A Single-Port, Multiple-Access, Custom-Made Device Used in Laparoscopically Assisted Cryptorchidectomy in Standing Horses-A Preliminary Study.

This study evaluates a new multiport device with single access to the abdominal cavity produced with routine hospital supplies that could be applied to laparoscopically assisted cryptorchidectomy in standing horses. Initially, the new device was evaluated on five cadavers of bovine fetuses (n = 5), placed assisted in a minilaparotomy performed in the flank region. Subsequently, the device was evaluated in four cryptorchid horses treated during the hospital routine. During the evaluation of the new device, the possibilities of exploring the abdominal cavity, inspection, and intra-abdominal manipulation with two Babcock forceps were verified. The possibilities were described, and surgical time data were recorded and analyzed using descriptive statistics. In the cadavers, a wide exploration of the abdominal cavity was possible, with a laparoscopic inspection through the right paralumbar fossa and manipulation of intra-abdominal structures with Babcock forceps inserted by the new device. In cryptorchid horses, laparoscopically assisted cryptorchidectomy with a new device was feasible in two patients, and in the others, it allowed the diagnosis of adhesions and ectopic locations in the inguinal region of testicles retained in the cavity. Therefore, the new device was efficient in exploring the inguinal region of cryptorchid horses in the standing position. The present study is preliminary and can support future studies that aim to improve the developed prototype.

Hepatic abscess induced by foreign body: case report and literature review.

Hepatic abscess due to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract caused by ingested foreign bodies is uncommon. Pre-operative diagnosis is difficult as patients are often unaware of the foreign body ingestion and symptoms and imagiology are usually non-specific. The authors report a case of 62-year-old woman who was admitted with fever and abdominal pain. Further investigation revealed hepatic abscess, without resolution despite antibiotic therapy. A liver abscess resulting from perforation and intra-hepatic migration of a bone coming from the pilorum was diagnosed by surgery. The literature concerning foreign body-induced perforation of the gastrointestinal tract complicated by liver abscess is reviewed.

ESTRESSE, QUALIDADE DE VIDA E PRESSÃO ARTERIAL DE ESTUDANTES UNIVERSITÁRIOS / STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND BLOOD PRESSURE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS / ESTRÉS, CALIDAD DE VIDA Y PRESIÓN ARTERIAL DE ESTUDIANTES UNIVERSITARIOS

A saúde mental de estudantes universitários tem sido foco de investigações, pois apontam para alta prevalência de sintomas de ansiedade e depressão. Este trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar a ocorrência do aumento na prevalência e severidade do estresse, suas consequências somáticas representadas pela elevação dos valores de pressão arterial e sua associação com qualidade de vida em estudantes universitários. Trezentos e dois estudantes foram divididos em áreas acadêmicas e avaliados por meio do Inventário de Estresse de Lipp, Inventário de qualidade de vida WHOQOL-bref, aferição de pressão arterial: no início e no final do semestre letivo. Os resultados apontam para um aumento na prevalência de estresse, aumento dos níveis pressóricos ao final do semestre letivo e piora da qualidade de vida nos momentos estudados. Os resultados indicam uma necessidade de ações para minimizar às condições relacionadas ao surgimento do estresse

The mental health of university students has been the focus of investigations, as they point to a high prevalence of symptoms of anxiety and depression. This work aims to evaluate the occurrence of an increase in the prevalence and severity of stress, its somatic consequences represented by the increase in blood pressure values and its association with quality of life in university students. Three hundred and two students were divided into academic areas and evaluated through Lipp's Stress Inventory, WHOQOL-bref quality of life inventory, blood pressure measurement: at the beginning and at the end of the academic semester. The results point to an increase in the prevalence of stress, an increase in blood pressure levels at the end of the school semester and a worsening of the quality of life in the studied moments. The results indicate a need for actions to minimize conditions related to the emergence of stress.

La salud mental de los estudiantes universitarios ha sido el foco de investigaciones, ya que apuntan a una alta prevalencia de síntomas de ansiedad y depresión. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo evaluar la ocurrencia de un aumento en la prevalencia y severidad del estrés, sus consecuencias somáticas representadas por el aumento de los valores de presión arterial y su asociación con la calidad de vida en estudiantes universitarios. Trescientos dos estudiantes fueron divididos en áreas académicas y evaluados a través del Inventario de Estrés de Lipp, inventario de calidad de vida WHOQOL-bref, medición de la presión arterial: al inicio y al final del semestre académico. Los resultados apuntan a un aumento de la prevalencia de estrés, un aumento de los niveles de presión arterial al final del semestre escolar y un empeoramiento de la calidad de vida en los momentos estudiados. Los resultados indican la necesidad de acciones para minimizar las condiciones relacionadas con la aparición del estrés.

The sensory system of the esophagus--what do we know?

The nervous innervation and complex mechanical function of the esophagus make sensory evaluation difficult. However, during the last decades, several new techniques have made it possible to gain insight into pain processing of nociceptive signals. The current review highlights the sensory innervation and possibilities for quantitative sensory testing, the mechanosensory properties, the potential of high-resolution manometry and imaging, and the sensory system in special conditions, such as Barrett's esophagus. It is mandatory to understand the complex pathophysiology of the esophagus to enhance our understanding of esophageal disorders, but it also increases the complexity of future experimental and clinical studies. The new methods, as outlined in the current review, provide the possibility for researchers to enhance the quality of interdisciplinary research and to gain more knowledge about sensory symptoms and treatment possibilities.

An unusual cause of pseudoachalasia: the Alport syndrome-diffuse leiomyomatosis association.

Alport syndrome (AS) is a hereditary disease characterized by glomerular nephropathy progressing to end-stage renal disease, frequently associated with sensorineural deafness and ocular abnormalities. Rarely, AS coexists with diffuse leiomyomatosis, a benign proliferation of smooth muscle in the gastrointestinal tract, mostly of the oesophagus, but also of the tracheobronchial tree and the female genital tract. Patients with this association have been shown to have contiguous gene deletion involving both COL4A5 and COL4A6 genes. The authors report the case of a 25-year-old man with AS and long-standing dysphagia. The patient received a renal transplant at the age of 23 because of end-stage renal disease. Clinical assessment as well as endoscopic, manometric and radiologic studies suggested the diagnosis of achalasia, which was treated by Heller's myotomy with Dor fundoplication. Postprocedure dysphagia led to an endoscopic ultrasound that showed diffuse thickening of the second layer, resulting in the hypothesis of oesophageal leiomyomatosis. The diagnosis was confirmed through histological study of endoscopic biopsies and genetic analysis.