Giant cell reparative granuloma of the phalanx in a violinist.

Giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) is a rare, pseudotumoural intraosseous lesion, considered a reactive injury after repeated trauma. Reactive lesions and benign bone tumours may show aggressive clinical and radiographic findings. Differential diagnosis must be performed in order to offer suitable treatment to the patient. Excisional biopsy and curettage of the lesion are the preferred methods of treatment. We present the first case of a GCRG of the distal phalanx of the left little finger in a professional violinist.

"Low-field" intraoperative MRI: a new scenario, a new adaptation.

AIM: To describe the adaptation of Cruces University Hospital to the use of intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (ioMRI), and how the acquisition and use of this technology would impact the day-to-day running of the neurosurgical suite. MATERIALS AND METHODS: With the approval of the ethics committee, an observational, prospective study was performed from June 2012 to April 2014, which included 109 neurosurgical procedures with the assistance of ioMRI. These were performed using the Polestar N-30 system (PSN30; Medtronic Navigation, Louisville, CO), which was integrated into the operating room. RESULTS: A total of 159 procedures were included: 109 cranial surgeries assisted with ioMRI and 50 control cases (no ioMRI use). There were no statistical significant differences when anaesthetic time (p=0.587) and surgical time (p=0.792) were compared; however, an important difference was shown in duration of patient positioning (p<0.0009) and total duration of the procedure (p<0.0009) between both groups. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of ioMRI is necessary for most neurosurgical suites; however, a few things need to be taken into consideration when adapting to it. Increase procedure time, the use of specific MRI-safe devices, as well as a checklist for each patient to minimise risks, should be taken into consideration.

Etomidate in the treatment of Cushing syndrome.

Cushing syndrome is a metabolic disease caused by chronic exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids. It can present as an endocrine emergency due to a rapid increase in circulating cortisol leading to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and infection. Etomidate rapidly reduces plasma cortisol levels by inhibiting the action of 11ß-hidroxilase. We report the case of a patient with severe hypercortisolaemia accompanied by metabolic and psychiatric disorders in whom administration of etomidate reduced preoperative levels of cortisol.

Cigarette smoke induces pulmonary arterial dysfunction through an imbalance in the redox status of the soluble guanylyl cyclase.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), whose main risk factor is cigarette smoking (CS), is one of the most common diseases globally. Some COPD patients also develop pulmonary hypertension (PH), a severe complication that leads to premature death. Evidence suggests reactive oxygen species (ROS) involvement in COPD and PH, especially regarding pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) dysfunction. However, the effects of CS-driven oxidative stress on the pulmonary vasculature are not completely understood. Herein we provide evidence on the effects of CS extract (CSE) exposure on PASMC regarding ROS production, antioxidant response and its consequences on vascular tone dysregulation. Our results indicate that CSE exposure promotes mitochondrial fission, mitochondrial membrane depolarization and increased mitochondrial superoxide levels. However, this superoxide increase did not parallel a counterbalancing antioxidant response in human pulmonary artery (PA) cells. Interestingly, the mitochondrial superoxide scavenger mitoTEMPO reduced mitochondrial fission and membrane potential depolarization caused by CSE. As we have previously shown, CSE reduces PA vasoconstriction and vasodilation. In this respect, mitoTEMPO prevented the impaired nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation, while vasoconstriction remained reduced. Finally, we observed a CSE-driven downregulation of the Cyb5R3 enzyme, which prevents soluble guanylyl cyclase oxidation in PASMC. This might explain the CSE-mediated decrease in PA vasodilation. These results provide evidence that there might be a connection between mitochondrial ROS and altered vasodilation responses in PH secondary to COPD, and strongly support the potential of antioxidant strategies specifically targeting mitochondria as a new therapy for these diseases.

Solitary osteochondroma in the pisiform bone with pisotriquetal osteoarthritis. A case study. / Osteocondroma solitario en el hueso pisiforme con artrosis piso-piramidal. A propósito de un caso.

Osteochondroma is the most common bone tumour, which appears most commonly in the long bones. However, cases have been described in the scaphoid, capitate, lunate, trapezium, and trapezoid bones, which can be a cause of pain in the hand and wrist. Osteochondromas can occur concomitantly with other traumatic or degenerative processes or generate complications in adjacent structures. Below we present an osteochondroma in the pisiform bone associated with pisotriquetral osteoarthritis.

Evaluation of the quality of life related to vision after penetrating keratoplasty. / Evaluación de la calidad de vida relacionada con la visión posterior a queratoplastia penetrante.

INTRODUCTION: Organ and tissue donation and transplantation represent the most important therapeutic advance of current times. The cornea is, by far, one of the most transplanted tissues worldwide due to the immune privilege of this tissue, as well as the advances in microsurgery, existence of cornea banks, preservation of corneas, and use of anti-rejection therapy. However, many patients with successful corneal transplants (with clear corneas) experience poor vision in the post-operative period due to irregular astigmatism, or other complications. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life related to vision in patients undergoing penetrating keratoplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-analytical study including patients with a history of penetrating keratoplasty, over 18years of age, and at least 6months after surgery. The patients answered the Visual Function Questionnaire25 (VFQ-25) of visual function, a tool validated for use in Spanish, in which the higher the score, the better the quality of life. RESULTS: Thirty patients (20men and 10women), with a mean age of 61.2±18.7years, were included. The time of evolution after the transplant was 17.7±4months. The total quality of life score was 74.9±21.9, with significance in visual acuity (P<.001), and the presence of systemic comorbidities (P=.018). There was no significance between the transplant reason (P=.098) or ocular comorbidities (P=.119). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that visual acuity, as well as the presence of systemic comorbidities, has a significant impact on quality of life.

Anesthetic planning and management for a caesarian section in a pregnant woman affected by SARS-COV-2 pneumonía. / Planificación y manejo anestésico para cesárea en gestante con neumonía por SARS-CoV-2.

Pregnant women experience physiological and immunological changes which make them more prone to all kind of viral and bacterial infections, this is because they have been considered as vulnerable group if infected by SARS-CoV-2. They could even deploy a severe form of this disease which may require to end pregnancy to improve oxygenation and to safeguard foetal wellbeing the in case the mother situation gets worse. In this scenario, any intervention would require a detailed planning by the whole surgical team, and, specifically, by the anaesthesiologists, in order to guarantee both mother and child wellbeing and to prevent from infections all the healthcare team. We describe the case of 37week pregnant woman, admitted in our Critical Care Unit with respiratory high flows device support, due to severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 which needed an urgent caesarean section.

[Perioperative considerations in vagal nerve stimulator implantation]. / Aspectos perioperatorios de la implantación de un estimulador vagal.

Vagal nerve stimulation has become an a important tool in the treatment of refractory epilepsy, which continues to be the main indication for this technique. Other therapeutic indications are emerging, however, and vagal nerve stimulation has now been approved for major depression. Additional possible uses under study include morbid obesity, Alzheimer disease, chronic pain syndromes, and certain neuropsychologic disorders. This review considers perioperative aspects relevant to using this therapeutic procedure with a view to facilitating better and more integrated management of its application.

Transfusional optimization in liver transplant using viscoelastic test guided therapy. / Optimización transfusional en el trasplante de hígado usando terapia guiada por pruebas viscoelásticas.

BACKGROUND: Assess the reduction of packed red blood cells (PRBCs) transfusion in liver transplantation (LT) after the introduction of the thromboelastometry as intraoperative coagulation monitor. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study (n=92), randomized into two groups: groupA (control), in whom transfusion therapy was based on conventional laboratory tests (CLT), and groupB (ROTEM), whose blood transfusion was performed as protocolized algorithms, guided by thromboelastometry (ROTEM). We analyzed packed red blood cells (PRBCs) units, transfused units of fresh frozen plasma (FFP), platelets units, fibrinogen and tranexamic acid. We used the chi square test for the comparison of proportions and Student's t test to compare means when the distribution was normal. Otherwise, Mann-Whitney U test was performed. RESULTS: In groupA 84.8% of patients required transfusion of PRBCs, with a median (IQR) of 4 (1.5-6), compared with 67.4% in groupB with a median (IQR) of 2 (0-4) (P<.05). We also found differences in the following variables: FFP transfusion rate was 84.8% with a median (IQR) of 5 (2-12) IU in groupA and 56.5% (median (IQR) of 1 (0-4.5) in B (P<.001) and in the fibrinogen administration, that was 6.5% in groupA and 34.8% in groupB (P<.01). Backward stepwise logistic regression model showed associations between the clamping time, the preoperative hemoglobin, the portal hypertension (PHT) and being or not in the treatment group and the need for perioperative transfusion. We didn't find significant differences in the incidence of complication during the early postoperative period between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of thromboelastometry (ROTEM) measurements in hemostatic therapy algorithms reduces the transfusion rate of FFP and PRBCs during liver transplantation. The using of ROTEM derived thresholds leads to detecting higher requirements of fibrinogen compared to conventional laboratory tests.

Anesthetic management of a child with congenital Steiner syndrome scheduled for laparoscopic bilateral orchidopexy. / Manejo anestésico en un niño con síndrome de Steinert congénito programado para orquidopexia bilateral por laparoscopia.

Congenital Steinert syndrome is a severe form of myotonic dystrophy, characterized by general hypotonia, facial diplegia, respiratory difficulty and sucking and swallowing problems presented since birth. This syndrome has an estimated incidence of 1 per 10.000 births. Mortality is close to 50% during the neonatal period. It represents a challenge for the anesthesiologist due to the great variety of intraoperative and postoperative adverse events, given by both the evolution of the disease and the susceptibility to the vast majority of the anesthetic agents. A report of a 3-year-old boy with congenital myotonic dystrophy is presented, scheduled for laparoscopic bilateral orchidopexy, performed under general anesthesia without muscular relaxation, combined with ecoguide bilateral TAP block.

[Neuroethics: the relationships between mind-brain and moral-ethics]. / Neuroética: relaciones entre mente/cerebro y moral/ética.

TITLE: Neuroética: relaciones entre mente/cerebro y moral/ética.

Spectral entropy in monitoring anesthetic depth. / La entropía espectral en la monitorización de la profundidad de la anestesia.

Monitoring the brain response to hypnotics in general anesthesia, with the nociceptive and hemodynamic stimulus interaction, has been a subject of intense investigation for many years. Nowadays, monitors of depth of anesthesia are based in processed electroencephalogram by different algorithms, some of them unknown, to obtain a simplified numeric parameter approximate to brain activity state in each moment. In this review we evaluate if spectral entropy suitably reflects the brain electric behavior in response to hypnotics and the different intensity nociceptive stimulus effect during a surgical procedure.

Topiramate as concomitant antiepileptic treatment; an isolated perioperative hypofibrinogenaemia.

A description of a case is presented of an isolated hypofibrinogenaemia acquired in relation to taking topiramate used as concomitant treatment of a drug resistant epilepsy. The hypofibrinogenaemia developed in the course of a month after the introduction of the drug, and was diagnosed in the perioperative period.

Planificación y manejo anestésico para cesárea en gestante con neumonía por SARS-CoV-2 / Anesthetic planning and management for a caesarian section in a pregnant woman affected by SARS-COV-2 pneumonía

Las mujeres embarazadas experimentan cambios fisiológicos e inmunológicos que les hacen más susceptibles a infecciones víricas o bacterianas, por lo que se les ha considerado grupo vulnerable frente al SARS-CoV-2. Así mismo, pueden desarrollar una forma grave de la enfermedad que requiera finalizar la gestación para mejorar la situación respiratoria o para salvaguardar el bienestar fetal que puede verse afectado por el estado crítico de la madre. En este contexto, cualquier intervención demanda una minuciosa planificación por parte del equipo quirúrgico en general y del anestesiólogo en particular tanto para asegurar el bienestar maternofetal como para evitar posibles contagios del personal sanitario. Describimos el caso de una gestante de 37semanas ingresada en la Unidad de Reanimación con soporte ventilatorio mediante alto flujo por insuficiencia respiratoria severa debida a COVID-19 que precisa ser sometida a cesárea urgente.(AU)

Pregnant women experience physiological and immunological changes which make them more prone to all kind of viral and bacterial infections, this is because they have been considered as vulnerable group if infected by SARS-CoV-2. They could even deploy a severe form of this disease which may require to end pregnancy to improve oxygenation and to safeguard foetal wellbeing the in case the mother situation gets worse. In this scenario, any intervention would require a detailed planning by the whole surgical team, and, specifically, by the anaesthesiologists, in order to guarantee both mother and child wellbeing and to prevent from infections all the healthcare team. We describe the case of 37week pregnant woman, admitted in our Critical Care Unit with respiratory high flows device support, due to severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 which needed an urgent caesarean section.(AU)

Characterization of a natural larger form of the antifungal protein (AFP) from Aspergillus giganteus.

Two major proteins, alpha-sarcin and an antifungal polypeptide (AFP), are secreted by the mould Aspergillus giganteus MDH 18894 when it is cultured for 70-80 h. A third major protein is also found in the extracellular medium at 48-60 h, but it disappears as the culture proceeds. This protein has been isolated and characterized in terms of apparent molecular mass, electrophoretic and chromatographic behaviour, NH2-terminal primary structure, amino acid content, spectroscopical features, reactivity against anti-AFP antibodies, and antifungal activity. Based on the obtained results it would be an extracellular inactive precursor form of AFP, designated as the large form of AFP (lf-AFP). Its amino acid composition is identical to that of AFP but containing six extra residues. NH2-terminal sequence analysis of the first eight amino acid residues of this polypeptide revealed that the extra residues can be perfectly accommodated within the DNA-deduced sequence of the precursor form of AFP. Its alignment with precursor sequences of different proteins, secreted by a variety of Aspergillus spp., reveals the existence of a common tetrapeptide at the carboxy-terminal end of their leader peptides. This sequence would be Ile/Leu-Xaa-Yaa-Arg, being mostly Xaa and Yaa an acid residue (Asp/Glu) and alanine, respectively. The presence of lf-AFP as an extracellular protein would be in perfect agreement with the existence of this tetrapeptide motif, that can be involved in the protein secretion mechanisms of filamentous fungi.

S-nitrosation and neuronal plasticity.

Nitric oxide (NO) has long been recognized as a multifaceted participant in brain physiology. Despite the knowledge that was gathered over many years regarding the contribution of NO to neuronal plasticity, for example the ability of the brain to change in response to new stimuli, only in recent years have we begun to understand how NO acts on the molecular and cellular level to orchestrate such important phenomena as synaptic plasticity (modification of the strength of existing synapses) or the formation of new synapses (synaptogenesis) and new neurons (neurogenesis). Post-translational modification of proteins by NO derivatives or reactive nitrogen species is a non-classical mechanism for signalling by NO. S-nitrosation is a reversible post-translational modification of thiol groups (mainly on cysteines) that may result in a change of function of the modified protein. S-nitrosation of key target proteins has emerged as a main regulatory mechanism by which NO can influence several levels of brain plasticity, which are reviewed in this work. Understanding how S-nitrosation contributes to neural plasticity can help us to better understand the physiology of these processes, and to better address pathological changes in plasticity that are involved in the pathophysiology of several neurological diseases.

Use of BIS VISTA bilateral monitor for diagnosis of intraoperative seizures, a case report.

Changes in BIS (bispectral index) VISTA bilateral monitoring system associated with intraoperative episodes of generalized and focal seizures, during total intravenous anesthesia for resection of a left frontal parasagittal meningioma, are herein described.

Planificación y manejo anestésico para cesárea en gestante con neumonía por SARS-CoV-2 / Anesthetic planning and management for a caesarian section in a pregnant woman affected by SARS-COV-2 pneumonía

Las mujeres embarazadas experimentan cambios fisiológicos e inmunológicos que les hacen más susceptibles a infecciones víricas o bacterianas, por lo que se les ha considerado grupo vulnerable frente al SARS-CoV-2. Así mismo, pueden desarrollar una forma grave de la enfermedad que requiera finalizar la gestación para mejorar la situación respiratoria o para salvaguardar el bienestar fetal que puede verse afectado por el estado crítico de la madre. En este contexto, cualquier intervención demanda una minuciosa planificación por parte del equipo quirúrgico en general y del anestesiólogo en particular tanto para asegurar el bienestar maternofetal como para evitar posibles contagios del personal sanitario. Describimos el caso de una gestante de 37semanas ingresada en la Unidad de Reanimación con soporte ventilatorio mediante alto flujo por insuficiencia respiratoria severa debida a COVID-19 que precisa ser sometida a cesárea urgente

Pregnant women experience physiological and immunological changes which make them more prone to all kind of viral and bacterial infections, this is because they have been considered as vulnerable group if infected by SARS-CoV-2. They could even deploy a severe form of this disease which may require to end pregnancy to improve oxygenation and to safeguard foetal wellbeing the in case the mother situation gets worse. In this scenario, any intervention would require a detailed planning by the whole surgical team, and, specifically, by the anaesthesiologists, in order to guarantee both mother and child wellbeing and to prevent from infections all the healthcare team. We describe the case of 37week pregnant woman, admitted in our Critical Care Unit with respiratory high flows device support, due to severe respiratory failure due to COVID-19 which needed an urgent caesarean section