Tuberculosis: a reminder to humankind about inequality in access to healthcare

Humanity has achieved major milestones in public health, yet efforts to make health care strategies more accessible have not been sufficient to meet the needs of all populations1. A clear example is tuberculosis (TB), which, despite being one of the oldest diseases affecting humankind2, remains one of the deadliest preventable and treatable infections worldwide, currently […]

Safe retroesternal dissection with harmonic scalpel and indocyanine green during Nuss surgery

Introduction Pectus excavatum is a common condition, occurring in up to 1 in 400 children1. Patients requiring surgical treatment should be selected according to symptom severity and radiologic findings2–4. The minimally invasive technique proposed and developed by Nuss in 1987 and published in 1998 is increasingly used5. However, complications may occur, some of which can […]

Postural obstructive sleep apnea. Narrative literature review

Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a condition exclusive to sleep. It is defined as partial or complete collapses of the upper airway (UA), associated with hypoxemia, hypercapnia, hypoventilation and/or microarousals, snoring, fragmented nonrestorative sleep, and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), among other symptoms. It correlates with increased cardiovascular risk, metabolic and cognitive alterations, and worsening […]

Smoking, vaping, and comorbidities associated with adverse COVID-19 outcomes

Introduction Various comorbidities and risk factors have been associated with a higher likelihood of infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and with the development of severe forms of COVID-19 (Table 1). In addition, these factors have been observed to contribute to the persistence of symptoms after acute infection, known as long COVID-19 […]

COVID-19 outpatient evaluation and treatment

Introduction On December 31st, 2019, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission (Hubei Province, China) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a cluster of 27 cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology, which was later identified as a novel betacoronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2])1. Currently, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, causing more […]

COVID-19 epidemiology and natural history

Brief descriptive epidemiology Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Since then, it has spread to all continents and caused multiple epidemic waves. As of May 2024, more than 775 million confirmed cases and over 7 million […]

Pulmonary histopathological findings of COVID-19

Introduction On December 31st, 2019, Chinese health authorities reported 27 cases of acute respiratory syndrome of unknown etiology in Wuhan. A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was subsequently identified as the causative agent. The disease rapidly spread worldwide. In Mexico, the first confirmed case was reported on February 27, 2020, and […]

Destruens lung: a rare complication of pulmonary tuberculosis. Case report

Introduction Destroyed lung (destruens lung) is a rare complication of several disease entities, most frequently secondary to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, which accounts for approximately 80% of cases. It typically occurs in patients with delayed diagnosis and treatment. The imaging findings reflect compensatory changes in the remaining pulmonary parenchyma. Despite adequate antituberculous therapy, complications following destruction […]

Bronchial isomerism associated with tumorlet: an unusual case

Introduction Anatomic variants of the tracheobronchial tree are uncommon, occurring in approximately 1% to 12% of the general population1. Bronchial isomerism refers to a disorder of bronchopulmonary laterality. Left bronchial isomerism is characterized by bilateral bilobed lungs, whereas right bronchial isomerism is characterized by bilateral trilobed lungs2. Bronchial isomerism is often asymptomatic; however, it may […]