Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the endothelial function, systemic inflammatory biomarkers and subgingival microbial profile associations in patients with and without periodontal disease. Methods: Forty-four patients, half with chronic moderate to severe periodontitis (cases) and half gingivitis and incipient periodontitis (controls) were recruited. Anthropometric, clinical, biochemical parameters, endothelial function, subgingival microbiota, and eight plasma biomarkers of cardiovascular disease were assessed in both groups. Results: Both groups were comparable in anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and number of positive metabolic syndrome components. Univariate analyses demonstrated significantly higher plasma levels of E-selectin (64.5 AE 30.9 vs 43.8 AE 22.2; P = 0.026) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) (103 AE 114.5 vs 49.1 AE 35.6; P = 0.032) in cases than controls. In addition, significantly higher levels of E-selectin, MPO and ICAM-1 were found in periodontitis patients after adjustment by age and waist circumference. Red complex microorganisms were more frequently detected by culture and polymerase chain reaction in patients with severe to moderate periodontitis. Conclusions: Subgingival red complex bacteria and important cardiovascular risk markers were increased in untreated chronic moderate to severe periodontitis cases. Periodontitis seems to be associated with systemic inflammation that could increase the risk of cardiovascular events. The causal relation between periodontal infections and cardiovascular disease requires further research.

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis was endemic and presented high prevalence during the study period. Effective control measures are needed to prevent intestinal parasitism in pre-school and schoolchildren.

Contribución de los autores:Todos los autores participaron en la recolección de los datos, el análisis, el diseño y la redacción del artículo. Introducción. Los defectos congénitos son alteraciones morfológicas que pueden ser diagnosticadas antes, durante o después del nacimiento. Se han implementado diversos sistemas de vigilancia en hospitales de referencia, principalmente en aquellos de alta complejidad. Objetivo. Comparar la prevalencia de los defectos congénitos en dos hospitales de diferente nivel de complejidad de la ciudad de Cali. Materiales y métodos. Se llevó a cabo un estudio descriptivo basado en la metodología del Estudio Colaborativo Latinoamericano de Malformaciones Congénitas, durante 20 meses en un hospital de mediana complejidad y en otro de alta complejidad. Resultados. Durante el periodo de estudio se atendieron 7.140 nacimientos, en 225 de los cuales se presentó al menos un defecto congénito, con una prevalencia del 1,7 % (IC 95% 1,3-2,0) en el hospital de mediana complejidad y de 7,4 % (IC 95% 6,2-8,7) en el de alta complejidad. En el primero, las frecuencias más altas correspondieron a polidactilia (15 %), apéndice preauricular (8 %) y pie equino varo (7 %), mientras que en el segundo, correspondieron a comunicación interventricular (10 %), hidronefrosis congénita (7 %) y defectos de la pared abdominal (6 %). Conclusiones. La prevalencia de los defectos congénitos varió de un hospital a otro, dependiendo de su nivel de complejidad, y del tipo y la seriedad de los defectos. La vigilancia epidemiológica en los diferentes niveles de atención es una herramienta útil para estimar acertadamente la prevalencia en la ciudad, además de constituir una buena base para la planificación y orientación de los recursos. Introduction: Birth defects are morphologic alterations diagnosed pre-, natal or postnatally. Surveillance systems have been used to estimate the prevalence in high complexity care centers; however, the variation of the prevalence among different complexity care centers remains unknown. Objective: To compare the prevalence of birth defects among two different complexity care centers in Cali, Colombia. Materials and methods: A descriptive hospital-based study following the methodology of the Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations was conducted during 20 months in a medium complexity hospital and a high complexity hospital. Results: During the study period, 7,140 births were attended of which 225 had at least one birth defect. The prevalence of these was of 1.7% (IC95% 1.3-2.0) and 7.4% (IC95% 6.2-8.7) for the medium complexity hospital and the high complexity hospital, respectively. The highest frequencies for the high complexity care center were: ventricular septal defect, 10%; congenital hydronephrosis, 7%; abdominal wall defects, 6%, and hydrocephalus, 5%, while for the medium complexity were: polydactyly, 15%; preauricular skin tags, 8%; congenital talipes equino varus, 7%, and hemangioma, 6%. Conclusions: The prevalence of birth defects among different complexi...

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Colombia has a high prevalence of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type IVA. Nevertheless, data regarding the mutation spectrum for MPS IVA in this population have not been completely characterized. Forty-seven families and 53 patients from seven different Colombian regions were tested for MPS IVA mutations. We compared the sequences with the N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS) reference sequence NM_000512.4, and gene variants were reported. Bioinformatics analysis was performed using SWISS-MODEL. The mutant proteins were generated by homology from the wild-type GALNS 4FDJ template obtained from the PDB database, and visualization was performed using Swiss-PDBViewer and UCSF Chimera. The predictive analysis was run using different bioinformatic tools, and the deleterious annotation of genetic variants was performed using a neural network. We found that 79% and 21% of the cohort was homozygous and compound heterozygous, respectively. The most frequent mutation observed was p.Gly301Cys (78.3% of alleles), followed by p.Arg386Cys (10.4% of alleles). A novel mutation (p.Phe72Ile) was described and classified in silico as a pathogenic variant. This study reveals the mutation spectrum of MPS IVA in Colombia. The high prevalence of the p.Gly301Cys mutation suggests a founder effect of this variant in the Colombian population that causes diseases in the Andean region (via migration). These data can facilitate genetic counseling, prenatal diagnosis, and the design of therapeutic interventions.