[Capillary hemoglobin as a predictor of the response to the oral intake of iron in children with iron deficiency]. / La hemoglobina capilar como predictor de la respuesta al hierro oral en niños con deficiencia de hierro.

A study was made to determine the prevalence of anemia in apparently healthy children of both sexes aged 6 to 24 months attending the preventive medicine service in a general hospital of the Mexican Social Security Institute in the city of Tapachula, State of Chiapas. One hundred children were studied with a capillary hemoglobin (Hb) determination: 91 had anemia (Hb less than or equal to 11 g/dL). Sixty eight of the anemic children received oral iron for 3 months (3 mg/kg/day): their Hb before and after iron therapy were compared. Considering as responders those with an increment in Hb greater than 1 g/dL, sixty four children (94%) showed a mean increment of 2.6 g/dL. Four were considered as non-responders: in 3 the iron supplementation was stopped due to infectious diseases; the fourth case had a Hb increment below 1 g/dL. The use of capillary Hb as a criterium for treating anemic children proved to be a good predictor of response in a population where the prevalence of iron deficiency is high.

[Prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and its relationship with other sexually transmitted diseases in a group of prostitutes from Huixtla, Chiapas]. / Prevalencia de la infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) y relación con otras enfermedades transmitidas sexualmente en un grupo de prostitutas en Huixtla, Chiapas.

We investigated the HIV prevalence rate in 106 female prostitutes residing in Huixtla, State of Chiapas, which is a small town in the southeastern part of Mexico, from February of 1989 to January of 1990. We used an immunoenzymatic method (Serodia). The mean age was 35 years ranging from 17 to 43. Sixty six women (62%) were from Central America, and the remainder had been born in Mexico. The HIV antibody was not detected in the women, but 39 (37%) had a sexually transmitted disease: the more frequent were condolomatosis, candidiasis, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and syphilis.

Lymphocyte subsets in patients with aplastic anemia.

Lymphocyte subsets were enumerated in a group of 31 patients with aplastic anemia. Abnormal numbers of immunoregulatory T-cells were found in some patients: 26% of them showed a reversed helper/suppressor ratio. Seven of 18 patients showed significantly decreased proliferation in response to PWM; this hyporesponsiveness was present in 75% of patients with a reversed helper/suppressor ratio and in 10% of those with a normal helper/suppressor ratio (R = 0.66, P = 0.008). Eight of 18 patients showed suppressor activity over PWM-induced allogeneic cell proliferation. This suppressive activity did not correlate with T-cell phenotype. Of the patients with a low number of T-cells, 73% had responded to treatment, whereas of those patients with a normal number of T-cells, 26% had responded (P = 0.016). The results are consistent with abnormal immune response in selected patients with aplastic anemia, and suggest a possible influence of T-cells on disease process.

Artritis por amiloide simulando artritis reumatoide en seis pacientes con mieloma multiple. / Amyloid arthritis simulating rheumatoid arthritis in six patients with multiple myeloma

Se presentan 6 casos de poliartritis simetrica por deposito de amiloide secundarias a mieloma multiple. Clinicamente simularon artritis reumatoide y fueron tratados con esteroides y anti-inflamatorios en un periodo que vario entre 2 a 36 meses. Estos casos representan el 9.2% de los 65 pacientes con mieloma multiple admitidos en el Instituto Nacional de la Nutricion en un periodo de 30 anos.El proposito del presente trabajo es senalar aquellos elementos clinicos que permiten hacer un diagnostico diferencial precoz entre artropatia por amiloide, secundaria a mieloma multiple y la que acompana a la artritis reumatoide