Cost-effectiveness analysis of the pediatric 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine compared with lower-valent alternatives in Argentina.

Objectives: The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) has been recommended for infants in Argentina's national immunization program (NIP) in a 2 + 1 schedule since 2012. Licensure of the 15-valent vaccine (PCV15) is anticipated soon, and the 20-valent vaccine (PCV20) recently received regulatory approval. This cost-effectiveness analysis examined the public health and economic implications of transitioning from PCV13 to either PCV15 or PCV20 in Argentina's pediatric NIP.

Cost-Effectiveness of 20-Valent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine in Argentinean Adults.

Introduction: In Argentina, vaccination with 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) followed by 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23; PCV13 → PPSV23) has been recommended for all adults aged ≥ 65 years and younger adults with chronic medical ("moderate-risk") or immunocompromising ("high-risk") conditions since 2017. With the approval of a 20-valent PCV (PCV20), we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of PCV20 versus current recommendations for moderate-/high-risk adults aged 18-64 years and all adults 65-99 years.

Methods: A probabilistic cohort model was used to project lifetime outcomes and costs associated with invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) and all-cause non-bacteremic pneumonia (NBP), and the expected impact of vaccination.

Pediatric COVID-19 in Argentina: a comprehensive analysis of disease and economic burden through official data and a systematic literature review.

Background: Limited data are available on the clinical impact and economic burden of COVID-19 in the pediatric population in Argentina. We aimed to estimate the disease and economic burden of COVID-19 on children and adolescents.

Methods: We analyzed official national databases and conducted a supplemental systematic review of the published literature with meta-analysis in children aged 0-18.

Narrative Review of the Evolution of COVID-19 Vaccination Recommendations in Countries in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, and Asia.

The rapid rollout of vaccines to combat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic over the past 2 years has resulted in the use of various vaccine platforms and regional differences in COVID-19 vaccine implementation strategies. The aim of this narrative review was to summarize evolving COVID-19 vaccine recommendations in countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa and the Middle East across various vaccine platforms, age groups, and specific subpopulations. Nuances in primary and booster vaccination schedules were evaluated, and the preliminary impact of such diverse vaccination strategies are discussed, including key vaccine effectiveness data in the era of Omicron-lineage variants.

Acute flaccid myelitis: cause, diagnosis, and management.

Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) is a disabling, polio-like illness mainly affecting children. Outbreaks of AFM have occurred across multiple global regions since 2012, and the disease appears to be caused by non-polio enterovirus infection, posing a major public health challenge. The clinical presentation of flaccid and often profound muscle weakness (which can invoke respiratory failure and other critical complications) can mimic several other acute neurological illnesses.

[Pediatric pyomyositis: Experience in a Pediatric Reference Center in Argentina].

Background: Pyomyositis is the infection of skeletal muscle, a rare pathology in children. Aim To describe the characteristics of pyomyositis in pediatric patients.

Methods: Prospective analytical study of hospitalized children diagnosed with pyomyositis from May 2016 to April 2017 at the Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

[Dengue outbreak in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2016: Clinical and hematological features in children].

Unlabelled: Dengue is the human arbovirus with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. The largest outbreak of dengue in Buenos Aires, Argentina, occurred during 2016.

Objective: To describe clinical and hematological features in children with confirmed dengue infection.

Acute Flaccid Myelitis Associated with Enterovirus D68 in Children, Argentina, 2016.

After a 2014 outbreak of severe respiratory illness caused by enterovirus D68 in the United States, sporadic cases of acute flaccid myelitis have been reported worldwide. We describe a cluster of acute flaccid myelitis cases in Argentina in 2016, adding data to the evidence of association between enterovirus D68 and this polio-like illness.

[Pulmonary infection by Arthrographis kalrae in patient with chronic granulomatous disease].

Background: Arthrographis kalrae is a hyaline fungus that grows forming arthroconidia. It is an opportunistic pathogen that causes infections in immunocompromised as in immunocompetent people and has been rarely isolated from human clinical samples.

Case Report: We describe the case of a male child with primary immunodeficiency who initially presented unilateral pneumonia and progressed to bilateral involvement despite antibiotic, antifungal treatment.

[Pyogenic liver abscess in children: clinical experience in a pediatric reference center].

Introduction: Liver abscess is a serious and an uncommon pediatric disease.

Objective And Method: Description of 20 pediatric patients with liver abscess admitted in "Ricardo Gutierrez" Children's Hospital, a Tertiary Reference Center of Buenos Aires, between 2009 and 2015.

Results: The hospitalization rate was 35/100.

[Cervicofacial actinomycosis as differential diagnosis of cavum carcinoma: case report].

Paediatric actinomycosis is an infrequent infectious disease caused by Actinomyces spp. Cervicofacial infections are usually related to disruption in oral mucosal membranes. We discuss the case of a 15-year-old girl who refers an 8-month history of odynophagia and changes in her tone of voice after getting a tongue piercing.

Unravelling a Direct Role for Polysaccharide β-Strands in the Higher Order Structure of Physical Hydrogels.

The mechanical properties of agarose-derived hydrogels depend on the scaffolding of the polysaccharide network. To identify and quantify such higher order structure, we applied Raman optical activity (ROA)-a spectroscopic technique that is highly sensitive toward carbohydrates-on native agarose and chemically modified agarose in the gel phase for the first time. By spectral global fitting, we isolated features that change as a function of backbone carboxylation (28, 40, 50, 60, 80, and 93 %) from other features that remain unchanged.

[Saint Louis encephalitis: case report].

Saint Louis encephalitis is transmitted by Culex mosquitoes. In Argentina sporadic cases are registered. Symptomatic illness is unusual in children.

Platelet-rich plasma increases matrix metalloproteinases in cultures of human synovial fibroblasts.

Background: The effect of platelet-rich plasma on chondrocytes has been studied in cell and tissue culture. Less attention has been given to the effect of platelet-rich plasma on nonchondrocytic cell lineages within synovial joints, such as fibroblast-like synoviocytes, which produce cytokines and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that mediate cartilage catabolism. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of platelet-rich plasma on cytokines and proteases produced by fibroblast-like synoviocytes.