Publications by authors named "Pio Lopez"
As infants suffer significant morbidity and mortality due to norovirus-related acute gastroenteritis (AGE), we assessed four formulations of the bivalent virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine candidate (HIL-214) in Panamanian and Colombian infants. 360 infants aged 6 weeks to 5 months were randomly allocated to 8 groups to receive three doses of HIL-214 or two doses of HIL-214 and one dose of placebo (Days 1, 56 and 112), where HIL-214 doses contained 15/15, 15/50, 50/50 or 50/150 μg of GI.1/GII.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCost of dengue in Colombia: A systematic review.
PLoS Negl Trop Dis
December 2024
Background: Dengue is hyperendemic in Colombia. It imposes a substantial economic burden on patients, caregivers, society, and the national health system. We intend to identify and synthesize the evidence regarding the economic burden of dengue in Colombia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDengue is the most important viral vector-borne disease in the tropics, with Colombia being one of the most affected countries. In this context, it is essential to identify and synthesize the existing evidence on the epidemiology of dengue in Colombia. A systematic review (PROSPERO CRD42021257985) was conducted by searching for epidemiological data in populations with suspected or confirmed dengue in Colombia from 2012 to 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Dengue cases reached an all-time high in 2023-2024, particularly in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
- - The study identified all four serotypes of the dengue virus and various lineages, indicating a diverse viral presence during the outbreak.
- - Researchers believe that environmental factors, especially climatic conditions, played a significant role in the surge of dengue cases in Colombia.
Article Synopsis
- Global dengue cases hit record highs in 2023-24, with significant outbreaks seen in Valle del Cauca, Colombia.
- Researchers found all four dengue virus serotypes and various lineages present in the area during the outbreak.
- The study indicates that factors beyond just the virus types, such as climate conditions, might be contributing to the surge in cases.
Article Synopsis
- * A total of 530 patients were reported, with the majority exhibiting pneumonia; the study highlighted high rates of ICU admissions (50.6%) and notable resistance to antibiotics among meningial and non-meningial isolates.
- * The findings indicated a decrease in PCV10 serotypes but an increase in the prevalence of serotypes 19A and 6C, leading to Colombia's decision to switch to the PCV13 vaccine in July 202
Article Synopsis
- Maintaining tissue order is essential throughout life; failure leads to aging, organ malfunction, and diseases like cancer.
- The article presents a new perspective on aging, suggesting it's not just due to cellular damage but also linked to bioelectricity and morphostasis defects that disrupt tissue homeostasis.
- It explores the idea that bioelectric signaling could connect aging and regeneration, proposing research into "morphoceuticals" to promote healthy longevity and advance our understanding of development, aging, cancer, and regeneration.
Article Synopsis
- About half of the global population lives in areas where dengue fever is common, leading researchers to test the tetravalent dengue vaccine TAK-003 for its long-term effectiveness in children and adolescents aged 4-16.
- The study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted across eight dengue-endemic countries, enrolling over 20,000 participants, and focusing on the vaccine's ability to prevent symptomatic dengue disease.
- Results will be evaluated over approximately 4.5 years, monitoring both efficacy and the incidence of serious adverse events, with ongoing oversight to ensure participant safety.
Are the first 1,000 days of life a neglected vital period to prevent the impact on maternal and infant morbimortality of infectious diseases in Latin America? Proceedings of a workshop of experts from the Latin American Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, SLIPE.
Front Pediatr
November 2023
Article Synopsis
- The first 1,000 days of life are vital for child development, but there's a lack of information on influencing factors in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region.
- In May 2022, the Latin American Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (SLIPE) organized a workshop with experts to discuss key issues affecting childhood development and maternal infant health in LAC.
- The goal was to identify priorities and create actionable recommendations to improve maternal and infant care, focusing on reducing mortality from infections and preventable diseases during this critical developmental period.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the risk factors for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) bloodstream infections in children with cancer or post-hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) over a nine-year period in Colombia.
- Researchers analyzed data to create and validate three prediction models to identify the risk of CRE based on infection types and antibiotic use.
- Key findings show that infections from Klebsiella spp. and recent carbapenem use significantly increase CRE risk, with a predictive model demonstrating high specificity and effectiveness for identifying patients who may not need CRE-active treatments.
Article Synopsis
- SCB-2019, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, was tested in a study involving 1,278 healthy adolescents aged 12-17 across Belgium, Colombia, and the Philippines to evaluate its immunogenicity and safety compared to placebo.
- The vaccine showed strong immunogenicity, with neutralizing antibody levels in adolescents comparable to those in young adults, particularly for those previously exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
- The SCB-2019 vaccine was well tolerated, with mild to moderate side effects that were similar between adolescents receiving the vaccine and those given a placebo, except for more reported injection site pain in the vaccine group.
Article Synopsis
- - The study involved a dose-finding trial for the HilleVax bivalent vaccine (HIL-214) in children aged 6 months to 4 years across Panama and Colombia, with 120 participants per age cohort.
- - Participants were divided into four groups receiving different vaccine formulations, and responses to the vaccine were measured at multiple intervals, showing significant antibody responses particularly after the second dose, especially in the younger cohort.
- - The vaccine was well-tolerated with mild side effects reported, and the antibody levels remained elevated for at least 210 days post-vaccination, indicating potential for further development to protect young children from norovirus.
Complex living agents consist of cells, which are themselves competent sub-agents navigating physiological and metabolic spaces. Behaviour science, evolutionary developmental biology and the field of machine intelligence all seek to understand the scaling of biological cognition: what enables individual cells to integrate their activities to result in the emergence of a novel, higher-level intelligence with large-scale goals and competencies that belong to it and not to its parts? Here, we report the results of simulations based on the TAME framework, which proposes that evolution pivoted the collective intelligence of cells during morphogenesis of the body into traditional behavioural intelligence by scaling up homeostatic competencies of cells in metabolic space. In this article, we created a minimal system (two-dimensional neural cellular automata) and tested the hypothesis that evolutionary dynamics are sufficient for low-level setpoints of metabolic homeostasis in individual cells to scale up to tissue-level emergent behaviour.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Morphoceuticals are innovative interventions aimed at regulating anatomical stability and promoting growth and form through targeted approaches.
- A specific type of morphoceuticals, called electroceuticals, focuses on the bioelectrical communication between cells that influences gene expression and growth adaptation.
- The research outlines a potential strategy for drug development that leverages bioelectric signals to enhance regenerative medicine, prevent cancer, and combat aging.
Article Synopsis
- Active inference is a theory in neuroscience that explains how actions and perceptions work together to create optimal behaviors and can also be linked to various mental health disorders.
- The article connects this theory to morphogenesis, the process by which cells organize themselves, suggesting that disorders in this area can be viewed similarly to mental health disorders as problems in information processing.
- Four simulations are presented to demonstrate how issues with active inference in a group of cells can lead to development problems, including experimental results showing that a dopamine antagonist can help by reducing sensory precision in embryos.
Article Synopsis
- Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is a serious health issue that has reappeared in Colombia after new vaccines were introduced, as some types of bacteria are not covered by these vaccines.
- A study across 17 hospitals in Colombia looked at how cases of meningitis changed before and after the PCV10 vaccine was used.
- The study found that while some types of bacteria decreased, others, like Spn19A, became more common and showed resistance to medicines, meaning they are harder to treat; there was also a rise in death rates from this disease.
Article Synopsis
- - This study evaluated pediatric patients with encephalitis across 14 Colombian hospitals from July 2017 to July 2020, focusing on factors that could increase their risk of requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
- - Out of 202 children studied, the majority were male, with bacterial infections being the most common cause; approximately 39% needed treatment in the PICU primarily due to conditions like generalized seizures and low leukocyte counts in cerebrospinal fluid.
- - The findings can help healthcare providers identify children most at risk for severe cases, aiding in better decision-making for PICU admissions based on specific risk factors related to their encephalitis.
Article Synopsis
- Polymyxins are still being used in children in some areas due to a lack of newer antibiotics, and this study aimed to evaluate their effectiveness in treating carbapenem-resistant bacterial infections in a pediatric population in Cali, Colombia.
- The research included 40 uses of polymyxins in 34 children, revealing a 70% therapeutic success rate, but also noted considerable adverse effects, including neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity.
- Factors impacting success included age (lower success with older children), timing of treatment initiation (delayed treatment reduced success), and the use of concurrent effective antibiotics, highlighting the need for better antibiotic options in high CRI areas.
Article Synopsis
- Young children can experience significant health issues from norovirus gastroenteritis, prompting a study on the TAK-214 bivalent vaccine in kids aged 1-8 years.
- The phase 2 study involved 120 children from Finland, Panama, and Colombia who received different formulations of the vaccine, with results showing it was well-tolerated and led to strong immune responses.
- After two doses, the vaccine induced durable immunity against norovirus with high seroresponse rates, confirming that TAK-214 is a promising candidate for preventing this illness in young children.
Article Synopsis
- The Consensus document focuses on managing febrile neutropenia episodes in children with cancer, providing comprehensive guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
- It includes specific recommendations regarding hospital admission procedures, antimicrobial therapy management, and diagnosis of invasive fungal infections.
- The aim is to enhance care quality and equity across Latin American healthcare centers treating children with cancer.
Background: Limited data is available from low-middle and upper-middle income countries of the factors associated with hospitalization or admission to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) for children with COVID-19.
Objective: To describe the factors associated with hospitalization or PICU admission of children with COVID-19 in Latin America.
Method: Multicenter, analytical, retrospective study of children reported from 10 different Latin American countries to the Latin-American Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SLIPE-COVID) research network from June 1, 2020, and February 28, 2021.
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the safety and efficacy of the SCB-2019 COVID-19 vaccine in a large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving over 30,000 adults across five countries.* -
- Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the vaccine or a placebo, and the primary focus was on measuring vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 and monitoring adverse effects.* -
- Results showed that the vaccine had an overall efficacy of 67.2% against any severity of COVID-19, and 83.7% efficacy against moderate-to-severe cases, indicating its potential effectiveness in preventing the disease.*
Background: Children frequently develop fever after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). Although the etiology of many febrile episodes (FEs) is not an infection, patients often receive broad-spectrum antibiotics in response.
Methods: To improve the judicious use of antibiotics in pediatric HSCT patients, we performed a prospective cohort study of children receiving an HSCT in Clínica Imbanaco (Cali, Colombia) between September 2016 and December 2019.
Article Synopsis
- Network embedding approaches are increasingly useful for analyzing various network types, excelling in tasks like community detection and node classification, but few are tailored for multiplex networks.
- This study introduces MultiVERSE, an enhanced version of the VERSE framework, designed to efficiently learn node embeddings from multiplex and multiplex-heterogeneous networks using advanced techniques like Random Walks with Restart.
- MultiVERSE has shown superior performance in link prediction and network reconstruction across multiple biological and social networks, and it is available for use on GitHub.
Article Synopsis
- The potential of electrical stimulation in the visual cortices could help restore vision for blind individuals, but current prosthetic advancements still have limitations in providing full vision restoration.
- Renewed interest in this area is spurred by technological improvements, though challenges remain, particularly in the safe and effective stimulation of brain tissue.
- The review examines electrode-based visual prosthetics, focusing on the interface between electrodes and tissue, insights into perception through stimulation, and the ongoing challenges in design and implementation for future visual prosthetics.