Plasma cytokine levels and cytokine gene polymorphisms in Mexican patients during the influenza pandemic A(H1N1)pdm09.

BACKGROUND: In Mexico, the initial severe cases of the 2009 influenza pandemic virus A (H1N1) [A(H1N1)pdm09] were detected in early March. The immune mechanisms associated with the severe pneumonia caused by infection with this new virus have not been completely elucidated. Polymorphisms in interleukin genes have previously been associated with susceptibility to infectious diseases due to their influence on cytokine production. OBJECTIVES: The present case-control study was performed to compare several immunologic and genetic parameters of patients and controls during the initial phase of the pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: Sixty-five patients who were hospitalized due to infection with the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus and 46 healthy controls were studied. A hemagglutination inhibition assay (HIA) was performed to measure anti-influenza antibody titers in these subjects. Protein levels of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interferon gamma (IFNγ), transforming growth factor beta (TGFß)1 and TGFß2 were quantified in plasma. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in IL6, IL10 and TNFα were also assessed. RESULTS: Influenza patients had lower antibody titers and produced significantly higher levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNFα than healthy controls. The frequencies of the TNFα -308G, IL-10 -592C and IL-10 -1082A alleles and the IL10 -1082(A/A) genotype were associated with susceptibility to severe disease, while the haplotypes TNFα AG and IL-10 GTA and GCA were associated with protection from severe disease [P=0.016, OR (CI)=0.11 (0.01-0.96); P=0.0187, OR (CI)=0.34 (0.13-0.85); P=0.013, OR (CI)=0.39 (0.18-0.83)]. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 patients and healthy controls have different profiles of immune parameters and that there is an association between IL-10 and TNFα polymorphisms and the outcome of this disease.

Pruebas de despistaje auditivo en adultos / Hearing loss screening tests for adults

Introducción: La detección temprana de hipoacusia ha sido ampliamente estudiada en recién nacidos gracias a las nuevas tecnologías en pruebas diagnósticas y tratamiento; existen protocolos bien establecidos de despistaje universal en esta población. Sin embargo, en adultos, el despistaje auditivo es un tema que también cobra importancia debido al aumento en la esperanza de vida, al cambio en la pirámide poblacional mexicana, que se estima que en los siguientes 50 años se transformará hacia una forma rectangular (con un aumento en la prevalencia de presbiacusia), y al establecimiento de programas de protección social en salud como el Seguro Popular. No se cuenta con investigaciones mexicanas sobre despistaje auditivo en adultos. El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar una prueba de emisión tonal y un cuestionario como estrategias de despistaje en adultos. Métodos: Se tomó una muestra de 500 personas sin antecedente de patología otológica en la consulta externa de un hospital general. Se realizó otoscopia, 2 pruebas de despistaje auditivo (emisión tonal y cuestionario) y audiometría a todos los sujetos. Resultados: El cuestionario es una prueba sensible pero poco específica, mientras que la prueba de emisión de tono fue menos sensible pero más específica con tasa mayor de exactitud. La mejor estrategia resultó la combinación de ambas pruebas que alcanzó una exactitud del 90%. Conclusiones: Se propone como la mejor estrategia de despistaje en adultos un cuestionario y una prueba de emisión tonal que garantiza de forma rápida, sin necesidad de entrenamiento especial, una evaluación completa del estado de audición en lo objetivo y subjetivo (AU)

Introduction: The early detection of hearing loss has been studied widely in newborns due to the emerging technologies for diagnosis and treatment. There are detailed protocols for this goal. Nonetheless, hearing loss screening in adults has become more important lately with the increase of the life expectancy, an expected change in the Mexican population pyramid towards a rectangular shape in the next 50 years (with increased hearing loss prevalence) and the creation of public policies for social security such as the «Seguro Popular». There are no Mexican studies about hearing loss screening in adults. The aim of this work was to assess a tone emission and a questionnaire as screening tools for hearing loss in adults. Methods: A sample size of 500 individuals without otology pathology from the outpatient clinics at a general hospital. An otoscopy, 2 screening tests (tone emission and questionnaire) and tonal audiometry were performed on all subjects. Results: The questionnaire turned out to be a sensitive test but with low specificity, while the tone emission was less sensitive but more specific with a higher rate of precision. In this study, the best result was achieved by a combined strategy using the two tests above, with a precision of 90%. Conclusions: The best screening strategy proposed by this study for hearing loss in adults is a questionnaire and tone emission test, which guarantees complete hearing assessment in objective and subjective manners, performed quickly and without special training (AU)

Hearing loss screening tests for adults.

INTRODUCTION: The early detection of hearing loss has been studied widely in newborns due to the emerging technologies for diagnosis and treatment. There are detailed protocols for this goal. Nonetheless, hearing loss screening in adults has become more important lately with the increase of the life expectancy, an expected change in the Mexican population pyramid towards a rectangular shape in the next 50 years (with increased hearing loss prevalence) and the creation of public policies for social security such as the "Seguro Popular". There are no Mexican studies about hearing loss screening in adults. The aim of this work was to assess a tone emission and a questionnaire as screening tools for hearing loss in adults. METHODS: A sample size of 500 individuals without otology pathology from the outpatient clinics at a general hospital. An otoscopy, 2 screening tests (tone emission and questionnaire) and tonal audiometry were performed on all subjects. RESULTS: The questionnaire turned out to be a sensitive test but with low specificity, while the tone emission was less sensitive but more specific with a higher rate of precision. In this study, the best result was achieved by a combined strategy using the two tests above, with a precision of 90%. CONCLUSIONS: The best screening strategy proposed by this study for hearing loss in adults is a questionnaire and tone emission test, which guarantees complete hearing assessment in objective and subjective manners, performed quickly and without special training.

Difference between early clinical features of swine origin A H1N1 influenza confirmed and not confirmed infection in Mexico.

INTRODUCTION: The Swine Origin A H1N1 Influenza Virus (SOIV) pandemic emerged in April 2009 affecting people and health-care systems worldwide. This study examined the differences among the early clinical features presented in confirmed SOIV cases, those who tested negative for SOIV infection, fatalities, and hospitalized cases. METHODOLOGY: We reviewed 1,024 initial medical records of patients presenting with acute respiratory symptoms who attended the respiratory emergency room of a general hospital in Mexico and had a confirmatory test for influenza AH1N1 by RT-PCR from April to December 2009. RESULTS: Out of 1,024 cases, 457 (44%) were men with a mean age of 31±17 years; however, of these, SOIV confirmed cases were younger (26±8, p=0.000). SOIV infection was confirmed in 36% of the patients. Most (%?) cases presented mild infection, 20% of the patients required hospitalization, and 0.09% patients died. Asthma was more frequent in confirmed cases (p=0.028). Presence of COPD, systemic arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus was significant in confirmed hospitalized cases. Pulmonary rales, wheezing, and sudden symptom onset were more frequent and statistically significant in confirmed patients. Influenza-like illness was more frequent in confirmed cases (p=0.049).  CONCLUSIONS: This study presents one of the largest series of the new SOIV infection confirmed by RT-PCR reported. This infection is frequently mild and affects mainly young adults. Sudden symptoms onset, pulmonary rales, and wheezing are early features of this infection. Asthma, COPD, systemic arterial hypertension, and diabetes mellitus should be identified to identify potentially severe and fatal cases. ILI helps distinguish SOIV infection.