In Utero Treatment of Obstructive Ureterocele.

Lower urinary tract obstruction consists of a heterogeneous group of conditions in which the normal urethral egress of urine from the fetal bladder is impaired. The most frequent diagnoses are posterior urethral valves, urethral atresia, and less common obstructive ureterocele. We report a case of a fetus with prenatal diagnosis of obstructive ureterocele who presented progressive bilateral hydronephrosis. A fetal cystoscopy with laser ablation was performed.

The role of fibrinogen glycation in ATTR: evidence for chaperone activity loss in disease.

Transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTR) belongs to a class of disorders caused by protein misfolding and aggregation. ATTR is a disabling disorder of autosomal dominant trait, where transthyretin (TTR) forms amyloid deposits in different organs, causing dysfunction of the peripheral nervous system. We previously discovered that amyloid fibrils from ATTR patients are glycated by methylglyoxal. Even though no consensus has been reached about the actual role of methylglyoxal-derived advanced glycation end-products in amyloid diseases, evidence collected so far points to a role for protein glycation in conformational abnormalities, being ubiquitously found in amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease, dialysis-related amyloidosis and Parkinson's diseases. Human fibrinogen, an extracellular chaperone, was reported to specifically interact with a wide spectrum of stressed proteins and suppress their aggregation, being an interacting protein with TTR. Fibrinogen is differentially glycated in ATTR, leading to its chaperone activity loss. Here we show the existence of a proteostasis imbalance in ATTR linked to fibrinogen glycation by methylglyoxal.

Cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction to low molecular weight heparins in pregnancy, cross reactivity and prednisolone treatment: A case report.

In pregnant women, low molecular weight heparin is recommended as the preferred agent for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and treatment. Despite their widespread application, heparin-induced skin lesions are probably under-reported and under-estimated. We present a case report of a primigravida treated with low molecular weight heparin for deep vein thrombosis, who developed a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to enoxaparin, tinzaparin and dalteparin. As the patient was pregnant, treatment options were restricted. Tolerance was achieved with dalteparin with adjuvant administration of prednisolone. An attempt to decrease prednisolone dose triggered delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction recurrence that was solved by keeping the initial prednisolone prescription. To the best of our knowledge, there are no described cases using this approach. In cases of delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to low molecular weight heparin during pregnancy our case suggests that switching low molecular weight heparin and adjuvant administration of prednisolone can be an option.

Office endometrial sampling: effectiveness and predictive factors of success in Novak versus Endosampler devices.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to evaluate the rate of endometrial sampling (ES) failure, predictive factors of success, and reliability as diagnostic methods of Endosampler versus Novak. METHODS: A retrospective single-center study was carried out with all patients who underwent ES via Endosampler or Novak in 2020 and 2021. Demographic data, personal background, and histopathologic results were evaluated. RESULTS: Eighty-six patients underwent ES by Novak and 90 by Endosampler. The failure rate of ES was 43.2% with lower values for Endosampler (33.3% vs. 53.5%, P<0.05). Age, biopsy device, menopausal status, indication for biopsy, and amount of sample collected were predictive factors of failure. Analyzing each device, Endosampler was only affected by menopausal status. Only 50% in Novak and 62.5% in the Endosampler group of endometrial neoplasia cases were detected by these methods. Analyzing the performance for endometrial neoplasia (EN), we obtained higher values of sensitivity and accuracy for Endosampler (62.5% vs. 50.0% and 83.3% vs. 72.7%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, the failure rate obtained was in line with other previous studies. Menopausal status, age, type of biopsy device, indication for biopsy, and amount of sample collected affected ES performance. Analyzing diagnostic performance for EN, we found that these methods have better reliability for positive results than for negative ones, which may indicate the need for further evaluation in cases of high clinical suspicion. In short, we obtain a higher rate of success rate in Endosampler devices and better performance in diagnosing EN, which is the major objective of an ES.

The Botanic Mission to Mozambique (1942-1948): contributions to knowledge of the medicinal flora of Mozambique.

This article reviews the historical and scientific findings of the Botanic Mission to Mozambique (1942-1948) under the Tropical Botanic Garden of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, in Lisbon, highlighting the collectors' field notes with the aim of identifying the traditional medicinal uses of Mozambican flora. Having collated information on 71 taxa (70 species and one genus), the medicinal usage of 34 species presumably not yet reported in Mozambique was identified, including five whose therapeutic use still had not yet been described in the African continent. Overall, 58 uses presumably not yet reported in Mozambique were recorded.

A Missão Botânica de Moçambique (1942-1948): contribuições para o conhecimento da flora medicinal de Moçambique / The Botanic Mission to Mozambique (1942-1948): contributions to knowledge of the medicinal flora of Mozambique

O artigo revisita o espólio histórico-científico aduzido pela Missão Botânica de Moçambique (1942-1948) à guarda do Jardim Botânico Tropical do Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical (Lisboa), destacando os cadernos de campo dos seus coletores, com o objetivo de identificar os usos medicinais tradicionais da flora moçambicana. Tendo-se coligido informação relativa a 71 taxa (setenta espécies e um género), identificou-se a utilização medicinal de 34 espécies presumivelmente ainda não reportada para Moçambique, entre as quais, cinco cujo uso terapêutico ainda não havia sido atribuído ao continente africano. No total registaram-se 58 utilizações presumivelmente ainda não relatadas em Moçambique.

This article reviews the historical and scientific findings of the Botanic Mission to Mozambique (1942-1948) under the Tropical Botanic Garden of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, in Lisbon, highlighting the collectors’ field notes with the aim of identifying the traditional medicinal uses of Mozambican flora. Having collated information on 71 taxa (70 species and one genus), the medicinal usage of 34 species presumably not yet reported in Mozambique was identified, including five whose therapeutic use still had not yet been described in the African continent. Overall, 58 uses presumably not yet reported in Mozambique were recorded.