Survival up to 5 and 10 years of mexican pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Overhaul of 23 years experience.

A retrospective overhaul of all the patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, deceased or followed-up for at least 5 years within the Immunology Service of the Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (Mexico), since 1970 up to december 1993. The objective was to determine overlife of mexican childs attended in a govermental institution and secondary to get information about demographic characteristics, time from inicial manifestations to diagnosis, treatment received, frequent complications, most important sequelas, and deed causes. 65 clinical records were reviewed, 86.2% females and 13.8% males, ages from 2 to 18 years old; 20 months was the average from start of illnes to definitive diagnosis. Most patient's initial treatment was prednisone and cyclophosphamide, being modified according to response evaluated by clinical al laboratory follow-up. Fifty one patients (78.5%) survived, 60% from 5 to 10 years, and 40% more than 10 years. Fourteen patients died (21.5%). Most frequent complications were local and systemic infections, hemorragic cystitis and steroidal diabetes. Principal dead cause was sepsis. Mortality en Systemic Lupus Erythematosus patients continues being high. Many factors contribute for delay diagnosis, in its way responsable for poorer pronostic. As a pediatric hospital, follow-up is end at adulthood, what makes long term follow-up limited.

[Use of the direct capping technic in lymphocytes for the detection of women carrying the Duchenne type muscular dystrophy]. / Empleo de la técnica directa de "capping" en linfocitos para la detección de mujeres portadoras de distrofia muscular tipo Duchenne.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive X-linked recessive condition. The detection of female carriers is important for genetic counseling but no precise method is available in our country. Based on the demonstration by other authors of an impaired lymphocyte "capping" in DMD patients and carriers, we evaluated the usefulness of this method in the detection of DMD carriers. Nineteen control subjects, 9 obligate carriers, 6 DMD patients, and 10 probable carriers, were studied. The analysis of variability intra and interobserver of the results of "capping" showed variation coefficients of 17% and 19%, respectively. The comparison of groups (F test) showed no difference between controls, obligate carriers and DMD patients. When a diagnostic value of 30 was chosen, we obtained 78% specificity and 40% sensitivity. It was concluded that, under the conditions of this study, we were unable to demonstrate a diminished lymphocyte "capping" in DMD patients and carriers as compared with normal subjects.

Alterations in the T-lymphocyte subpopulation in patients with rhinoscleroma.

T-lymphocyte subpopulations were studied in a group of patients with rhinoscleroma due to Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. The data demonstrated that these patients had a significantly greater number of T-suppressor/cytotoxic lymphocytes than did clinically healthy individuals. This finding correlated with a diminished response to the T-cell mitogen concanavalin A. The evidence indicated that the T-cell response of these patients was decreased and may reflect the host's response to the bacterial invader, thus explaining the chronicity of the disease.

Neumopatia en ninos por antigeno de paloma. / Lung disease in children caused by pigeon's antigens

Se revisaron 30 ninos con neumopatia por antigenos de paloma en 10 anos en el Instituto Nacional de Pediatria DIF. Predominaron el sexo masculino, clase social baja, edad escolar y adolescentes; las caracteristicas clinicas, radiologicas y de pruebas funcionales respiratorias fueron las descritas en este padecimiento. En todos existia contacto intradomiciliario con las palomas y tenian anticuerpos contra antigenos del Suero de Paloma demostrados por inmunoelectroforesis. El tratamiento basico es eliminar el contacto con palomas y en caso necesario se puede emplear corticoesteroides e inmunodepresores temporalmente. 12 casos curaron completamente, 13 casos estan en evolucion y aun existen alteraciones radiologicas y 1 caso fallecio. Se comenta la posible importancia patogenica de la parasitacion intestinal de las palomas para un mayor aporte de antigenos sericos en sus excretas

Involvement of complement and RA factor in non-specific agglutination of the latex reagent for HAA.

Heat inactivation of fresh sera reduced significantly the proportion of false-positive reactions when the latex agglutination test for the detection of HAA was used in a series of 454 sera, possibly because heating destroys the C'lq fraction of complement. Non-specific agglutination also occurred if RA factor was present in sera tested, a fact that has been previously reported. This rapid and simple test may be very convenient as a screening procedure, but all positive sera should be tested again by means of a more specific method, as well as for RA factor. Improvement of the reagent may result in the elimination of false-negative results, which were no-observed in this study but have been reported by others.