Establishing priorities to strengthen National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Americas faced a significant decline in vaccination coverage as well as increased vaccine hesitancy. The objective of this paper is to summarize the challenges and opportunities outlined by the National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and prioritize targeted interventions. The exploratory survey included open-ended questions on two primary components: challenges, and opportunities.

Assessment of preparedness and proficiency in basic and advanced life support among nursing professionals: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Cardiac diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide, including sudden cardiac arrest in particular. Nursing professionals are often the first to encounter these scenarios in various settings. Adequate preparation and competent knowledge among nurses significantly impact survival rates positively.

Clinical profiling of pediatric microtia patients: A cross-sectional analysis at a leading pediatric hospital in Ecuador (2015-2022).

Background: Microtia is a frequent congenital deformity of the pinna, often with hearing loss. This study reviews the clinical profiles of microtia pediatric patients treated at a referral hospital in Quito, Ecuador, from 2015 to 2022.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out based on the analysis of medical records of pediatric patients with microtia treated between January 2015 and December 2022 at the Hospital Pediátrico Baca Ortiz in Quito, Ecuador.

Assessing the Proficiency in Basic and Advanced Life Support Among Physicians in Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: Cardiorespiratory arrest's unpredictability poses a global health challenge, with gaps in physicians' life support knowledge potentially leading to poor patient outcomes, a factor yet unstudied among Ecuadorian physicians. This study aims to elucidate the state of physicians' theoretical knowledge in Ecuador based on Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) guidelines.

Patients And Methods: A national cross-sectional online 35-questions survey was conducted between February and March 2023 using a self-administered, expert-validated questionnaire.

A Fatal Case of Disseminated Histoplasmosis by var. Misdiagnosed as Visceral Leishmaniasis-Molecular Diagnosis and Identification.

Histoplasmosis is an endemic mycosis in the Americas. However, its diagnosis is challenging due to the complexity and limited availability of conventional laboratory techniques-antigen tests, culture, and staining. Microscopic preparations often confuse with other pathogens, such as spp.

[Bacillus Calmette-Guérin infection and chronic granulomatous disease due to new pathogenic variants in the NCF2 gene in the Mayan ethnic group. Report of two cases.].

Introduction: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inborn error of immunity, characterized by abnormal susceptibility to bacterial and fungal infections and a lack of systemic inflammatory regulation. Pathogenic variants in the CYBB gene are transmitted in an X-linked pattern of inheritance; while the pathogenic variants present in the EROS, NCF1, NCF2, NCF4, or CYBA genes are transmitted with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern.

Objetives: To describe the clinical, immunological, and genetic characteristics of two patients with CGD and BCG infection.

The deadly impact of COVID-19 among children from Latin America: The case of Ecuador.

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains a critical global health concern, with older adults being the most vulnerable group. Nonetheless, it is crucial to recognize that COVID-19 has caused numerous deaths in children worldwide. Emerging evidence indicates that infants and breastfeeding children, particularly those aged below one year, face a greater risk of hospitalization and mortality than older children with COVID-19.

Comparison of Pediatric Patients With and Without Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Associated With COVID-19: Retrospective Cohort From Ecuador.

Background: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in the pediatric population cared for in the pediatric intensive care unit. We aimed to compare patients with pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) with those who also present a MIS-C diagnosis (PARDS vs. PARDS + MIS-C).

[Andean children with aneurysmal bone cyst treated with polidocanol (use off-label)].

Introduction: The aneurysmal bone cyst is a rare benign but aggressive osteolytic tumor for which there is still no ideal treatment, the reports on treatment by sclerotherapy in the pediatric population are scarce and in our region even less. The objective is to communicate the experience of the treatment of aneurysmal bone cyst with polydocanol 3%.

Material Y Methods: Retrospective, descriptive and cross-sectional study.

Expression of Protein SOX9 in Biliary Atresia.

Objectives: Biliary atresia (BA) is still an enigmatic disease. Deeper knowledge of its pathophysiology could help develop better treatments. SOX9 regulates bile duct development, liver regeneration and fibrosis; therefore, it could be determinant in characterizing BA liver damage.

15q Duplication Syndrome: Report on the First Patient from Ecuador with an Unusual Clinical Presentation.

Background: The 15q11.1-13.1 duplication, also known as Dup15q syndrome, is a rare congenital disease affecting 1 in 30,000 to 1 in 60,000 children worldwide.

[Evolution and impact of the infodemic on the child population in times of COVID-19Evolução e impacto da infodemia na população infantil em tempos de COVID-19].

The provision of timely, clear, correct information is an important strategy for controlling panic and containing a pandemic outbreak. However, as this task has not been prioritized in the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a new lethal enemy has emerged that now poses another crisis, namely, the "infodemic", with consequences that have affected the entire population worldwide. In particular, it has increased the vulnerability of a group that is not often discussed: children, who constitute our study population.

Pulmonary imaging in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a series of 140 Latin American children.

Background: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which resulted in the worldwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic of 2020, has particularly affected Latin America.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to analyze the imaging findings of pulmonary COVID-19 in a large pediatric series.

Materials And Methods: Children with SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed by either quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction from nasopharyngeal swabs or presence of circulating immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies and who underwent chest radiograph or CT or both were included in this retrospective multicenter study.

New Records of Anopheles benarrochi B (Diptera: Culicidae) in Malaria Hotspots in the Amazon Regions of Ecuador and Peru.

The increase in malaria transmission in the Amazon region motivated vector control units of the Ministry of Health of Ecuador and Peru to investigate Anopheles (Diptera: Culicidae) species present in transmission hotspots. Mosquitoes were collected using prokopack aspirators and CDC light traps (Ecuador) and human landing catch in Peru. In Ecuador, 84 Anopheles were captured from Pastaza, Morona Santiago, and Orellana provinces and identified morphologically [An.

Branchial Cysts in Quito, Ecuador.

 Branchial cleft anomalies are the second most common congenital anomaly in children. However, some lesions may not develop clinically and are not diagnosed until adulthood. The recent literature of branchial cysts (BCs) in the adult population is really scanty.

Congenital pouch colon: an unusual case report.

Introduction: Congenital pouch colon (CPC) is a rare malformation. It causes variable dilatation of the colon associated with anorectal malformation (ARM), usually presenting a fistula towards the genitourinary tract.

Case Report: 2-day-old female patient, with no relevant medical history.

Clinical, molecular, and epidemiological characterization of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a comprehensive literature review.

Coronaviruses are an extensive family of viruses that can cause disease in both animals and humans. The current classification of coronaviruses recognizes 39 species in 27 subgenera that belong to the family Coronaviridae. From those, at least 7 coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections in humans.

Safety and effectiveness of surgery for epilepsy in children. Experience of a tertiary hospital in Ecuador.

Introduction: There is sufficient evidence on the usefulness of surgery as a therapeutic alternative for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy; however this treatment is underutilized, especially in developing countries.

Methods: We describe the outcomes of epilepsy surgery in 27 paediatric patients at Hospital Baca Ortiz in Quito, Ecuador. Our analysis considered the following variables: reduction in seizure frequency, surgery outcome according to the Engel classification, improvement in quality of life, and serious complications due to surgery.

[Mycobacterium scrofulaceum infection in a pediatric patient from the Galapagos Islands - Ecuador].

Mycobacterium scrofulaceum is a slow-growing atypical mycobacteria with a reservoir in the environmen, and occasionally it causes disease in humans. The case of a 10-year-old patient with fever of four months of evolution is presented. Symptoms include bilateral adenopathies of neck, thorax, abdomen and inguinal region, rash, abdominal pain and vomiting; in addition, a positive serology for EBV and a culture of the left inguinal ganglia with growth of M.

Hypothalamic abnormalities: Growth failure due to defects of the GHRH receptor.

Several acquired or congenital hypothalamic abnormalities may cause growth failure (GF). We described two of these congenital abnormalities. First, a case of CHARGE syndrome, an epigenetic disorder mostly caused by heterozygous mutations in the gene encoding CHD7, a chromatin remodeling protein, causing several malformations, some life-threatening, with additional secondary hypothalamus-hypophyseal dysfunction, including GF.

American cutaneous leishmaniasis in infancy and childhood.

Infant and young child skin diseases are among the most common features of morbidity throughout the tropics. Because the skin is directly exposed to the environment, it is considerably affected by climatic and local conditions such as vectors and microorganisms, as in the case of leishmaniasis. In America the observed magnitude of cutaneous leishmaniasis in children has led to the study of increased risk of exposure of this group due to the possibility of peri- and intradomiciliary transmission.