LUMBAR DISK HERNIATION: EVALUATION OF MEDICAL CARE AND PAIN MANAGEMENT AT THE SPECIALTIES HOSPITAL CREHVITAL AMBATO-ECUADOR: RETROSPECTIVE, CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY, AND ASSESSMENT OF TWO CLINICAL CASES

Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess medical care and pain management of 237 lumbar disk herniation cases treated from 2011 to 2021 in the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador, and to provide a set of standards for appropriate management. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of archives, and registries of patient’s data provided by the Specialties Hospital CREHVITAL, Ambato-Ecuador. Participants: A total of 237 patients with lumbar disk herniation received medical services from 2011 to 2021; outcome measures were: Pain management, patient characteristics, surgical procedures, and medication after surgery. Results: The 40–50 age range had the highest prevalence of lumbar disk herniation and a higher percentage of the pathology in men (66%) than in women. Of the 237 patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the highest lumbar disk herniation of the L4–L5 (101 men and 20 women), followed by herniation of the L5–S1 (59 men and 51 women). Two types of surgeries were performed: Classical surgery on 157 patients and microsurgery on 80 patients. The average period before receiving treatment was 1.5 years of maintaining back pain, and the early post-operative management consisted of patients receiving diclofenac, ketorolac, and ceftriaxone. Analgesics were used in 73.43% of patients. All cases required strict control, follow-up, and post-operative check-ups. Conclusion: This study provides essential and conclusive evidence and information on treated cases of lumbar disk herniation and its incidence in the medical field

TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS AND MANAGEMENT OF ISOLATED HYPERGLYCEMIA: A REVIEW

Type II Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is the most common of two types of Diabetes disease. T2DM is a metabolic disease characterized mainly by insulin resistance, reduction of insulin secretion, and hyperglycemia. T2DM is a major public health cause of concern not only by the increase in morbidity and mortality associated with patients with the disease, but also by the significant reduction in quality of life and productivity among the economically active population. Isolated hyperglycemia refers to patients with T2DM with normal fasting plasma glucose and no ketoacidosis. With the rise of T2DM and the presence of hidden symptoms, it is vital to determine a diagnostic sequence, blood-glucose control with sulfonylureas or insulin, and diet and exercise

Índice de masa corporal como factor de riesgo para complicaciones posterior a procesos estéticos

The growing obesity pandemic is an undeniable public health problem. Among the management strategies, bariatric surgery has occupied a chief role in the last decade. This has increased the need of the population for esthetic procedures such as abdominoplasty and mastopexy, and many others, with the objective of improving patients’ body image. However, in addition to the inherent risk of any surgical procedure, overweight and obese patients have greater risk. It has been shown that body mass index (BMI) acts as a predictive factor for postoperative complications such as wound infections, longer hospital stays, increased reoperation rates, and higher mortality. Thus, it is important to assess the risk-benefit relationship in the preoperative evaluation, considering patients’ BMI along with any other risk factors that may be present. The objective of this review is to assess the clinical evidence showing that BMI is a risk factor for complications following esthetic procedures.La creciente pandemia de obesidad representa un problema innegable de salud pública. Entre las estrategias para manejarla, la cirugía bariátrica ha ocupado un papel protagónico en la última década. Esto ha incrementado la necesidad de la población por procedimientos estéticos como la abdominoplastia, mastopexia y muchos otros, con la intención de que el paciente se sienta tan a gusto como sea posible con su imagen corporal. Sin embargo, es importante considerar que además del riesgo inherente a cualquier procedimiento quirúrgico, se le debe añadir el riesgo agregado para los pacientes con sobrepeso y pacientes obesos. Se ha demostrado que el índice de masa corporal (IMC) actúa como un factor predictor para complicaciones posoperatorias como infección de la herida, estadías intrahospitalarias más largas, mayor tasa de reoperación y mayores tasas de mortalidad, por lo que es importante establecer relación riesgo beneficio en la valoración preoperatoria, tomando en consideración el IMC del paciente en conjunto con cualquier otro factor de riesgo que se pueda presentar. El objetivo de esta revisión es evaluar la evidencia clínica que afirma que el IMC es un factor de riesgo para complicaciones en los procedimientos estéticos

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data