[Rapidly progressive dementia by late neurosyphilis (general paresis). Case report].

Background: The term rapidly progressive dementia (RPD) describes a disorder with rapid progression which leads to a major cognitive decline in less than 1 or 2 years. Neurosyphilis is an infectious cause of RPD and it is classified clinically into early and late forms. The latter affect the brain and spinal cord parenchyma.

[Miller-Fisher/Guillain-Barré overlap syndrome following COVID-19 vaccination].

Background: Anti-GQ1B syndrome includes a group of diseases characterized by antibody-mediated polyneuropathy. Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) and the Miller-Fisher syndrome (MFS) have been related to COVID-19 vaccine application.

Clinic Case: 48-year-old man, with history of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination against COVID-19, 5 days prior to the symptoms, who assisted to the Emergency room with blurred vision and diplopia; adding dysarthria, facial diplegia and left upper limb weakness after 48 hours.

A geospatial analysis of cardiometabolic diseases and their risk factors considering environmental features in a midsized city in Argentina.

New approaches to the study of cardiometabolic disease (CMD) distribution include analysis of built environment (BE), with spatial tools as suitable instruments. We aimed to characterize the spatial dissemination of CMD and the associated risk factors considering the BE for people attending the Non-Invasive Cardiology Service of Hospital Nacional de Clinicas in Córdoba City, Argentina during the period 2015-2020. We carried out an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study performing non-probabilistic convenience sampling.

Study of the diagnostic efficiency of anti-ZnT8 autoantibodies for type 1 diabetes in pediatric patients.

Objective: Zinc transporter 8 autoantibodies (ZNt8A) are 1 of the 4 main autoantibodies used for the diagnosis of type 1 diabetes (T1D), with glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA), islet antigen-2 autoantibodies (IA-2A), and insulin autoantibodies (IAA). The objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of these autoantibodies for the diagnosis of T1D in pediatric patients.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients under 16 years of age with suspected T1D was made between June 2020 and January 2021.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of clinical laboratories in Spain, evolution in the 2019-2021 period.

Objectives: To assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the activity of clinical laboratories in Spain.

Methods: A descriptive, observational, retrospective, multicenter study.

Results: Between March and December 2020, there was a statistically significant decrease in the number of test requests (-17.

The HLA-DQA1*05 genotype does not influence the clinical response to ustekinumab and vedolizumab.

Background: the success of strategies with earlier anti-TNF drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been shadowed by the development of anti-drug antibodies that reduce their effectiveness. The HLA-DQA1*05 allele has been shown to increase the risk of immunogenicity to anti-TNF drugs by approximately two-fold. The negative impact of this allele has not been fully investigated for newer biotherapies.

Assessment of beliefs and attitudes about electroconvulsive therapy posted on Twitter: An observational study.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective and safe medical procedure that mainly indicated for depression, but is also indicated for patients with other conditions. However, ECT is among the most stigmatized and controversial treatments in medicine. Our objective was to examine social media contents on Twitter related to ECT to identify and evaluate public views on the matter.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder in Western Mexico.

Background: Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders (NMOSD) are a group of inflammatory diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS) that primarily affect the optic nerve and spinal cord, usually with a severe and relapsing course. Due to the scarce information in non-Caucasian populations, we aimed to describe incidence, prevalence, and main clinical characteristics of NMOSD in a defined region in Mexico.

Materials And Methods: Descriptive, retrospective analysis of all reported cases of NMOSD attended in the neurology department of the UMAE-HE, CMNO, IMSS, the biggest third level hospital in Western Mexico.

Evaluation of health outcomes after the implementation of rotational thromboelastometry in patients undergoing cardiac surgery.

Background: Viscoelastic tests (rotational thromboelastometry, ROTEM), together with the implementation of a specific algorithm for coagulation management in cardiac surgery, enable perioperative coagulopathy to be better controlled.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study including 675 patients who underwent cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass. The incidence of allogeneic blood transfusions and clinical postoperative complications were analyzed before and after ROTEM implementation.

Avoided crossings and dynamical tunneling close to excited-state quantum phase transitions.

Using the Wehrl entropy, we study the delocalization in phase space of energy eigenstates in the vicinity of avoided crossings in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model. These avoided crossings, appearing at intermediate energies in a certain parameter region of the model, originate classically from pairs of trajectories lying in different phase-space regions which, contrary to the low-energy regime, are not connected by the discrete parity symmetry of the model. As coupling parameters are varied, a sudden increase of the Wehrl entropy is observed for eigenstates participating in avoided crossings that are close to the critical energy of the excited-state quantum phase transition.

Comparison of the analytical and clinical performances of two different routine testing protocols for antinuclear antibody screening.

Background: The diagnosis of systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD) is based on the detection of serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA) for which indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) is the golden standard. New solid-phase immunoassays have been developed to be used alone or in combination with the detection of extractable antinuclear antibodies (ENA) to improve SARD diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical performances of different ANA screening methods alone or in combination with ENA screening methods for SARD diagnosis.

Update and clinical management of anti-DNA auto-antibodies.

Anti-deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) antibodies in the clinical laboratory are intimately linked to the diagnosis and monitoring of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, the characteristics of the analytical methods and the properties of the antibodies themselves are heterogeneous. To review the definition and properties of anti-double-stranded anti-DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibodies, the adequacy of analytical methods, and the clinical requirements for this biomarker. Through PubMed we searched the existing literature with the terms anti-dsDNA, editorial, review, guideline, meta-analysis and SLE.

Psychocardiology's Contributions to Comprehensive Cardiovascular Care in Cuba.

This paper describes psychocardiology studies conducted from 2002 through 2018 in the Cardiology Department of the Dr Gustavo Aldereguía Lima University General Hospital in Cienfuegos Province, Cuba. Given the strong association between cardiovascular diseases and lifestyle, negative emotions and personality traits, psychology and medicine are equally necessary components of prevention and patient care, indispensable to primary and secondary prevention and to rehabilitation. When its therapeutic principles are appropriately applied, psychology can have a positive impact on the course of the disease and on patients' adaptation to new habits and lifestyles.

Screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus by Measuring Glycated Hemoglobin Can Reduce the Use of the Glucose Challenge Test.

Background: Physiological changes during pregnancy, such as dilutional anemia and a reduced half-life of red blood cells, have prevented the use of glycated Hb (HbA) as a biomarker for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Nevertheless, increasing evidence supports the use of HbA in GDM diagnostic strategies.We studied HbA as a biomarker of GDM and its possible use as a screening test to avoid the use of the glucose challenge test (GCT).

Fasting Glycemia as Screening Tool to Rule-Out Gestational Diabetes in Low-Risk Population.

Background: The use of a glucose challenge test as the universal screening for gestational diabetes is common in many countries. This test represents significant costs for laboratories and inconveniences for the patients, who have to wait for one hour and, very often, feel discomfort and nausea. In this work we propose the use of fasting glycemia, in a population with low prevalence of gestational diabetes as a pre-screening test that would avoid the oral glucose overload in those pregnant women with low risk of gestational diabetes.

Coexistence of anti-Jo1 and anti-signal recognition particle antibodies in a polymyositis patient.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies are a heterogeneous group of potentially treatable myopathies. They are classified, on the basis of clinical and histopathological features, into four subtypes: dermatomyositis, polymyositis, necrotizing autoimmune myositis and inclusion-body myositis. Myositis-associated antibodies and myositis-specific autoantibodies are frequently found in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and are useful in the diagnosis and classification.

Comparison of Citrate Buffer with Sodium Fluoride as Additives in Determining Glycemia.

Background: The objectives of this study are to compare the effect of sodium fluoride and citrate on the stability of glucose in samples maintained at room temperature up to three hours, and to assess the clinical impact in the O'Sullivan test results after changing the additives in the collecting tubes.

Methods: The selected population was pregnant women between the 24th and 28th week of gestation, who were at the health center to undergo the O'Sullivan test as part of the screening program for GDM (gestacional diabetes mellitus). Two blood samples were extracted from each patient: one using a tube with citrate and sodium fluoride buffer (tubes Vacuette Glucomedics citrate, 2 mL, Ref 454347) (tube C) and another containing just sodium fluoride (BD Vacationer tubes FX fluoride, 2 mL, Ref 368920) (tube F).

Association of the Shared Epitope, Smoking and the Interaction Between the Two With the Presence of Autoantibodies (Anti-CCP and RF) in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Hospital in Seville, Spain.

Objectives: To evaluate the association of shared epitope, smoking and their interaction on the presence of autoantibodies (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide [CCP] antibodies and rheumatoid factor) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in our geographical area.

Methods: A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in a cohort of 106 patients diagnosed with RA. Odds ratios (OR) for antibody development were calculated for shared epitope, tobacco exposure and smoking dose.

Zenit RA evaluation, a solid-phase chemiluminescence immunoassay for detection of anti-cellular antibodies.

Aim: The objective was to compare Zenit RA chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) from Menarini Diagnostics and ELISA from INOVA Diagnostics for the presence of specific anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-La/SS-B, anti-U1snRNP, anti-Sm, anti-Scl-70, anti-Jo-1 antibodies. Results/methodology: We studied 501 samples (178 connective autoimmune disease, 150 other autoimmune or inflammatory disease and 173 other disease or healthy). All samples were analyzed using CLIA and ELISA.

[Increased lipoprotein(a) in a paediatric patient associated with nephrotic syndrome].

A common complication in paediatric patients with nephrotic syndrome (NS) is hyperlipidaemia. About 20% of children do not respond to treatment with corticosteroids, presenting with a cortico-resistant NS (CRNS), which can progress to kidney failure. It has been observed that paediatric patients with CRNS have an elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), and triglycerides levels, as well as elevated Lipoprotein-a [Lp (a)] levels.

Topical imiquimod 5% as an alternative therapy in periocular basal cell carcinoma in two patients with surgical contraindication.

Clinical Cases: The cases are presented of two patients with periocular basal cell carcinoma of the eyelid who received topical imiquimod 5%, with a good response. Both had a functional state that contraindicated surgical treatment.

Conclusion: Imiquimod cream 5% was shown to be an effective alternative to surgical treatment of periocular basal cell carcinoma, especially in those cases where surgery is not possible.

Association between serum dickkopf-1 levels and disease duration in axial spondyloarthritis.

Background: Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is characterized by new bone formation. The complex systems underlying this process involve Wnt-signaling pathway. It has been observed that serum levels of dickkopf-1 (DKK-1), an important inhibitor of Wnt-signaling, are decreased in patients with axSpA.

Evaluation of Bio-Rad D-100 HbA1c analyzer against Tosoh G8 and Menarini HA-8180V.

Objectives: To evaluate the Bio-Rad D-100®, an HPLC analyzer for glycated hemoglobin (HbA) determination, and to compare its performance with the Menarini HA-8180V® and Sysmex G8®.

Methods: Method comparison was performed according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) EP9-A2 guidelines. We selected 100 samples from the routine laboratory workload and analyzed them in duplicate with the three analyzers.