Scrofuloderma of the chest with mediastinal TB.

Cutaneous tuberculosis is a rare manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in most cases and rarely by Mycobacterium bovis. Diagnosis may be challenging due to a wide range of clinical findings and similarities to other chronic dermatoses, leading to delayed treatment. We present a case of scrofuloderma in a 4-year-old girl that arose from a contiguous spread from the anterior mediastinum with associated pulmonary involvement.

Omega-3 polygenic score protects against altered eating behavior in intrauterine growth-restricted children.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in eating behavior are common in infants with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR); omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) could provide protection. We hypothesized that those born IUGR with a genetic background associated with increased production of omega-3-PUFA will have more adaptive eating behaviors during childhood. METHODS: IUGR/non-IUGR classified infants from MAVAN and GUSTO cohorts were included at the age of 4 and 5 years, respectively. Their parents reported child's eating behaviors using the child eating behavior questionnaire-CEBQ. Based on the GWAS on serum PUFA (Coltell 2020), three polygenic scores were calculated. RESULTS: Significant interactions between IUGR and polygenic score for omega-3-PUFA on emotional overeating (ß = -0.15, P = 0.049 GUSTO) and between IUGR and polygenic score for omega-6/omega-3-PUFA on desire to drink (ß = 0.35, P = 0.044 MAVAN), pro-intake/anti-intake ratio (ß = 0.10, P = 0.042 MAVAN), and emotional overeating (ß = 0.16, P = 0.043 GUSTO) were found. Only in IUGR, a higher polygenic score for omega-3-PUFA associated with lower emotional overeating, while a higher polygenic score for omega-6/omega-3-PUFA ratio was associated with a higher desire to drink, emotional overeating, and pro-intake/anti-intake. CONCLUSION: Only in IUGR, the genetic background for higher omega-3-PUFA is associated with protection against altered eating behavior, while the genetic score for a higher omega-6/omega-3-PUFA ratio is associated with altered eating behavior. IMPACT: A genetic background related to a higher polygenic score for omega-3 PUFA protected infants born IUGR against eating behavior alterations, while a higher polygenic score for omega-6/omega-3 PUFA ratio increased the risk of having eating behavior alterations only in infants born IUGR, irrespective of their adiposity in childhood. Genetic individual differences modify the effect of being born IUGR on eating outcomes, increasing the vulnerability/resilience to eating disorders in IUGR group and likely contributing to their risk for developing metabolic diseases later in life.

Pleural tuberculosis: experiences from two centers in Brazil

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis at two hospitals in southern Brazil. Methods: Patients aged < 18 years were evaluated retrospectively. The patients' medical and epidemiological history, tuberculin skin test results, radiological and pathological findings, and pleural fluid analysis results were retrieved. Results: Ninety-two patients with pleural tuberculosis were identified. The mean age was 10.9 years old. Twenty-one percent were children aged six years or less. The most common symptoms were fever (88%), cough (72%), and chest pain (70%). Unilateral pleural effusion was observed in 96% of the cases. Lymphocyte predominance was found in 90% of the pleural fluid samples. The adenosine deaminase activity of the pleural fluid was greater than 40 U/L in 85% of patients. A diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia with antibiotic prescriptions was observed in 76% of the study population. Conclusions: Tuberculosis etiology must be considered in unilateral pleural effusion in a child with contact with a case of tuberculosis. Pleural fluid biomarkers contribute to the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents.

Pleural tuberculosis: experiences from two centers in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the clinical and laboratory findings of patients diagnosed with pleural tuberculosis at two hospitals in southern Brazil. METHODS: Patients aged < 18 years were evaluated retrospectively. The patients' medical and epidemiological history, tuberculin skin test results, radiological and pathological findings, and pleural fluid analysis results were retrieved. RESULTS: Ninety-two patients with pleural tuberculosis were identified. The mean age was 10.9 years old. Twenty-one percent were children aged six years or less. The most common symptoms were fever (88%), cough (72%), and chest pain (70%). Unilateral pleural effusion was observed in 96% of the cases. Lymphocyte predominance was found in 90% of the pleural fluid samples. The adenosine deaminase activity of the pleural fluid was greater than 40 U/L in 85% of patients. A diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia with antibiotic prescriptions was observed in 76% of the study population. CONCLUSIONS: Tuberculosis etiology must be considered in unilateral pleural effusion in a child with contact with a case of tuberculosis. Pleural fluid biomarkers contribute to the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents.

Stress management in Medicine.

Stress and burnout can result in errors, reduction in patient safety, and decreased productivity. They can cause absenteeism, depression, destructive behavior, alcohol, drug abuse, and even suicide. Several factors lead to professional stress, many of which are out of one's control, thus making intervention impossible. Physicians often neglect their health and ignore stress and burnout. They often deny the existence of stress as a way of adapting to it, which is an ineffective method of coping with this problem that can lead to negative coping strategies. For managing stress and burnout, it is paramount to recognize situations/conditions that may trigger them, identify their signs, and invest in well-being strategies. In this article, well-being promotion is addressed with a focus on strategies that can be used at the individual level. Topics such as stress management and resilience should be valued in medical training and profession. As long as they form a part of the "hidden curriculum", well-being will continue to be undervalued, when in fact it should be seen as fundamental to the health of professionals and patients.

Performance of the quantification of adenosine deaminase and determination of the lactate dehydrogenase/adenosine deaminase ratio for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accuracy of determining the adenosine deaminase (ADA) level, the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio, and the LDH/ADA ratio in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (PT) in children and adolescents. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary hospital in a high-tuberculosis-incidence area, between 2001 and 2018. All patients with ADA in pleural fluid and a confirmed diagnosis of PT (cPT) or parapneumonic effusion (PPE) were included. RESULTS: The cPT and PPE groups comprised 25 and 68 individuals, respectively. At a cutoff of 40 U/L, ADA measurement showed the following: sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 31%; positive predictive value (PPV), 32%; negative predictive value (NPV), 88%; and overall accuracy, 46%. The best cutoffs were an ADA level of 125 U/L, a 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio of 0.5, and an LDH/ADA ratio of 8.3, with AUC of 0.67, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy of the 125 U/L ADA cutoff were 84%, 65%, 47%, 92%, and 70%, respectively, compared with 79%, 79%, 59%, 91%, and 79%, respectively, for the 8.3 LDH/ADA ratio cutoff. Changing the LDH/ADA ratio cutoff to 3.0 increased the specificity to 98%. CONCLUSIONS: The ADA level and the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio are not good biomarkers for the diagnosis of PT in pediatric patients. Determination of the LDH/ADA ratio provides the best overall accuracy for the diagnosis of PT in such patients.

Trabalho em equipe na área da saúde / Teamwork in health care

Médicos, enfermeiros e outros profissionais de saúde passam boa parte do tempo se comunicando e coordenando atividades de cuidado. Apesar disso, o treinamento em habilidades de comunicação interpessoal e de trabalho em equipe tem sido historicamente pouco enfatizado. O principal objetivo do trabalho em equipe é melhorar os desfechos no cuidado ao paciente. A necessidade de trabalhar em equipe vem sendo cada vez mais frequente no cuidado à saúde. Assim, é relevante conhecer os elementos fundamentais para o seu bom funcionamento, assim como os principais fatores com potencial de prejudicá-lo. Neste artigo, os seguintes tópicos serão discutidos: classificação das equipes de cuidado à saúde; princípios determinantes para o sucesso das equipes; e as principais barreiras que podem comprometer seu funcionamento. Existe um reconhecimento crescente sobre a importância do trabalho em equipe (em oposição ao rígido gerenciamento hierárquico) no cuidado ao paciente. A resistência à mudança nos métodos de trabalho imposta pela tradição de décadas deve ser enfrentada por meio de um processo educacional, de forma que este artigo visa a contribuir para essa finalidade. (AU)

Physicians, nurses, and other health care professionals spend a great amount of time communicating and coordinating care activities. Nevertheless, interpersonal communication and teamwork skills have been historically underemphasized in professional training. The ultimate goal of teamwork efforts is to improve patient care outcomes. The need for interdisciplinary teamwork has been increasing in the health care setting. Thus, the main attributes needed in a good interdisciplinary team should be known, as well as the factors that could lead to a poor team performance. In this study, we discuss the definition and classification of teamwork in health care, the fundamental principles for successful teamwork, and the main barriers to effective teamwork. The importance of teamwork has been increasingly recognized in health care. However, decades of tradition have hindered changes in the way health care is provided, and educational processes should be used as an approach to deal with this situation. The present study intends to contribute to this purpose. (AU)

Performance of the quantification of adenosine deaminase and determination of the lactate dehydrogenase/adenosine deaminase ratio for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis in children and adolescents / Desempenho da quantificação de adenosina desaminase e determinação da relação lactato desidrogenase/adenosina desaminase para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural em crianças e adolescentes

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of determining the adenosine deaminase (ADA) level, the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio, and the LDH/ADA ratio in pleural fluid for the diagnosis of pleural tuberculosis (PT) in children and adolescents. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary hospital in a high-tuberculosis-incidence area, between 2001 and 2018. All patients with ADA in pleural fluid and a confirmed diagnosis of PT (cPT) or parapneumonic effusion (PPE) were included. Results: The cPT and PPE groups comprised 25 and 68 individuals, respectively. At a cutoff of 40 U/L, ADA measurement showed the following: sensitivity, 88%; specificity, 31%; positive predictive value (PPV), 32%; negative predictive value (NPV), 88%; and overall accuracy, 46%. The best cutoffs were an ADA level of 125 U/L, a 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio of 0.5, and an LDH/ADA ratio of 8.3, with AUC of 0.67, 0.75, and 0.82, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV, and overall accuracy of the 125 U/L ADA cutoff were 84%, 65%, 47%, 92%, and 70%, respectively, compared with 79%, 79%, 59%, 91%, and 79%, respectively, for the 8.3 LDH/ADA ratio cutoff. Changing the LDH/ADA ratio cutoff to 3.0 increased the specificity to 98%. Conclusions: The ADA level and the 2'-deoxyadenosine/ADA ratio are not good biomarkers for the diagnosis of PT in pediatric patients. Determination of the LDH/ADA ratio provides the best overall accuracy for the diagnosis of PT in such patients.

RESUMO Objetivo: Avaliar a acurácia da determinação do nível de adenosina desaminase (ADA), da relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA e da relação LDH/ADA no líquido pleural para o diagnóstico de tuberculose pleural (TP) em crianças e adolescentes. Métodos: Estudo transversal retrospectivo realizado em um hospital terciário em uma área de alta incidência de tuberculose entre 2001 e 2018. Todos os pacientes com determinação de ADA no líquido pleural e com diagnóstico confirmado de TP (TPc) ou de derrame parapneumônico (DPP) foram incluídos. Resultados: Os grupos TPc e DPP foram compostos por 25 e 68 indivíduos, respectivamente. Num ponto de corte de 40 U/L, a medida de ADA mostrou o seguinte: sensibilidade, 88%; especificidade, 31%; valor preditivo positivo (VPP), 32%; valor preditivo negativo (VPN), 88%; e acurácia geral, 46%. Os melhores pontos de corte foram ADA de 125 U/L, relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA de 0,5 e relação LDH/ADA de 8,3, com ASC de 0,67, 0,75 e 0,82, respectivamente. A sensibilidade, especificidade, VPP, VPN e acurácia geral do ponto de corte de 125 U/L para ADA foram de 84%, 65%, 47%, 92% e 70%, respectivamente, em comparação com 79%, 79%, 59%, 91% e 79%, respectivamente, para o ponto de corte de 8,3 para a relação LDH/ADA. Ao alterar o ponto de corte da relação LDH/ADA para 3,0 a especificidade aumentou para 98%. Conclusões: O nível de ADA e a relação 2'-desoxiadenosina/ADA não são bons biomarcadores para o diagnóstico de PT em pacientes pediátricos. A determinação da relação LDH/ADA fornece a melhor acurácia geral para o diagnóstico de PT nesses pacientes.

Comparison of a direct immunofluorescence assay (Oxoid IMAGEN®) and a multiplex RT-PCR DNA microarray assay (CLART® PneumoVir) for the detection of respiratory viruses in hospitalized children.

The objective of this study was to compare the positive detection rates obtained using the Oxoid IMAGEN® direct immunofluorescence assay (designated as IF) with those obtained using the CLART® PneumoVir multiplex RT-PCR DNA microarray assay (designated as RT-PCR) in the diagnosis of respiratory viruses in hospitalized children. This was a retrospective study of 62 individuals < 18 years old who had nasopharyngeal aspirates collected for virus identification in a tertiary university hospital in south Brazil between January 1st, 2014 and December 31st, 2014. All 62 nasopharingeal aspirates were analyzed using both assay methods. The main outcome to be measured was the difference in the proportion of test samples returning a positive virus detection result between the IF and the RT-PCR. The McNemar test was used for data analysis and the results showed that the RT-PCR and the IF methods produced 55 (88.7 %) and 17 (27.4 %) virus-positive samples, respectively (p < 0.001). The most prevalent virus was rhinovirus (45.5 % of the RT-PCR positive samples). The RT-PCR method increased the detection rates of human respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A virus and parainfluenza 3 virus. The RT-PCR and IF had concordant results in 19 samples (30.6 %) and discordant results in 43 samples (69.4 %). It is concluded that in comparison to the Oxoid IMAGEN® IF method, the CLART® PneumoVir multiplex RT-PCR method had a greater potential to contribute to the clinical management of hospitalized children due its greater ability in detecting respiratory viruses than the IF method.

Respiratory viral coinfection and disease severity in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: With advent of molecular diagnostic technologies, studies have reported detection of two or more respiratory viruses in about 30% of children with respiratory infections. However, prognostic role of coinfection remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate relation between respiratory viral confection and illness severity in children. STUDY DESIGN: MEDLINE (through PUBMED), EMBASE, EBSCO, LILACS databases were searched up to March 2015 by two independent reviewers. Studies assessing severity of viral coinfection in patients aged less than 18 years were included. Standardized forms were used for data extraction of population, study design, clinical syndromes, virus combinations compared and severity outcomes. Risk of bias and quality of evidence were assessed through EPHPP and GRADE. Subgroup analysis was performed according to age and viral combinations. RESULTS: Of 5218 records screened, 43 were included in analysis. Viral coinfection did not influence risks of all outcomes assessed: length of stay (mean difference in days in coinfection, -0.10 [95% confidence interval: -0.51 to 0.31]), length of supplemental oxygen (-0.42 [-1.05 to 0.20]), need of hospitalization (odds ratio of coinfection, 0.96 [95% confidence interval: 0.61-1.51]), supplemental oxygen (0.94 [0.66 to 1.34]), need of intensive care (0.99 [0.64 to 1.54]), mechanical ventilation (0.81 [0.33 to 2.01]) and death (2.22 [0.83 to 5.95]). Sub-analyses according to age and viral combinations have not shown influence of these factors in outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Respiratory viral coinfection did not increase severity in all outcomes assessed. Further studies are necessary to confirm this finding, especially regarding role of specific viral interactions.

Case report of acquired pyroglutamic acidemia in a pediatric patient

Pyroglutamic acid (also known as 5-oxoproline) is an organic acid intermediate of the gamma-glutamyl cycle. Accumulation of pyroglutamic acid is a rare cause of high anion gap metabolic acidosis. In the pediatric population, the congenital form of pyroglutamic acidemia has been extensively described. However, there are scarce reports of the acquired form of this condition in children. The urine test for organic acids confirms the diagnosis of pyroglutamic acidemia. We report the case of a 16-month-old girl who developed transient 5-oxoprolinemia associated with malnutrition and the use of acetaminophen and ampicillin for the treatment of acute otitis media and abdominal pain. The patient received 21-hour course of n-acetylcysteine with improvement of metabolic acidosis. This report highligts the need of considering pyroglutamic acidemia in the differencial diagnosis for high anion gap metabolic acidosis in pediatric patients with malnutrition and other risk factors...

Atopy, cytokine production, and airway reactivity as predictors of pre-school asthma and airway responsiveness.

BACKGROUND: Childhood asthma is often characterized by recurrent wheezing, airway hyper-reactivity, atopy, and altered immune characteristics; however, our understanding of the development of these relationships from early in life remains unclear. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether atopy, cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and airway responsiveness, assessed in infants and toddlers, are associated with asthma and airway responsiveness at 4-years of age. METHODS: Infants with eczema (N = 116), enrolled prior to wheezing, were assessed at entry (mean age of 10.7 months), at 1-year follow-up (N = 112), and at 4-years of age (N = 94). Total serum IgE, specific IgE to allergens, and cytokines produced by stimulated PBMCs, were assessed at entry and 1-year follow-up. Spirometry was obtained at all 3-visits, while airway reactivity to methacholine was assessed at entry and 1-year follow-up, and bronchodilator (BD) responsiveness, as well as current asthma was assessed at 4-years of age. RESULTS: We found that pre-school children with asthma had lower spirometry and a greater BD-response. Serum IgE, particularly to egg and/or milk, and altered cytokine production by PBMCs at entry to the study were associated with asthma, lower spirometry, and greater airway responsiveness at 4-years of age. In addition, we found that airway responsiveness, as well as spirometry, tracked from infancy to 4-years of age. CONCLUSIONS: While spirometry and airway responsiveness track longitudinally from early in life, atopy and cytokine production by PBMCs are associated not only with an increased risk of pre-school asthma, but also lower spirometry and increased airway responsiveness.

Ventilation homogeneity improves with growth early in life.

Some studies have suggested that lung clearance index (LCI) is age-independent among healthy subjects early in life, which implies that ventilation distribution does not vary with growth. However, other studies of older children and adolescents suggest that ventilation becomes more homogenous with somatic growth. We describe a new technique to obtain multiple breath washout (MBWO) in sedated infants and toddlers using slow augmented inflation breaths that yields an assessment of LCI and the slope of phase III, which is another index of ventilation inhomogeneity. We evaluated whether ventilation becomes more homogenous with increasing age early in life, and whether infants with chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI) have increased ventilation inhomogeneity relative to full-term controls (FT). FT (N = 28) and CLDI (N = 22) subjects between 3 and 28 months corrected-age were evaluated. LCI decreased with increasing age; however, there was no significant difference between the two groups (9.3 vs. 9.5; P = 0.56). Phase III slopes adjusted for expired volume (S(ND)) increased with increasing breath number during the washout and decreased with increasing age. There was no significant difference in S(ND) between full-term and CLDI subjects (211 vs. 218; P = 0.77). Our findings indicate that ventilation becomes more homogenous with lung growth and maturation early in life; however, there is no evidence that ventilation inhomogeneity is a significant component of the pulmonary pathophysiology of CLDI.

Growth of lung parenchyma in infants and toddlers with chronic lung disease of infancy.

RATIONALE: The clinical pathology describing infants with chronic lung disease of infancy (CLDI) has been limited and obtained primarily from infants with severe lung disease, who either died or required lung biopsy. As lung tissue from clinically stable outpatients is not available, physiological measurements offer the potential to increase our understanding of the pulmonary pathophysiology of this disease. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that if premature birth and the development of CLDI result in disruption of alveolar development, then infants and toddlers with CLDI would have a lower pulmonary diffusing capacity relative to their alveolar volume compared with full-term control subjects. METHODS: We measured pulmonary diffusing capacity and alveolar volume, using a single breath-hold maneuver at elevated lung volume. Subjects with chronic lung disease of infancy (23-29 wk of gestation; n = 39) were compared with full-term control subjects (n = 61) at corrected ages of 11.6 (4.8-17.0) and 13.6 (3.2-33) months, respectively. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Alveolar volume and pulmonary diffusing capacity increased with increasing body length for both groups. After adjusting for body length, subjects with CLDI had significantly lower pulmonary diffusing capacity (2.88 vs. 3.23 ml/min/mm Hg; P = 0.0004), but no difference in volume (545 vs. 555 ml; P = 0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Infants and toddlers with CLDI have decreased pulmonary diffusing capacity, but normal alveolar volume. These physiological findings are consistent with the morphometric data obtained from subjects with severe lung disease, which suggests an impairment of alveolar development after very premature birth.

Análise descritiva dos pacientes com fibrose cística em acompanhamento da Unidade de Pneumologia Pediátrica de um hospital universitário de Porto Alegre-RS / Descriptive analysis of cystic fibrosis patients followed by the Pediatric Pulmonology Unit of a university hospital in Porto Alegre-RS

Objetivos: Descrever o perfil de pacientes acompanhados num centro de tratamento de médio porte, especializado em fibrose cística, e comparar os dados obtidos com os encontrados na literatura atual. Foram analisados e correlacionados dados de importância para o seguimento clínico dos pacientes com fibrose cística obtidos no banco de dados de acompanhamento dos mesmos pacientes. Os resultados foram expressos em médias ± desvio padrão (DP) ou medianas e amplitude interquartil 25-75%, conforme e diatribuição das variáveis. Resultados: Foram estudados 26 pacientes do sexo masculino e 22 do feminino. A idade mediana do diagnóstico foi de 0,98 anos. Dos 48 pacientes, 89,6% apresentam insuficiência pancreática e 29,1% mostraram pelo menos um cultura positiva para Pseudomonasaeroginosa nos últimos 6 meses. Apresentavam redução dos parâmetros de função pulmonar o grupo com insuficiência pancreática (84 versus 112%; p=0,005) e os portadores de infecção crônica por P. aeroginosa (75 versus 85%; p= 0,006). Conclusões: Os dados obtidos em nosso estudo mostraram que este grupo de pacientes se apresenta de maneira concordante aos dados disponíveis na literatura quanto às características analisadas da doença. Contudo, há uma exceção marcante quanto ao diagnóstico da mesma, ainda muito tardiamente realizado no Brasil.