No abstract

Background: The pandemic of COVID-19 has represented a major threat to global public health in the last century and therefore to identify predictors of mortality among COVID-19 hospitalized patients is widely justified. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible usefulness of Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) as mortality predictor in patients hospitalized because COVID-19. Methods: This study was carried out in Zacatecas, Mexico, and it included 705 hospitalized patients with suspected of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Clinical data were collected, and the CCI score was calculated online using the calculator from the Sociedad Andaluza de Medicina Intensiva y Unidades Coronarias; the result was evaluated as mortality predictor among the patients with COVID-19. Results: 377 patients were positive for SARS-COV-2. Obesity increased the risk of intubation among the study population (odds ratio (OR) = 2.59; 95 CI: 1.36–4.92; p = 0.003). The CCI values were higher in patients who died because of COVID-19 complications than those observed in patients who survived (p < 0.001). Considering a CCI cutoff >31.69, the area under the ROC curve was 0.75, with a sensitivity and a specificity of 63.6% and 87.7%, respectively. Having a CCI value >31.69 increased the odds of death by 12.5 times among the study population (95% CI: 7.3–21.4; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The CCI is a suitable tool for the prediction of mortality in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. The presence of comorbidities in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 reflected as CCI > 31.69 increased the risk of death among the study population, so it is important to take precautionary measures in patients due to their condition and their increased vulnerability to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Obesity is considered the main risk factor associated with the development of insulin resistance (IR). The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of obesity on puberty onset and IR in Mexican children. A total of 378 children (189 boys and 189 girls) aged 8–14 years participated in the study. IR was estimated using the homeostasis model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR). The mean fasting glucose (FG) and basal insulin levels were 82 mg/dl and 11.0 μIU/ml in boys and 77.3 mg/dl and 12.3 μIU/ml in girls (P < 0.05). Subjects with obesity at Tanner stages II–V showed increased FG levels (P < 0.05). In boys with obesity, there was a decrease in HOMA-IR in Tanner stage IV and differences in age between boys with normal weight and those with obesity in Tanner V, being older the boys with obesity. Obesity in children and adolescents was associated with higher HOMA-IR values. In boys with obesity, IR increased at the end of pubertal maturation, with a delay in puberty. These findings should be considered on the establishment of IR cutoff values for pubertal population in Mexico and in the establishment of strategies to prevent the health problems related to obesity.

Background and Objectives: Sentinel surveillance in the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico represented a significant cost reduction and was useful in estimating the population infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, it also implied that many patients were not screened and therefore had no accurate diagnosis. In this study, we carried out a population-based SARS-CoV-2 screening in Mexico to evaluate the COVID-19-related symptoms and their weighting in predicting SARS-CoV-2 infection. We also discuss this data in the context of the operational definition of suspected cases of COVID-19 established by the Mexican Health Authority’s consensus. Materials and Methods: One thousand two hundred seventy-nine subjects were included. They were screened for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-PCR. The weighting of COVID-19 symptoms in predicting SARS-CoV-2 infection was evaluated statistically. Results: Three hundred and twenty-five patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 and 954 were negative. Fever, asthenia, dysgeusia, and oxygen saturation predicted SARS-CoV-2 infection (odds ratios ranged from 1.74 to 4.98; p < 0.05). The percentage of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients was 36% and only 38.15% met the Mexican operational definition. Cq-values for the gene N of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly higher in asymptomatic subjects than in the groups of COVID-19 patients with neurological, respiratory, and/or musculoskeletal manifestations (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Dysgeusia, fever, and asthenia increased the odds of a positive result for COVID-19 1.74–4.98-fold among the study population. Patients with neurological, respiratory, and/or musculoskeletal manifestations had higher viral loads at COVID-19 diagnosis than those observed in asymptomatic patients. A high percentage of the participants in the study (61.85%) did not meet the operational definition for a suspected case of COVID-19 established by the Mexican Health Authority’s consensus, representing a high percentage of the population that could have remained without a COVID-19 diagnosis, so becoming a potential source of virus spread.

The purpose of this review is to have a current prospect of periodontal diseases and, in particular, aggressive periodontitis. To know its classification and clinical characteristics, such as the extent and age group affected, as well as its distribution in the population, etiology, genetic variations, among other factors that could affect the development of this disease. Also, reference is made to different diagnostic options and, likewise, the current treatment options.