Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Pregnancies without Congenital Transmission Is Associated with Reduced Fetal Growth: A Cross-Sectional Study in Argentina, Honduras, and Mexico.

We aimed to measure the association between Trypanosoma cruzi infection in pregnancy and reduced fetal growth in the absence of T. cruzi congenital transmission. We conducted a cross-sectional study of secondary data of all singleton live births between 2011 and 2013 in five hospitals from Argentina, Honduras, and Mexico.

Assessment of Community Awareness and Screening of Chagas Disease in the Latin American Community of Greater New Orleans.

Chagas disease is a public health problem in the Americas, from the southern United States (USA) to Argentina. In the USA, less than 1% of domestic cases have been identified and less than 0.3% of total cases have received treatment.

Neurodevelopmental assessment of normocephalic children born to Zika virus exposed and unexposed pregnant people.

Background: Studies examining the association between in utero Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure and child neurodevelopmental outcomes have produced varied results.

Methods: We aimed to assess neurodevelopmental outcomes among normocephalic children born from pregnant people enrolled in the Zika in Pregnancy in Honduras (ZIPH) cohort study, July-December 2016. Enrollment occurred during the first prenatal visit.

Similarity network fusion to identify phenotypes of small-for-gestational-age fetuses.

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) affects 5-10% of pregnancies, is the largest contributor to fetal death, and can have long-term consequences for the child. Implementation of a standard clinical classification system is hampered by the multiphenotypic spectrum of small fetuses with substantial differences in perinatal risks. Machine learning and multiomics data can potentially revolutionize clinical decision-making in FGR by identifying new phenotypes.

Comparative effectiveness and duration of protection of ChAdOx1, CoronaVac, BNT162b2, mRNA-1273, and Ad26.COV2.S COVID-19 vaccines for symptomatic and hospitalized Mu, Delta, and Omicron: A test-negative case-control study.

Objective: We carried out a study to estimate the vaccine effectiveness (VE) of homologous vaccination schedules against COVID-19, using data from mandatory information systems from Bogota, Colombia.

Methods: A test-negative case-control study in adults from Bogota (Colombia), between March 1st of 2021 and February 25th of 2022. We assess VE among symptomatic COVID-19 cases during the Mul, Delta, and Omicron predominance periods in Bogota, with controls matched by sex, age (±5 years), and date of testing (±7 days), using a case:control ratio of 1:1.

Reductions in Childhood Pneumonia Mortality After Vaccination in the United States.

Background: We aim to estimate the magnitude of the reduction in pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis mortality after the mass introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV)7 and PCV13 in children in the United States.

Methods: We assessed the trends in mortality rates from pneumococcal pneumonia and meningitis, in the United States between 1994 and 2017. We fitted an interrupted time-series negative binomial regression model (adjusted by trend, seasonality, PCV7/PCV13 coverage, and H.

Performance of the INTERGROWTH-21 and World Health Organization fetal growth charts for the detection of small-for-gestational age neonates in Latin America.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of INTERGROWTH-21 (IG-21 ) and World Health Organization (WHO) fetal growth charts to identify small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and fetal growth restriction (FGR) neonates, as well as their specific risks for adverse neonatal outcomes.

Methods: Multicenter cross-sectional study including 67 968 live births from 10 maternity units across four Latin American countries. According to each standard, neonates were classified as SGA and FGR (birth weight <10 and less than third centiles, respectively).

Biochemical and Hematological Markers in Workers with Chronical Exposure to Lead and Cadmium in Colombia.

The aim of the present study was to find if workers chronically exposed to lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) presented changes in their general health and in the clinical parameters of the population under study. We carried out a cross-sectional survey in a sample of informal workers in Cartagena, Colombia. The population under study was composed of male informal workers (≥18 years of age), with experience in their job, selected from occupational settings with potential exposure to Pb and Cd (i.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Strategies of COVID-19 Vaccination in Colombia: Comparison of High-Risk Prioritization and No Prioritization Strategies With the Absence of a Vaccination Plan.

Objectives: Our study compares two national COVID-19 vaccination plan strategies-high-risk prioritization and no prioritization-and estimates their cost-effectiveness compared with no vaccination, to generate possible recommendations for future vaccination plans.

Methods: We developed a Markov discrete-time, compartmental, deterministic model stratified by Colombian departments, healthcare workers, comorbidities, and age groups and calibrated to seroprevalence, cases, and deaths. The model simulates three scenarios: no vaccination, no prioritization of vaccination, and prioritization of high-risk population.

Impact of mobility restrictions on the dynamics of transmission of COVID-19 in Colombian cities.

Background: Our aim was to study the association between case rates and reductions in urban mobility in state capitals of Colombia.

Methods: We designed an ecological time-series study to correlate the Colombian incidence rate with reductions in mobility trends of retail stores.

Results: The meta-analysis of β coefficients describing the association between case rates and reductions in mobility trends of retail stores resulted in a mean estimate of 0.

New obstetric systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria for early identification of high-risk of sepsis in obstetric patients.

Objectives: We aimed to establish new cut-off values for SIRS (Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) variables in the obstetric population.

Methods: A prospective cohort study in pregnant and postpartum women admitted with systemic infections between December 2017 and January 2019. Patients were divided into three cohorts: Group A, patients with infection but without severe maternal outcomes (SMO); Group B, patients with infection and SMO or admission to the intensive care unit (ICU); and Group C, a control group.

Diarrheal Deaths After the Introduction of Rotavirus Vaccination in 4 Countries.

Background: We aim in our analysis to estimate the reduction of diarrhea-related mortality rates after introduction of a rotavirus vaccine in subregions of 4 Latin American countries.

Methods: We selected diarrhea-related deaths from individual-level data from death certificates in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Mexico. Counts were aggregated by region, year and month, and age group for each country.

The impact of maternal anemia and labor on the obstetric Shock Index in women in a developing country.

Background: The Shock Index is a clinical tool to evaluate the hemodynamic status during hemorrhage. The impact of labor and pre-existing anaemia is unknown. The objective was to describe and discuss its clinical utility in this context.

Underreporting of Fatal Congenital Zika Syndrome, Mexico, 2016-2017.

To determine completeness of fatal congenital Zika syndrome reporting in Mexico, we examined data from the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography. We found that an estimated 50% more infants died from microcephaly attributable to congenital Zika syndrome during 2016-2017 than were reported by the existing surveillance system.

Inequalities on mortality due to acute respiratory infection in children: A Colombian analysis.

Introduction: Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are a leading public health issue worldwide.

Objective: To explore the inequalities in ARI mortality rates in under-5, according to socioeconomic characteristics.

Materials And Methods: We conducted an ecological analysis to study inequalities at municipal level due to ARI mortality in children under 5 years.

Heterogeneity Between States in the Health and Economic Impact of Measles Immunization in the United States.

Background: Vaccines have been used successfully for disease elimination programs in many countries. Evidence on the impact of vaccination programs can support decision-making among medical practitioners and policy makers to improve immunization rates. We estimated the health and economic impact of measles vaccination for each of the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia since 1964.

Economic Costs of Chikungunya Virus in Colombia.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to estimate the economic impact of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in Colombia from a societal perspective.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, bottom-up cost-of-illness study in clinically confirmed cases during the first chikungunya (CHIK) outbreak in Colombia in 2014. Direct and indirect costs were estimated per patient.

A comprehensive care program achieves high remission rates in rheumatoid arthritis in a middle-income setting. Experience of a Center of Excellence in Colombia.

Management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in many Latin-American countries is impaired by fragmentation and scarce healthcare provision, resulting in obstacles to access, diagnosis, and treatment, and consequently in poor health outcomes. The aim of this study is to propose a comprehensive care program as a model to provide healthcare to RA patients receiving synthetic DMARDs in a Colombian setting by describing the model and its results. Health outcomes were prospectively collected in all patients entering the program.

Features of Dengue and Chikungunya Infections of Colombian Children under 24 Months of Age Admitted to the Emergency Department.

We aimed to assess clinical and laboratory differences between dengue and chikungunya in children <24 months of age in a comparative study. We collected retrospective clinical and laboratory data confirmed by NS1/IgM for dengue for 19 months (1 January 2013 to 17 August 2014). Prospective data for chikungunya confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction were collected for 4 months (22 September 2014-14 December 2014).