[Not Available].

Introducción y objetivo: La Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) es una escala autoadministrable que evalúa cambios comportamentales (apatía, desinhibición y disfunción ejecutiva) luego de una lesión cerebral. El objetivo del trabajo fue obtener indicadores de rendimiento del puntaje total y las sub-escalas de la FrSBe para adultos de habla hispana de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, analizar el efecto de variables demográficas y obtener datos normativos del instrumento. Materiales y métodos: se incluyeron 169 participantes y 83 familiares de esos participantes de Buenos Aires que completaron una encuesta para datos demográficos y la versión en español de la FrSBe.

[Superficial angiomyxoma in the scrotum].

Superficial angiomyxoma is a benign neoplasm of mesenchymal origin that affects both sexes with a slight predilection for males. It can present in a solitary or multiple form, within the framework of the Carney complex, an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by the triad: cutaneous and cardiac myxomas, skin pigmentation and endocrine overactivity. They occur more commonly in the head and neck, trunk and lower limbs; the location in the genital region and particularly in the scrotum is very unusual.

Maternal oxygenation and fetal-neonatal mortality among patients with COVID-19 requiring advanced respiratory support in ICU: A multicenter prospective cohort study.

Objective: To explore the association of maternal characteristics, oxygenation, and mechanical ventilatory parameters with fetal and neonatal outcomes.

Methods: The present study was a multicenter, binational (Argentina/Colombia), prospective, cohort study, conducted in 21 intensive care units (ICUs) and including pregnant or postpartum patients with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring advanced respiratory support and their fetuses/neonates. Advanced respiratory support was defined as high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC), non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).

Serial 'deep-sampling' PCR of fragmented DNA reveals the wide range of burden among chronically infected hosts and allows accurate monitoring of parasite load following treatment.

Infection with the protozoan parasite is generally well-controlled by host immune responses, but appears to be rarely eliminated. The resulting persistent, low-level infection results in cumulative tissue damage with the greatest impact generally in the heart in the form of chagasic cardiomyopathy. The relative success in immune control of infection usually averts acute phase death but has the negative consequence that the low-level presence of in hosts is challenging to detect unequivocally.

Cognitive impact and brain structural changes in long COVID patients: a cross-sectional MRI study two years post infection in a cohort from Argentina.

Objective: Long COVID is a condition characterised by persistent symptoms after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, with neurological manifestations being particularly frequent. Existing research suggests that long COVID patients not only report cognitive symptoms but also exhibit measurable cognitive impairment. Neuroimaging studies have identified structural alterations in brain regions linked to cognitive functions.

Real-world clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies in patients with moderate-to-severe inflammatory bowel disease in Argentina: Data from the RISE-AR study.

Objective: Real-world evidence on the adoption of different pharmacological strategies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Latin America is scarce. Herein, we describe real-world sociodemographic, clinical characteristics, and different therapeutic approaches used in patients with IBD in Argentina.

Methods: RISE AR (NCT03488030) was a multicenter, non-interventional study with a cross-sectional evaluation and a 3-year retrospective chart review conducted in Argentina.

Contextual barriers to infection prevention and control program implementation in hospitals in Latin America: a mixed methods evaluation.

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) programs are essential to prevent and control the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare facilities (HCFs). The current implementation of these programs in Latin America remains largely unknown.

Methods: We conducted a mixed-methods evaluation of IPC program implementation in HCFs from Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, and Argentina, March-July 2022.

[Construction and validation of a test for verbal auditory screening of cognitive alterations (CAVAC)].

Introduction: The global burden of dementia will continue to increase and Latin America will be one of the most affected regions. It is urgent to have new and better cognitive screening tools. There are few screenings composed entirely of auditory-verbal items and even more so for Argentine culture.

Revealing alterations in heart rate fluctuations during the progression of Chagas disease.

Introduction: The heart rate variability (HRV) continually evolves throughout life, reflecting modifications in the architecture of the sinoatrial node (SAN) and in the regulation of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Both can be considerably affected by Chagas disease, causing important changes in the complex nature of HRV. We aim to evaluate the ability of an index based on the false nearest neighbors method (FN10) to reflect these changes during disease progression.

Predictors of first hospitalization due to disease activity and infections in systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Objectives: To identify the predictive factors of first hospitalization and associated variables to the main causes of hospitalizations in lupus patients from a Latin American cohort.

Methods: The first hospitalization after entry into the cohort during these patients' follow-up due to either lupus disease activity and/or infection was examined. Clinical and therapeutic variables were those occurring prior to the first hospitalization.

Amorphous silica nanoparticles exhibit antitumor activity in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer that is mainly treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, this treatment is not always effective, and an important percentage of patients develop recurrence. Nanomaterials are emerging as alternative treatment options for various diseases, including cancer.

Optimising antibacterial utilisation in Argentine intensive care units: a quality improvement collaborative.

Background: There is limited evidence from antimicrobial stewardship programmes in less-resourced settings. This study aimed to improve the quality of antibacterial prescriptions by mitigating overuse and promoting the use of narrow-spectrum agents in intensive care units (ICUs) in a middle-income country.

Methods: We established a quality improvement collaborative (QIC) model involving nine Argentine ICUs over 11 months with a 16-week baseline period (BP) and a 32-week implementation period (IP).

Seven-day antibiotic therapy for Enterobacterales bacteremia in high-risk neutropenic patients: toward a new paradigm.

Purpose: Data on short courses of antibiotic therapy for Enterobacterales bacteremia in high-risk neutropenic patients are limited. The aim of the study was to describe and compare the frequency of bacteremia relapse, 30-day overall and infection-related mortality, Clostridiodes difficile infection and length of hospital stay since bacteremia among those who received antibiotic therapy for 7 or 14 days.

Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, observational cohort study in adult high-risk neutropenic patients with hematologic malignancies or hematopoietic stem cell transplant and monomicrobial Enterobacterales bacteremia.

Granulomatous Salpingo-oophoritis Secondary to Crohn's Disease.

Crohn's disease (CD) represents a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease and can affect any portion of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus, with the capacity to affect extraintestinal organs. Salpingo-oophoritis is an uncommon manifestation of CD. There is only a limited number of documented case reports.

Indirect Effects of Neighbourhood Socioeconomic Status on Preterm Birth Risk in an Argentine Population.

Background: Preterm birth (PTB) is the main condition related to perinatal morbimortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the indirect effects of neighbourhood socioeconomic status (NSES) on the risk of spontaneous PTB.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective case-control study including sociodemographic and obstetric data of multigravid women who gave birth at a maternity hospital in Tucumán, Argentina, between 2005 and 2010: 949 women without previous PTB nor pregnancy loss who delivered at term and 552 who had spontaneous PTB.

Quality improvement collaborative for improving patient care delivery in Argentine public health sector intensive care units.

Background: The demand for healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic was excessive for less-resourced settings, with intensive care units (ICUs) taking the heaviest toll.

Objective: The aim was to achieve adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) use in 90% of patient encounters, to reach 90% compliance with objectives of patient flow (OPF) and to provide emotional support tools to 90% of healthcare workers (HCWs).

Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study with an interrupted time-series design in 14 ICUs in Argentina.

Severe infections in systemic necrotizing vasculitis.

Unlabelled: Infections in patients with systemic vasculitis represent one of the main causes of mortality. Corticosteroid use, immunosuppressive therapy, age, associated organic involvement and dialysis dependence are risk factors of infection.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of severe infection and associated factors in patients diagnosed with ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN).

Effectiveness of different booster vaccine combinations against SARS-CoV-2 during a six-month follow-up in Mexico and Argentina.

Introduction: Given the limited number of patients in Latin America who have received a booster dose against the COVID-19, it remains crucial to comprehend the effectiveness of different vaccine combinations as boosters in real-world scenarios. This study aimed to assess the real-life efficacy of seven different vaccine schemes against COVID-19, including BNT162b2, ChAdOx1-S, Gam-COVID-Vac, and CoronaVac as primary schemes with either BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1-S as booster vaccines.

Methods: In this multicentric longitudinal observational study, participants from Mexico and Argentina were followed for infection and SARS-CoV-2 Spike 1-2 IgG antibodies during their primary vaccination course and for 185 days after the booster dose.

Increased Natural Killer (NK)-cell cytotoxicity and Trypanosoma cruzi-specific memory B cells in subjects with discordant serology for Chagas disease.

The presence of memory T cell specific for Trypanosoma cruzi in subjects with discordant serology for Chagas disease supports a cleared infection in these subjects. Using high-dimensional flow cytometry, ELISPOT assays and quantitative PCR, antibody-secreting cells and memory B cells specific for T. cruzi, total B-cell phenotypes, innate immune responses and parasite DNA were evaluated in serodiscordant, seropositive and seronegative subjects for T.

Mortalidad, Secuelas Clínicas y Calidad de Vida Luego del Alta de Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos en Pacientes con COVID-19: Estudio Multicéntrico Descriptivo en Argentina.

Objective: Patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization in an intensive care unit, in addition to being at risk of presenting premature death, have higher rates of complications. This study aimed to describe mortality, rehospitalizations, quality of life, and symptoms related to postintensive care syndrome (PICS) and prolonged COVID-19 in patients with COVID-19 discharged from the intensive care unit in hospitals in Argentina.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 4 centers in the Autonomous City and province of Buenos Aires as of December 2022.