Determinants of Pneumonia mortality in Bogota, Colombia: A spatial econometrics approach.

Bogota, the capital and largest city of Colombia, constantly fights against easily transmitted and endemic-epidemic diseases that lead to enormous public health problems. Pneumonia is currently the leading cause of mortality attributable respiratory infections in the city. Its recurrence and impact have been partially explained by biological, medical, and behavioural factors. Against this background, this study investigates Pneumonia mortality rates in Bogota from 2004 and 2014. We identified a set of environmental, socioeconomic, behavioural, and medical care factors whose interaction in space could explain the occurrence and impact of the disease in the Iberoamerican city. We adopted a spatial autoregressive models framework to study the spatial dependence and heterogeneity of Pneumonia mortality rates associated with well-known risk factors. The results highlight the different types of spatial processes governing Pneumonia mortality. Furthermore, they demonstrate and quantify the driving factors that stimulate the spatial spread and clustering of mortality rates. Our study stresses the importance of spatial modelling of context-dependent diseases such as Pneumonia. Likewise, we emphasize the need to develop comprehensive public health policies that consider the space and contextual factors.

Cysticercosis & Heart: A Systematic Review.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult-onset seizures in most low-income countries with tropical climate. Prevalence it's around 50 million people. Although cardiovascular system is not the most affected, this disease can also be associated with multiple and randomly distributed cysts in the subpericardium, subendocardium and myocardium in up to 25% of infected patients. Most cardiac cysticercosis' cases are asymptomatic, but it can manifest with ventricular arrhythmias and conduction disorders. Area Covered: The "Neglected Tropical Diseases and other Infectious Diseases affecting the Heart" (NET-Heart project) is an initiative by the Emerging Leaders group of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology to systematically review all these endemic conditions affecting the heart. A systematic review was conducted following preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis guidelines and including articles published in MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, PubMed and LILACS databases. A total of 41 papers were included in this review. Expert Opinion: In the areas of greatest prevalence, unhealthiness and poverty favor the development of this disease, which highlights the need to establish global health policies that reduce morbidity and mortality, economic losses of the affected population, and health costs related to hospitalizations for cardiovascular involvement. Authors provide an algorithm to evaluate the possibility of Cysticercosis' cardiovascular complications.

Dengue and the heart.

Dengue is a neglected viral arthropod-borne tropical disease transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes spp. mosquitoes. It is responsible for a significant global burden of disease and corresponding socio-economic implications. There are four different virus serotypes, all of which are found predominantly in countries with tropical climates. Patients with dengue may present with cardiovascular (CV) manifestations, contributing to associated death and disability. A systematic review was conducted to identify CV manifestations of dengue, wherein 30 relevant studies were identified in the MEDLINE and PubMed databases. CV complications of dengue include rhythm abnormalities, hypotension, myocarditis, pericarditis and deterioration in myocardial function. Prompt recognition and treatment of CV complications of dengue are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients, who are at risk of progressing to cardiogenic shock and heart failure.

Clevidipine as an antihypertensive drug in three pheochromocytoma surgeries: Case series / Clevidipino como fármaco antihipertensivo en tres cirugías de feocromocitoma: Serie de casos

Abstract Introduction Laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice of pheochromocytoma. During the first surgical phase (pneumoperitoneum insufflation, tumor and veins handling), there is a risk of hypertensive crisis due to catecholamine release. After tumor excision, patients can suffer relative vasodilation and the residual effect of antihypertensive drugs, which results in arterial hypotension. For that reason, antihypertensive drugs used in the first phase should have a rapid onset of action, short half-life and no residual effect. Methods We report a series of three cases of patients with pheochromocytoma who were treated with laparoscopic adrenalectomy. They all received clevidipine infusion from the beginning of the surgery, before they had presented hypertension, to treat and try to minimize hypertensive peaks. Results In all patients, hypertensive peaks were controlled in a few minutes. After tumor resection, clevidipine infusion was stopped in all cases, and any patient required infusion of vasopressors. Discussion Clevidipine could be a first choice antihypertensive drug in pheochromocytoma surgery. Starting the infusion of clevidipine before the hypertensive peaks could help to make them less pronounced.

Resumen Introducción La adrenalectomía laparoscópica es el tratamiento de elección del feocromocitoma. Durante la primera fase quirúrgica (insuflación de neumoperitoneo, manipulación del tumor y de las venas implicadas), existe el riesgo de que se desencadenen crisis hipertensivas debido a la liberación de catecolaminas. Después de la extirpación del tumor, los pacientes pueden sufrir una vasodilatación relativa y el efecto residual de los fármacos antihipertensivos usados previamente, lo que resulta en hipotensión arterial. Por esa razón, los fármacos antihipertensivos utilizados en la primera fase quirúrgica deben tener rápido inicio de acción, vida media corta y mínimo efecto residual. Métodos Se describe una serie de casos de tres pacientes con feocromocitoma que fueron tratados con adrenalectomía laparoscópica. Todos recibieron infusión de clevidipino desde el comienzo de la cirugía, antes de presentar hipertensión arterial, para así intentar minimizar y tratar rápidamente los posibles picos hipertensivos. Resultados En todos los pacientes los picos hipertensivos se controlaron en pocos minutos. Después de la resección del tumor, la infusión de clevidipino se detuvo en todos los casos y ningún paciente requirió perfusión de vasopresores. Discusión El clevidipino podría ser un fármaco antihipertensivo de primera elección en la cirugía de feocromocitoma. Iniciarlo antes de que ocurran los picos hipertensivos podría ayudar a que sean más leves.

Use of Raman spectroscopy in the assessment of skin after CO2 ablative fractional laser surgery on acne scars.

BACKGROUND: Ablative fractional laser surgery is a common technique for treating acne scars. However, an in vivo and noninvasive analysis of the histologic variations between acne skin and the resulting resurfaced skin is needed in order to evaluate the wound healing process of the scars induced by the ablative fractional laser surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine patients with acne scars underwent a single treatment with a CO2 ablative fractional laser surgery. Collagen presence on the resurfaced skin was noninvasively assessed by means of Raman spectroscopy and principal component analysis. RESULTS: Principal component analysis shows that all the patients presented a collagen regeneration on the resurfaced skin after the laser treatment. CONCLUSION: Collagen plays a crucial role in the wound healing process. By assessing the collagen presence on the skin, it was possible to quantify the regenerative effects of the ablative fractional laser in a noninvasive way.

La imagenologia médica en el laboratorio de morfología: iconografía / Medical imaging laboratory Morphology: iconography of bicéfalo fetus / A imagiologia médica no laboratório de morfologia: iconografia do feto bicéfalo

El nacimiento de gemelos siameses es un fenómeno extraño en las salas de parto de todo el mundo, son producto de un mismo óvulo que por alguna extraña razón no llegó a dividirse; se presenta 1/50.000 o 1/120.000 nacimientos; se estima que el 50% nace muerto y el 35% muere el primer día de vida; y el 70% son de génerofemenino. Un feto bicéfalo es un producto desarrollado con dos cabezas que se unen entre sí por medio de sus porciones temporo-parietales mediales, estando conectados vascularmente y compartiendo o no órganos entre sí; son de tipo monocigóticos y producidos por la separación anormal o incompleta de la porción axial del disco germinativo bilaminar en etapas avanzadas del desarrollo embrionario. En el presente trabajo se expone un caso de siameses bicéfalo de sexo femenino, cuyo espécimen hacía parte de las colecciones de embriología del Laboratorio de Morfología de la Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, el cual por registro de Historia Clínica y Consentimiento Informado de la madre, quien lo entregó a la Universidad, fue sometido a descripción anatomopatológica con el fin de exponer aspectos relacionados con las posibles causas que los originaron, así como el diagnóstico prenatal de estos defectos congénitos y su diagnóstico Imagineológico postmortem.

The birth of conjoined twins is a strange phenomenon in the delivery rooms around the world, are the product of a single egg that for some reason did not divide; is presenta1 / 50,000 or 1 / 120,000 births; is estimated that 50% stillborn and 35% die on the first day of life; and 70% are female. A two-headed fetus is a product developed with two heads that are joined together through their temporoparietal medial portions being connected vascularized organs and sharing with each other or not; are monozygotic type and produced by abnormal or incomplete separation of the axial portion of the bilaminar germ disc in advanced stages of embryonic development. In this paper a case of two-headed Siamese female, whose specimen was part of the collections of Morphology Embryology Laboratory of the Technological University of Pereira, who for record medical history and informed consent of the mother who is exposed delivered to the University underwent pathological description to explain aspects of the possible causes of these accidents and the prenatal diagnosis of these congenital defects and postmortem imaging diagnosis.

O nascimento de gêmeos siameses é um fenômeno estranho nas salas de parto de todo o mundo. São produto de um mesmo óvulo, que por alguma estranha razão não chegou a dividir-se; se apresenta em 1/50.000 ou 1/120.000 nascimentos. Estima-se que 50% nascem mortos e 35% morre ao primeiro dia de vida; e 70% são do gênero feminino.Um feto bicéfalo é um produto desenvolvido com duas cabeças que se unem entre si por meio de suas porções temporão-parietais mediais, estando conectados vascular-mente e compartilham ou não órgãos entre si; são de tipo monozigóticos e produzi-dos pela separação anormal ou incompleta da porção axial do disco germinativo bi laminar em etapas avançadas do desenvolvimento embrionário. Neste trabalho se expõe o caso de siamesas bicéfalas do sexo feminino, cujo espéci-men fazem parte das coleções de embriologia do Laboratório de Morfologia da Uni-versidade Tecnológica de Pereira, que por registro de Historia Clínica e Consenti-mento Informado da mãe, que o entregou à Universidade, foi submetido a descrição anatomopatológica com o fim de expor aspectos relacionados às possíveis causas que os originaram, assim como o diagnóstico pré-natal destes defeitos congênitos e seu diagnóstico Imagiológico post-mortem.

Etnobiología de los Cofanes de Dureno / Etnobiología of the Cofanes de Dureno

Presenta un estudio etnobiológico del pueblo de los Cofanes de Dureno ubicados en la provincia de Sucumbios, analiza su flora poniendo énfasis en la clasificación y descripción de las plantas medicinales de esa región, su aplicación en la medicina etc. Estudiala fauna describiendo a cada una de las especies...