Changes in Anti-OV-16 IgG4 Responses to Onchocerciasis after Elimination of Transmission in the Central Endemic Zone of Guatemala.

Current WHO guidelines for onchocerciasis elimination provide requirements for stopping mass drug administration of ivermectin and the verification of elimination of transmission. These guidelines also recommend post-elimination surveillance (PES) based on entomological surveys. Serological markers in humans could complement entomological PES once the longevity of anti-OV-16 antibody responses is better understood. In 2014-2015 we evaluated ELISA anti-OV-16 IgG4 antibody persistence among previously seropositive people from the central endemic zone of Guatemala. The country stopped all onchocerciasis program interventions in 2012 and was verified by WHO as having eliminated transmission of onchocerciasis in 2016. A total of 246 participants with prior OV-16 ELISA results from 2003, 2006, 2007, or 2009 were enrolled in a follow-up study. Of these, 77 people were previously OV-16 seropositive and 169 were previously seronegative. By 2014 and 2015, 56 (72.7%) previously seropositive individuals had sero-reverted, whereas all previous negatives remained seronegative. The progression of antibody responses over time was estimated using a mixed-effects linear regression model, using data from seropositive participants who had sero-reverted. The temporal variation showed a mean activity unit decay of 0.20 per year (95% credible interval [CrI]: 0.17, 0.23), corresponding to an estimated antibody response half-life of 3.3 years (95% CrI: 2.7, 4.1). These findings indicate that the majority of seropositive people will sero-revert over time.

Baseline associations between household air pollution exposure and blood pressure among pregnant women in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) multi-country randomized controlled trial.

Cooking and heating using solid fuels can result in dangerous levels of exposure to household air pollution (HAP). HAPIN is an ongoing randomized controlled trial assessing the impact of a liquified petroleum gas stove and fuel intervention on HAP exposure and health in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda among households that rely primarily on solid cooking fuels. Given the potential impacts of HAP exposure on cardiovascular outcomes during pregnancy, we seek to characterize the relationship between personal exposures to HAP and blood pressure among pregnant women at baseline (prior to intervention) in the study. We assessed associations between PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm), BC (black carbon), and CO (carbon monoxide) exposures and blood pressure at baseline, prior to intervention, among 3195 pregnant women between 9 and 19 weeks of gestation. We measured 24-hour personal exposure to PM2.5/BC/CO and gestational blood pressure. Multivariable linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between personal exposures to three air pollutants and blood pressure parameters. Trial-wide, we found moderate increases in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and decreases in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) as exposure to PM2.5, BC, and CO increased. None of these associations, however, were significant at the 0.05 level. HAP exposure and blood pressure associations were inconsistent in direction and magnitude within each country. We observed effect modification by body mass index (BMI) in India and Peru. Compared to women with normal weights, obese women in India and Peru (but not in Rwanda or Guatemala) had higher SBP per unit increase in log transformed PM2.5 and BC exposures. We did not find a cross-sectional association between HAP exposure and blood pressure in pregnant women; however, HAP may be associated with higher blood pressure in pregnant women who are obese, but this increase was not consistent across settings.

Spanish Validation of the PALMS (Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale).

Although there is abundant evidence supporting an active lifestyle, it is necessary to promote the practice of physical activity among the population. To understand this phenomenon, several studies have been conducted to describe the reasons why people participate in sports activities. The PALMS (Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale) was created as a comprehensive tool to measure the reasons for practicing sports. This tool consists of 40 items related to sports and is designed for the young and adult population. Each of the subscales is formed of five items (mastery, enjoyment, psychological condition, physical condition, appearance, the expectations of others, affiliation, competition/ego) that reflect the possible reasons for practicing sports. This study sought to validate the PALMS in the cultural context of Spain, for the type of population for which it is designed. In total, 596 voluntary participants completed the study from Spain, aged 18 to 53, who regularly practice sports. The adequacy of the model obtained in the exploratory study was confirmed, since a model composed of eight factors and 40 indicators in total was obtained. The parameters were statistically significant (p < 0.05) and the factor loadings presented values greater than 0.5. Regarding internal consistency, the values of Cronbach's alpha and those of the composite reliability were above 0.8. In conclusion, the validation of the Spanish PALMS proved to be a valid and reliable measurement instrument for the evaluation of the reasons that lead the population to perform sports physical activity.

LPG stove and fuel intervention among pregnant women reduce fine particle air pollution exposures in three countries: Pilot results from the HAPIN trial.

The Household Air Pollution Intervention Network trial is a multi-country study on the effects of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel distribution intervention on women's and children's health. There is limited data on exposure reductions achieved by switching from solid to clean cooking fuels in rural settings across multiple countries. As formative research in 2017, we recruited pregnant women and characterized the impact of the intervention on personal exposures and kitchen levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in Guatemala, India, and Rwanda. Forty pregnant women were enrolled in each site. We measured cooking area concentrations of and personal exposures to PM2.5 for 24 or 48 h using gravimetric-based PM2.5 samplers at baseline and two follow-ups over two months after delivery of an LPG cookstove and free fuel supply. Mixed models were used to estimate PM2.5 reductions. Median kitchen PM2.5 concentrations were 296 µg/m3 at baseline (interquartile range, IQR: 158-507), 24 µg/m3 at first follow-up (IQR: 18-37), and 23 µg/m3 at second follow-up (IQR: 14-37). Median personal exposures to PM2.5 were 134 µg/m3 at baseline (IQR: 71-224), 35 µg/m3 at first follow-up (IQR: 23-51), and 32 µg/m3 at second follow-up (IQR: 23-47). Overall, the LPG intervention was associated with a 92% (95% confidence interval (CI): 90-94%) reduction in kitchen PM2.5 concentrations and a 74% (95% CI: 70-79%) reduction in personal PM2.5 exposures. Results were similar for each site. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention was associated with substantial reductions in kitchen and personal PM2.5 overall and in all sites. Results suggest LPG interventions in these rural settings may lower exposures to the WHO annual interim target-1 of 35 µg/m3. The range of exposure contrasts falls on steep sections of estimated exposure-response curves for birthweight, blood pressure, and acute lower respiratory infections, implying potentially important health benefits when transitioning from solid fuels to LPG.

Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma: a diagnostic challenge of vascular tumors.

Epitheloid hemangioendothelioma is a very rare tumor, with a variable presentation and unpredictable clinical behavior. The etiology and the triggering risk factors have not been specified. Unlike other primary liver tumors, it does not arise in the background of chronic liver disease. The approach is challenging due to the spectrum of possibilities and the need for immunohistochemistry to establish the definitive diagnosis. The information available so far is limited due to the few published cases, this favors that the therapeutic options are few or that there is insufficient evidence to standardize them when the lesion is not resectable.

El hemangioendotelioma epiteloide es un tumor muy infrecuente, con una presentación variable y un comportamiento clínico impredecible. No se han precisado la etiología ni los factores de riesgo desencadenantes. A diferencia de otros tumores hepáticos primarios, no surge en el contexto de una enfermedad crónica del hígado. El abordaje es un reto debido al espectro de posibilidades y la necesidad de inmunohistoquímica para establecer el diagnóstico definitivo. La información disponible hasta el momento es limitada por los escasos casos publicados, lo que favorece que las opciones terapéuticas sean pocas o no exista la evidencia suficiente para estandarizarlas cuando la lesión no sea resecable.

Toward improved adherence: a text message intervention in an human immunodeficiency virus pediatric clinic in Guatemala City.

ABSTRACT: As access to human immunodeficiency virus treatment expands in Low to Middle Income Countries, it becomes critical to develop and test strategies to improve adherence and ensure efficacy. Text messaging improves adherence to antiretroviral treatment antiretroviral treatment in some patient populations, but data surrounding the use of these tools is sparse in pediatric and adolescent patients in low to middle income countries. We evaluated if a text message intervention can improve antiretroviral treatment adherence while accounting for cell phone access, patterns of use, and willingness to receive text messages.We carried out a cross sectional study to understand willingness of receiving text message reminders, followed by a randomized controlled trial to assess effectiveness of text message intervention.Enrolled participants were randomized to receive standard care with regular clinic visits, or standard care plus short message service reminders. Adherence was measured 3 times during the study period using a 4-day Recall Questionnaire. Outcome was measured based on differences in the average adherence between the intervention and control group at each time point (baseline, 3 months, 6 months).Most respondents were willing to receive text message adherence reminders (81.1%, n = 53). Respondent literacy, travel time to clinic, cell phone access, and patterns of use were significantly associated with willingness. In the randomized trial the intervention group (n = 50) experienced a small but significant mean improvement in adherence over the six-month period (4%, P < .01) whereas the control group (n = 50) did not (mean improvement: 0.8%, P = .64).Text message interventions effectively support antiretroviral adherence in pediatric patients living with human immunodeficiency virus. Studies designed to assess the impact of text messaging interventions must examine local context for cellular phone infrastructure and use and must account for potential loss to follow up when patients miss appointments and study assessments.

Validity and intra-examiner reliability of the Hawk goniometer versus the universal goniometer for the measurement of range of motion of the glenohumeral joint.

AIM: The aim of this study was to establish the validity of an external measurement system (the Hawk goniometer). This is a digital device which measures joint ranges compared to the universal goniometer for the measurement of shoulder range of motion in healthy adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: a correlational study with 157 healthy volunteers completed six shoulder movements (forward flexion, abduction, extension, adduction and internal and external rotation) with each shoulder. The degree of agreement between each goniometer and Hawk measurement was assessed using Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman 95% limits of agreement (LOA). RESULTS: the tests showed a very strong relationship between the readings of both devices (CI between 0.81 and 0.99) and there were no significant differences between the mean readings of both devices. An intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of above 0.9 was obtained, indicating a high intra-evaluator reliability of the Hawk goniometer in repeated measurements of shoulder range of motion. CONCLUSIONS: the Hawk goniometer is a valid and reliable element for the objective measurement of the range of motion at the shoulder joint.

Air Pollutant Exposure and Stove Use Assessment Methods for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) Trial.

BACKGROUND: High quality personal exposure data is fundamental to understanding the health implications of household energy interventions, interpreting analyses across assigned study arms, and characterizing exposure-response relationships for household air pollution. This paper describes the exposure data collection for the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN), a multicountry randomized controlled trial of liquefied petroleum gas stoves and fuel among 3,200 households in India, Rwanda, Guatemala, and Peru. OBJECTIVES: The primary objectives of the exposure assessment are to estimate the exposure contrast achieved following a clean fuel intervention and to provide data for analyses of exposure-response relationships across a range of personal exposures. METHODS: Exposure measurements are being conducted over the 3-y time frame of the field study. We are measuring fine particulate matter [PM < 2.5µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5)] with the Enhanced Children's MicroPEM™ (RTI International), carbon monoxide (CO) with the USB-EL-CO (Lascar Electronics), and black carbon with the OT21 transmissometer (Magee Scientific) in pregnant women, adult women, and children <1 year of age, primarily via multiple 24-h personal assessments (three, six, and three measurements, respectively) over the course of the 18-month follow-up period using lightweight monitors. For children we are using an indirect measurement approach, combining data from area monitors and locator devices worn by the child. For a subsample (up to 10%) of the study population, we are doubling the frequency of measurements in order to estimate the accuracy of subject-specific typical exposure estimates. In addition, we are conducting ambient air monitoring to help characterize potential contributions of PM2.5 exposure from background concentration. Stove use monitors (Geocene) are being used to assess compliance with the intervention, given that stove stacking (use of traditional stoves in addition to the intervention gas stove) may occur. CONCLUSIONS: The tools and approaches being used for HAPIN to estimate personal exposures build on previous efforts and take advantage of new technologies. In addition to providing key personal exposure data for this study, we hope the application and learnings from our exposure assessment will help inform future efforts to characterize exposure to household air pollution and for other contexts. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6422.

Design and conduct of facility-based surveillance for severe childhood pneumonia in the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial.

Pneumonia is both a treatable and preventable disease but remains a leading cause of death in children worldwide. Household air pollution caused by burning biomass fuels for cooking has been identified as a potentially preventable risk factor for pneumonia in low- and middle-income countries. We are conducting a randomised controlled trial of a clean energy intervention in 3200 households with pregnant women living in Guatemala, India, Peru and Rwanda. Here, we describe the protocol to ascertain the incidence of severe pneumonia in infants born to participants during the first year of the study period using three independent algorithms: the presence of cough or difficulty breathing and hypoxaemia (≤92% in Guatemala, India and Rwanda and ≤86% in Peru); presence of cough or difficulty breathing along with at least one World Health Organization-defined general danger sign and consolidation on chest radiography or lung ultrasound; and pneumonia confirmed to be the cause of death by verbal autopsy. Prior to the study launch, we identified health facilities in the study areas where cases of severe pneumonia would be referred. After participant enrolment, we posted staff at each of these facilities to identify children enrolled in the trial seeking care for severe pneumonia. To ensure severe pneumonia cases are not missed, we are also conducting home visits to all households and providing education on pneumonia to the mother. Severe pneumonia reduction due to mitigation of household air pollution could be a key piece of evidence that sways policymakers to invest in liquefied petroleum gas distribution programmes.

Correction: The use of bluetooth low energy Beacon systems to estimate indirect personal exposure to household air pollution.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Global burden of respiratory infections associated with seasonal influenza in children under 5 years in 2018: a systematic review and modelling study.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal influenza virus is a common cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children. In 2008, we estimated that 20 million influenza-virus-associated ALRI and 1 million influenza-virus-associated severe ALRI occurred in children under 5 years globally. Despite this substantial burden, only a few low-income and middle-income countries have adopted routine influenza vaccination policies for children and, where present, these have achieved only low or unknown levels of vaccine uptake. Moreover, the influenza burden might have changed due to the emergence and circulation of influenza A/H1N1pdm09. We aimed to incorporate new data to update estimates of the global number of cases, hospital admissions, and mortality from influenza-virus-associated respiratory infections in children under 5 years in 2018. METHODS: We estimated the regional and global burden of influenza-associated respiratory infections in children under 5 years from a systematic review of 100 studies published between Jan 1, 1995, and Dec 31, 2018, and a further 57 high-quality unpublished studies. We adapted the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the risk of bias. We estimated incidence and hospitalisation rates of influenza-virus-associated respiratory infections by severity, case ascertainment, region, and age. We estimated in-hospital deaths from influenza virus ALRI by combining hospital admissions and in-hospital case-fatality ratios of influenza virus ALRI. We estimated the upper bound of influenza virus-associated ALRI deaths based on the number of in-hospital deaths, US paediatric influenza-associated death data, and population-based childhood all-cause pneumonia mortality data in six sites in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. FINDINGS: In 2018, among children under 5 years globally, there were an estimated 109·5 million influenza virus episodes (uncertainty range [UR] 63·1-190·6), 10·1 million influenza-virus-associated ALRI cases (6·8-15·1); 870 000 influenza-virus-associated ALRI hospital admissions (543 000-1 415 000), 15 300 in-hospital deaths (5800-43 800), and up to 34 800 (13 200-97 200) overall influenza-virus-associated ALRI deaths. Influenza virus accounted for 7% of ALRI cases, 5% of ALRI hospital admissions, and 4% of ALRI deaths in children under 5 years. About 23% of the hospital admissions and 36% of the in-hospital deaths were in infants under 6 months. About 82% of the in-hospital deaths occurred in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. INTERPRETATION: A large proportion of the influenza-associated burden occurs among young infants and in low-income and lower middle-income countries. Our findings provide new and important evidence for maternal and paediatric influenza immunisation, and should inform future immunisation policy particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. FUNDING: WHO; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The use of bluetooth low energy Beacon systems to estimate indirect personal exposure to household air pollution.

Household air pollution (HAP) generated from solid fuel combustion is a major health risk. Direct measurement of exposure to HAP is burdensome and challenging, particularly for children. In a pilot study of the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial in rural Guatemala, we evaluated an indirect exposure assessment method that employs fixed continuous PM2.5 monitors, Bluetooth signal receivers in multiple microenvironments (kitchen, sleeping area and outdoor patio), and a wearable signal emitter to track an individual's time within those microenvironments. Over a four-month period, we measured microenvironmental locations and reconstructed indirect PM2.5 exposures for women and children during two 24-h periods before and two periods after a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stove and fuel intervention delivered to 20 households cooking with woodstoves. Women wore personal PM2.5 monitors to compare direct with indirect exposure measurements. Indirect exposure measurements had high correlation with direct measurements (n = 62, Spearman ρ = 0.83, PM2.5 concentration range: 5-528 µg/m3). Indirect exposure had better agreement with direct exposure measurements (bias: -17 µg/m3) than did kitchen area measurements (bias: -89 µg/m3). Our findings demonstrate that indirect exposure reconstruction is a feasible approach to estimate personal exposure when direct assessment is not possible.

Congenital meningocele associated with corpus callosum agenesis and midline superior labial cleft due to Tessier 0-14 facial fissure: A case report.

A case of a 31-day-old infant patient with a Tessier 0-14 deformity related to multiple midline deformities is presented. Although Transnasal endoscopic surgery is the mainstay for the treatment of anterior and middle skull base meningoceles, there are complex cases in which a combined and multidisciplinary approach is necessary. The surgical decisions and techniques are described. To date, this is the first patient reported with Tessier 0-14 deformity treated with a combined endoscopic and external surgical approach.

[Round ligament cyst simulating incarcerated inguinal hernia. Report of a case]. / Quiste de ligamento redondo que simula hernia inguinal encarcelada. Reporte de un caso.

BACKGROUND: Round ligament cysts are rare lesions, often diagnosed as irreducible inguinal hernias. Most patients are in the third to fourth decade of life, but they can occur in younger patients. They are usually clinically asymptomatic or tend to produce subtle symptoms such as pain, discomfort, or a feeling of heaviness, and swelling. Cysts should not be resized with the Valsalva manoeuvre. Ultrasound is the diagnostic method of choice. The definitive diagnosis is made during surgery, and confirmed by pathological examination. OBJECTIVE: To present a case of round ligament cyst, initially diagnosed as an incarcerated inguinal hernia, and a review of the literature. CLINICAL CASE: A 19 year-old female, who was admitted to the emergency department due to her current condition of 5 days of onset. She had an increased volume in right inguinal region that increased with physical exertion, throbbing pain, and nausea without vomiting. A right inguinal mass of approximately of 6cm in diameter was found, which was painful on mid-superficial palpation, reaching a pre-surgical diagnosis of incarcerated right inguinal hernia with an indication of surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Round ligament cysts are a rare pathology, often confused with incarcerated inguinal hernias. Although ultrasound is the study of choice, the final diagnosis is usually made during surgery and confirmed by histopathology.

A Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Survey Conducted Three Years after Halting Ivermectin Mass Treatment for Onchocerciasis in Guatemala.

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin for onchocerciasis was provided in Guatemala's Central Endemic Zone (CEZ) over a 24 year period (1988-2011). Elimination of Onchocerca volvulus transmission was declared in 2015 after a three year post MDA surveillance period (2012-2014) showed no evidence of recrudescence. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) towards onchocerciasis and ivermectin among residents in the post endemic CEZ. A major interest in this study was to determine what community residents thought about the end of the ivermectin MDA program. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 148 interviews were conducted in November 2014 in four formerly hyperendemic communities using a standard questionnaire on smart phones. The majority (69%) of respondents knew that the MDA program had ended because the disease was no longer present in their communities, but a slight majority (53%) was personally unsure that onchocerciasis had really been eliminated. Sixty-three percent wanted to continue to receive ivermectin because of this uncertainty, or because ivermectin is effective against intestinal worms. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said that they would seek medical attention immediately if a family member had symptoms of onchocerciasis (especially the presence of a nodule), which is a finding very important for ongoing surveillance. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Many respondents wanted to continue receive ivermectin and more than half did not believe onchocerciasis had been eliminated. The ministry of health outreach services should be prepared to address ongoing concerns about onchocerciasis in the post endemic CEZ.

Safe areas for the placement of standard shoulder arthroscopy portals: an anatomical study / Áreas seguras para la colocación de portales artroscópicos estándar de hombro: un estudio anatómico

The abundant vascular structures that surround the shoulder joint are complex and variable, complicating arthroscopy approaches. The aim of this study is to determine safe and risky areas around standard posterior and standard anterior portals, and accounting for the distribution of neurovascular structures of small and medium diameters that can lead to intra-articular bleeding during surgery. The standard posterior portal, and standard anterior portal were placed as described in the literature, and punch dissection was performed 2.5 cm around the trocar in situ. The arrangement of each identified structure was photographically documented and digitalized for each anatomic plane; the distance to the trocar and the diameter of each structure were measured. Based on each digitalized anatomic plane, safe and risky tissue areas were determined, and a clock face coordinate system was used to represent these areas. The safe area around the standard posterior portal was located between 11 and 1 o´clock for the left shoulder and 11 and 2 o´clock for the right shoulder. For the standard anterior portal, the safe area was located between 2 and 3 o´clock for the left shoulder and between 9 and 12 o´clock for the right shoulder. However, we did document a risk of injuring the cephalic vein 5 times, the axillary artery 3 times and the deltoid branch of the thoracoacromial artery once. This study reports quantitatively the total number of small diameter structures present in the two shoulder arthroscopic portals evaluated. The safe areas proposed in this study must be evaluated to propose new access points for performing arthroscopic procedures on the shoulder.

Las abundantes estructuras vasculares que rodean la articulación del hombro son complejas y variables, y dificultan los abordajes artroscópicos. El objetivo del estudio fue determinar áreas seguras y en riesgo en relación al portal posterior estándar y el portal anterior estándar y cuantificar la distribución de estructuras de diámetro pequeño e intermedio que puedan conducir a sangrado intraarticular durante la cirugía. El portal posterior estándar y el portal anterior estándar fueron colocados según su descripción en la literatura y fueron realizadas disecciones en sacabocado de 2,5 cm alrededor del trocar in situ. La disposición de cada estructura identificada fue documentada fotográficamente y digitalizada para cada plano anatómico. La distancia hacia el trocar y el diámetro de cada estructura fueron medidos. Basado en cada plano anatómico digitalizado, áreas de seguridad y riesgo tisular fueron determinadas y un sistema de coordenadas de manecillas de reloj fue utilizado para representar estas áreas. El área segura alrededor del portal posterior estándar fue localizada entre las 11 y las 1 en el sistema de las manecillas del reloj para hombros izquierdos y entre las 11 y las 2 para hombros derechos. Para el portal anterior estándar, el área segura fue localizada entre las 2 y 3 horas para hombros izquierdos y entre las 9 y 12 horas para hombros derechos. Aun así, se documentó el riesgo de lesionar la vena cefálica en 5 ocasiones, la arteria axilar en 3 ocasiones y la rama deltoidea de la arteria toracroacromial en una ocasión. Este estudio reporta cuantitativamente el número total de estructuras de pequeño diámetro presentes en los dos portales artroscopicos evaluados. Las áreas seguras propuestas en este estudio deben ser evaluadas para proponer nuevos puntos de acceso para la realización de procedimientos artroscopicos en el hombro.

One Hundred Years After Its Discovery in Guatemala by Rodolfo Robles, Onchocerca volvulus Transmission Has Been Eliminated from the Central Endemic Zone.

We report the elimination of Onchocerca volvulus transmission from the Central Endemic Zone (CEZ) of onchocerciasis in Guatemala, the largest focus of this disease in the Americas and the first to be discovered in this hemisphere by Rodolfo Robles Valverde in 1915. Mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin was launched in 1988, with semiannual MDA coverage reaching at least 85% of the eligible population in > 95% of treatment rounds during the 12-year period, 2000-2011. Serial parasitological testing to monitor MDA impact in sentinel villages showed a decrease in microfilaria skin prevalence from 70% to 0%, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based entomological assessments of the principal vector Simulium ochraceum s.l. showed transmission interruption by 2007. These assessments, together with a 2010 serological survey in children 9-69 months of age that showed Ov16 IgG4 antibody prevalence to be < 0.1%, meeting World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for stopping MDA, and treatment was halted after 2011. After 3 years an entomological assessment showed no evidence of vector infection or recrudescence of transmission. In 2015, 100 years after the discovery of its presence, the Ministry of Health of Guatemala declared onchocerciasis transmission as having been eliminated from the CEZ.

Hepatotoxicity associated with dietary energy supplements: use and abuse by young athletes.

 In recent years there has been a significant increase in the consumption of dietary energy supplements (DES) associated with the parallel advertising against obesity and favoring high physical performance. We present the case and outcome of a young patient who developed acute mixed liver injury (hepatocellular and cholestatic) after ingestion of various "over the counter" products to increase muscle mass and physical performance (NO Xplode®, creatine, L-carnitine, and Growth Factor ATN®). The diagnosis was based on the exclusion of other diseases and liver biopsy findings. The dietary supplement and herbal multivitamins industry is one with the highest growth rates in the market, with annual revenues amounting to billions and constantly lacking scientific or reproducible evidence about the efficacy and/or safety of the offered products. Furthermore, and contrary to popular belief, different forms of injury associated with these natural substances have been documented particularly in the liver, supporting the need of a more strict regulation.