Advancing Neurosurgical Skills: A Comparative Study of Training Models for Intra-Extracranial Cerebral Bypass.

BACKGROUND: Training in anastomosis is fundamental in neurosurgery due to the precision and dexterity required. Biological models, although realistic, present limitations such as availability, ethical concerns, and the risk of biological contamination. Synthetic models, on the other hand, offer durability and standardized conditions, although they sometimes lack anatomical realism. This study aims to evaluate and compare the efficiency of anastomosis training models in the intra-extracranial cerebral bypass procedure, identifying those characteristics that enhance optimal microsurgical skill development and participant experience. METHODS: A neurosurgery workshop was held from March 2024 to June 2024 with 5 vascular techniques and the participation of 22 surgeons. The models tested were the human placenta, the Wistar rat, the chicken wing artery, the nasogastric feeding tube, and the UpSurgeOn Mycro simulator. The scales used to measure these models were the Main Characteristics Score and the Evaluation Score. These scores allowed us to measure, qualitatively and quantitatively, durability, anatomical similarity, variety of simulation scenarios, risk of biological contamination, ethical considerations and disadvantages with specific infrastructure. RESULTS: The human placenta model, Wistar rat model, and UpSurgeOn model were identified as the most effective for training. The human placenta and Wistar rat models were highly regarded for anatomical realism, while the UpSurgeOn model excelled in durability and advanced simulation scenarios. Ethical and cost implications were also considered. CONCLUSIONS: The study identifies the human placenta and UpSurgeOn models as optimal for training in intra-extracranial bypass procedures, emphasizing the need for diverse and effective training models in neurosurgery.

Emotional Coping Strategies for Informal Caregivers of Hospitalized Patients: A Study of Distress and Overload.

Purpose: Informal caregivers constitute a vulnerable population group that has forsaken their activities and life projects with the sole purpose of caring for a dependent individual without receiving any form of compensation in return. Emotionally, this population has been neglected by both the state and family members, exacerbating distress levels among them. The objective is to analyze the impact of emotional coping strategies on the experiences of distress and emotional burden among adult informal caregivers tending to hospitalized individuals. Sample and Methods: The role of emotional coping strategies in caregiver burden and psychological distress was examined in 460 informal adult caregivers from Guayaquil, Ecuador, who participated in an online survey. The instruments used included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS 21), the Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI), and the Emotional Coping Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Afrontamiento Emocional). The analysis involved a multiple regression to iteratively select variables, aiming to build a simpler and more explanatory model. Results: Employing multiple regression analysis with a stepwise model selection procedure, it was found that 16.5% of the variance in depression, 19.5% of the variance in anxiety, 19.8% of the variance in stress, and 32% of the variance in burden were predicted by specific coping strategies. Additionally, the impact of burden was estimated by the participants' gender, with greater burden observed among males due to societal role expectations. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of emotional coping in the experience of informal caregivers and suggests that psychological interventions should focus on developing adaptive strategies to manage the stress and emotional burden associated with caregiving.

Risk assessment of venous thromboembolism in inflammatory bowel disease by inherited risk in a population-based incident cohort.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is a chronic inflammatory disease of the digestive tract with increasing prevalence globally. Although venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major complication in IBD patients, it is often underappreciated with limited tools for risk stratification. AIM: To estimate the proportion of VTE among IBD patients and assess genetic risk factors (monogenic and polygenic) for VTE. METHODS: Incident VTE was followed for 8465 IBD patients in the UK Biobank (UKB). The associations of VTE with F5 factor V leiden (FVL) mutation, F2 G20210A prothrombin gene mutation (PGM), and polygenic score (PGS003332) were tested using Cox hazards regression analysis, adjusting for age at IBD diagnosis, gender, and genetic background (top 10 principal components). The performance of genetic risk factors for discriminating VTE diagnosis was estimated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: The overall proportion of incident VTE was 4.70% in IBD patients and was similar for CD (4.46%), UC (4.49%), and unclassified (6.42%), and comparable to that of cancer patients (4.66%) who are well-known at increased risk for VTE. Mutation carriers of F5/F2 had a significantly increased risk for VTE compared to non-mutation carriers, hazard ratio (HR) was 1.94, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.42-2.65. In contrast, patients with the top PGS decile had a considerably higher risk for VTE compared to those with intermediate scores (middle 8 deciles), HR was 2.06 (95%CI: 1.57-2.71). The AUC for differentiating VTE diagnosis was 0.64 (95%CI: 0.61-0.67), 0.68 (95%CI: 0.66-0.71), and 0.69 (95%CI: 0.66-0.71), respectively, for F5/F2 mutation carriers, PGS, and combined. CONCLUSION: Similar to cancer patients, VTE complications are common in IBD patients. PGS provides more informative risk information than F5/F2 mutations (FVL and PGM) for personalized thromboprophylaxis.

Binding mechanism of disulfide species to ferric hemeproteins: The case of metmyoglobin.

The interactions of the heme iron of hemeproteins with sulfide and disulfide compounds are of potential interest as physiological signaling processes. While the interaction with hydrogen sulfide has been described computationally and experimentally, the reaction with disulfide, and specifically the molecular mechanism for ligand binding has not been studied in detail. In this work, we study the association process for disulfane and its conjugate base disulfanide at different pH conditions. Additionally, by means of advanced sampling techniques based on multiple steered molecular dynamics, we provide free energy profiles for ligand migration for both acid/base species, showing a similar behavior to the previously reported for the related H2S/HS¯ pair. Finally, we studied the ligand interchange reaction (H2O/H2S, HS¯ and H2O/HSSH, HSS¯) by means of hybrid quantum mechanics-molecular mechanics calculations. We show that the anionic species are able to displace more efficiently the H2O bound to the iron, and that the H-bond network in the distal cavity can help the neutral species to perform the reaction. Altogether, we provide a molecular explanation for the experimental information and show that the global association process depends on a fine balance between the migration towards the active site and the ligand interchange reaction.

Histological changes of vascular clipping in Wistar rats.

Background: During aneurysm microsurgery, the aneurysmal sac is excluded from circulation by placing one or more clips at the base of the aneurysm. In some cases of complex aneurysms or subarachnoid hemorrhage history, transient clipping before definitive clipping is necessary. The closing force of the transient clip is less than the permanent clip; however, it is sufficient to stop circulation to the aneurysmal sac. The aim of the following work is to analyze and describe histological changes caused by transient and permanent clipping of the abdominal aorta in Wistar-type rats, to study the correlation between the closing force of the clip and the time, it remains on the vascular tissue structures. Methods: Six groups were formed, with 10 rats each, whereby temporary clipping of the abdominal aorta was performed with subsequent sampling of the site where the vascular clip was placed. The groups were: control and temporary clipping with: 2, 5, 10, and 15 and permanent clipping with 5 min. Results: Resection samples of the 3 µm thick aorta were obtained through the routine histological technique and special histochemical techniques (Masson's Trichrome and orcein) from the six groups. Transmural changes were found from Group II-VI. Conclusion: There is a vascular histological effect after both transient and permanent clipping. The sum of time and strength of the clip induce vascular changes visible at 5 min.

Urinary Cannabis Metabolite Concentrations in Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) is characterized by recurrent episodes of intractable emesis associated with heavy use of cannabis. Recognition of CHS can be problematic due to the lack of specific biomarkers, which can point the clinician to the diagnosis. We present, retrospectively, a series of adolescent/young adult patients who presented to a pediatric gastroenterology (GI) service with acute on chronic nausea and vomiting, subsequently found to have CHS with associated elevated urinary cannabis metabolite concentrations. METHODS: We describe 15 patients referred to our pediatric GI division for intractable emesis with spot urinary cannabis metabolite carboxy-THC (THC-COOH) concentrations from January 1, 2018 through April 20, 2019. Urinary testing was performed using gas chromatography mass-spectrometry (GC-MS) in a manner consistent with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) requirements at Mayo Clinic laboratory (Rochester, MN). The laboratory cutoffs were 3.0 ng/mL. Data was extracted via chart review and analyzed via online statistical application. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (seven females, eight males) were studied with an average age of 17.7 years. All patients reported frequent cannabis use for at least 1 month and exhibited intractable, non-bilious emesis for at least 2 weeks. Twelve patients also reported weight loss. Two patients had underlying gastrointestinal disease (one with Crohn disease and one with irritable bowel syndrome). All patients had essentially normal GI workup including laboratory tests, imaging studies and endoscopies.Fourteen of 15 patients had urinary THC-COOH concentrations >100 ng/mL, with seven individuals exhibiting levels >500 ng/mL. One patient had a urinary TCH-COOH concentration level under 100 ng/mL had not used cannabis for 2 weeks. Most other patients had used cannabis within 2 days of providing a urine sample. The Binomial test for CHS patients with urinary THC-COOH levels over 100 ng/mL was significant with a P-value of <0.0005 (one tail test). CONCLUSION: CHS is associated with an elevated urinary THC-COOH level usually exceeding 100 ng/mL, which is indicative of significant chronic cannabis exposure. In patients with a history consistent with CHS, urine THC-COOH testing may help guide the diagnostic evaluation of these patients and decrease the need for further workup.

Call for Action: High Rates of Depression in the Pediatric Celiac Disease Population Impacts Quality of Life.

To test the impact of celiac disease (CD) and depression symptoms on quality of life in adolescent patients. Methods: We conducted a prospective survey of 12- to 18-year-old celiac patients and their caregivers between January 2015 and November 2016. Enrolled parents and youth completed standard measures of adjustment to celiac disease, depression, and quality of life. Results: We enrolled 105 patients with CD and their parents. Both parents and youth reported high levels of depression symptoms. There were no associations between age, duration of CD, or following a gluten-free diet (GFD) and quality of life. No significant associations were found between adolescent perception of CD state and quality of life; parental report of adolescent's adjustment to CD; and youth report of quality of life were modestly associated (r = 0.19, P ≤ 0.05). Moderate associations were observed between adolescent reports of depression and quality of life (r = 0.59, P < 0.01) and between parental reports of adolescent depression and quality of life (r = 0.41, P = 0.01). Only depressive symptoms by youth and parent report, however, and not adjustment to celiac, explained unique variance in quality of life. Conclusion: Adolescents with CD report levels of depression comparable to those reported by adolescents seeking mental health services. Length of time living with CD, or on GFD, age at diagnosis and perception of disease state do not appear to contribute to depression. High rates of depression may impact CD prognosis, therefore, screening for depression in adolescents with CD appears critical. Identification and intervention of depression may lead to improved adherence to the GFD during emerging adulthood.

Perfil clínico y epidemiológico de las intoxicaciones presentadas en la Unidad de Emergencia del Hospital Nacional de Niños Benjamín Bloom, periodo Enero 2018 a Julio 2019 / Clinical and epidemiological profile of the poisonings presented in the Emergency Unit of the Benjamin Bloom National Children's Hospital, period January 2018 to July 2019

Las intoxicaciones agudas en la edad pediátrica siguen siendo un importante problema de salud pública, suponen el 4% y el 7% de las consultas y representa causa de ingreso en unidades de emergencia, pudiendo variar desde casos asintomáticos hasta severos, con secuelas o incluso la muerte. Por lo anteriormente mencionado, es importante conocer la epidemiologia propia para un adecuado actuar ante estas situaciones, así como mejorar la logística de insumos y recursos hospitalarios necesarios en base a datos actuales. Se tuvo como objetivo describir el perfil clínico y epidemiológico de los pacientes que consultaron por intoxicaciones en la unidad de emergencia del Hospital Nacional de Niños Benjamín Bloom (HNNBB) en el periodo de enero 2017 a julio de 2019

An Overview of Cirrhosis in Children.

Cirrhosis is the end result of nearly all forms of progressive liver disease. The diffuse hepatic process can be characterized as a state of inflammation progressing to fibrosis and resulting in nodular regeneration, ultimately leading to disorganized liver architecture and function. The underlying etiology of cirrhosis in children may often differ from adults owing to specific disease processes that manifest in childhood, including biliary atresia, galactosemia, and neonatal hepatitis. Although basic management strategies in children are similar to those in adults, the care given to children with cirrhosis must keep the child's growth and development of paramount importance. [Pediatr Ann. 2016;45(12):e427-e432.].

Recurrent Pediatric Perianal Swelling.

Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic gastrointestinal disease consisting of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both disease processes can share similar clinical symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, hematochezia, and weight loss; CD can also be complicated by penetrating and fistulizing disease. Perianal skin tags, perianal abscesses, recto-cutaneous fistulae, and rectal stenosis are among the phenotypic characteristics of perianal CD. Current treatment strategies are focused on the surgical drainage of abscesses and the closure of fistulous tracts as well as controlling intestinal inflammation with the use of immunomodulators (6-mercaptopurine and methotrexate) and biologics (infliximab and adalimumab). Current guidelines by the American Gastroenterology Association and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommend a combination of surgical intervention and medical management for the treatment of perianal CD.

Manifestations of Cow's-Milk Protein Intolerance in Preterm Infants.

OBJECTIVES: Cow's-milk protein intolerance (CMPI) is poorly recognized in preterm infants. This study examined the clinical events that preceded the diagnosis of CMPI in preterm infants. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of infants in a level-III neonatal intensive care unit of those who received parenteral nutrition (PN) support during a 12-month period. Parameters assessed included birth weight (g), diagnosis, duration and frequency on PN, type of enteral feeds at initiation, and achievement of enteral autonomy. CMPI was diagnosed based on persistent feeding intolerance that resolved after change of feeds from intact protein to a protein hydrolysate or crystalline amino acid formula. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-eight infants with birth weight (median/range) 1618 g (425-5110) received PN. Fifty-one (14%) infants required multiple courses of PN, and 19 of 348 (5%) were diagnosed with CMPI. The requirement for multiple courses on PN versus single course was associated with a high likelihood of CMPI: 14 of 51 versus 5 of 297, P < 0.001. Nine of the 14 infants identified with CMPI were initially diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after a median duration of 22 days (19-57) on intact protein feeds. After recovery from NEC, they had persistent feeding intolerance including recurrence of "NEC-like illness" (N = 3) that resolved after change of feeds to a protein hydrolysate or crystalline amino acid formula. CONCLUSIONS: The requirement for multiple courses of PN because of persistent feeding intolerance after recovery from NEC and recurrence of "NEC-like illness" may be a manifestation of CMPI in preterm infants.

A 15-year-old girl with fever and abdominal pain.

We present a case of a previously healthy 15-year-old girl with fever, right lower quadrant pain, and hip pain. Her history was notable for a recent laparoscopic appendectomy that was complicated by the development of intraabdominal abscesses. She reported normal bowel movements and good appetite on a regular diet, although she did endorse a recent 5-kg weight loss. Further investigation and examination revealed a diagnosis of Crohn's disease with recurrent psoas muscle abscess as the etiology of her pain and fevers. Psoas abscess is a rare complication of Crohn's disease, and vague presenting symptoms may complicate its diagnosis. This case demonstrates the importance of maintaining a broad differential diagnosis when treating a child presenting with abdominal pain and fever.