Relación entre las infecciones respiratorias agudas altas y el asma bronquial / Relationship between Acute High Respiratory Infections and Asthma

La infección respiratoria es la enfermedad más frecuente en los seres humanos, pues es responsable de la mitad de todas las enfermedades agudas. En Cuba al igual que en el resto del mundo, el asma bronquial constituye un importante problema de salud con incidencia relevante en los niños. Se señala que las infecciones virales están involucradas en la patogénesis del asma, sobre todo en el paciente pediátrico. Objetivo: identificar la influencia de las Infecciones Respiratorias Agudas Altas en la aparición y exacerbación de las crisis de asma bronquial. Métodos: se realizó un estudio descriptivo, transversal y prospectivo de los pacientes ingresados con asma bronquial en el servicio de enfermedades respiratorias del Hospital Pediátrico Docente de San Miguel del Padrón, durante todo el año 2008. Resultados: el tiempo de evolución de la IRAA más frecuente que desencadenó la crisis de asma bronquial fue de más de 7 días, con un 54,8 por ciento. Un total de 188 pacientes presentaron rinofaringitis aguda catarral relacionada con la aparición de la crisis de asma bronquial, lo que representó el 82,4 por ciento del total de la muestra. Conclusiones: predominó el grupo de 1 a 4 años con manifestaciones respiratorias altas de posible etiología viral sin diferencias apreciables en relación con el sexo.La mayoría de los pacientes que participaron en el estudio presentaron IRAA de etiología viral (Rinofaringitis), que precedieron la aparición y exacerbación de las crisis agudas de asma bronquial...

Respiratory infection is the most common disease in humans; it is responsible for half of all acute diseases. In Cuba, as in the rest of the world, asthma is a major health problem with significant impact on children. It is noted that viral infections are involved in asthma pathogenesis, especially in pediatric patients. Objective: t o identify the influence of Acute High Respiratory Infections (AHRI) in the onset and aggravation of bronchial asthma crisis.Methods: a descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective study was conducted on hospitalized patients due to asthma in the service of respiratory diseases at the Pediatric Teaching Hospital in San Miguel del Padrón, during 2008. Results: the duration of the most common AHRI that triggered the asthma crisis was more than 7 days 54.8 percent. A total of 188 patients had acute catarrhal nasopharyngitis related to the onset of asthma crisis, which represented 82.4 percent of the total sample. Conclusions: the age group of 1 to 4 years had more upper respiratory manifestations of possible viral etiology with no noticeable differences in relation to gender. Most patients in this study had viral etiology AHRI (nasopharyngitis), which preceded the onset and aggravation of acute attacks of bronchial asthma...

Arginine and glutamate levels in the gingival crevicular fluid from patients with chronic periodontitis

The objectives of this study were to determine arginine and glutamate levels in the gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) of adult chronic periodontitis patients versus periodontally healthy controls, and to compare two kinds of microdialysis probes: normal and U-shaped probes. The analysis of GCF components was developed to improve the diagnosis of periodontal disease (PD). Proteolysis in the periodontal tissues increases the concentration of amino acids (aa) in the GCF and the levels of these aa may reveal PD features and stages. GCF samples were collected by microdialysis in situ from 5 periodontally affected sites (probing depth >5 mm, clinical attachment loss >3 mm) in 14 adult chronic periodontitis patients and from 14 adult periodontally healthy controls. Capillary zone electrophoresis coupled to laser induced fluorescence detection was used to measure concentration of arginine and glutamate in the GCF. Data were analyzed statistically by ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests (?=0.05). Arginine concentration was increased (p<0.001) and glutamate concentration was decreased (p<0.001) in chronic periodontitis patients as compared to controls. There were no significant differences (p=0.069) between the normal and U-shaped probes. In conclusion, the increase of arginine and decrease of glutamate concentration in GCF were associated to the presence of periodontitis, and might be used as markers to recognize periodontally susceptible subjects as well as to evaluate the treatment course.

Os objetivos deste estudo foram determinar os níveis de arginina e glutamato no fluido gengival crevicular (FGC) em pacientes com periodontite crônica contra controles saudáveis e comparar dois tipos de cânulas de microdiálise: normais e em forma de U. A análise dos componentes do FGC desenvolveu-se para melhorar o diagnóstico da doença periodontal (DP). A proteólise dos tecidos periodontais aumenta a concentração de aminoácidos (aa) no FGC e os níveis destes aa podem revelar as características e estágios da DP. Amostras de FGC foram obtidas pela técnica de microdiálise in situ de cinco zonas com o periodonto afetado (profundidade de sondagem >5 mm, perda da inserção clínica >3 mm) em 14 pacientes adultos com periodontite crônica e 14 controles saudáveis. Para medir a concentração de arginina e glutamato no GFC, usou-se a técnica de eletroforese capilar com detecção de fluorescência induzida por laser. Nos pacientes com periodontite crônica, a concentração de arginina aumentou significantemente (p<0.001), enquanto a de glutamato diminuiu significantemente (p<0.001) em comparação aos controles. Não houve diferenças significantes (p=0.069) entre as cânulas normais e as cânulas em forma de U. Conclui-se que o aumento da concentração de arginina e diminuição de glutamato no FGC estavam associados à presença de periodontite, e podem ser usados como marcadores para identificar pacientes suscetíveis à periodontite bem como avaliar a evolução do tratamento.