Dos Odynerus y un Gorytes nuevos de Marruecos con una lista de ápidos (Hymenopt.)

En la última visita hecha a este Museo por el distinguido entomólogo y viajero francés M. Charles Alluaud, tuve ocasión de ver algunas especies de himenópteros, cazadas por él, que describo o menciono a continuación.Peer reviewe

Algunas Eucera y Tetralonia del Norte de Africa (Hym. Apidae)

El Dr. Cros, residente en Mascara (Argelia), me envió unas 350 Encera y Tetralonia para su clasificación. Esto me decidió a estudiar, al mismo tiempo, los numerosos ejemplares de esos géneros que, como tantos otros himenópteros, esperan en el Museo Nacional de Madrid que algún entomólogo pueda tener tiempo para ocuparse de ellos, y que proceden, en su mayor parte, de las cazas que hizo en Marruecos D. Manuel Martínez de la Escalera; algunos otros fueron cogidos por los Sres. Arias o Gil Collado. Hay también la colección García Mercet, depositada en el Museo de Madrid.Peer reviewe

Especies del género Nomada cazadas en Argelia y Túnez por el Dr. R. Meyer (Hym. Apidae)

El Dr. R. Meyer, de Darmstadt (Alemania), conocido especialista en Apidos y gran recolector de himenópteros, en varios viajes al Norte de Africa reunió numerosas Nomada, que me ha enviado para su estudio.Peer reviewe

Algunos Euménidos y Masáridos del Norte de Africa (Hym. Vesp.)

El distinguido himenopterólogo M. Paúl Th. Roth, de Argel, que reune Esfégidos de Argelia, y ha publicado sobre ellos notables trabajos, me envió un interesante lote de Véspidos, entre los que hay varias novedades. A la vez pude estudiar algunos que me ha remitido el Barón Francesco Biegeleben, de Appiano (Italia), fruto de una excursión de su primo, Barón Pietro Giovanelli. También los he recibido del Dr. Santschi, de Kairouan (Túnez), y he revisado varios, de distintas procedencias, que tenía en mi colección, y unos pocos ingresados en el Museo de Madrid con posterioridad a mi trabajo sobre los de Marruecos. (Memorias R. Soc. Esp. H. Natural, t. VIII. Mem. 9ª Madrid, 1917).Peer reviewe

Morbidity and validity of the hemiclamshell approach for thoracic surgery

Objective: This is a prospective study to evaluate the indications and outcome of the hemiclamshell incision (longitudinal partial sternotomy combined with an antero-lateral thoracotomy) as used for a consecutive series of patients requiring surgery for various thoracic pathologies not ideally approached by postero-lateral thoracotomy, sternotomy or thoracoscopy. Methods: All patients with a hemiclamshell incision performed between 1994 and 1998 were prospectively analyzed regarding indications, postoperative morbidity and outcome (clinical examination and pulmonary function testing) in order to validate this incision for thoracic surgery. Results: 25 patients (15 men, 10 women) with an age ranging from 16 to 73 years (mean 43 years) underwent a hemiclamshell incision. The indications for the hemiclamshell approach were (1) chest trauma with massive hemorrhage requiring urgent access to the mediastinum and the ipsilateral pleural space (40%), (2) tumors of the anterior cervico-thoracic junction with suspicion of vascular involvement (28%) and (3) lesions involving both one chest cavity and the mediastinum (32%). The 30-day mortality was 8%. One patient suffered a sternal wound infection, mediastinitis and pleural empyema after a gun shot wound, whereas wound healing was uneventful in all other patients. Analgesic requirements for postoperative pain relief were not increased as compared to those following a standard thoracotomy. At 3 months normal sensitivity of the entire chest wall and intact shoulder girdle function was noted in 90% of the patients. Pulmonary function testing showed no restriction due to the hemiclamshell incision. Conclusions: The hemiclamshell incision is a useful approach in selected patients and does not cause more morbidity or long-term sequelae than a standard thoracotom

Los Escólidos de la Península Ibérica

Peer reviewe

Surgical approaches for lung volume reduction in emphysema

Lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is recommended in both British and international guidelines because trials have shown improvement in survival in selected patients with poor baseline exercise capacity and upper lobe-predominant emphysema. Despite this, few procedures are carried out, possibly because of historical concerns about high levels of morbidity and mortality associated with the operation. The authors reviewed data on lung volume reduction procedures at their institution between January 2000 and September 2012. There were no deaths within 90 days of unilateral LVRS (n=81), bullectomy (n=20) or intracavity drainage procedures (n=14). These data suggest that concerns about surgical mortality should not discourage LVRS in selected patients with COPD, provided that it is undertaken within a multidisciplinary team environment involving appropriate patient selection. © Royal College of Physicians 2014. All rights reserved

Outcome after unilateral lung volume reduction surgery in patients with severe emphysema

Objective: Bilateral lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) has emerged as a palliative treatment option in patients with severe pulmonary emphysema. However, it is not known if a sustained functional improvement can be obtained using an unilateral approach. Methods: We hypothesized that a palliative effect can also be obtained by unilateral LVRS and prospectively assessed lung function, walking distance, and dyspnea before and 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months after unilateral LVRS. Results: Twenty-eight patients were operated by the use of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) with a mean follow-up of 16.5 months (range 3-36 months). Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was significantly improved up to 3 months (1007±432 compared to 1184±499 ml, P≪0.001), residual volume up to 24 months (4154±1126 compared to 3390±914 ml, P≪0.01), dyspnea up to 12 months (modified Borg dyspnea scale 6.6±1.8 compared to 3.9±1.8, P=0.01) and walking distance up to 24 months (343±107 compared to 467±77 m, P≪0.05) after unilateral LVRS compared to preoperative values. Overall, 25 of 28 patients reported a subjective benefit after unilateral LVRS. There was no 30-day mortality. Only two patients required surgery on the contralateral side after 4.5 and 6 months, respectively, both suffering from α-1-antitrypsin deficiency. Conclusions: Unilateral LVRS by the use of VATS results in a sustained beneficial effect, improving walking distance and dyspnea for up to 24 months in patients with severe emphysema. The preservation of the contralateral side for future intervention if required renders unilateral LVRS an attractive concept in this difficult palliative situatio