Background:
HIV infection continues to be a worldwide public health problem. After the introduction of effective preventive measures, perinatal transmission dramatically decreased. Our aim was to ...assess the sociodemographic changes in pregnant women living with HIV infection and trends in perinatal transmission rates over time.
Setting:
The Madrid cohort of HIV-infected mother–infant pairs is a multicenter, prospective, observational, and cohort study that collects information on HIV-infected pregnant women and their children.
Methods:
Information on clinical–epidemiological characteristics of HIV-infected pregnant women until delivery and their children from 9 public hospitals was included. Data were collected from a standardized questionnaire from medical records. The results were classified in 3 periods: period 1 (P1) 2000–2006, period 2 (P2) 2007–2013, and period 3 (P3) 2014–2020.
Results:
A total of 1521 women living with HIV and 1548 newborns were included. In P1, most mothers (75.8%) were Spanish, whereas in P2 and P3 there was a predominance of foreign origin 62.8% and 70.5% respectively (
P
< 0.01). The percentage of women with antiretroviral treatment before pregnancy increased significantly in P3 (
P
< 0.01). The proportion of Caesarean sections decreased over time (
P
< 0.01): 66.2% (n = 472) in P1, 54.9% (n = 245) in P2, and 46.7% (n = 141) in P3. The percentage of preterm and low birth weight newborns showed a statistically significant decrease. Even though there were no statistically significant differences (
P
= 0.154), a decrease in cases of perinatal infection was observed (1.6% in P1, 1.3% in P2 and 0.3% in P3).
Conclusions:
The epidemiologic characteristics of pregnant women with HIV infection have changed over time in our setting, with an increase of non-Caucasian, heterosexual, and perinatally infected mothers. Although there are still perinatal infections, especially in vulnerable populations such as immigrant women, transmission rate has markedly decreased in recent years and is still of major concern. Prevention measures should be reinforced in the most socially disadvantaged groups.
Group A Streptococcus (GAS) can cause a broad array of clinical manifestations and complications. Recently, in post COVID-19 postpandemic months, there has been an increased incidence and severity of ...invasive infections in the pediatric age group in Spain and other European countries with high morbidity, affecting mostly to young children, associated with seasonal peaks in incidence of viral respiratory pathogens. The increased in incidence and severity has not been associated with predominant GAS strains, but rather to the lack of immunity to both GAS and common viral respiratory infections due to isolation measures to prevent COVID-19. Due to the nonspecific initial clinical manifestations a high index of suspicion is necessary in order to initiate a prompt medical and surgical treatment when necessary to improve the outcome. Prevention strategies are needed as well as continuous microbiological surveillance of iGAS strains.
Chagas disease (CD) has become an emerging global health problem in association with the immigration of individuals from endemic areas (in LatinAmerica) to other countries.Spain is the country in ...Europe with the highest number of CD cases. Concerning pediatric CD, treatment is not only better tolerated by younger children but also has greater cure possibilities. The aim of this study was to describe clinical and epidemiological aspects of CD in a pediatric population diagnosed of 10 hospitals in the Community of Madrid during the 2004-2018 period, as well as the safety and efficacy of CD treatment on this population.
A multicenter, retrospective, descriptive study was conducted. The studied population included all identified children under the age of 18 with a diagnosis of CD. Diagnosis was performed with a positive parasitological test (with subsequent confirmation) or confirmed persistence of positive serology beyond 9 months, for children younger than one year-old, and with two different positive serological tests, for children older than one. Fifty-one children were included (59% male; 50.9% born in Spain). All mothers were from Latin America. The median age at diagnosis was 0.7 months for those under one year of age, and 11.08 years for those older than one year-old. Only one case presented a symptomatic course (hydrops faetalis, haemodynamic instability at birth, ascites, anaemia). For 94% treatment was completed. Considering patients who received benznidazole (47), AE were recorded in 48,9%. Among the 32 patients older than one year-old treated with benznidazole, 18 (56.25%) had adverse events whereas in the 15 under one year, 5(33,3%) did. Eigtheen (78.2%) of the patients with benznidazole AE were older than one year-old(median age 11.4 years). Of the patients treated with nifurtimox (9), AE were reported in 3 cases (33,3%). Cure was confirmed in 80% of the children under one year-old vs 4.3% in those older (p<0.001). Loss to follow- up occurred in 35.3% of patients.
Screening programs of CD since birth allow early diagnosis and treatment, with a significantly higher cure rate in children treated before one year of age, with lower incidence of adverse events. The high proportion of patients lost to follow-up in this vulnerable population is of concern.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Aims: Children with HIV exhibit chronic inflammation and immune dysfunction despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Strategies targeting persistent inflammation are needed to improve health in people ...living with HIV. The gut microbiota likely interacts with the immune system, but the clinical implications of modulating the dysbiosis by nutritional supplementation are unclear. Methods: Pilot, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial in which 24 HIV-infected on ART were randomized to supplementation with a daily mixture of symbiotics, omega-3/6 fatty acids and amino acids, or placebo four weeks, in combination with ART. We analyzed inflammatory markers and T-cell activation changes and their correlations with shifts in fecal microbiota. Results: Twenty-four HIV-infected children were recruited and randomized to receive a symbiotic nutritional supplement or placebo. Mean age was 12 ± 3.9 years, 62.5% were female. All were on ART and had HIV RNA < 50/mL. We did not detect changes in inflammatory (IL-6, IL-7, IP-10), microbial translocation (sCD14), mucosal integrity markers (IFABP, zonulin) or the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio, or changes in markers of the adaptive immune response in relation to the intervention. However, we found correlations between several key bacteria and the assessed inflammatory and immunological parameters, supporting a role of the microbiota in immune modulation in children with HIV. Conclusions: In this exploratory study, a four-week nutritional supplementation had no significant effects in terms of decreasing inflammation, microbial translocation, or T-cell activation in HIV-infected children. However, the correlations found support the interaction between gut microbiota and the immune system.
Pneumatoceles are rare complications of pulmonary tuberculosis in children. We present 2 cases in infants of disseminated tuberculosis complicated by pneumatoceles with different evolution. This ...complication should be considered if worsening of respiratory symptoms occurs after initiating anti-tuberculous treatment. Treatment of pneumatoceles is usually conservative and surgical treatment should be used in patients with giant cysts which cause respiratory distress.
Chagas disease (CD) is an emergent disease in Europe, due to immigration. The aims of this study are to describe the epidemiological characteristics of a cohort of Chagas infected pregnant women in ...Spain, to assess the vertical transmission (VT) rate and evaluate the usefulness of the PCR in the diagnosis of congenital infection in the first months of life.
A descriptive, retrospective study including Chagas seropositive pregnant women who were attended at three tertiary hospitals in Madrid, from January 2012 to September 2016. Infants were examined by PCR at birth and 1 month later and serologically studied at 9 months or later. Children were considered infected when the parasite was detected by PCR at any age or when serology remained positive without decline over the age of 9 months.
We included 122 seropositive-infected pregnant women, 81% were from Bolivia and only 8.2% had been treated before. 125 newborns were studied and finally 109 were included (12.8% lost the follow-up before performing the last serology). The VT rate was 2.75% (95% CI: 0,57-8,8%). Infected infants had positive PCR at birth and 1 month later. All of them were treated successfully with benznidazole (PCR and serology became negative later on). All non-infected children presented negative PCR. The mean age at which uninfected patients had negative serology was 10.5 months.
The VT rate is in keeping with literature and confirms the need to carry out a screening in pregnant women coming from endemic areas. PCR seems to be a useful tool to provide early diagnosis of congenital CD.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
INTRODUCCIÓN: Las cicatrices hipertróficas (CH) y queloides (QU) corresponden al resultado de una cicatrización patológica en la piel, que afectan la calidad de vida de quienes las presentan. Su ...tratamiento considera diversas intervenciones, muchas de las cuales son de alto costo y/o poco predecibles. Entre ellas, la toxina botulínica (TB) podría tener un efecto a nivel preventivo, aunque los resúmenes de evidencia presentan resultados disímiles. Por esto, proponemos sintetizar la evidencia proveniente de revisiones sistemáticas (RS) y metaanálisis (MA) de ensayos clínicos aleatorizados (ECA) sobre los efectos de la inyección local de TB en la prevención de CH y QU en pacientes que recibieron o recibirán un trauma quirúrgico en la piel.
MÉTODOS Y ANÁLISIS: Revisión panorámica siguiendo una adaptación de la Declaración PRISMA-P. Ejecutaremos búsquedas sensibles en L·OVE (Living OVerview of Evidence), un repositorio y plataforma de clasificación que utiliza la base de datos Epistemonikos. Realizaremos la selección de estudios, extracción de datos y evaluación de la calidad de las RS por duplicado. Compararemos las revisiones a través de matrices de evidencia, incluyendo las RS que aborden una pregunta similar y los ECA incluidos en estas. Estimaremos la superposición entre revisiones mediante el método de área cubierta y área cubierta corregida.
ÉTICA Y DIFUSIÓN: No se requiere aprobación ética. Esta revisión se publicará después de un proceso de revisión por pares. Sus resultados podrían ser utilizados por personal de salud para informar decisiones individuales y por tomadores de decisión de servicios de salud para guiar la asignación de recursos.
PROSPERO ID: CRD42023431093
The gut microbiota exerts a critical influence in the immune system. The gut microbiota of human virus immunodeficiency (HIV)-infected children remains barely explored. We aimed to characterize the ...fecal microbiota in vertically HIV-infected children and to explore the effects of its modulation with a symbiotic nutritional intervention.
a pilot, double blind, randomized placebo-controlled study including HIV-infected children who were randomized to receive a nutritional supplementation including prebiotics and probiotics or placebo for four weeks. HIV-uninfected siblings were recruited as controls. The V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced in fecal samples.
22 HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and with viral load (VL) <50/mL completed the follow-up period. Mean age was 11.4 ± 3.4 years, eight (32%) were male. Their microbiota showed reduced alpha diversity compared to controls and distinct beta diversity at the genus level (Adonis
= 0.042). Patients showed decreased abundance of commensals
and an increase in
and
The nutritional intervention shaped the microbiota towards the control group, without a clear directionality.
Vertical HIV infection is characterized by changes in gut microbiota structure, distinct at the compositional level from the findings reported in adults. A short nutritional intervention attenuated bacterial dysbiosis, without clear changes at the community level.
In a group of 24 vertically HIV-infected children, in comparison to 11 uninfected controls, intestinal dysbiosis was observed despite effective ART. Although not fully effective to restore the microbiota, a short intervention with pre/probiotics attenuated bacterial dysbiosis.
Most SARS-CoV-2 infections in the pediatric population are asymptomatic or with mild symptoms, with a minimal proportion of severe cases described as SARS-CoV-2-associated multi-system inflammatory ...syndrome (MIS-C). The objective was to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric patients admitted with confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection from the beginning of the pandemic until May 2021.
Retrospective observational study of pediatric patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19, in a tertiary hospital. Epidemiological and clinical data, additional tests, treatments administered and evolution were collected.
30 patients were included, classified into 3 groups according to diagnosis: respiratory infection, MIS-C and compatible symptoms. The patients with pneumonia were associated with age older, comorbidities and lymphopenia. MIS-C were more serious patients, with marked laboratory involvement and greater admission to PICU. Most of these were secondary cases of contact in the family environment.
The most frequent clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in children are mild-moderate respiratory with good evolution. MIS-C is another form of expression of SARS-CoV-2 infection of greater severity, but usually with good prognosis after early diagnosis and frequent PICU admission.
An increasing number of perinatally HIV-infected women (PHIV) are reaching adulthood and becoming pregnant. Most PHIV women have been exposed to a high number of antiretroviral regimens, and they may ...have difficulties to achieve viral suppression. Psychosocial problems are not uncommon and could be an important barrier for treatment adherence. The effects of chronic HIV infection and long-term exposure to antiretroviral treatment of PHIV women cause concerns on the developing fetus. The aims of this study were to describe the prevention of mother-to-child transmission strategies in PHIV women and the infant outcomes in the Madrid Cohort of HIV-infected mother-infant pairs.
All PHIV pregnant women registered in the Cohort that gave birth from 2000 to 2015 were included in the study.
Twenty-eight pregnancies in twenty-two perinatally infected women were registered. Most women were Caucasian and heavily treatment-experienced. Nine cases (32.1%) were at high risk of HIV mother-to-child transmission. Maternal HIV-1 viral load was detectable close to delivery in four women (14.3%). The management of these cases was described, and the treatment strategies were discussed. None of the newborns acquired HIV infection. Eight infants (28.6%) were small for gestational age.
This study included a large series of pregnancies among PHIV women attended according to a youth-centered care model. The challenges in the management of this population by health-care providers were described. Specific strategies to minimize perinatal transmission risks should be addressed in future collaborative studies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK