Short-segment transverse myelitis lesions in a cohort of Latin American patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.

STUDY DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to determine the frequency and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of short-segment transverse myelitis (STM) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) during a myelitis attack. SETTING: Latin American diagnostic centres (Neuroimmunology Unit). A multicenter study from Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela was performed. METHODS: Seventy-six patients with NMOSD were included. We analyzed 346 attacks and reviewed spinal cord MRIs performed within 30 days from spinal attack onset. Sagittal and axial characteristics on cervical and thoracic MRI (1.5 tesla) were observed. Demographics, clinical, serological, and disability data were collected. RESULTS: Among the 76 patients with NMOSD, isolated STM was observed in 8% (n = 6), multisegmental lesions (longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) + STM) in 28% (n = 21; 13 had at least one STM), LETM in 42% (n = 32), and normal spinal MRI in 22% (n = 17). However, isolated STM was increased by 10% in patients with NMOSD with spinal lesions (6 out of 59) with mean attacks of 2.5 (±0.83) and last follow-up expanded disability status scale (EDSS) of 3.1 (±2.63). Positive aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-ab) were found in 50%. Upper-cervical lesion was most frequently observed (5 out of 6). Myelitis was preceded by ON in all isolated patients with STM. Only one had a positive gadolinium lesion and none of these had asymptomatic spinal cord lesion. CONCLUSION: Isolated STM does not exclude NMOSD diagnosis. Therefore, APQ4-ab testing could be useful during a myelitis attack with STM.

Frequency of brain MRI abnormalities in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder at presentation: A cohort of Latin American patients.

BACKGROUND: Brain magnetic resonance imaging (BMRI) lesions were classically not reported in neuromyelitis optica (NMO). However, BMRI lesions are not uncommon in NMO spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients. OBJECTIVE: To report BMRI characteristic abnormalities (location and configuration) in NMOSD patients at presentation. METHODS: Medical records and BMRI characteristics of 79 patients with NMOSD (during the first documented attack) in Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: BMRI abnormalities were observed in 81.02% of NMOSD patients at presentation. Forty-two patients (53.1%) showed typical-NMOSD abnormalities. We found BMRI abnormalities at presentation in the brainstem/cerebellum (n = 26; 32.9%), optic chiasm (n = 16; 20.2%), area postrema (n = 13; 16.4%), thalamus/hypothalamus (n = 11; 13.9%), corpus callosum (n = 11; 13.9%), periependymal-third ventricle (n = 9; 11.3%), corticospinal tract (n = 7; 8.8%), hemispheric white matter (n = 1; 1.2%) and nonspecific areas (n = 49; 62.03%). Asymptomatic BMRI lesions were more common. The frequency of brain MRI abnormalities did not differ between patients who were positive and negative for aquaporin 4 antibodies at presentation. CONCLUSION: Typical brain MRI abnormalities are frequent in NMOSD at disease onset.

Calidad de las estadísticas de mortalidad en la provincia Camagüey según cuantificación de causas de muertes imprecisas / Quality of the statistics of mortality in Camagüey province according to quantification of imprecise causes of death

Fundamento: la certificación de las causas de muerte es uno de los procederes más antiguos que existen en la práctica médica. Una correcta certificación reviste una gran importancia pues a partir de su análisis se derivan acciones desde regionales hasta internacionales para a través de programas de salud elevar la calidad de vida de la población. Objetivo: evaluar la calidad de las estadísticas de mortalidad en la provincia Camagüey en los últimos 15 años, a partir de la cuantificación de causas básicas de muerte imprecisas o no deseadas consignadas en los certificados médicos de defunción. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo transversal retrospectivo de las estadísticas de mortalidad en la provincia Camagüey, que abarcó el universo de certificados médicos de defunción registrados entre los años 2000 y 2014. Se realizó una revisión documental y se definieron los indicadores de calidad por grupos de códigos asignados a la causa básica de muerte. Resultados: en la provincia Camagüey en los 15 años estudiados (2000-2014) ocurrieron 85 770 defunciones según residencia, de ellas el 6,74 % fueron codificadas con causa básica de muerte imprecisa o no deseada. El quinquenio 2005-2009 fue el de mayor incidencia en la certificación de este tipo de causa básica, con una tendencia al descenso para los últimos cinco años. Al analizar el valor puntual de los 15 años estudiados, solo en cinco la razón de cambio respecto al año índice (2000) fue superior a 1,30 o sea, que se incrementó en más de un 30 % respecto al año índice. Conclusiones: la certificación médica de las causas básicas de muerte imprecisas o indeseadas en la provincia Camagüey es baja y ha presentado una tendencia a la disminución en el último quinquenio.

Background: the certification of causes of death is one of the most ancient procedures in medical practice. A correct certification has a great importance since regional and international actions derive from its analysis for raising the quality of life of people by means of health programs. Objective: to asses the quality of the statistics of mortality in Camagüey province in the last 15 years from the quantification of undesirable or imprecise basic causes of death recorded on the medical death certificates. Method: a descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study of the statistics of mortality was conducted in the province of Camagüey including the universe of medical death certificates between the years 2000 and 2014. A documentary review was made and the quality indicators were defined by code groups assigned to the basic cause of death. Results: in Camagüey province, in the studied 15 years (2000-2014), 85 770 deaths happened according to residence; the 6, 74 % of them were codified as undesirable or imprecise basic cause of death. The five-year period 2005-2009 presented the greatest incidence in the certification of this type of basic cause with a tendency to increase in the last five years. Of the 15 years studied, in five years the ratio of change was higher than 1, 30 when analysing the precise value of every year with respect to the rate year (2000), i.e. that it increased in more than a 30 % with respect to the rate year. Conclusions: the medical certification of the undesirable or imprecise basic causes of death in Camagüey province is low and has presented a tendency to decrease in the last five-year period.

Central Nervous System Idiopathic Inflammatory Demyelinating Disorders in South Americans: A Descriptive, Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.

The idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating disease (IIDD) spectrum has been investigated among different populations, and the results have indicated a low relative frequency of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) among multiple sclerosis (MS) cases in whites (1.2%-1.5%), increasing in Mestizos (8%) and Africans (15.4%-27.5%) living in areas of low MS prevalence. South America (SA) was colonized by Europeans from the Iberian Peninsula, and their miscegenation with natives and Africans slaves resulted in significant racial mixing. The current study analyzed the IIDD spectrum in SA after accounting for the ethnic heterogeneity of its population. A cross-sectional multicenter study was performed. Only individuals followed in 2011 with a confirmed diagnosis of IIDD using new diagnostic criteria were considered eligible. Patients' demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. In all, 1,917 individuals from 22 MS centers were included (73.7% female, 63.0% white, 28.0% African, 7.0% Mestizo, and 0.2% Asian). The main disease categories and their associated frequencies were MS (76.9%), NMO (11.8%), other NMO syndromes (6.5%), CIS (3.5%), ADEM (1.0%), and acute encephalopathy (0.4%). Females predominated in all main categories. The white ethnicity also predominated, except in NMO. Except in ADEM, the disease onset occurred between 20 and 39 years old, early onset in 8.2% of all cases, and late onset occurred in 8.9%. The long-term morbidity after a mean disease time of 9.28±7.7 years was characterized by mild disability in all categories except in NMO, which was scored as moderate. Disease time among those with MS was positively correlated with the expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score (r=0.374; p=<0.001). This correlation was not observed in people with NMO or those with other NMO spectrum disorders (NMOSDs). Among patients with NMO, 83.2% showed a relapsing-remitting course, and 16.8% showed a monophasic course. The NMO-IgG antibody tested using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) with a composite substrate of mouse tissues in 200 NMOSD cases was positive in people with NMO (95/162; 58.6%), longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (10/30; 33.3%) and bilateral or recurrent optic neuritis (8/8; 100%). No association of NMO-IgG antibody positivity was found with gender, age at onset, ethnicity, early or late onset forms, disease course, or long-term severe disability. The relative frequency of NMO among relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) + NMO cases in SA was 14.0%. Despite the high degree of miscegenation found in SA, MS affects three quarters of all patients with IIDD, mainly white young women who share similar clinical characteristics to those in Western populations in the northern hemisphere, with the exception of ethnicity; approximately one-third of all cases occur among non-white individuals. At the last assessment, the majority of RRMS patients showed mild disability, and the risk for secondary progression was significantly superior among those of African ethnicity. NMO comprises 11.8% of all IIDD cases in SA, affecting mostly young African-Brazilian women, evolving with a recurrent course and causing moderate or severe disability in both ethnic groups. The South-North gradient with increasing NMO and non-white individuals from Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil and Venezuela confirmed previous studies showing a higher frequency of NMO among non-white populations.

COX-2 and sPLA2 inhibitory activity of aqueous extract and polyphenols of Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove).

The aqueous extract of Rhizophora mangle bark and its polyphenolic fractions showed remarkable in vitro antiinflammatory activity in a preliminary study. The low molecular weight fraction exhibited cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory activity while the total aqueous extract and the low molecular weight fraction showed secretory phospholipase A(2) inhibitory activity.

Efficacy of Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract (RMABE) in the treatment of aphthous ulcers: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: Rhizophora mangle aqueous bark extract (RMABE) (CIKRON-H), has been used as antiseptic and skin wound healing promoter. The present study was a randomised, single-blinded, placebo control trial conducted to asses the efficacy of RMABE in treating oral aphthous ulcers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients (n = 32) with aphthous ulcers were randomised to received placebo solution or RMABE topically, once a day, from Monday to Friday, until they healed. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated by physician clinical observations (time to heal, change in condition), the quality of the patient's life and the tolerability through recording adverse effects. RESULTS: No demographic differences were noted between the two groups at base-line. Seven days after treatment, 12 of the 17 patients in the RMABE group (71%) were completely healed of their aphthous ulcers, with repaired mucosa and no symptoms of ulcers, compared with one in 15 patients in the placebo group (7%) (p < 0.0001). The time taken for the signs and symptoms of ulcers to diminish was also higher in the placebo than in RMABE-treatment group (erythema: placebo 10.54 +/- 1.24, RMABE 4.94 +/- 0.72 days, p = 0.0003; ardour: placebo 7.00 +/- 0.76, RMABE 2.93 +/- 0.49 days, p = 0.0001; and pain: placebo 7.43 +/- 1.21, RMABE 2.92 +/- 0.23 days, p = 0.0011). No subject showed any sign of adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: These observations demonstrate that the R. mangle aqueous bark extract reduced the time to repair mucosal tissue, erythema, ardour and pain persistence. There was no evidence any adverse effects. This is the first time that the R. mangle extract has been reported to have mouth mucosa healing properties.

Prevalence of Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis in pregnant women in Havana City by an immunologic latex agglutination test.

We aimed to estimate the prevalence of Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis in immunocompetent pregnant women living in Havana City, Cuba, with or without symptoms of vaginitis, using a sample of 640 women from 6 Gyneco-obstetrics hospitals, which represents 2.5% of total yearly pregnant women. Diagnosis was made using a new latex agglutination kit (Newvagin C-Kure, La Habana, Cuba). Clinical sensitivity and specificity of this assay were validated against culture method, with 467 and 489 clinical specimens for Candida albicans and Trichomonas vaginalis, respectively. Results showed that the kit clinical sensitivity was 100% for Candida albicans and 86.7% for Trichomonas vaginalis compared with a clinical specificity of 93.3% for Candida albicans and 95.1% for Trichomonas vaginalis by culture. The prevalence of candidiasis was determined to be 42.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.8%); the prevalence of trichomoniasis was 9.84% (95% CI 2.3%). In our sample, 48.7% of the women tested negative with respect to both candidiasis and trichomoniasis. Only 6.41% of the cases yielded inconclusive results. The test has high sensitivity, and our results indicate a relatively high prevalence of both infections. However, a significant difference (P < .001) was also observed in candidiasis and trichomoniasis prevalence among hospitals corresponding to the quantity of women with clinical vaginitis. No difference was observed between diabetics and nondiabetics, probably due to the special care of diabetic pregnant women. We conclude that the method is useful for this kind of vaginitis prevalence study and that candidiasis and trichomoniasis prevalences in pregnant women of Havana are 38.5% to 46.2 % (95% CI) and 7.5% to 12.1% (95% CI), respectively.

Diagnóstico de meningitis tuberculosa por la determinación de la actividad de adenosina deaminasa y la amplificación de secuencias nucleotídicas por PCR / Diagnosis of tubercular meningitis by detection of adenosine deaminase activity and amplification of nucleotide sequences with PCR

La tuberculosis meningea (TBM) es la forma más severa y letal de la tuberculosis. El diagnóstico bacteriológico rápido en TBM es casi imposible con los métodos convencionales. Por esto muchos pacientes son tratados con drogas anti-TBC sin tener un diagnóstico definitivo. Un método de diagnóstico más rápido y efectivo es necesario, para poder iniciar tratamiento a tiempo y evitar las secuelas neurológicas irreversibles o la muerte. En este trabajo se evaluó la actividad de la adenosina deaminasa (ADA) y amplificación de las secuencias IS6110 y mtp40 por reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR), en líquido cerebroespinal de pacientes con meningitis crónica. Para la actividad de ADA > 8 U/L la sensibilidad fue de 80 por ciento y la especificidad de 91 por cieto. PCR para IS6110 mostró valores de sensibilidad de 80 por ciento y 97 por ciento de especificidad. La actividad de ADA y la PCR a partir de muestras de LCR son útiles como herramientas complementarias en el diagnóstico de TBM