Ateneo de un caso clínico: Mujer de 71 años con asma de difícil control / Atheneum of a clinical case: Woman of 71 years with asthma difficult to control

Se presenta el caso de una mujer de 71 años de edad, tabaquista pasiva, con historia de internaciones múltiples debido a episodios agudos de asma bronquial. Como antecedentes de relevancia, ella presentaba hipertensión arterial, hipotiroidismo y diagnóstico de asma con atopía y rinitis alérgica desde la adolescencia. Refería un franco empeoramiento de los síntomas desde hacía aproximadamente 24 meses. Para su asma estaba en tratamiento con budesonide 640 mcg diarios, formoterol 18 mcg diarios, montelukast 10 mg diarios, tiotropio 18 mcg diarios. Además recibía fluticasona nasal, omeprazol 40 mg, cinitaprida, levotiroxina y losartán. Pese a estar tratada con la medicación antes mencionada, persistía sintomática desde el punto de vista respiratorio con sibilancias audibles, disnea y tos requiriendo en varias oportunidades internación en sala general. Ella negaba exposición a hongos domésticos, ácaros, no tenía animales ni hobbies. Realizaba los quehaceres de su hogar, pero no mezclaba lavandina con detergentes ni otros productos irritantes

Estado nutricional del hierro en niños de comunidades indígenas de Cali, Colombia / Iron nutritional state in children from aboriginal communities, Cali, Colombia

Introducción: Los escolares son susceptibles a padecer anemia y deficiencia de micronutrientes. No hay reportes del estado del hierro en indígenas del sector urbano. Objetivo: Establecer el estado del hierro en niños de 5 a 14 años de edad de seis comunidades indígenas residentes en la ciudad de Cali-Colombia. Sujetos y métodos: Se estudiaron 62 niños indígenas de 5 a 14 años de edad, sin antecedentes febriles. Se les midió hemoglobina, hematocrito, volumen corpuscular medio, ferritina y transferrina. Los datos fueron analizados con STATA versión 10.0. Se calcularon promedios y desviación estándar para las variables cuantitativas y para las cualitativas proporciones y distribución de frecuencia simple. Las comparaciones entre comunidades se realizaron con el Test de Mediana y t de Student. Resultados: Las variables bioquímicas no mostraron distribución normal frente a las variables hematológicas. Se presentaron diferencias estadísticamente significantes en la hemoglobina y hematocrito entre dos cabildos indígenas. La transferrina fue semejante en todos los cabildos; la ferritina mostró diferencias estadísticamente significantes. La prevalencia de anemia por deficiencia de hierro fue de 25,8%, siendo los Inga y Yanacona los más afectados. Conclusiones: Los niños indígenas presentaron deficiencia de hierro, y riesgo para el buen desarrollo físico y cognitivo. Se debe considerar la intervención, para establecer las causas y tomar medidas correctivas.

Introduction: The School children are susceptible for anemia and deficiency of micronutrients. No reports of the iron status in urban indigenous. Objective: To establish the iron status in children between 5 and 14 years old from six indigenous communities living in Cali-Colombia. Methods: Were studied 62 indigenous children, between 5 and 14 years old without antecedents of febrile illness. The hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, ferritin and transferrin were measured. Data were analyzed with the STATA program version 10.0. Averages and standard deviation were calculated for quantitative variables and proportions and simple frequency distribution were calculated for qualitative variables. Comparisons among communities were carried out via the Median test and Student t-test. Results: Biochemical variables did not show normal distribution in contrast to hematological variables. Statistically significant differences were found in hemoglobin and hematocrit between two indigenous councils. Transferrin levels were similar in all councils, while ferritin levels showed statically significant differences. Low iron supply anemia prevalence was 25.8% and Inga and Yanacona were the most affected. Conclusions: The indigenous children have iron deficiency, which may affect their physical and cognitive development. This guides in considering an opportune intervention to establish the causes and to take corrective measures.

Evaluation of the effect of pollution and fungal disease on Pinus radiata pollen allergenicity.

BACKGROUND: Pollutants and other stressing factors like mold infection might increase the production of pathogen-related proteins in plants. Since this is invoked as one of the causes for the high prevalence of allergic diseases in developed countries, we aimed to determine the potential effect of environmental pollution, with or without mold infection of the trees, on the allergenic potency of pine pollen (Pinus radiata). METHODS: Pine pollen samples were recovered from three selected areas: low polluted (A), highly polluted (B) and highly polluted and infected with fungi (Spheropsis sapinea) (C). The allergenic potency of pollen from areas A, B or C were compared in vivo in 35 pine pollen-allergic patients by skin prick test and specific IgE (sIgE) quantification. Pollen was also analyzed in vitro by SDS-PAGE immunoblotting, RAST inhibition and cDNA-AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) to compare differences in proteins and mRNA expression. RESULTS: The allergenic potency measured by prick test, sIgE and RAST inhibition was greater in pollen A, which was exposed to smaller amounts of NO(x), PM(10) and SO(2) but greater amounts of O(3). No differences were found in IgE-binding bands in immunoblotting or densitometry of the bands. In cDNA-AFLP, three homologous transcript-derived fragments were expressed in samples B only, with an expressed sequence tag related with stress-regulated gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: A greater allergenic potency, in terms of skin tests and sIgE, is observed in pine pollen coming from unpolluted areas. We consider that this fact might be related to a higher exposure to ozone, resulting in a greater expression of allergenic proteins.