Enteric fever in Barcelona: Changing patterns of importation and antibiotic resistance.

BACKGROUND: Enteric fever's incidence is decreasing among residents of high-income countries, although it's rising in travelers coming from low-resource endemic settings. The study's aim is to describe epidemiological, clinical and laboratory features of patients with enteric fever. METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study of enteric fever cases diagnosed at a Tropical Medicine Unit in Barcelona, 1993-2012. RESULTS: Out of 40 patients, 31(77,5%) were returning travelers, and 70% of them had been in Southern Asia. In the rest of patients without an antecedent of a recent travel, the infection occurred mainly before year 2000. The more frequently reported symptoms were fever and diarrhea, lacking significant differences between S. typhi and S. paratyphi infections. Quinolones were used as empiric treatment in 47.2% of patients, 36.1% received 3rd generation cephalosporins, 2.78% azithromycin and 13.89% other combinations. Resistance to quinolones in the S. paratyphi group (66.7%) was significantly higher compared with the S. typhi group (20%) (p:0.02). 22.5% of patients had treatment failure and 23.6% patients presented complications, none of them had been previously vaccinated. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of enteric fever was more frequent among travelers coming from Southern-East Asia. Quinolone resistance is widely spread, particularly in S. paratyphi serotypes and should not be considered as first choice treatment anymore.

Neuropsychological and dimensional behavioral trait profiles in Costa Rican ADHD sib pairs: Potential intermediate phenotypes for genetic studies.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with substantial functional impairment in children and in adults. Many individuals with ADHD have clear neurocognitive deficits, including problems with visual attention, processing speed, and set shifting. ADHD is etiologically complex, and although genetic factors play a role in its development, much of the genetic contribution to ADHD remains unidentified. We conducted clinical and neuropsychological assessments of 294 individuals (269 with ADHD) from 163 families (48 multigenerational families created using genealogical reconstruction, 78 affected sib pair families, and 37 trios) from the Central Valley of Costa Rica (CVCR). We used principal components analysis (PCA) to group neurocognitive and behavioral variables using the subscales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and 15 neuropsychological measures, and created quantitative traits for heritability analyses. We identified seven cognitive and two behavioral domains. Individuals with ADHD were significantly more impaired than their unaffected siblings on most behavioral and cognitive domains. The verbal IQ domain had the highest heritability (92%), followed by auditory attention (87%), visual processing speed and problem solving (85%), and externalizing symptoms (81%). The quantitative traits identified here have high heritabilities, similar to the reported heritability of ADHD (70-90%), and may represent appropriate alternative phenotypes for genetic studies. The use of multigenerational families from a genetically isolated population may facilitate the identification of ADHD risk genes in the face of phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity.

Characteristics and comorbidity of ADHD sib pairs in the Central Valley of Costa Rica.

BACKGROUND: While genetic epidemiological studies demonstrate a substantial degree of genetic predisposition for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they also suggest that the genetics are complex and may differ between populations or ethnic groups. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the phenomenology of siblings with ADHD from the genetically isolated population of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. METHODS: Rates of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV)-defined ADHD subtypes and comorbid conditions were calculated in a sample of 157 ADHD-affected children (probands and siblings) recruited for genetic studies using standardized approaches. Sib-sib comparisons and logistic regressions were conducted to identify significant patterns of concordance. RESULTS: Combined-type ADHD (69.5%) was the most common subtype among probands, followed by the inattentive (27.4%), and hyperactive-impulsive (3.2%) subtypes. Anxiety disorders were prevalent (55.9%), as were disruptive behavior disorders (30.9%) and Tourette disorder (17.0%). Probands and siblings showed high sib-sib concordance for anxiety disorders. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD in Costa Rica is similar in clinical and demographic characteristics to ADHD seen in other parts of the world, although the rates of co-occurring psychiatric disorders differ somewhat from those previously reported in Latin American samples. Comorbid anxiety is prevalent, with high rates of sib-sib concordance, and may represent a distinct, homogeneous subgroup suitable for genetic studies.

[Prevalence of and screening for ADHD in Costa Rica]. / Prevalencia y tamizaje del Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con Hiperactividad en Costa Rica.

This research project sought to estimate the prevalence of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and to determine if the Swanson Nolan and Pelham Rating Scale IV (SNAP-IV) Spanish version is a useful screening tool in a population of Costa Rican school children. The SNAP-IV Spanish version was given to the parents and teachers of 425 children aged 5 to 13 (mean 8.8). All subjects were also assessed with the Swanson, Kotkin, Agler, M-Flynn and Pelham Scale (SKAMP), along with diagnostic confirmation by clinical interview. The sensitivity and specificity of the SNAP-IV was assessed as a predictor of DSM-IV ADHD diagnosis. The point prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in this sample was 5%. The prevalence of ADHD among girls was 7%, while that among boys was 4%. The optimal screen was the teacher-rated SNAP-IV at a 20% cutoff, which had a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 82%. Parent sensitivities were lower than teacher sensitivities. SNAP-IV teacher ratings with a cutoff isolating the top 20% of scores correctly categorized 87% of children.