Publications by authors named "Maria Cristina Martinez-Avila"

The autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) was first introduced in 2011 to provide a more precise syndromic characterization of clinical manifestations observed in patients exposed to adjuvant substances such as biopolymers and silicone, among others. The clinical spectrum of this entity is variable, ranging from local involvement to potentially fatal immune-mediated systemic involvement. The interest in ASIA has grown in recent years, reinforcing diagnostic criteria and deepening the understanding of its pathophysiological behavior.

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. The syndrome of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) is a rare oculorenal condition, mainly seen in children and women. The underlying cause of this disease is unknown.

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Pancreatic cancer is one of the most lethal neoplasms worldwide; it is aggressive in nature and has a poor prognosis. The overall survival rate for pancreatic cancer is low. Most patients present non-specific symptoms in the advanced stages, which generally leads to late diagnosis, at which point there is no option for curative surgery.

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Insulin is a hormone that is composed of 51 amino acids and structurally organized as a hexamer comprising three heterodimers. Insulin is the central hormone involved in the control of glucose and lipid metabolism, aiding in processes such as body homeostasis and cell growth. Insulin is synthesized as a large preprohormone and has a leader sequence or signal peptide that appears to be responsible for transport to the endoplasmic reticulum membranes.

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Renal hyperfiltration (RHF) is a prevalent phenomenon in critically ill patients characterized by augmented renal clearance (ARC) and increased of elimination of renally eliminated medications. Multiple risk factors had been described and potential mechanisms may contribute to the occurrence of this condition. RHF and ARC are associated with the risk of suboptimal exposure to antibiotics increasing the risk of treatment failure and unfavorable patient outcomes.

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Context: Acute febrile disease (AFI) in endemic tropical areas is a frequent reason for consulting the emergency services. Infection by 2 or more etiological agents may modify clinical and laboratory parameters, making diagnosis and treatment a challenge.

Case Report: We report the case of a patient who came from Africa and consults in Colombia, with AFI with thrombocytopenia that was eventually diagnosed to have concurrent infection with malaria and dengue.

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Endometrial carcinosarcoma (ECS) is a rare, highly aggressive disease characterised by a biphasic growth of malignant epithelial (carcinomatous) and mesenchymal (sarcomatous) components. Clinically, it cannot be distinguished from endometrial carcinoma or uterine sarcoma. The definitive diagnosis can only be made based on histological examination and immunohistochemistry.

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Women who are fertile experience a significant burden from thyroid cancer. In reality, delaying childbirth is the current trend in maternity. Women who have thyroid cancer may later want to get pregnant after it has been treated, which presents a multidisciplinary issue for their doctors.

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Lung adenocarcinoma is a common cancer; even though it has a strong association with previous smoking, there has been described nonsmokers-related cases. Symptoms varies from asymptomatic to hemoptysis or pleural effusion. We describe a case of a patient who presented with painful scapula as primary manifestation of advanced pulmonary malignancy.

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Background: Although uncommon, there is increasing interest and public health concerns of the pathogen Prototheca spp, a ubiquitous achlorophilic microalgae that can affect both humans and animals. High mortality rates have been reported in immunocompromised patients with disseminated infection, but no data is available in the immunocompetent population.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a 59-year-old man from rural area of Colombia who was admitted to the intensive care unit due to decompensated heart failure that was difficult to medically manage, with development of septic shock and isolation of Prototheca wickerhamii from blood culture.

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Acute hypercapnic ventilatory failure is becoming more frequent in critically ill patients. Hypercapnia is the elevation in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO) above 45 mmHg in the bloodstream. The pathophysiological mechanisms of hypercapnia include the decrease in minute volume, an increase in dead space, or an increase in carbon dioxide (CO) production per sec.

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Neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) are a controversial therapeutic option in the approach to the critically ill patient. They are not innocuous, and the available evidence does not support their routine use in the intensive care unit. If necessary, monitoring protocols should be established to avoid residual relaxation, adverse effects, and associated complications.

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() is a Gram-negative rod rarely isolated as an infective bacterium worldwide. The first cases of infections caused by this microorganism, such as pneumonia, soft tissue infections, urinary tract infections, bacteremia, and meningitis, date back more than 40 years and are almost entirely in newborns and immunosuppressed hosts. Optimal antibiotic therapy for has not been well established in the literature.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people, including hundreds of deaths. The search for adequate treatments and interventions that influence poor prognostic factors and reduce mortality has led to excessive use of antibiotics based on the possible existence of bacterial co-infection. However, there is no evidence to justify the systematic use of antimicrobials in COVID-19.

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The increasing number of breast cancer survivors has led to a greater emphasis on issues related to quality of life (QoL). Up to 75% of women treated for breast cancer (BC) report sexual disorders. However, most oncologists are not trained to recognize which patients are at high-risk of developing sexual disorders.

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The inflammatory component of diabetic kidney disease has become of great interest in recent years, with genetic and epigenetic variants playing a fundamental role in the initiation and progression of the disease. Cells of the innate immune system play a major role in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease, with a lesser contribution from the adaptive immune cells. Other components such as the complement system also play a role, as well as specific cytokines and chemokines.

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Article Synopsis
  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease globally, particularly problematic in developing countries due to limited access to diagnostic testing and treatment.
  • A study conducted in Cartagena, Colombia, aimed to determine the prevalence of chronic HCV infection among at-risk adults using rapid tests from December 2017 to November 2019.
  • The research found a 0.9% prevalence of HCV infection in 1,023 asymptomatic patients, emphasizing the importance of targeted case identification and timely treatment to reduce health risks.
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Introduction: After COVID-19 vaccination, women of reproductive age reported changes in their menstrual cycle.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective study was carried out after a survey on social networks that included women aged 18-41 years with normal cycles according to International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics and who were vaccinated (complete schedule for two doses, except J&J/Janssen or incomplete with a single dose). Women with following conditions were excluded: pregnant or lactating women; history of diseases that cause menstrual irregularities or early menopause: anorexia, bulimia, polycystic ovary syndrome, hypothyroidism, obesity, or low weight; hysterectomized or oophorectomized patients; and high performance athletes.

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Context: Neuromuscular complications in the intensive care unit (ICU) are frequent, multifactorial, and clinically difficult to recognize during their acute phase. The physical examination is the starting point for identification.

Case Report: We present a patient with a history of poorly controlled asthma who was admitted to the ICU with status asthmaticus.

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We present the case of a 32-year-old male, previously healthy, with a 5-day history of fever, frontal-occipital headache, retro-ocular pain, rash, petechiae, myalgia, arthralgia, and abdominal pain. Blood tests with leukopenia, severe thrombocytopenia, transaminitis, long clotting times. Severe dengue with associated coagulopathy was diagnosed, indicating transfer to ICU.

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Angioedema is an edema of skin, mucosa, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract, due to vascular permeability increase, resulting in plasma extravasation, which has been associated with multiple causes. We describe a case of a patient who was prescribed with enalapril and presented with symptoms suggestive of angioedema.

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Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) consists of a progressive iron overload that leads to an abnormal accumulation of iron in different target organs; and, if not treated in time, can cause multi-organ dysfunction. Various genetic mutations associated with HH have been described, the most frequent is associated with the HFE-gene, which is found in 90% of cases. At present, therapeutic phlebotomy continues to be the treatment of choice for the management of this pathology.

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Article Synopsis
  • Millions have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, especially in Latin America where endemic diseases like dengue exist.
  • Similar early symptoms of COVID-19 and dengue can lead to misdiagnosis, compounded by COVID-19 causing false positives in dengue tests.
  • Two cases of simultaneous infection with SARS-CoV-2 and dengue highlight the need for improved surveillance and research on co-infection management to prevent complications during the pandemic.
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Calcium has a significant effect on cells in the myocardium, affecting conduction, intracellular signaling and contraction of muscle fibers. In fact, calcium levels could affect myocardial action potential and affect heart conduction. Hypocalcemia manifest on ECG with arrythmias or QT prolongation, in some extraordinary cases, it could present with variations in the ST segment, which requires the study of differential diagnoses of cardiac origin, such as acute myocardial infarction with ST elevation (STEMI) or pericarditis.

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Unlabelled: The Amplatzer septal occluder is one of several percutaneous devices used for the closure of secundum atrial septal defects. The main complications are related to the procedure, with infection being the least common. We present the case of a 67-year-old woman with a secundum atrial septal defect, who, 3 years after repair with an Amplatzer occluder, was admitted with sepsis and bacteraemia following recent hospitalization in an intensive care unit.

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