Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

In SARS-CoV-2 virus infection, HIF-1 overexpression drives a glycolysis-dependent metabolic change for increased cell proliferation and cytokine synthesis in various cells and tissues; Furthermore, due to the insufficient amount of ATP, various metabolic pathways that induce hyperglycemia are accelerated; an indicator of poor prognosis and high mortality in patients without a previous diagnosis of diabetes. Hyperglycemia is the result of oxidative stress-induced insulin resistance and increased glycolysis, as well as dysregulation of hormones such as glucagon, growth hormone, glucocorticoids, and insulin; whose synthesis decreases due to the transdifferentiation of beta cells. These hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic conditions have been associated, in COVID-19 patients, with new-onset diabetes, cardiomyocyte damage, and other cardiac problems with lung deterioration; as well as the presence of acute kidney injury and hypometabolism of glucose in the brain.

Objetive: To compare the accuracy of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) genetic expansion test and the culture for M. tuberculosis (BK culture) in parietal pleura samples obtained by pleural needle biopsy. Methods: 39 patients with lymphocytic or mononuclear exudative pleural effusion suspected of pleural tuberculosis were studied. A pleural biopsy with Abrams or Cope needle was performed on each of them and histopathological study, culture for M tuberculosis and PCR test were performed on the samples obtained. Additionally, other diagnostic tests and follow-up were performed to determine the response to treatment and establish the final diagnosis, based on previously established criteria. Results: Twenty-five patients met the criteria. Tuberculosis was diagnosed in twenty patients and four cancers. In one patient, chronic pleuritis associated with another process was diagnosed. For the PCR test the sensitivity was 85%, the specificity 20%, the predictive value of the positive test (PPV) was 81%, the predictive value of the negative test (NPV) of 25% and the efficacy was 72%. For the culture of M. tuberculosis, the sensitivity was 45%, the specificity, 100%; the PPV, 100%; the NPV was 31.25% and the accuracy was 56%. Conclusion: It is concluded that the PCR test is more accuracy than the BK culture, but with a low specificity, something unusual that would depend on the contamination of the sample.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus presents a lot of proteins in its structure that facilitate host cell infection,generating an increase in the concentration of angiotensin II and activating multiple signalingpathways that stimulate the NADPH oxidase enzyme complex and enzymes that take part in theinflammatory answer. As a consequence, there is an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS)that damage different proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Given this, Psidium cattleianum cancapture free radicals or inhibit the formation of ROS by transferring hydrogen atoms andelectrons. For that, this research has the main objective to determine the influence of Psidiumcattleianum as a possible treatment of oxidative stress caused by the SARS-COV-2 infection inorder to consider the consumption of this berry as a possible alternative as an antioxidanttreatment.Objective: To determine the influence of Psidium cattleianum as a possible treatment ofoxidative stress caused by SARS-Cov-2 infection.Materials and methods: The information collected was obtained by consulting the bibliographicsources: Pubmed / MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Cochrane, SciELO, ScienceDirect and Latindex.Conclusion: The consumption of Psidium cattleianum is proposed as a complementary treatmentto reduce oxidative stress in patients infected by SARS-CoV-2.

Hemolytic disease of the newborn may be due to Rh disease, ABO blood group incompatibility, and alloantibody reactions. His management plan includes: enteral or intravenous hydration, phototherapy, exchange transfusion, and intravenous immunoglobulin. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends IV Ig for newborns with hemolytic disease due to Rh incompatibility, ABO and increased bilirubin, as it may be an alternative to exchange transfusion and has been reported in some clinical trials. We present the case of a newborn group O Rh D-Variant, with predominantly indirect hyperbilirubinemia plus hemolytic anemia; who was managed with phototherapy, exchange transfusion, IV Ig and packed red blood cell transfusion with favorable evolution. The diagnosis of hemolytic disease of the newborn due to Rh incompatibility of subgroups is confirmed by demonstrating antibody-mediated hemolysis either by a positive direct or indirect antiglobulin test (DAT), so it should be considered in newborns with pathological jaundice who do not have respond to conventional treatment, presenting a risk of severe hyperbilirubinemia and hemolytic anemia.

Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder characterized by delirium and hallucinations (positive symptoms), as well as abulia, depression and cognitive impairment (negative symptoms), which entails a large socioeconomic burden requiring early diagnosis and timely treatment. This disease has a multifactorial origin, being the prenatal stress caused by viral infections one of its possible factors; this due to, it could harm neuronal development. This research aims to review the knowledge on prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection as a risk factor in the development of schizophrenia. The proper development of the nervous system requires an anti-inflammatory state of the maternal immune system during the second trimester of pregnancy. In this period, viral infection processes, such as Covid-19, act as proinflammatory stimuli that alter the molecular environment and induce "maternal immune activation" (MAI), an event associated with the functional alteration of dopaminergic neurons that generates imbalances in dopamine concentration. Likewise, MAI affects the phagocytic activity of microglia, triggering excessive synaptic pruning; in addition, it induces epigenetic changes in them, which added to their survival of up to 20 years, would lead to the long-term development of schizophrenia.

Objetive: To identify the trend of prescription of corticosteroids in two hospitals. Methods: Observational, data were collected on the prescription of corticosteroids in outpatient, emergency and hospitalization services. The  COVID-19 cases curve was matched with the percentage of monthly prescriptions, percentage distributions of the prescription of corticosteroids were made (according to form of presentation), in addition to the percentage distribution of corticosteroid prescriptions according to the amount per patient. Results: During the period from April 2020 to March 2021, 36,194 cases of covid were registered in Hospital II Florencia de Mora, registering a prescription of 7,163 corticosteroids (75.64%). In 2020, 736 patients with covid-19 were registered at the Virgen de la Puerta hospital from April to December; of these, 244 received one or more corticosteroids, with a total of 338 prescriptions. 80% of prescriptions was made between May and July. Conclusion: The prescription of corticosteroids increased during the pandemic, especially during the months of June and July 2020 and with greater use of dexamethasone.

Las microfotografías 1 - 5 muestran promielocitos anómalos con citoplasma basófilo, cuyos gránulos citoplasmáticos no se observan o, en caso de ser visibles, son muy finos y escasos. Esto se debe al tamaño sub-microscópico de la gran mayoría de los gránulos, característica clave de esta enfermedad. Asimismo, se observa que los núcleos son bilobulados, en aspecto de “reloj de arena” o “alas de mariposa”, la cromatina es abierta y se pueden apreciar nucléolos. La microfotografía 6 muestra dos promielocitos anómalos de aspecto blástico o blastoide, con citoplasma basófilo escaso y  agranular, núcleo no lobulado de borde irregular, cromatina abierta y presencia de nucléolos. La microfotografía 7, para comparación, muestra un promielocito morfológicamente normal (frotis de un paciente no leucémico), con abundantes gránulos citoplasmáticos y núcleo ovalado.