 4 en 2 intentos. El tiempo necesario para obtener la mejor visión glótica posible fue (media y desviación estándar) 10,8 (5,6)seg y el tiempo de intubación total (mediana y distancia intercuartil 25-75%) fue de 30 (27,9-37)seg. La intubación fue catalogada como fácil o muy fácil en 81 pacientes. No se registró ninguna complicación importante. Conclusiones. Concluimos que TruviewPCD es un buen dispositivo para el manejo de la vía pediátrica. Sería interesante disponer de un tamaño de pala intermedio, entre la 1 y la 2, ya que hay una diferencia considerable de tamaño entre ambas (AU)

Objective. The aim of this observational prospective study was to evaluate the usefulness of TruviewPCD for tracheal intubation in clinical practice, and to provide data for future studies. Material and method. A study was conducted on 86 consecutive children undergoing ear, nose and throat (ENT) or paediatric procedures under general anaesthesia with tracheal intubation. Children with two or more difficult airway criteria were excluded. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed. Results. Eighty-three patients were successfully intubated with TruviewPCD. Demographic data: Age 4.9 (2.8) years, weight 19.5 (7.7)kg. Seventy-nine children needed one attempt and four required two attempts at intubation. Time for glottis view and tracheal intubation was 10.8 (5.6) and 30 [27.9-37] seconds, respectively. Eighty-one patients were classified as easy or very easy to intubate, and only two cases were considered difficult. No significant complications were registered. Conclusions. TruviewPCD is a good device for paediatric airway management. It would be interesting to have an intermediate blade between size 1 and 2, as the difference between both is too wide (AU)

Pathogenesis of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp.

Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), also called early mortality syndrome (EMS), is a recently emergent shrimp bacterial disease that has resulted in substantial economic losses since 2009. AHPND is known to be caused by strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus that contain a unique virulence plasmid, but the pathology of the disease is still unclear. In this study, we show that AHPND-causing strains of V. parahaemolyticus secrete the plasmid-encoded binary toxin PirAB(vp) into the culture medium. We further determined that, after shrimp were challenged with AHPND-causing bacteria, the bacteria initially colonized the stomach, where they started to produce PirAB(vp) toxin. At the same early time point (6 hpi), PirB(vp) toxin, but not PirA(vp) toxin, was detected in the hepatopancreas, and the characteristic histopathological signs of AHPND, including sloughing of the epithelial cells of the hepatopancreatic tubules, were also seen. Although some previous studies have found that both components of the binary PirAB(vp) toxin are necessary to induce a toxic effect, our present results are consistent with other studies which have suggested that PirB(vp) alone may be sufficient to cause cellular damage. At later time points, the bacteria and PirA(vp) and PirB(vp) toxins were all detected in the hepatopancreas. We also show that Raman spectroscopy "Whole organism fingerprints" were unable to distinguish between AHPND-causing and non-AHPND causing strains. Lastly, by using minimum inhibitory concentrations, we found that both virulent and non-virulent V. parahaemolyticus strains were resistant to several antibiotics, suggesting that the use of antibiotics in shrimp culture should be more strictly regulated.

Doctors’ awareness concerning primary immunodeficiencies in Brazil

BACKGROUND: PIDs are a heterogeneous group of genetic illnesses, and delay in their diagnosis is thought to be caused by a lack of awareness among physicians concerning PIDs. The latter is what we aimed to evaluate in Brazil. METHODS: Physicians working at general hospitals all over the country were asked to complete a 14-item questionnaire. One of the questions described 25 clinical situations that could be associated with PIDs and a score was created based on percentages of appropriate answers. RESULTS: A total of 4026 physicians participated in the study: 1628 paediatricians (40.4%), 1436 clinicians (35.7%), and 962 surgeons (23.9%). About 67% of the physicians had learned about PIDs in medical school or residency training, 84.6% evaluated patients who frequently took antibiotics, but only 40.3% of them participated in the immunological evaluation of these patients. Seventy-seven percent of the participating physicians were not familiar with the warning signs for PIDs. The mean score of correct answers for the 25 clinical situations was 48.08% (±16.06). Only 18.3% of the paediatricians, 7.4% of the clinicians, and 5.8% of the surgeons answered at least 2/3 of these situations appropriately. CONCLUSIONS: There is a lack of medical awareness concerning PIDs, even among paediatricians, who have been targeted with PID educational programmes in recent years in Brazil. An increase in awareness with regard to these disorders within the medical community is an important step towards improving recognition and treatment of PIDs

No disponible

[Research on Properties of Light Scattering for Non-Spherical Suspended Particles in Water Based on T Matrix Model].

Scattering light properties of suspended particles in water is an important parameter which influences the accuracy of water quality measurement. In this paper, based on T matrix model, the authors study the UV-Visible light irradiation intensity of 3 kinds of non-spherical suspended. particles including ellipsoid, cylinder and generalized Chebyshev in water. The relationship between light scattering intensity and incident light wavelength, shape parameters of suspended particles, complex refractive index and rotation angle has been presented in detail. Simulation results show that when changing the particle size, adjusting the wavelength of incident light, all light scattering intensity of 3 kinds of non-spherical suspended particles show significant changes. In the wavelength range from 200-800 nm, the impact of geometric on the particles size decreases with increasing wavelength and the sattering properites mainly depends on complex refractive index. The scattering intensity becomes stronger and exhibits strong oscillations for ultraviolet and infrared light when the diameter of particles are less than 0.2 µm or approaching 1 µm. However, the scattering intensity is relatively stable and close to zero, shows small disturbances with the change of wavelength of incident light when the particles sizes are within 0.3 to 0.9 µm.

Aspectos psicosociales en una cohorte de adolescentes con infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana por transmisión vertical. NeuroCoRISpeS / Psychosocial aspects in a cohort of vertically transmitted human immunodeficiency virus-infected adolescents

INTRODUCCIÓN: Los avances en el tratamiento antirretroviral han mejorado la esperanza de vida de niños con infección por VIH por transmisión vertical. Sin embargo, han aparecido nuevos retos. Planteamos este estudio con el objetivo de determinar los aspectos psicosociales y el conocimiento sobre su enfermedad en una cohorte de adolescentes con infección por VIH por transmisión vertical. MÉTODOS: Se incluyeron pacientes con infección por VIH por transmisión vertical con edades comprendidas entre 12-19 años. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante entrevista semiestructurada y el Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire para cribado de trastornos emocionales y de conducta. RESULTADOS: Se evaluaron 96 pacientes (58% mujeres) con mediana de edad de 15 años (11-19,1) y mediana de edad del diagnóstico de 1,70 años (0-12,2). La mediana de CD4 en el momento del corte fue 626 céls/mm3 (132-998); el 72% de los pacientes presentaban una carga viral < 50 cop/ml. El 90% asistía al colegio; de ellos, el 60% había repetido algún curso. Conocían su diagnóstico el 81%. Solo el 30% conocía bien su enfermedad y el 18,2% había compartido el diagnóstico con sus amistades. Se detectaron 6 embarazos durante el periodo de estudio. El Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire mostró riesgo de hiperactividad en el 33%. CONCLUSIÓN: Se objetivan dificultades psicosociales en un elevado porcentaje de pacientes (conocimiento de la enfermedad, relación con pares, fracaso escolar...) que podrían tener impacto en su incorporación a la vida adulta. Son necesarios más estudios para profundizar en el origen y evolución de las dificultades observadas, así como intervenir para prevenir y modificar esta situación

INTRODUCTION: Thanks to advances in antiretroviral treatment, children with HIV infections through vertical transmission have improved their life expectancy. However, new challenges have emerged. We propose this study in order to determine the psychosocial aspects and knowledge of infections in a cohort of adolescents with vertically transmitted HIV infections. METHODS: Patients with vertically-acquired HIV infection between 12 and 19 years old were included. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for emotional and behavioral disorders screening. RESULTS: We evaluated 96 patients (58% females) with a median age of 15 years (11-19.1) and a median age at diagnosis of 1.70 years (0-12.2). The median CD4 count was 626 cells/mm3 (132-998), and the viral load was < 50 cp/ml in 72% of patients. Among them, 90% attended school and 60% repeated at least one course. Although 81% of them knew of their diagnosis, only 30% understood their disease, with 18.2% having discussed it with friends. Six unwanted pregnancies occurred during the study period. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire showed hyperactivity risk in 33%. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of adolescents show difficulties in several areas (disease knowledge, peer relationship, school failure...) that can have an impact on their adult lives. Further studies are needed to evaluate their origin and development in depth, as well as interventions to modify this situation

Severe combined immunodeficiency in Brazil: management, prognosis, and BCG-associated complications

Background: Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is one of the most severe forms of primary immunodeficiency. The objectives of this study were to analyze the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of SCID in Brazil and to document the impact of BCG vaccine. Methods: We actively searched for cases by contacting all Brazilian referral centers. Results: We contacted 23 centers and 70 patients from 65 families. Patients were born between 1996 and 2011, and 49 (70%) were male. More than half (39) of the diagnoses were made after 2006. Mean age at diagnosis declined from 9.7 to 6.1 months ( P= .058) before and after 2000, respectively, and mean delay in diagnosis decreased from 7.9 to 4.2 months ( P= .009). Most patients (60/70) were vaccinated with BCG before the diagnosis, 39 of 60 (65%) had complications related to BCG vaccine, and the complication was disseminated in 29 of 39 (74.3%). Less than half of the patients (30, 42.9%) underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Half of the patients died (35, 50%), and 23 of these patients had not undergone HSCT. Disseminated BCG was the cause of death, either alone or in association with other causes, in 9 of 31 cases (29%, no data for 4 cases). Conclusions: In Brazil, diagnosis of SCID has improved over the last decade, both in terms of the number of cases and age at diagnosis, although a much higher number of cases had been expected. Mortality is higher than in developed countries. Complications of BCG vaccine are an important warning sign for the presence of SCID and account for significant morbidity during disease progression (AU)

Antecedentes: La inmunodeficiencia severa combinada (IDSC) es una de las formas más graves de la inmunodeficiencia primaria. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar el estado del diagnóstico, tratamiento y pronóstico de esta enfermedad en Brasil y documentar el impacto de la vacunación con BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guérin). Métodos: Los casos fueron seleccionados tras contactar con los centros de referencia de Brasil. Resultados: Se contactaron 23 centros en total, que permitieron recopilar a 70 pacientes entre los años 1996 y 2011 procedentes de 65 familias, 49 de ellos (70%) varones. En más de la mitad de ellos (39), el diagnóstico fue realizado con posteriridad al año 2006. La edad media en el diagnóstico varió entre los 9,7 a los 6,1 meses (p=0.058), antes y después del año 2000, respectivamente, y el tiempo en que se realizó el diagnóstico disminuyó de los 7,9 a los 4,2 meses (p=0.009). La mayoría de ellos (60/70) se habían vacunado con BCG antes del diagnóstico, 39/60 (65%) tuvieron complicaciones con la BCG y en 29/39 (74.3%) la enfermedad se diseminó. En menos de la mitad de los pacientes (30/70, 42,9%) se realizó un trasplate de células madre (HSCT). La mitad de los pacientes (35/70, 50%) murieron; 23/35 de ellos sin HSCT. La diseminación del BCG fue la causa de la muerte, sola o asociada con otras causas, en 9/31 casos (29%, en 4 casos sin datos). Conclusiones: En conclusión, el diagnóstico de IDSC en Brasil ha mejorado en la última década, tanto en términos numéricos, cómo respecto a la edad de detección de la enfermedad. La mortalidad es alta en comparación con los países desarrollados. La vacuna con BCG provoca complicaciones importantes en estos pacientes, lo cual alerta sobre el posible diagnóstico y progresión de esta enfermedad (AU)

Cefalosporinas en el tratamiento hospitalario de la neumonía: reflexiones para su optimización / Cephalosporin use in hospitalized patients with pneumonia

No disponible

[Experimental research of turbidity influence on water quality monitoring of COD in UV-visible spectroscopy].

Eliminating turbidity is a direct effect spectroscopy detection of COD key technical problems. This stems from the UV-visible spectroscopy detected key quality parameters depend on an accurate and effective analysis of water quality parameters analytical model, and turbidity is an important parameter that affects the modeling. In this paper, we selected formazine turbidity solution and standard solution of potassium hydrogen phthalate to study the turbidity affect of UV--visible absorption spectroscopy detection of COD, at the characteristics wavelength of 245, 300, 360 and 560 nm wavelength point several characteristics with the turbidity change in absorbance method of least squares curve fitting, thus analyzes the variation of absorbance with turbidity. The results show, In the ultraviolet range of 240 to 380 nm, as the turbidity caused by particle produces compounds to the organics, it is relatively complicated to test the turbidity affections on the water Ultraviolet spectra; in the visible region of 380 to 780 nm, the turbidity of the spectrum weakens with wavelength increases. Based on this, this paper we study the multiplicative scatter correction method affected by the turbidity of the water sample spectra calibration test, this method can correct water samples spectral affected by turbidity. After treatment, by comparing the spectra before, the results showed that the turbidity caused by wavelength baseline shift points have been effectively corrected, and features in the ultraviolet region has not diminished. Then we make multiplicative scatter correction for the three selected UV liquid-visible absorption spectroscopy, experimental results shows that on the premise of saving the characteristic of the Ultraviolet-Visible absorption spectrum of water samples, which not only improve the quality of COD spectroscopy detection SNR, but also for providing an efficient data conditioning regimen for establishing an accurate of the chemical measurement methods.

Protocolo de actuación ante el maltrato infantil y situaciones de riesgo en el ámbito sanitario en la provincia de Salamanca / Action protocol when there is child battering and situations of risk in the health care setting in the province of Salamanca (Spain)

El maltrato infantil en sus diversas formas de manifestaciónes un problema que afecta a la infancia en el mundo entero y los pediatras, como responsables de la salud integral del niño, debemos estar concienciados de la importancia de intervenir en nuestro entorno para identificar situaciones de riesgo y aprovechar todos los recursos sociosanitarios para la implementación de medidas preventivas adecuadas. Se ha elaborado un protocolo con el fin de facilitarla atención adecuada de estos niños en la provincia de Salamanca (AU)

Child battering in its different manifestation forms is a problem that affects young children worldwide. The pediatricians, who are responsible for the integral health of the child, should be aware of the importance of intervening within their setting in order to identify risk situations and to take advantage of the social-health care resources for the establishment of adequate preventive measures. A protocol has been elaborated in order to facilitate adequate care for these children in the providence of Salamanca (AU)

Infección tardía por estreptococo del grupo B: experiencia en un hospital de tercer nivel (2000-2006) / Late onset group B Streptococcus infection: 7 year experience in a tertiary hospital (2000-2006)

Introducción: El estreptococo del grupo B (SGB) es una causa importante de infección neonatal. Se han descrito dos formas de enfermedad en función de la edad de presentación: precoz, en los primeros 6 días de vida, y tardía, entre el séptimo día y a los 3 meses de edad. Objetivos: Analizar la epidemiología de la enfermedad tardía por SGB en un hospital de tercer nivel después de la implementación de las medidas de prevención de la transmisión vertical de la infección. Métodos: Se revisaron de forma retrospectiva las historias clínicas de los niños diagnosticados de enfermedad tardía por SGB desde enero del año 2000 hasta diciembre de 2006. Se consideraron como criterios diagnósticos un hemocultivo y/o un cultivo de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) positivo para SGB en cualquier paciente entre 7 y 89 días de vida. Resultados: 24 pacientes fueron identificados, la mayor parte de ellos a partir de enero de 2005. La edad media fue de 36,2 días (rango: 9-81). En 20 pacientes el SGB se aisló en el hemocultivo; en 1 paciente, en el LCR y en 3 de ellos, en ambos. Los signos clínicos más frecuentes fueron fiebre (70,8 %) e irritabilidad (54,1 %). El síndrome de celulitis-adenitis se observó en 5 pacientes (20,8 %). El tratamiento antibiótico empírico más empleado fue la asociación de cefotaxima y ampicilina. No se observaron resistencias a la ampicilina. Los 4 casos de meningitis (16,6 %) desarrollaron secuelas neurológicas importantes. Conclusiones: El número de niños con infección tardía por SGB está aumentado en los últimos años. A pesar de la eficacia de las recomendaciones para la prevención de la transmisión vertical de la infección perinatal por SGB en la infección precoz, estas recomendaciones no han sido muy efectivas para reducir la infección tardía por SGB, posiblemente debido a infecciones horizontales desde la madre, la comunidad o fuentes nosocomiales. Es importante mantener la sospecha clínica de infección tardía por SGB e iniciar tratamiento antibiótico precoz (AU)

Introduction: Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a major cause of neonatal infection. Two forms of the disease have been described according to the age of presentation: early, beginning in the first 6 days of life, and late, occurring from day 7 up to 3 months of age. Objectives: To analyze the epidemiology of the late onset form of GBS disease in a tertiary hospital after implementing preventive strategies aimed to reduce the rate of vertical transmission. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children diagnosed with late GBS infection between January 2000 and December 2006. Diagnostic criteria included a positive blood culture and/or a positive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture for GBS in any patient aged between 7 and 89 days. Results: 24 patients were identified, most of them presenting after January 2005. Median age was 36.2 days (range 9 to 81). GBS isolates in blood were found in 20 patients, 1 in CSF and 3 in both. Most frequently children presented with fever (70.8 %) and irritability (54.1 %). Five patients (20.8 %) had a cellulitis-adenitis syndrome. Cefotaxime and ampicillin were the most often used antibiotic combination. No ampicillin resistances were found. Conclusions: The number of children with late GBS disease has increased in our center. Accordingly, the recent recommendations for the prevention of perinatal GBS vertical transmission were not effective for reducing late GBS infection. This may be due to horizontal infections from maternal sources, community or cross infections. It is important to maintain clinical suspicion of late GBS infection and start early antibiotic treatment (AU)

Síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica / Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome

Introducción: El síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica es una enfermedad causada por Staphylococcus aureus productor de toxinas exfoliativas. Es poco frecuente y apenas hay datos de su epidemiología en nuestro país. Pacientes y métodos: Se llevó a cabo un estudio observacional de cohortes en el que se revisaron los casos de escaldadura estafilocócica controlados en el Hospital Materno-Infantil La Paz en los últimos 10 años (enero 1997-diciembre 2006). Resultados: Se obtuvo un total de 26 pacientes, 7 en los primeros 5 años y 19 en los siguientes, con una media de edad en el momento del diagnóstico de 29 meses; 4 casos (15 %) fueron de diagnóstico neonatal. El 67 % de los casos ocurrieron en primavera y verano. Las manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes fueron: eritrodermia con aparición de ampollas y descamación posterior (100 %), fisuración y costras periorales (54 %), fiebre (46 %), conjuntivitis (42 %) y edema palpebral (31 %). En la analítica no se detectó un aumento significativo de leucocitos (media: 11.341/μl) ni de proteína C reactiva (media: 9 mg/l). El diagnóstico fue principalmente clínico, con aislamiento de S. aureus en frotis nasal o conjuntival en el 59 % de los casos. Todas las cepas fueron sensibles a cloxacilina, clindamicina y vancomicina. El tratamiento se realizó con cloxacilina intravenosa con evolución favorable. Conclusiones: El síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica parece ser más frecuente en los últimos años y debe sospecharse en un niño con eritrodermia aguda y afectación conjuntival o peribucal. El tratamiento con cloxacilina consigue la curación sin secuelas (AU)

Introduction: Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome is a rare disease caused by Staphylococcus aureus that produces exfoliative toxins. There are few epidemiological data in our environment. Patients and methods: We present an observational cohort study. We review the cases of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome monitored at La Paz Children Hospital during the last ten years (January 1997 to December 2006). Results: We obtained 26 patients, 7 in the first 5 years and 19 more in the following years. The mean age at diagnosis was 19 months. Four cases (15 %) occurred during the neonatal period. Sixty-seven percent of the cases were diagnosed during spring and summer. Main clinical signs were: erythroderma with blisters and posterior desquamation (100 %), perioral fissures (54 %), fever (46 %), conjunctivitis (42 %) and palpebral edema (31 %). No significant increases in leukocytes (mean: 11,341/μl) or C-reactive proein (mean: 9 mg/l) were found on blood analysis. Diagnosis was made by clinical findings. S. aureus was isolated in nasal or conjunctival samples on 59 % of cases. All strains were sensitive to cloxacillin, clindamycin and vancomycin. The patients were treated with cloxacillin with good progress. Conclusions: Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome seems to be more common in the last few years. It must be suspected in children with acute erythroderma and perioral or conjunctival lesions. Treatment with cloxacillin leads to healing without sequelae (AU)

Síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica de presentación neonatal / Neonatal staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome

Introducción: La incidencia del síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica en neonatos parece haber aumentado en los últimos años. Métodos: Revisamos los casos de síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica de presentación neonatal, controlados en nuestro servicio en los últimos 10 años (1997-2006). Resultados: Durante este periodo, se diagnosticaron 26 casos de síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica, 4 de ellos (15%) en el primer mes de vida. Todos presentaron eritrodermia, ampollas, costras perinasales, fisuración perioral y conjuntivitis purulenta. En ningún caso apareció fiebre ni elevación de reactantes de fase aguda. En todos los pacientes se aisló Staphylococcus aureus sensible a meticilina en el frotis nasal y conjuntival. Se realizó un tratamiento con cloxacilina intravenosa durante una media de 7 días, y los pacientes presentaron descamación en láminas sin lesiones residuales. Conclusiones: El síndrome de escaldadura estafilocócica se presenta en el periodo neonatal hasta en el 15% de los casos. El tratamiento temprano con cloxacilina intravenosa permite una evolución favorable, e iguala el buen pronóstico característico del resto de edades

Introduction: The incidence of staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome among newborn infants seems to be increasing in recent years. Methods: We review the cases of neonatal staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome followed at our hospital over the last 10 years (1997-2006). Results: Twenty-six cases of this syndrome were diagnosed, four of them (15%) during the first month of life. All of them presented erythroderma, bullae, perioral and nasal fissures and purulent conjunctivitis. None had fever, leukocytosis or an increase in C-reactive protein. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was isolated in nasal or conjunctival samples. The patients were treated with intravenous cloxacillin for a mean period of 7 days and they presented desquamation without scarring. Conclusions: Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome appears during the neonatal period in up to 15% of cases. Early treatment with intravenous cloxacillin results in a favorable outcome

La terapia combinada puede ser tan efectiva como la terapia antirretroviral de alta eficacia en el control de la carga viral en niños con un sistema inmunitario conservado / Combination therapy can be as effective as highly active antiretroviral therapy in controlling viral load in children with a preserved immune system

Objetivo: Comparar la efectividad de la terapia combinada (TC) y del tratamiento antirretroviral de alta eficacia (TARGA) en el control de la replicación viral en una cohorte de niños infectados por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana tipo 1 (VIH-1) con un sistema inmunitario relativamente conservado. Material y métodos: Realizamos un estudio observacional en 21 niños infectados verticalmente por el VIH-1 con terapia antirretroviral(TAR), comparando la efectividad de la TC y del TARGA, en el control de la carga viral (CV) plasmática. Principales variables evaluadas: Las principales variables medidas fueron la presencia de carga viral indetectable (400 copias/ml) y el desarrollo de fracasos virológicos tras alcanzaruna CV indetectable con rebotes de CV (>400 y/o >5.000 copias/ml). Resultados: Los niños con TARGA alcanzaban CV indetectables más precozmente. La media de tiempo para alcanzar CV indetectable fue de 8,1 +/- 3,7 meses en el grupo de TC y de 2,9 +/- 0,2 meses en el grupo con TARGA (p 400 copias/mL. El tiempo mediopara el aumento de CV >400 y CV >5.000 copias/mL fue similaren ambos grupos (p >0,05). Ocho niños del grupo de la TC y6 del grupo con TARGA presentaron un rebote de CV >5.000 copias/mL. En ninguno de los dos grupos hubo reducción en el porcentaje de CD4+, que se mantuvo elevado durante todo el seguimiento. El porcentaje de niños con CV <5.000 copias/mL fue similar en ambos grupos. Conclusiones: Nuestro estudio muestra que la TC puedes ertan efectiva como el TARGA en niños infectados por el VIH con un sistema inmunitario relativamente conservado

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of combination therapy (CTI and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART} in the control of viral replication in a group of HIV-1-infected children with a relatively preserved immune system. Design and setting: For this purpose, we carried out an observational study in 21 vertically HIV-1-infected children on ART, comparing the effectiveness of CT and HAART regimens in the control of plasma viral load (VL). Main outcome measures: The outcome variables were undetectable VL (uVL; VL 400 copies/mL; VL >5.000 copies/mL). Results: The children on HAART achieved u VL at earlier timepoints. The median time required to achieve uVL was 8.1 +/- 3.7 months in the CT group and 2.9 +/- 0.2 months in the HAART group (p 400 copies/mL. The median time to a rebound of VL >400 and VL>5.000 copies/mL were similar in the two groups of children(p >0.05). Eight children in the CT group and 6 children in the HAART group presented a rebound of VL over 5.000 copies/mL. In the CT group and HAART group, there was no reduction of the mean %CD4+, which remained high throughout the follow uperiod. The percentage of HIV children with VL <5.000copies/mL was similar in the two groups. Conclusions: The present study suggests that CT may be justs a effective as HAART in children with a relatively preservedimmune system

Falso negativo en el diagnóstico de VIH-1 / False negative diagnosis of HIV-1

Se presenta un caso de falso negativo en el diagnóstico de infección por virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana tipo 1 (VIH-1) en una niña de origen africano. Las pruebas de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) de ADN proviral realizadas a los 2 y 4 meses de vida fueron negativas. A los 18 meses, por persistencia de los anticuerpos anti-VIH-1, se realizó una PCR de ARN que resultó positiva, confirmándose la infección por VIH-1, subtipo no B, forma recombinante A-G. La prevalencia de los subtipos no B está en aumento en nuestro medio en relación con el fenómeno de la inmigración, ya que un tercio de los extranjeros infectados lo están por subtipos no B y asciende al 70 % de los pacientes africanos. En estos subtipos son más frecuentes los resultados falsos negativos y las discrepancias entre la carga viral y el recuento de linfocitos CD4. Los subtipos no B muestran una mayor tasa de resistencias a los inhibidores de la proteasa, lo que puede tener implicaciones terapéutica

We report a case of a false negative diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in an African girl. Two HIV-1 DNA polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were negative at the second and fourth months of life. Because anti-HIV antibodies persisted when the patient was 18 months old, the HIV-1 RNA PCR test was performed with a positive result, confirming HIV-1 non-B subtype, recombinant A-G. The prevalence of non-B HIV-1 subtypes are increasing in Spain, which could be related to the phenomenon of immigration. Approximately one-third of HIV-infected foreigners have non-B subtypes and the percentage increases to 70 % of the African population in Spain. In non-B HIV-1 subtypes, false negative results and inconsistencies between viral load and CD4 count are more frequent. These subtypes also show a higher rate of resistance to protease inhibitors, which can have therapeutic implications