Multidisciplinary Treatment in Patients with Craniofacial, Neurocognitive, and Neuromuscular Disorders with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a respiratory disorder that has a high prevalence in patients with craniofacial, neurocognitive, and neuromuscular disorders. Currently, the treatments for this population are diverse and depend on the individual conditions of the patient and the severity of the case. However, there are no multidisciplinary dental treatment guidelines. The aim of the present study was to determine the multidisciplinary dental treatment alternatives in patients with craniofacial, neurocognitive, and neuromuscular disorders with a diagnosis of OSA through evidence-based medicine. A systematic review of the literature has been performed by searching scientific articles in the PubMed, Cochrane, Ovid, ScienceDirect and Scopus databases, through controlled and uncontrolled language. Articles were classified according to the level of evidence and grades of recommendation through the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. A total of 19,439 references were identified, of which 15 articles met the predetermined requirements to be included in the investigation. The articles included for this systematic review showed that mandibular distraction osteogenesis and adenotonsilectomy are the first-choice therapies for craniofacial and neurocognitive disorders. However, for neuromuscular disorders, the findings reported were not enough to provide information about surgical or nonsurgical alternatives. Despite the reported high frequency of OSA in those children with craniofacial, neurocognitive, and neuromuscular disorders, the evidence on the surgical and nonsurgical therapeutic success for OSA in these patients is scarce. It is necessary to perform future studies to investigate successful therapies for OSA in children. [Pediatr Ann. 2024;53(2):e62-e69.].

Lung nodule radio-guided localization and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery resection.

Since the introduction of lung nodule radio-guided localization, multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery resection has been widely described. To date, only one series has reported the use of uniportal approach. Our objective is to describe the experience of a single institution of lung nodule radio-guided localization and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery resection. Retrospective cohort study based on data from medical records of patients between May 2012 and April 2019. Twenty-four patients were included, 13 were women (54.2%) with a median age of 59.5 years (range 19 and 81 years). Median nodule size was 7 mm (range 3-12 mm) and 19 (79.2%) patients had single lung nodule. The main indication was sub-centimetric nodule in 22 (91.6%) patients followed by a deep localization in 10 (41.6%) patients and sub-solid nodule in 9 (37.5%) patients. Median surgical time was 102.5 min (range 55-160 min). 4 (16.6%) patients had malignant neoplasm of the lung, 10 (41.7%) patients had lung metastases and 10 (41.7%) patients had benign lung lesions. The success rate found was 95.8%. Concordance analysis between palpation of the pulmonary nodule and the presence of the nodule in the histopathology was rated as poor, kappa value - 0.71 (P = 0.186) and between the resection of the pulmonary nodule according to the presence of the nodule in the pathology report was rated as good, Kappa value 0.625 (P = 0.001). Lung nodule radio-guided localization and uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery resection has a similar success rate and complications to those described by multiport video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery resections.

Survival Outcomes of Patients With Mediastinal Germ Cell Tumors: Experience of a Cancer Center in South America.

PURPOSE: Mediastinal germ cell tumors (GCT) are rare neoplasms associated with poor survival prognosis. Due to their low incidence, limited information is available about this disease in South America. The objective of this study is to report the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with mediastinal GCT in a cancer center in Colombia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients with mediastinal GCT treated at the National Cancer Institute at Bogota (Colombia) between 2008 and 2020. Survival curves were presented using the Kaplan-Meier method. Chi-square and Cox proportional hazard model tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Sixty-one patients were included in the study. Of them, 60 were male and 51 (83.6%) of whom had non-seminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). Twenty-nine patients (47.5%) presented with superior vena cava syndrome, and 18 (29.5%) patients had extrapulmonary metastatic involvement. The three-year overall survival (OS) of NSGCT patients was 26%. The 3-year OS of NSGCT patients who underwent surgical resection of residual mediastinal mass after chemotherapy was 59%. Non-surgical management after first-line chemotherapy was associated with a worse survival prognosis in NSGCT patients (p = 0.002). Ten patients with mediastinal seminomatous germ cell tumors (SCGT) achieved a 3-year OS of 100%. CONCLUSION: Mediastinal NSGCT had poor outcomes. Surgery of the residual mass after first-line chemotherapy seems to improve the outcome of NSGCT patients. Advanced disease at presentation may reflect inadequate access to reference cancer centers in Colombia and potentially explain poor survival outcomes in this cohort. On the other hand, mediastinal SCGT is a biologically different disease; most patients will achieve disease remission and long-term survival with first-line chemotherapy.

Emergency Embolization of Pelvic Vessels in Patients With Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer and Massive Vaginal Bleeding: A Case Series in a Latin American Oncological Center.

PURPOSE: Locally advanced cervical cancer may present with uncontrollable vaginal bleeding in up to 70% of cases. Pelvic vessel embolization has been used as an urgent maneuver for achieving fast hemostatic control. This report describes outcomes of selective pelvic vessel embolization in patients with severe bleeding due to a locally advanced cervical cancer. METHODS: In this retrospective study, technical aspects, clinical variables, and bleeding-related morbidity were described. The frequency of recurrent disease and the vital status at 1 year of follow-up were determined. Analysis was performed with statistical software R, version 3.6.2. The setting was Instituto Nacional de Cancerología- Bogotá, Colombia, between January 2009 and July 2017. RESULTS: A total of 47 patients were included. Median age was 44 years (range, 26-70 years). The pre-embolization median hemoglobin level was 7.9 g/dL (range, 5.0-11.3 g/dL). Blood transfusions were administered to 41 women (87.2%). Bleeding control was achieved in 95.7% of cases in the first 24 hours after the embolization. There were no major complications. In 17 cases (36.2%), minor complications were reported; the most common was pelvic pain. In 17.1% of cases, a second embolization was required. After 12 months of follow-up, 27.7% of patients were alive without disease, 44.7% were alive with disease, and 25.5% of them have died of cervical cancer progression. CONCLUSION: Selective pelvic vessel embolization is a useful alternative in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer and life-threatening bleeding. Its impact on recurrent disease and death due to oncologic cause is not clear.

Designing a Model of a Digital Ecosystem for Healthcare and Wellness Using the Business Model Canvas.

Wellness is a term often used to talk about optimal health as "dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health." While healthcare is a term about care offered to patients for improving their health. We use both terms, as well as the Business Model Canvas (BMC) methodology, to design a digital ecosystem model for healthcare and wellness called DE4HW; the model considers economic, technological, and legal asymmetries, which are present on e-services beyond geographical regions. BMC methodology was embedded into the global project strategy called: IBOT (Initiate, Build, Operate and Transfer); it is a methodology to establish a functional, integrated national telemedicine network and virtual education network; of which we took its phases rationale. The results in this work illustrate the design of DE4HW model, into the first phase of IBOT, enriched with the BMC, which enables us to define actors, their interactions, rules and protocols, in order to build DE4HW, while IBOT strategy manages the project goal, up to the transfer phase, where an integral service platform of healthcare and wellness is turned over to stakeholders.

First non-intubated uniportal video-assisted pulmonary lobectomy in America.

The first video-assisted thoracic lobectomy in non-intubated patient in America was performed on 27th of September 2014 in Bogotá Colombia, The National Cancer Institute in Bogotá received Dr. Diego González-Rivas to make possible this kind of procedure in a 53-year-old man, with a history of papillary thyroid cancer treated with surgery and Iodine therapy, in whom two pulmonary nodules were found in the monitoring tomography. We resected the nodule located at the right upper lobe previously marked by scintigraphy, the other one required a lobectomy because it was a deep nodule with malignant radiologic appearance inside of the middle lobe. The procedure discoursed in a non-intubated patient without technical difficulties or complications, very short recovery time, minimum pain and a quiet and usual postoperative evolution. This procedure, the first reported in America was replicated after others with similar results in several countries thanks to the collaboration between surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, nurses and therapists, because especially in such interventions teamwork is essential. We believe that given the benefits in terms of recovery for the patient and anesthetic time, we could go on replicating the experience in selected patients.

Manejo inicial de las lesiones de punta de dedo: guía de tratamiento basado en la experiencia en el Hospital San José / Initial management of fingertip injuries: a treatment guide based on experience in the San Jose hospital (involving 91 cases)

Antecedentes. Las lesiones de punta de dedo son las más frecuentes del miembro superior y constituyen una causa importante de atención en urgencias en los hospitales de Colombia, pues generan incapacidad laboral y funcional por amputaciones de la falange distal. El tratamiento de este tipo de lesiones tiene como objetivo restablecer la función de la punta de dedo, mejorando la calidad de vida del paciente. Objetivo. Plantear un protocolo de manejo aplicable en este tipo de lesiones. Materiales y métodos. Se presentan 91 casos de pacientes con lesión en punta de dedo como diagnóstico de ingreso. Se determinó el mecanismo de lesión, sexo, dominancia manual, si hubo lesión del lecho ungueal y si se presentaron fracturas asociadas. En los casos de amputación se intentó aplicar la clasificación de Allen, pero no fue útil, ya que la mayoría de lesiones fueron producidas por objetos cortocontundentes que generaron lesiones irregulares en tejidos blandos y pérdida de la uña. Por ello, se estableció una clasificación que permite ejecutar las diferentes alternativas de manejo. Resultados. Se evidenció una mayor incidencia en hombres. La mano más afectada fue la derecha; en la mayoría de los casos era la mano dominante. Asimismo, los dedos más afectados fueron el segundo y el tercero. El mecanismo de lesión más frecuentemente reportado fue el trauma por aplastamiento con objeto cortocontundente. Conclusión. La clasificación de Allen no fue útil en ningún caso, por lo cual se aplicó la clasificación y protocolo de manejo sugerido por los autores.

Background. Fingertip injuries are the commonest upper limb injury and represent a major cause for emergency care in Colombia, leading to disability regarding employment and function due to amputation of the distal phalanx. Treatment of these injuries aims to restore fingertip function, thereby improving patients' quality of life. Objective. Proposing an effective management protocol for this type of injury. Materials and methods. This document presents 91 cases of patients having an admission diagnosis of fingertip injury. The research determined injury mechanism, gender, handedness and whether there was an injury or nail bed and associated fractures. An initial attempt was made at determining both clinical and surgical treatment according to Allen's classification; however, most injuries were unrelated and thus treatment options were described instead. Cutting tools caused most injuries, resulting in irregular lesions of soft tissue and nail loss. Repositioning the nail bed as well as a nail equivalency was paramount; this served as a splint in cases of associated fracture and a guide for the forthcoming tissue. Results. There was higher incidence in men than in women; the right hand (in most cases the dominant hand) was affected more and the second and third fingers were the most affected. The most frequently reported mechanism of injury was trauma resulting from being crushed with a short, blunt object. Conclusion. Allen's classification was not useful in any of the cases; the classification and management protocol suggested by the authors was thus followed.

Jürgen moltmann: una aproximación a la teología de la cruz

El presente artículo de investigación pretende mostrar una recuperación temática que resalta no solo la gran importancia que la cruz posee, per se, para todos aquellos que se asumen cristianos, sino que robustece, amplía y actualiza para el hombre actual a la teología de la cruz moltmaniana en diálogo con la filosofía.

This research article aims to show a recovery theme that highlights not only the great importance of the cross, per se, for those who are assumed to be Christian, but strengthens, expands, and updates for the modern man to the theology of the Moltmannian cross, in dialogue with philosophy.

Infección por Strongyloides stercoralis simulando un tumor intestinal: presentación de un caso / Infection Strongyloides Stercoralis Mimicking a Malignant Intestinal Tumor: Case Report

Las enfermedades infecciosas pueden tener una presentación inicial similar a la de malignidad. Por ejemplo, la infección con la bacteria de la especie Actinomyces causa crecimiento de tejido infiltrativo similar a la observada en el cáncer de pulmón, tumores pélvicos o cáncer de colon; las enfermedades por protozoos, por ejemplo la Entamoeba histolytica, causa ulceración de la mucosa colónica con hallazgos similares al carcinoma; la infección viral por virus de Epstein-Barr puede causar proliferación de linfocitos que imita la leucemia, y la infección por hongos del tipo Cryptococcus gattii puede producir lesiones similares a las de cáncer de pulmón y cerebro. La familiaridad del radiólogo con las infecciones que se presentan con características similares a la malignidad es útil porque las infecciones inicialmente diagnosticadas como cáncer, manejadas y tratadas como tal, pueden llevar a intervenciones innecesarias, incluyendo procedimientos invasivos. El diagnóstico adecuado y precoz de las infecciones bacterianas o parasitarias que se presentan con imágenes similares a la malignidad será beneficioso para el paciente.

Infectious diseases can have an initial presentation similar to that of malignancy. For example, an infection with Actinomyces species bacteria causes infiltrative tissue growth similar to growth seen in lung cancer, pelvic tumor, or colon cancer; protozoal disease, e.g. with Entamoeba histolytica, can cause ulceration of the colonic mucosa similar in a manner similar to carcinoma. Viral infection with Epstein -Barr virus can cause proliferation of lymphocytes in a manner similar to leukemia, and fungal infection with Cryptococcus gattii can cause lesions similar to those present in lung and brain cancer. It is useful for the radiologist to be familiar with infections which present features similar to malignancy, because infections which are initially diagnosed as cancer, and are managed and treated as such, may lead to unnecessary interventions, including invasive procedures. Proper diagnosis and early bacterial or parasitic infections that occur with images similar to the malignancy will be beneficial to the patient.

Localized 1H-NMR spectroscopy in patients with fibromyalgia: a controlled study of changes in cerebral glutamate/glutamine, inositol, choline, and N-acetylaspartate.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether single-voxel (SV) proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) detected differences between fibromyalgia (FM) patients and healthy controls. We also searched for correlations between neuroimaging abnormalities and neuropsychological variables. METHODS: Ten patients with FM and 10 gender- and age-matched control subjects were studied. A neuropsychological examination, DWI, DTI, and proton MRS were performed on the brain areas known to be associated with pain processing. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, FM patients had significantly higher levels of glutamate + glutamine (Glx) (mean ± SD, 10.71 ± 0.50 arbitrary institutional units versus 9.89 ± 1.04; P = 0.049) and higher glutamate + glutamine/creatine (Glx/Cr) ratios (1.90 ± 0.12 versus 1.72 ± 0.23; P = 0.034) in the posterior gyrus. Myoinositol (Ins) levels of the right and left hippocampi were significantly lower in FM patients (4.49 ± 0.74 versus 5.17 ± 0.62; P = 0.008 and 4.91 ± 0.85 versus 6.09 ± 0.78; P = 0.004, respectively). In FM patients, decreased myoinositol/creatine (Ins/Cr) ratios were found in the left sensorimotor area (P = 0.05) and the left hippocampus (P = 0.002) and lower levels of choline (P = 0.019) and N-acetyl aspartate + N-acetyl aspartyl glutamate (NAA + NAG) (P = 0.034) in the left hippocampus. Significant correlations between depression, pain, and global function and the posterior gyrus Glx levels and Glx/Cr ratios were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Glx within the posterior gyrus could be a pathologic factor in FM. Hippocampal dysfunction may be partially responsible for the depressive symptoms of FM. Additional studies with larger samples are required to confirm these preliminary data.