Complicated enterocele: timely resolution with bowel resection via a vaginal approach: case report

Background: Enterocele is an uncommon, serious condition that requires accurate and early diagnosis to prevent complications such as intestinal obstruction, incarceration, and strangulation, with consequent intestinal ischemia, necrosis, and evisceration. We report a rare case of a patient with a voluminous enterocele and initial signs of intestinal ischemia who underwent urgent vaginal surgery. Case description: An 80-year-old woman presented with a voluminous mass protruding from the vagina, associated abdominopelvic pain, a 10-day history of bowel sub-occlusion, and numerous episodes of profuse vaginal bleeding. She was diagnosed with an enterocele with early signs of complications. Owing to her advanced clinical condition and comorbidities, we opted for an urgent vaginal procedure. Intestinal loops with initial signs of ischemia were resected via a transvaginal approach, leading to good clinical outcomes. She was discharged on postoperative day 5. Conclusions: This rare case highlights a surgical emergency that was managed with transvaginal resection of the intestine. Early identification of the initial signs of complications allowed for this less invasive approach, resulting in reduced morbidity and length of hospital stay

A Park of the Walls for the Renaissance of Cagliari.

A Park of the Walls for the Renaissance of Cagliari. The stronghold of Castello, fortified acropolis of Cagliari, derives its morphology from the peculiar orography of the site and from the its fortifications, built through the centuries. The city evolution, as shown by scholars and by the documents, was determined by the continuous relation among the natural landscape and the fortress, by economical, social and defensive needs. The history of Cagliari is the history of its fortifications. The planning and design of a “Park of the walls” could integrate the conservation of the monumental walls with the landscape design of the surrounding open spaces, and it may represent a fundamental project for the Renaissance of the city and to the collective awareness of its shape and history in urban design. The green areas of the Park of the walls can become the place where the monument dialogue with the surrounding space and communicate its value to citizens

Data from: Age-graded dominance hierarchies and social tolerance in packs of free-ranging dogs

It is believed that domestic dogs rarely form packs with age-graded hierarchical structures similar to those found in wolves. Dog-wolf comparisons in captivity suggest that human control has reduced dog dependency on cooperation with conspecifics, resulting in a more despotic dominance order. However, free-ranging dogs are under stronger natural selection than purebred dogs. They are dependent on companions’ social support, but usually exhibit lower reproductive skew than wolves, possibly because access to easily available human-derived-food may have relaxed within-group competition. We investigated social dominance in five packs of mongrel dogs living in a free-ranging or semi-free-ranging state. We aimed at replicating the findings of the few studies that detected a dominance hierarchy in dogs using a larger sample of packs. Additionally, we provided behavioural measures of social tolerance. We found that a linear hierarchy existed in all packs studied, and that the rank order was positively related to age in all packs but one. In two packs in which testing was possible, age was a better predictor of dominance than body size. Potentially injurious aggression was very rare. Hierarchy steepness in dogs was similar to that found in wolves and in tolerant primates. Submissive reversals were more common in dogs than in wolves. These results suggest that age-graded hierarchies in dogs are more common than previously thought, that rank is not usually acquired through fighting since subordinates rely on the guidance of elders, and contradict the view that domestication has increased despotism in dogs

2.Gender_Age_DominanceRank_of_Individual_Dogs

This file contains data concerning gender, age and dominance rank of all individual dogs studied. Note that “age” is reported as “age class”, i.e. individual dogs of each pack were assigned to age classes that were ranked from the youngest to the oldest one, based on their actual or estimated year of birth (which is also reported in the table). So, “age class” does not express the actual age of dogs in years. Note that empty cells refer to missing values, i.e. dogs whose ages could not be estimated relative to that of other dogs. Dominance rank was standardized by distributing ranks evenly between the highest (+1) and the lowest (-1), with the median rank being scored as 0, to allow comparison across packs. In the original paper these data were used to: 1) assess the correlation between dominance rank and age for each pack separately; 2) assess the effect of gender on dominance rank, as well as the effect of gender on age

Data from: Age-graded dominance hierarchies and social tolerance in packs of free-ranging dogs

It is believed that domestic dogs rarely form packs with age-graded hierarchical structures similar to those found in wolves. Dog-wolf comparisons in captivity suggest that human control has reduced dog dependency on cooperation with conspecifics, resulting in a more despotic dominance order. However, free-ranging dogs are under stronger natural selection than purebred dogs. They are dependent on companions’ social support but usually exhibit lower reproductive skew than wolves, possibly because access to easily available human-derived food may have relaxed within-group competition. We investigated social dominance in 5 packs of mongrel dogs living in a free-ranging or semifree-ranging state. We aimed at replicating the findings of the few studies that detected a dominance hierarchy in dogs using a larger sample of packs. Additionally, we provided behavioral measures of social tolerance. We found that a linear hierarchy existed in all packs studied and that the rank order was positively related to age in all packs but one. In 2 packs in which testing was possible, age was a better predictor of dominance than body size. Potentially injurious aggression was very rare. Hierarchy steepness in dogs was similar to that found in wolves and in tolerant primates. Submissive reversals were more common in dogs than in wolves. These results suggest that age-graded hierarchies in dogs are more common than previously thought, that rank is not usually acquired through fighting because subordinates rely on the guidance of elders, and contradict the view that domestication has increased despotism in dogs

7.Total_Number_of_Aggressive_interactions_in_dog_packs

This file contains six tables. Each table is a squared matrix reporting the total number of aggressive gestures exchanged among dogs belonging to the same pack. So, each table corresponds to a different dog pack. Performers of aggressive gestures are reported on the vertical axis on the left side of each table, in which each individual dog is identified using a 2-3 letters code. Recipients of aggressive gestures are reported on the upper horizontal axis of each table, and again each individual dog is identified using a 2-3 letter code. Note that the data reported for the Curva pack are not statistically independent from those reported for the Fused pack, since the latter originated from the fusion of the Curva pack with another one and the data collected before and after the fusion event were combined (see Bonanni et al. 2017, Behav Ecol, for additional explanations). In the original paper, the data reported in these tables were used to calculate the statistical parameters reported in Table S6, i.e. hierarchy linearity, directional consistency of aggressive behaviour, hierarchy steepness, as well as percentage of unknown, 1-way, 2-ways, and tied dyadic relationships

8.Total_Number_of_Dominance_interactions_in_dog_packs

This file contains six tables. Each table is a squared matrix reporting the total number of dominance displays exchanged among dogs belonging to the same pack. So, each table corresponds to a different dog pack. Performers of dominance displays are reported on the vertical axis on the left side of each table, in which each individual dog is identified using a 2-3 letters code. Recipients of dominance displays are reported on the upper horizontal axis of each table, and again each individual dog is identified using a 2-3 letter code. Note that the data reported for the Curva pack are not statistically independent from those reported for the Fused pack, since the latter originated from the fusion of the Curva pack with another one and the data collected before and after the fusion event were combined (see Bonanni et al. 2017, Behav Ecol, for additional explanations). Also, note that the data concerning the Caraffa pack are missing because they were lost. In the original paper, the data reported in these tables were used to calculate the statistical parameters reported in Table S6, i.e. hierarchy linearity, directional consistency of dominance behaviour, hierarchy steepness, as well as percentage of unknown, 1-way, 2-ways, and tied dyadic relationships