Treatment of ureteral calculi by ureteroscopy: experience of 100 cases at the Faculdade de Medicina do ABC (FMABC – Medical School)

Objective: To report the experience of treating ureteral calculi byureteroscopy at the Faculdade de Medicina do ABC – SP, with anemphasis on the efficacy and safety of the method. Methods: Aretrospective analysis of 100 ureteroscopies performed fromJanuary 2001 to August 2003 in 98 patients with ureteral calculi.Results: A 91% success rate was observed with a single procedureusing this technique. Intracorporeal lithotripsy was necessary in61% of cases before removing the stone; in the remaining cases, itwas extracted with no disintegration. Endoscopic approach wasimpossible in only one patient who required conversion toconventional open surgery. The double-J stent was inserted in73.7% of procedures. Complications were observed in 8% of cases.Conclusion: The present study demonstrated results comparablewith those reported in large series in the literature. The high successrates, low morbidity, rapid convalescence and lack of estheticconsequences corroborate the role of ureteroscopy as an attractivealternative for treating ureteral calculi

Níveis disfuncionais de ansiedade relacionada ao Coronavírus em estudantes de medicina: Dysfunctional levels of Coronavirus-related anxiety in medical students

As preocupações com a saúde mental das pessoas afetadas pela pandemia de coronavírus não foram abordadas adequadamente. Isso é surpreendente, uma vez que tragédias em massa, particularmente aquelas que envolvem doenças infecciosas, muitas vezes desencadeiam ondas de medo e ansiedade elevados que são conhecidos por causar perturbações maciças no comportamento e no bem-estar psicológico de muitos na população. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho é demonstrar os níveis disfuncionais de ansiedade relacionada ao coronavírus em estudantes de medicina. Para isso, foi realizado uma revisão sistemática sobre a temática

Hippocampal biomarkers of fear memory in an animal model of generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is highly prevalent and incapacitating. Here we used the Carioca High-Conditioned Freezing (CHF) rats, a previously validated animal model for GAD, to identify biomarkers and structural changes in the hippocampus that could be part of the underlying mechanisms of their high-anxiety profile. Spatial and fear memory was assessed in the Morris water maze and passive avoidance test. Serum corticosterone levels, immunofluorescence for glucocorticoid receptors (GR) in the dentate gyrus (DG), and western blotting for hippocampal brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were performed. Immunohistochemistry for markers of cell proliferation (bromodeoxiuridine/Ki-67), neuroblasts (doublecortin), and cell survival were undertaken in the DG, along with spine staining (Golgi) and dendritic arborization tracing. Hippocampal GABA release was assessed by neurochemical assay. Fear memory was higher among CHF rats whilst spatial learning was preserved. Serum corticosterone levels were increased, with decreased GR expression. No differences were observed in hippocampal cell proliferation/survival, but the number of newborn neurons was decreased, along with their number and length of tertiary dendrites. Increased expression of proBDNF and dendritic spines was observed; lower ratio of GABA release in the hippocampus was also verified. These findings suggest that generalized anxiety/fear could be associated with different hippocampal biomarkers, such as increased spine density, possibly as a compensatory mechanism for the decreased hippocampal number of neuroblasts and dendritic arborization triggered by high corticosterone. Disruption of GABAergic signaling and BDNF impairment are also proposed as part of the hippocampal mechanisms possibly underlying the anxious phenotype of this model

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ

Rotura Espontânea do Trato Urinário Durante a Realização de Tomografia Computorizada

Spontaneous rupture of the urinary tract is a rare entity. It probably occurs due to increased pressure in the urinary tract and usually is associated with obstructive factors. We report a case of a patient who presented rupture of the upper urinary tract during computed tomography without any associated obstructive factor. We believe that this happened due to the distension of the urinary system in function of contrast infusion. Our case is interesting because of the unusual etiology of this clinical entity and alerts us to the risk of high intraluminal pressures during urological endoscopic procedures and image exams. In addition, curiously the patient presented spontaneous resolution without performing the treatment suggested in the literature, which is the placement of a double-J catheter.Rotura espontânea do trato urinário é uma entidade rara. Esta provavelmente ocorre devido ao aumento da pressão na via urinária e geralmente está associada a fatores obstrutivos. Nós relatamos o caso de um paciente que apresentou rotura do trato urinário superior durante a realização de tomografia computorizada sem qualquer fator obstrutivo associado. Nós acreditamos que isto aconteceu devido à distensão do sistema urinário em função da infusão de contraste. Nosso caso é interessante devido à etiologia não habitual desta entidade clínica e nos alerta sobre o risco de altas pressões intraluminais durante procedimentos endoscópicos urológicos e exames radiológicos. Além disso, curiosamente o paciente apresentou resolução espontânea sem realização do tratamento sugerido pela literatura, que é a colocação de um catéter duplo J

Retenção urinária aguda por extenso hematoma pelvico após herniorrafia inguinal

The authors report a rare case of a patient with urinary retention following an inguinal herniorraphy, due to extrinsic compression of the bladder by an extensive pelvic hematoma, diagnosed by cystourethrogram and pelvic computadorized tomography. A medical treatment was provided by vesical catheterization for seven days. After this period of time, the hematoma had disappeared and the patient recovered to spontaneous miction