Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a 4-year-old male following submersion in a manure pond.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is uncommon in immunocompetent patients, but rare cases have been described after nonfatal drowning, particularly in contaminated water sources. Given subacute disease manifestations, diagnostic difficulties and the rapidly progressive nature of this organism, its mortality rate approaches 50%. Clinicians must rely on nonculture-based biomarkers and imaging to inform early diagnosis. There are currently no recommendations regarding diagnostics or empiric therapy for mold infections in near-drowning patients. We report a fatal case of IPA in a 4-year-old male following submersion in a manure pond. Early serum biomarkers and empiric voriconazole should be strongly considered in all patients after near-drowning in contaminated water sources.

Children that survive drowning can suffer lung infections after inhaling water. The cause is usually bacteria (germs) that live in our nose, as well as the bacteria in the water itself. In dirty water, many different bacteria are present. Strong antibiotic medicines are usually given to treat or stop infections from happening after drowning. Molds (fungus germs) can also cause lung infections, but usually in people with weak infection-fighting ability. We report a case of a mold infection that spread from the lungs to the blood and brain which led to the death of a previously healthy boy after drowning in a pond of animal waste. These mold infections can be slow and then spread quickly, so testing and treating for it with antifungal medicine in addition to antibacterial medicine needs to be done as early as possible.

Assessing and Improving WIC Enrollment in the Primary Care Setting: A Quality Initiative.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides food and other resources to mitigate the harmful effects of food insecurity on child and maternal health. From a 2009 peak, nationwide WIC participation declined through 2020. Our objectives were to understand factors influencing WIC engagement and improve WIC enrollment through novel, primary care-based quality improvement interventions. METHODS: Plan-do-study-act cycles were implemented at a majority Medicaid-insured pediatric primary care clinic. Universal WIC screening at <5-year-old well-child visits was initiated, with counseling and referrals offered to nonparticipants. Clinic providers received WIC education. WIC screening, counseling reminders, and referrals were streamlined via the electronic health record. Families were surveyed on WIC participation barriers. Patient demographic data were analyzed for predictors of WIC participation. RESULTS: Mean new WIC enrollments increased significantly (42%) compared with baseline, with sustained special cause variation after study interventions. Provider WIC knowledge improved significantly at study end (P <.001). Rates of WIC screening, counseling, and referrals remained stable for >1 year after study interventions. The most common family-reported barriers to WIC participation were "Access problems" and "WIC knowledge gap." Factors associated with decreased WIC participation in multivariable analysis were increasing age (P <.001), and non-Medicaid insurance status (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate feasible primary care-based screening, education, and referral interventions that appear to improve WIC enrollment. We identify knowledge gap and access problems as major potentially modifiable barriers to WIC participation. The expansion of similar low-cost interventions into other settings has the potential to benefit under-resourced children and families.

Condiciones de salud asociadas a discapacidad en adultos mayores de un programa de actividad física / Health conditions associated to disability in older adults attending a physical activity program

Introducción: Existe la tendencia mundial del aumento de población adulta mayor. Colombia no es un país ajeno a esta situación. Objetivo: Determinar las condiciones crónicas de salud asociadas al desarrollo de discapacidad en adultos mayores de la ciudad de Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Métodos: Estudio transversal en el que participaron 322 adultos mayores, seleccionados con muestreo aleatorio estratificado proporcional. Se aplicó la Encuesta de Salud, Bienestar y Envejecimiento Colombia, en su sección 8, y el WHODAS 2.0, versión de 36 preguntas. Resultados: El 90,4 por ciento de los participantes en el estudio eran mujeres, la mediana de edad fue de 70 años. La media de discapacidad global fue de 9,39 ± 10,2 puntos. La movilidad obtuvo la mayor puntuación 13,80 ± 17,79 (escala de 0-100 puntos) y las de menor puntuación fueron AVD-trabajo remunerado y participación (2,240 ± 11,15 puntos). La hipertensión arterial fue el padecimiento con mayor prevalencia. Los adultos que han sufrido embolias reportaron el mayor nivel de discapacidad (18,395), seguido de los que manifestaron haber tenido algún tipo de alteración mental (14,15 por ciento ). El dominio con mayor significancia estadística fue la participación, más afectada en los adultos con diabetes, ataques al corazón, embolia cerebral, artritis, osteoporosis y cataratas. Conclusiones: Hubo presencia de enfermedades crónicas en los sistemas cardiovascular, pulmonar y músculo-esquelético, aunque se reportaron niveles bajos discapacidad. Las actividades de la vida diaria más complejas son las que primero presentan dificultad; además, la movilidad es crucial para el funcionamiento de los adultos mayores(AU)

Introduction: Increase in the number of older adults is a current worldwide tendency. Colombia is not an exception. Objective: Determine the chronic health conditions associated to the development of disability in older adults from the city of Santiago de Cali, Colombia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 322 older adults selected by proportional stratified random sampling. Data were obtained with the survey Health, Wellbeing and Aging Colombia, section 8, and the tool WHODAS 2.0, 36-item version. Results: Of the participants in the study, 90.4 percent were women; mean age was 70 years. Mean global disability was 9.39 ± 10.2 points. Mobility obtained the highest score (13.80 ± 17.79 on a 0-100 scale), whereas the lowest ranking variables were ADL - paid work and participation (2.240 ± 11.15 points). Arterial hypertension was the most common condition. Patients who had had embolisms reported the highest level of disability (18.395), followed by those reporting having had some sort of mental disorder (14.15 percent). The domain with the greatest statistical significance was participation, which was more affected in adults with diabetes, heart attacks, cerebral embolism, arthritis, osteoporosis and cataract. Conclusions: A presence was observed of chronic diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory and musculoskeletal systems, though low disability levels were reported. The most complex activities of daily living are the first to present difficulty. On the other hand, mobility is crucial for the functioning of older adults(AU)

Thoracoscopic Resection of Left Atrial Appendage Aneurysm in a 16-Year-Old Boy.

We report a case of a left atrial appendage aneurysm (LAAA) in a 16-year-old boy presenting with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The aneurysm was detected incidentally on a routine echocardiogram performed before an electrophysiology study for evaluation and management of the SVT. The aneurysm was successfully resected under cardiopulmonary bypass through video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery. This type of surgery is a useful approach for LAAA in the pediatric population.

Individualized Transcriptional Resolution of Complicated Malaria in a Colombian Study.

To evaluate whether recovery from complicated malaria follows a common trajectory in terms of immunological mechanism or, rather, is highly individualized for each patient, we performed longitudinal gene expression profiling of whole blood. RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was performed on blood samples obtained from eight patients on four consecutive days between hospital admission and discharge. Six patients were infected with Plasmodium falciparum, and two with Plasmodium vivax; one patient was a pregnant woman infected with P. falciparum, who was hospitalized for several weeks. The characterization of blood transcript modules (BTM) and blood informative transcripts (BIT) revealed that patients' responses showed little commonality, being dominated by the balance of gene activity relating to lymphocyte function, inflammation, and interferon responses specific to each patient. Only weak correlations with specific complicated malaria symptoms such as jaundice, thrombocytopenia, or anemia were observed. The differential expression of individual genes, including transcripts derived from the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex, generally reflected differences in the underlying immune processes. Although the results of this pilot study do not point to any single process that might provide a target for complicated malaria treatment or prevention or personalized medical strategies, larger patient series and more extensive blood sampling may allow the classification of patients according to their type of response in order to develop novel therapeutic approaches.

Complicated malaria in children and adults from three settings of the Colombian Pacific Coast: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Complicated malaria remains an important public health problem, particularly in endemic settings where access to health services is limited and consequently malaria fatal outcomes occur. Few publications describing the clinical course and outcomes of complicated malaria in Latin America are found in the literature. This prospective study approached the clinical and laboratory characteristics of hospitalized patients with complicated malaria in different endemic areas of the Colombian Pacific Coast with the aim to provide epidemiological knowledge and guide to further reducing malaria severity and mortality. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A prospective, descriptive hospital-based study was conducted in 323 complicated malaria patients (median age 20 years) enrolled in Quibdó, Tumaco and Cali between 2014 and 2016. Clinical evaluation was performed and laboratory parameters were assessed during hospitalization. Plasmodium falciparum was the most common parasite species (70%), followed by P. vivax (28%), and mixed malaria (Pf/Pv; 1.9%). Overall, predominant laboratory complications were severe thrombocytopenia (43%), hepatic dysfunction (40%), and severe anaemia (34%). Severe thrombocytopenia was more common in adults (52%) regardless of parasite species. Severe anaemia was the most frequent complication in children ≤10 years (72%) and was most commonly related to P. vivax infection (p < 0.001); whereas liver dysfunction was more frequent in older patients (54%) with P. falciparum (p < 0.001). Two deaths due to P. vivax and P. falciparum each were registered. Treatment provision before recruitment hindered qPCR confirmation of parasite species in some cases. CONCLUSIONS: The study identified a high prevalence of complicated malaria in the Pacific Coast, together with more frequent severe anaemia in children infected by P. vivax and hepatic dysfunction in adults with P. falciparum. Results indicated the need for earlier diagnosis and treatment to prevent complications development as well as more effective attention at hospital level, in order to rapidly identify and appropriately treat these severe clinical conditions. The study describes epidemiological profiles of the study region and identified the most common complications on which clinicians must focus on to prevent mortality.

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of complicated malaria in Colombia, 2007-2013.

BACKGROUND: During the last decade, Colombia presented a significant decrease in malaria clinical cases and associated mortality. However, there is a lack of reliable information about the prevalence and characteristics of complicated malaria cases as well as its association with different Plasmodium species. A description of the epidemiological and clinical aspects of complicated malaria in Colombia is presented here. METHODS: A descriptive study was conducted using data collected between 2007 and 2013 by the Public Health Surveillance System (SIVIGILA). Demographic and clinical features were described. Frequency of complicated malaria cases, annual parasite index (API) and annual percent change (APC) for trend modelling by gender and age were also calculated. RESULTS: A total of 547,542 malaria cases were recorded by SIVIGILA during the study period, of which 2553 (0.47 %) corresponded to complicated cases with similar distribution by Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum species. Mixed infections were found in 153 cases (6.0 %). Trend modelling of the API for complicated malaria for all parasite species showed a non-significant increase throughout the years (APC 14.4 %; 95 % CI -4.3 to 36.6 %). Complicated malaria individuals were mostly males (62.2 %) and young adults (median age of 23 years). Notably, 72.4 % of the patients attended for malaria diagnosis >72 h after symptoms onset and 17 % reported malaria episodes in the last 30 days. All patients received anti-malarial treatment, but only 40 % received the first-line as recommended by the Colombian guidelines. Overall, hepatic and renal complications were the most common severe manifestations (63.6 %). Whereas hepatic and pulmonary complications were more common in P. vivax infections, renal and cerebral complications were significantly more frequent in patients with P. falciparum. In contrast with mono-infected patients, severe anaemia and shock were more frequent in patients with mixed infection. CONCLUSION: In contrast with the malaria-decreasing trend over the last years, the complicated malaria trend showed a non-significant annual increase. Therefore, in addition to existing national policies on early diagnosis and prompt anti-malarial treatment, more efforts have to be committed addressing the delayed diagnosis and inadequate treatment found in this study. Improving malaria notification forms, medical assistance skills, and capacity should be prioritized.