Publications by authors named "Parra-Ortega I"

The poor prognosis of infections associated with multidrug-resistant can be attributed to several conditions of the patient and virulence factors of the pathogen, such as the type III secretion system (T3SS), which presents the ability to inject four effectors into the host cell: ExoS, ExoT, ExoU and ExoY. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of genes through multiplex polymerase chain reaction in strains isolated from patients at a third-level pediatric hospital and their relationships with clinical variables, e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • Atypical bacterial pathogens can cause significant lung damage, but current diagnostic tests are not completely reliable, prompting the use of molecular techniques for detection.
  • This study aimed to assess the presence of these atypical bacteria in paediatric patients by analyzing 609 clinical samples from March 2021 to February 2024.
  • Results showed that 22.82% of patients had atypical organisms, with higher prevalence in neonates, and the presence of these bacteria tends to rise during warmer months; factors like prematurity and low weight were linked to respiratory distress syndrome (RDS).
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Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Up to 80% of patients with CKD may exhibit inadequate vitamin D (VD) levels, which have been linked to the presence of cardiometabolic factors (CFs) in the adult population. However, research on this association in the pediatric population is limited.

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Introduction: Globally, up to 76.6% of the population may be affected by vitamin D (VD) deficiency, which has been linked to increased morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. This underscores the importance of further research into VD supplementation, particularly for health care workers, who are at higher risk due to indoor work environments and dietary challenges associated with shift schedules.

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Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) in neonates are frequent and highly lethal, in particular those caused by extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria. We evaluated the beneficial effects of ultraviolet C (UV-C) disinfection and copper adhesive plating on HCAIs in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a third level paediatric hospital in Mexico City, both in combination of hand-hygiene (HH) and prevention bundles.

Methods: All NICU patients were included.

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Introduction: Vitamin D (VD) deficiency is common in children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) because of multiple factors. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it increased because of medicine shortage and no enough medical service for patients with non-COVID-19 diseases.

Objective: To analyze the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown on the serum levels and status of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-[OH]D) in children with CKD.

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Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among children. The causative pathogens show geographic and seasonal variations. We retrospectively evaluated the frequency and seasonality of respiratory pathogens in children and adolescents (age: 0-19 years) with ARIs treated between January 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022, at a single center in Mexico.

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Background: During allogeneic Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), frequent pathological scenarios include graft versus host disease (GVHD) and viral infections. We hypothesized if exogenous stimulus as alloantigen and viral antigens might impact on central and effector memory T cells in pediatric recipients.

Patients And Methods: Subjects included 21 pediatric recipients and 20 healthy children (control group).

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Background: More than two years after the pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) there is a great lack of information. The presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) have been related with disease severity. Patients with comorbidities could develop more severe infection; however, the evaluation of the humoral response in pediatric population are needed especially in patients with comorbidities.

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Background: Myosin 1g (Myo1g) has recently been identified as a potential diagnostic biomarker in childhood acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).

Case Report: We describe the case of a 1-year-old Mexican female patient. Although initially studied for hepatomegaly, an infectious or genetic etiology was excluded.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mexico experienced high COVID-19 mortality rates, particularly in adults under 65, with over half of reported deaths occurring in this age group, potentially due to demographics and metabolic diseases.
  • A study of 245 hospitalized COVID-19 patients revealed a case fatality rate (CFR) of 35.51%, with significant mortality linked to pre-existing conditions like chronic kidney disease and diabetes.
  • The research suggested that an imbalance in immune response and specific inflammatory markers at day 7 post-admission could help identify individuals at high risk for severe outcomes, proposing a predictive tool for early intervention in vulnerable populations.
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Hyperinflammation present in individuals with severe COVID-19 has been associated with an exacerbated cytokine production and hyperactivated immune cells. Endoplasmic reticulum stress leading to the unfolded protein response has been recently reported as an active player in inducing inflammatory responses. Once unfolded protein response is activated, GRP78, an endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperone, is translocated to the cell surface (sGRP78), where it is considered a cell stress marker; however, its presence has not been evaluated in immune cells during disease.

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Sugary soft drinks modify salivary pH and favor bacterial proliferation and are associated with the development of caries. Information on the effects of consuming carbonated drinks without sucrose is limited. : In this crossover clinical trial, salivary and dental biofilm pH were determined at 0, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 min after the participants (n = 18) ingested a soft drink with sucrose, a soft drink with aspartame/acesulfame K, carbonated water, and plain water on different days.

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Background: We analyzed the demographic, clinical, and diagnostic data of children and adolescents in Mexico, from the first case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to 28 February 2022.

Methods: Using the open databases of the Ministry of Health and a tertiary pediatric hospital, we obtained demographic and clinical data from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic until 28 February 2022. In addition, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction outputs were used to determine the viral load, and structural protein-based serology was performed to evaluate IgG antibody levels.

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A severe complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is graft failure (GF). Among others, donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) are associated with graft rejection after allogeneic or haploidentical transplantation in adults. Knowledge of DSA and pediatric recipients is limited.

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One of the most important causes of disease and premature death in the world is environmental pollution. The presence of pollutants in both water and air contributes to the deterioration of the health of human populations. The Mexico City Metropolitan Area is one of the most populous and affected by air pollution worldwide; in addition, in recent years there has been a growing demand for water, so urban reservoirs such as the Madin dam are vital to meet the demand.

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Infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality among hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Unlike Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Human Herpesvirus (HHV) 6, HHV7 and HHV8 are not routinely monitored in many centers, especially in the pediatric population of low-medium income countries. We screened EBV, HCMV, HHV6, HHV7 and HHV8 in 412 leukocytes-plasma paired samples from 40 pediatric patients assisted in a tertiary hospital in Mexico.

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Recent multidrug resistance in has favoured the adaptation and dissemination of worldwide high-risk strains. In June 2018, 15 strains isolated from patients and a contaminated multi-dose meropenem vial were characterized to assess their association to an outbreak in a Mexican paediatric hospital. The strains were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility profiling, virulence factors' production, and biofilm formation.

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Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus (CoV)-2 infection in children and adolescents primarily causes mild or asymptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and severe illness is mainly associated with comorbidities. However, the worldwide prevalence of COVID-19 in this population is only 1%-2%. In Mexico, the prevalence of COVID-19 in children has increased to 10%.

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Background: Some studies suggested that adequate levels of vitamin D (VD) decrease the risk of severe COVID-19. Information about the effectiveness of VD supplementation in children is scarce.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of VD supplementation compared to the standard of care in hospitalized children with COVID-19.

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Health personnel (HP) have been universally recognized as especially susceptible to COVID-19. In Mexico, our home country, HP has one of the highest death rates from the disease. From the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, an office for initial attention for HP and a call center were established at a COVID-19 national reference pediatric hospital, aimed at early detection of COVID-19 cases and stopping local transmission.

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Background: Diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is mainly based on molecular testing. General population studies have shown that chest Computed Tomography (CT) can also be useful.

Objective: The study aims to examine the usefulness of high-resolution chest CT for early diagnosis of patients with suspected COVID-19.

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Background: Associations between vitamin D (VD) deficiency and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been documented in cross-sectional population studies. Intervention studies in patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 have failed to consistently document a beneficial effect.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of VD-supplementation in the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in highly exposed individuals.

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Acute lymphocytic leukemia is the most common type of cancer in pediatric individuals. Glucose regulated protein (GRP78) is an endoplasmic reticulum chaperone that facilitates the folding and assembly of proteins and regulates the unfolded protein response pathway. GRP78 has a role in survival of cancer and metastasis and cell-surface associated GRP78 (sGRP78) is expressed on cancer cells but not in normal cells.

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Background/objectives: Considering the high number of deaths from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Latin American countries, together with multiple factors that increase the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, we aimed to determine 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and its association with mortality in patients with critical COVID-19.

Subjects/methods: This was a prospective observational study including adult patients with critical COVID-19. Data, including clinical characteristics and 25(OH)D levels measured at the time of intensive care unit admission, were collected.

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