Medicc Review最新文献

A perplexing clinical aspect of COVID-19 is presentation of patients with pronounced hypoxemia without expected signs of respiratory distress or dyspnea, even when cyanotic. Nonetheless, these patients frequently leapfrog clinical evolution stages and suffer acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), with concomitant cardiorespiratory arrest and death.[1] This phenomenon is referred to as silent or 'happy' hypoxemia.

At fi rst, COVID-19 was thought to be primarily a respiratory disease, progressing in some patients to serious respiratory symptoms, pneumonia, severe respiratory distress syndrome and even death. Later analysis revealed entire systems were compromised, affecting other vital organs, including the kidneys, and a correlation was observed between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and COVID-19 severity COVID-19 severity.

INTRODUCTION Double-negative T lymphocytes act as immunomodulators in immune response. This subpopulation is rare in blood but important in the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, viral infections, cancer and transplant rejection. These disorders have been studied in Cuba using fl ow cytometry, but normal values of these cells have not yet been established. OBJECTIVE Estimate preliminary reference values for doublenegative T lymphocytes according to sex and age in Cuban adults. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out in a population of 182 healthy adult residents of Havana: 93 women and 89 men aged 18-80 years with no chronic diseases, toxic habits (smoking, excessive alcohol or caffeine intake) or medications that might alter quantity or functioning of immune-system cells. Peripheral blood was drawn to determine immunophenotype with monoclonal antibodies. The phenotype of double-negative T lymphocytes was quantifi ed as CD45+/CD3+/CD4- /CD8- /CD56- using a Gallios fl ow cytometer (Beckman-Coulter, France). Medians and ranges (to the 5th and 95th percentiles) were calculated for sex and age, for both percentages and absolute values. To evaluate the effects of sex and age, both variables as well as their interaction were included in a linear model. RESULTS Respective median and range values were total percentage values 3.4 (1.6-7.4) and total absolute values (cells/μL) 57.5 (23.0-157.0). The effect of age on lymphocyte values (percentage and absolute) was signifi cant, with lower numbers in the 51-80 years' age group (p <0.001). Percentage values according to age group were: 18-25 years, 3.8 (2.2- 7.4); 26-50 years, 3.7 (1.7-8.7); and 51-80 years 2.6 (1.3-6.6). Absolute values by age group were: 18-25 years, 90 (32.6-163.7); 26-50 years, 65 (28.8-184.0); and 51-80 years 38.5 (17.9-90.1). Desegregating data by sex and age: percentage of women aged 18-25 years 5.2 (2.1-7.8), 26-50 years 4.0 (1.8-7.7), and 51-80 years 2.5 (1.3-5.8); percentage of men aged 18-25 years 3.4 (2.3-7.3), 26-50 years 3.8 (1.5-8.7), and 51-80 years 2.6 (1.2-7.3). Absolute values: women aged 18-25 years 112.0 (40.0-153.1), 26-50 years 67.0 (26.7-138.3), and 51-80 years 40 (18.6-92.0); and men aged 18-25 years 71.5 (32.1-166.7), 26-50 years 61.5 (29.9-188.7), and 51-80 years 36 (13.5-81.7). The low sex*age interaction confi rms these differences occur in both men and women. Values decrease with age, with a more abrupt fall starting at 50 years. CONCLUSIONS Estimated reference values were determined for absolute values and relative proportions of double-negative T lymphocytes in healthy Cuban adults according to sex and age. Age was found to have a signifi cant effect. KEYWORDS Reference values, T lymphocytes, fl ow cytometry, immunology, Cuba.

The COVID-19 pandemic exhibits different characteristics in each country, related to the extent of SARS-CoV-2 local transmission, as well as the speed and effectiveness of epidemic response implemented by authorities. This study presents a descriptive epidemiological analysis of the daily and cumulative incidence of confi rmed cases and deaths in Cuba from COVID-19 in the fi rst 110 days after fi rst-case confi rmation on March 11, 2020. During this period, 2340 cases (20.7 x 100,000 population) were confi rmed, of which 86 patients died (case fatality 3.67%; 52 men and 34 women). Mean age of the deceased was 73.6 years (with a minimum of 35 years and a maximum of 101), with the average age of men lower than that of women. More than 70% of all deceased had associated noncommunicable diseases. The incidence curve ascended for fi ve weeks and then descended steadily. The average number of confi rmed cases and deaths for the last week included (June 23-28, 2020) were 25 and 1 respectively; the curve always moved within the most favorable forecast zone of available mathematical models and the effective reproductive number fell below 1 after the fi fth week following the onset of the epidemic.

Cuban participation in and contributions to education, medical care and research on diabetes and pregnancy in Latin America dates back to the 1970s when the Latin American Diabetes Association was founded. The Cuban health system and its professionals recognized early the problems presented by diabetes during pregnancy for the health of an expectant mother and her children and assimilated and disseminated important lessons that became infl uential in the region. These included: importance of adopting a program within primary health care that offers national coverage for diabetic pregnant women, with a special focus on pre-conception monitoring of diabetic women; benefi ts of defi ning a specifi c range for application of a fasting glucose test to identify risk of gestational diabetes through selective screening for the disease; using insulin to treat gestational diabetes; controlling excessive weight at the beginning and during pregnancy; and underscoring the importance of interdisciplinary treatment of diabetes in pregnancy. The goal was to improve care and research in reproductive health for diabetic pregnant women and their children in Cuba. KEYWORDS: Gestational diabetes, pregnancy, Latin America, Cuba.

BACKGROUND The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the current global pandemic. There is a concerted effort within the global scientifi c community to identify (and thereby potentially mitigate) the possible modes of transmission through which the virus spreads throughout populations. OBJECTIVE Summarize the ways in which SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted and provide scientifi c support for the prevention and control of COVID-19. EVIDENCE AQUISITION We conducted an extensive literature search using electronic databases for scientifi c articles addressing SARSCoV-2 transmission published from December 28, 2019 through July 31, 2020. We retrieved 805 articles, but only 302 were included and discussed in this review. The report captured relevant studies investigating three main areas: 1) viral survival, 2) transmission period and transmissibility, and 3) routes of viral spread. DEVELOPMENT Currently available evidence indicates that SARSCoV-2 seems to have variable stability in different environments and is very sensitive to oxidants, such as chlorine. Temperature and humidity are important factors infl uencing viral survival and transmission. SARSCoV-2 may be transmitted from person to person through several different routes. The basic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 transmission person-to-person contact through respiratory droplets, or via indirect contact. Aerosolized transmission is likely the dominant route for the spread of SARS-CoV-2, particularly in healthcare facilities. Although SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in non-respiratory specimens, including stool, blood and breast milk, their role in transmission remains uncertain. A complicating factor in disease control is viral transmission by asymptomatic individuals and through what would otherwise be understood as innocuous human activities. CONCLUSIONS This article provides a review of the published research regarding human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and insights into developing effective control strategies to stop viral propagation. KEYWORDS COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, transmission, pandemics, microbial viability.

COVID-19 has dominated the conversation this year. Following the fi rst outbreaks in December 2019, it became clear that older adults were predisposed to greater disease severity and death. What occurred in nursing homes across Europe and the Americas was brutal-as much for the older adults themselves as for their families. Many didn't even get to say goodbye.

Virologist Dr María Guadalupe Guzmán is recognized as a global leader in dengue research and heads the Pedro Kourí Tropical Medicine Institute's work as a WHO/PAHO Collaborating Center for the Study of Dengue and Its Vector. The Institute (IPK) was founded in 1937 and is now Cuba's national reference center for the diagnosis, treatment, control and prevention of communicable diseases. Dr Guzmán is also president of the Cuban Society of Microbiology and Parasitology and directs IPK's Scientifi c Council, which is responsible for setting the Institute's research priorities. A recent h-index analysis found that Dr Guzmán is among the most widelypublished and cited Cuban researchers.