Time course of early metabolic changes following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats as detected by 1H NMR spectroscopy

Experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) provide a useful tool for understanding the cerebral metabolic changes induced by this pathological condition. Here, we report on the time course of changes in cerebral metabolites after TBI and its correlation with early brain morphological changes using a combination of high-resolution proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ( 1H MRS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to closed head impact and examined by MRI at 1, 9, 24, 48, and and 72 h after the injury. Extracts from funnel frozen rat brains were then obtained and analyzed quantitatively by high-resolution 1H MRS. Finally, statistical multivariate analysis was carried out to identify the combination of cerebral metabolites that best described the time evolution of diffuse TBI. The temporal changes observed in the concentration of cerebral metabolites followed three different patterns. The first pattern included taurine, threonine, and glycine, with concentrations peaking 24 h after the injury. The second pattern included glutamate, GABA, and alanine, with concentrations remaining elevated between 24 and 48 h post-injury. The third one involved creatine-phosphocreatine, N-acetylaspartate, and myo-inositol, with concentrations peaking 48 h after the injury. A multivariate stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that the combination of the organic osmolytes taurine and myo-inositol allowed optimal discrimination among the different time groups. Our findings suggest that the profile of some specific brain molecules that play a role as organic osmolytes can be used to follow-up the progression of the early diffuse brain edema response induced by TBI. © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.This work was partly supported by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (grants SAF 2001-224 and SAF 2004-03197 to J.M.R. and S.C.) and by Spanish Ministry of Health (grants FISss C03/08, C03/10, and G03/155 to J.M.R. and S.C.).Peer Reviewe

Hydrolysis of cellulose in supercritical water: reagent concentration as a selectivity factor

Producción CientíficaIn this work, the influence of reagent concentration on hydrolysis reactions of cellulose in supercritical water was analyzed. The hydrolysis was carried out at 400 °C and 25 MPa with reaction times between 0.07 and 1.57 s and feeding cellulose concentrations between 5 and 20 % w/w (1.5–6 % w/w at reactor inlet). Also, a flash separator was used to separate vapor in the product stream in order to increase the final concentration. The best result for sugar production (79 % w/w) was obtained working with a cellulose concentration of 5 % w/w and 0.07-s reaction time. For glycolaldehyde production, the best result (42 % w/w) was obtained with a concentration of 20 % w/w and 1.57 s. The employment of a flash separator allowed reducing the water content by 50 %. It was also observed that by increasing the cellulose concentration in the reactor up to 4 % w/w, the hydrolysis took place with a similar kinetic as that in the heterogeneous media, thus reducing the conversion rate of cellulose in supercritical water.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - FEDER (Proyect CTQ2013-44143-R

Complications of laparoscopic lymphadenectomy for gynecologic malignancies. Experience of 372 patients

Evaluation of lymph nodes is an integral part in the management of women with gynecologic cancers, which is why the pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy is widely used as a staging and/ or prognostic procedure in such malignancies. The purpose of this study was to describe our experience with pelvic and aortic laparoscopic lymphadenectomy and evaluate the safety and feasibility of this procedure for gynecologic malignancies. From January 2004 to December 2015, a laparoscopic pelvic and/or aortic lymphadenectomy was performed in 372 women at the Department of Gynecology Oncology of the University General Hospital of Castellon and at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Sant Pau and Santa Tecla Tarragona Hospitals. Out of the 372 cases, 240 combined pelvic and paraaortic lymphadenectomies were performed, while 108 and 24 patients underwent pelvic and aortic lymphadenectomy respectively. The mean operative times were 40 min (20-89) in order to perform a complete pelvic lymphadenectomy, 62 min (21-151) for transperitoneal aortic lymphadenectomy and 45 min (35-65) for a retroperitoneal approach. A conversion to laparotomy was needed in 1.6% of patients. Twenty-three (6.1%) complications were encountered in 372 patients undergoing laparoscopic lymphadenectomy. Nine (2.4%) major complications occurred intraoperatively while fourteen (3.7%) appeared postoperatively. The most frequent intraoperatory complication was vascular injury (1.3%). Laparoscopic lymphadenectomy can be considered a safe and achievable procedure, and could be considered the golden standard procedure for staging gynecologic malignancies

A Case of Urethrocutaneous Fistula Following a Transobturator Tape Procedure for Stress Urinary Incontinence

The transobturator tape procedure (TOT) is a highly effective technique used to resolve cases of female stress urinary incontinence and is a safe procedure with relatively few per-operative and early post-operative complications compared to the tension free vaginal tape (TVT). Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that the late surgical sequelae following a TOT procedure are relatively common. Urethrocutaneous fistula is an unusual complication in the female population that is defined as an abnormal connection between the urethra and the skin, usually affecting the perineum. It may also develop secondary to urethral strictures, repair of hypospadias, prostate surgery, chronic untreated periurethral abscesses, trauma etc. It is usually diagnosed using retrograde urethrography and fistulography. We present a case of a 53 year old woman who developed a urethrocutaneous fistula after a TOT procedure four years ago as a surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence which was diagnosed recently after presenting various episodes of vulvar abscesse

Epstein-Barr virus in oral proliferative verrucous leukoplakia and squamous cell carcinoma : a preliminary study

The aim of this study was to analyze proliferative verrucous leukoplakia (PVL) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) for the possible presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). We studied three groups: Sub-Group 1 was composed of 10 patients with PVL, (6 of whom had developed OSCC); Sub-Group 2 comprised 5 patients with OSCC but no preceding PVL; and Sub-Group 3 were 5 controls with clinically normal oral mucosa. Oral biopsies from all cases were examined for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by nested PCR. EBV was detected in 60% of Sub-Group 1 patients (PVL ) and in 40% of Sub-Group 2 (OSCC), but in 0% of SubGroup 3 (controls)

A Gravitational-wave Measurement of the Hubble Constant Following the Second Observing Run of Advanced LIGO and Virgo

This paper presents the gravitational-wave measurement of the Hubble constant (H0) using the detections from the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo detector network. The presence of the transient electromagnetic counterpart of the binary neutron star GW170817 led to the first standard-siren measurement of H0. Here we additionally use binary black hole detections in conjunction with galaxy catalogs and report a joint measurement. Our updated measurement is H0 = 69+16−8 km s-1 Mpc-1 (68.3% of the highest density posterior interval with a flat-in-log prior) which is an improvement by a factor of 1.04 (about 4%) over the GW170817-only value of 69+17−8 km s-1 Mpc-1. A significant additional contribution currently comes from GW170814, a loud and well-localized detection from a part of the sky thoroughly covered by the Dark Energy Survey. With numerous detections anticipated over the upcoming years, an exhaustive understanding of other systematic effects are also going to become increasingly important. These results establish the path to cosmology using gravitational-wave observations with and without transient electromagnetic counterparts

Laterally Extended Endopelvic Resection (Leer) and Reconstructive Techniques for Treatment of Locally Advanced Cervix Cancer: A Case Report

The aim of this report is to describe the surgical procedure done in a 24-year-old woman who presents a locally advanced squamous cervix carcinoma and is proposed to laterally extended endopelvic resection (LEER), intraoperative radiation therapy with electrons (IORT) and urinary and colon diversion with vaginal reconstruction. A year after surgery the patient is alive, without disease and with and acceptable quality of life

Situação atual da violência contra a mulher: evolução e impacto no Peru

Objective: To carry out a systematic review of various publications on the current situation of violence against women, as well as its evolution and impact in Peru. Methods: It was carried out through the electronic search of various scientific articles related to the subject. The search sources were PubMed, Scielo, and Google Scholar. The keywords were: «violence against women», «impact», «self-esteem» and «Peru». Results: Of the 99 articles found, 69 were discarded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria, leaving 30 articles for this review. Conclusion: Violence is present in most moments of our lives, manifesting itself in different ways, among them is violence against women, which is exercised in different ways, either by physical abuse or verbal abuse.Objetivo: Realizar una revisión sistemática de diversas publicaciones sobre la situación actual de la violencia contra la mujer, así como su evolución e impacto en el Perú. Métodos: Se realizó a través de la búsqueda electrónica de diversos artículos científicos relacionados con el tema. Las fuentes de búsqueda fueron PubMed, Scielo y Google académico. Las palabras claves fueron: «violencia contra la mujer», «impacto», «autoestima» y «Perú». Resultados: De los 99 artículos encontrados, se descartaron 69, por no cumplir con los criterios de inclusión, por lo que quedando 30 artículos para esta revisión. Conclusión: La violencia está presente en la mayoría de los momentos de nuestra vida, manifestándose de distintas formas, entre ellas está la violencia contra la mujer, la cual se ejerce de diferentes maneras, ya sea por maltrato físico o maltrato verbal.Objetivo: Realizar uma revisão sistemática de várias publicações sobre a situação atual da violência contra a mulher, bem como sua evolução e impacto no Peru. Métodos: Foi realizado por meio da busca eletrônica de diversos artigos científicos relacionados ao assunto. As fontes de busca foram PubMed, Scielo e Google Acadêmico. As palavras-chave foram: «violência contra as mulheres», «impacto», «auto-estima» e «Peru». Resultados: Dos 99 artigos encontrados, 69 foram descartados por não atenderem aos critérios de inclusão, restando 30 artigos para esta revisão. Conclusão: A violência está presente na maioria dos momentos de nossas vidas, manifestando-se de diversas formas, dentre elas está a violência contra a mulher, exercida de diversas formas, seja por agressões físicas ou verbais

Oxigenación con membrana extracorpórea en el paciente COVID-19: resultados del Registro Español ECMO-COVID de la Sociedad Española de Cirugía Cardiovascular y Endovascular (SECCE)

Background and aim: COVID-19 patients with severe heart or respiratory failure are potential candidates for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Indications and management of these patients are unclear. Our aim is to describe the results of a prospective registry of COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO. Methods: An anonymous prospective registry of COVID-19 patients treated with veno-arterial (V-A) or veno-venous (V-V) ECMO was created on march 2020. Clinical, analytical and respiratory preimplantation variables, implantation data and post-implantation course data were recorded. The primary endpoint was all cause in-hospital mortality. Secondary events were functional recovery and the combined endpoint of mortality and functional recovery in patients followed at least 3 months after discharge. Results: Three hundred and sixty-six patients from 25 hospitals were analyzed, 347 V-V ECMO and 18 V-A ECMO patients (mean age 52.7 and 49.5 years respectively). Patients with V-V ECMO were more obese, had less frequently organ damage other than respiratory failure and needed less inotropic support; Thirty three percent of V-A ECMO and 34.9% of V-A ECMO were discharged (P = NS). Hospital mortality was non-significantly different, 56.2% versus 50.9% respectively, mainly during ECMO therapy and mostly due to multiorgan failure. Other 51 patients (14%) remained admitted. Mean follow-up was 196 +/- 101.7 days (95%CI: 170.8-221.6). After logistic regression, body weight (OR 0.967, 95%CI: 0.95-0.99, P = 0.004) and ECMO implantation in the own centre (OR 0.48, 95%CI: 0.27-0.88, P = 0.018) were protective for hospital mortality. Age (OR 1.063, 95%CI: 1.005-1.12, P = 0.032), arterial hypertension (3.593, 95%CI: 1.06-12.19, P = 0.04) and global (2.44, 95%CI: 0.27-0.88, P = 0.019), digestive (OR 4,23, 95%CI: 1.27-14.07, P = 0.019) and neurological (OR 4.66, 95%CI: 1.39-15.62, P = 0.013) complications during ECMO therapy were independent predictors of primary endpoint occurrence. Only the post-discharge day at follow-up was independent predictor of both secondary endpoints occurrence. Conclusions: Hospital survival of severely ill COVID-19 patients treated with ECMO is near 50%. Age, arterial hypertension and ECMO complications are predictors of hospital mortality, and body weight and implantation in the own centre are protective. Functional recovery is only predicted by the follow-up time after discharge. A more homogeneous management of these patients is warranted for clinical results and future research optimization. (C) 2022 Sociedad Espanola de Cirugia Cardiovascular y Endovascular. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U