Browsing by Author "Beckhaus, Andrea A."

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Efficacy of Oral Corticosteroids in the Treatment of Acute Wheezing Episodes in Asthmatic Preschoolers : Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
    (2016) Castro Rodríguez, José Antonio; Beckhaus, Andrea A.; Forno, Erick
    Rationale: Systemic corticosteroids (SCS) are used for treat preschoolers with acute asthma or wheezing exacerbations, with conflicting results. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of oral corticosteroids (OCS) compared to placebo in preschoolers presenting with acute asthma/wheezing exacerbations. Methods: Five electronic databases were searched for all placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of OCS in children <6 years of age presenting with recurrent wheezing/asthma exacerbations of any severity. Primary outcomes were hospitalizations, unscheduled emergency department (ED) visits in following month, need of additional OCS courses, and length of stay (ED or hospital). Results: Eleven studies met inclusion criteria (n = 1,733); four were conducted on an outpatient basis, five in inpatients, and two in the ED. Significant heterogeneity was found when pooling all studies, and thus analysis was stratified by trial setting. Among the outpatient studies, children who received OCS had a higher hospitalization rate (RR: 2.15 [95%CI = 1.08–4.29], I2 = 0%) compared to those to received placebo. Among the ED studies, children who received OCS had a lower risk of hospitalization (RR: 0.58 [0.37–0.92], I2 = 0%). Among the inpatient studies, children who received OCS needed fewer additional OCS courses than those on placebo (RR: 0.57 [0.40–0.81], I2 = 0%). Conclusions: Treatment with OCS in the ED or hospital may be beneficial in toddlers and preschoolers with frequent asthma/wheezing exacerbations. However, more studies are needed before OCS can be broadly recommended for this age group. Future trials should be carefully designed to avoid bias and according to our findings regarding administration setting.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Evaluation of monoclonal antibodies that detect conserved proteins from Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Metapneumovirus and Adenovirus in human samples
    (2018) González Carreño, Liliana Andrea; Vazquez, Yaneisi; Mora, Jorge E.; Palavecino, Christian E.; Bertrand N., Pablo; Ferrés Garrido, Marcela Viviana; Contreras, Ana María; Beckhaus, Andrea A.; Riedel, Claudia; Bueno Ramírez, Susan
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Identification of biomarkers for disease severity in nasopharyngeal secretions of infants with upper or lower respiratory tract viral infections
    Bertrand N., Pablo; Vazquez, Yaneisi; Beckhaus, Andrea A.; González Carreño, Liliana Andrea; Contreras Sepúlveda, Ana María; Ferrés Garrido, Marcela Viviana; Padilla Pérez, Oslando; Riedel, Claudia A.; Kalergis Parra, Alexis Mikes; Bueno, Susan M.
    Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) produced by viruses are the most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in children younger than 5 years of age. The immune response triggered by viral infection can induce a strong inflammation in the airways and cytokines could be considered as biomarkers for disease severity as these molecules modulate the inflammatory response that defines the outcome of patients. Aiming to predict the severity of disease during respiratory tract infections, we conducted a 1-year follow-up observational study in infants who presented upper or lower respiratory tract infections caused by seasonal respiratory viruses. At the time of enrollment, nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) were obtained from infants to measure mRNA expression and protein levels of IL-3, IL-8, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin. While all cytokines significantly increased their protein levels in infants with upper and lower respiratory tract infections as compared to control infants, IL-33 and IL-8 showed a significant increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-infected patients with LRTI as compared to patients with upper respiratory tract infection. We also found higher viral loads of RSV-positive samples with a greater IL-8 response at the beginning of the symptoms. Data obtained in this study suggest that both IL-8 and IL-33 could be used as biomarkers for clinical severity for infants suffering from LRTIs caused by the RSV.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Inhaled Versus Systemic Corticosteroids for Acute Asthma in Children. A Systematic Review
    (2014) Beckhaus, Andrea A.; Riutort, María C.; Castro Rodríguez, José Antonio
    Summary Objective To compare the effects of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) against systemic corticosteroids (SC) in children consulting in emergency department (ED) or equivalent for asthma exacerbation. Methods Electronic search in MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and LILACS databases and other sources. Study selection criteria: children 2-18 years of age, consulting in ED or equivalent for asthma exacerbation, comparison between ICS and SC, randomized controlled trials. Primary outcomes: hospital admission rate, unscheduled visits for asthma symptoms, need of additional course of SC. Secondary outcomes: improvement of lung function, length of stay in ED, clinical scores, and adverse effects. Results Eight studies met inclusion criteria (N = 797), published between 1995 and 2006. All used prednisolone as SC and budesonide, fluticasone, dexamethasone, and flunisolide were administered as ICS. No significant difference between ICS versus SC was found in terms of hospital admission (RR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.41-2.57), unscheduled visits for asthma symptoms (RR: 9.55; 95% CI: 0.53-170.52) nor for need of additional course of SC (RR: 1.45; 95% CI: 0.28-7.62). The change in % of predicted FEV1 at fourth hour was significantly higher for SC group, but there was no significant difference between both groups after this time. There was insufficient data to perform meta-analysis of length of stay during first consult in ED and of symptom scores. Vomiting was similar among both groups. Conclusions There is no evidence of a difference between ICS and SC in terms of hospital admission rates, unscheduled visits for asthma symptoms and need of additional course of SC in children consulting for asthma exacerbations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Maternal nutrition during pregnancy and risk of asthma, wheeze and atopic diseases during childhood : a systematic review and meta-analysis
    (2015) Beckhaus, Andrea A.; García-Marcos, Luis; Forno, Erick; Pacheco-González, Rosa M.; Celedón, Juan Carlos; Castro Rodríguez, José Antonio