Cirurgias endoscópicas para a coluna torácica: avaliação crítica Endoscopic surgery for thoracic spine: critical review

Com o advento da tecnologia vídeo-assistida a endoscopia tem assumido importante papel terapêutico na cavidade torácica. Este artigo é uma avaliação crítica da literatura e tem como objetivo demonstrar o estado atual da cirurgia endoscópica direcionada para a coluna torácica. Hérnias discais, deformidades, infecções, tumores, doenças congênitas e traumatismos estão sendo tratados por técnica endoscópica. Na literatura, as vantagens sobre a toracotomia aberta são visibilidade aumentada e reduções em: tempo de recuperação, perda sanguínea, custos, índice de infecção e morbidade pós-operatória. Algumas desvantagens são: intubação seletiva, significativa curva de aprendizado, dificuldades técnicas na operação de crianças muito pequenas, reparação da dura máter e instrumentação. Embora os benefícios sejam aparentemente claros e haja pronunciado grau de entusiasmo, os autores são cautelosos em afirmar que a toracoscopia já é uma alternativa definitiva à toracotomia convencional. A comparação dos resultados entre as técnicas endoscópica e aberta é dificultada pela escassez de estudos comparativos. Os autores, embora otimistas, recomendam análises de mais estudos prospectivos, multicêntricos e randomizados para uma conclusão definitiva.<br>After the development of video-assisted technology, endoscopic techniques have assumed an important therapeutic role into thoracic cavity. This is a literature review article to show the current state of the endoscopy for thoracic spine. Disc herniations, deformities, infections, tumors, congenital disorders and traumatic events have been treated by endoscopic techniques. On reviewing the literature, the advantages over open approaches are: enhanced visualization, shorter recovery time and decreased blood loss, costs, infection rate and post operative morbidity. Some disadvantages are: one lung anesthesia, significant learning curve, and technical problems in operating on small children, repairing the dura and performing instrumentation. Overall benefits are apparently clear. However, despite the high degree of enthusiasm, authors are cautious to state that endoscopic techniques to the spine already represent a definitive alternative to standard techniques. Comparison between endoscopic and open approaches are still difficult because of the lack of appropriate comparative studies. Authors, although optimistic recommend more prospective, multicentric and randomized studies in order to stand a definitive conclusion

Prognosis in disorders of consciousness

In patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness (DOC), clinical evolution is determined by several factors closely interacting with each other: etiology, patient's age (likely influencing the physiological process of recovery, e.g., brain plasticity), the duration of DOC (likely related to the severity of brain damage), the structural and functional integrity of neuronal populations (as assessed by neurophysiological and neuroimaging methods), and the presence of clinical complications that could impact care strategies. In the present chapter, we will offer a brief review of the most recent studies on clinical evolution of patients with prolonged DOC and of the longitudinal studies searching for robust prognostic markers in such patients. We will argue that some prognostic indicators for patients in vegetative state can be gathered in the rehabilitative phase, whereas reliable markers to characterize DOC patients who will present late recovery of responsiveness and consciousness have not been identified. Moreover, long-term evolution of patients in minimally conscious state has not been clearly established, and definite prognostic information is not available for these patients. For these reasons, prospective longitudinal systematic investigations of outcome in large groups of individual with prolonged DOC are needed to better clarify the natural recovery of DOC and to define prognostic markers useful to update current positions on medical, ethical, and legal issues connected with management and care of these patients

Thyroid hormone inhibits lung fibrosis in mice by improving epithelial mitochondrial function

Thyroid hormone (TH) is critical for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis during stress responses, but its role in lung fibrosis is unknown. Here we found that the activity and expression of iodothyronine deiodinase 2 (DIO2), an enzyme that activates TH, were higher in lungs from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis than in control individuals and were correlated with disease severity. We also found that Dio2-knockout mice exhibited enhanced bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. Aerosolized TH delivery increased survival and resolved fibrosis in two models of pulmonary fibrosis in mice (intratracheal bleomycin and inducible TGF-β1). Sobetirome, a TH mimetic, also blunted bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis. After bleomycin-induced injury, TH promoted mitochondrial biogenesis, improved mitochondrial bioenergetics and attenuated mitochondria-regulated apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells both in vivo and in vitro. TH did not blunt fibrosis in Ppargc1a- or Pink1-knockout mice, suggesting dependence on these pathways. We conclude that the antifibrotic properties of TH are associated with protection of alveolar epithelial cells and restoration of mitochondrial function and that TH may thus represent a potential therapy for pulmonary fibrosis