Injury in Starting and Replacement Players from Five Professional Men's Rugby Unions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the incidence, severity, and burden of injury in starting and replacement players from professional men's teams of five rugby unions. METHODS: Match injuries of greater than 24 h time-loss (including data on the severity, match quarter, event, body region) and player minutes of match exposure data were collated for all starting and replacement players in the men's English Premiership, Welsh Pro14 (both 2016/17-2018/19 seasons), and Australian, New Zealand, and South African Super Rugby (all 2016-2018 seasons) teams. Injury incidences and mean injury burden (incidence × days missed) were calculated, and rate ratios (RRs) (95% confidence intervals [CIs]) were used to compare injury incidence and burden between starting (reference group) and replacement players. RESULTS: Overall injury incidence was not different between starters and replacements for all injuries (RR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.88-1.10), nor for concussions (RR = 0.85; 95% CI 0.66-1.11). Mean injury burden was higher for replacement players (RR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.17-1.46). Replacement injury incidence was lower than the starters in the third (RR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.51-0.92) and fourth (RR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.67-0.92) match quarters. Injury incidence was not different between starters and replacements for any match event or body region, but compared with starters, replacements' injury burden was higher in lower limbs (RR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.05-1.46) and in the tackled player (RR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.01-1.66). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a lower injury incidence in replacement players compared with starters in the second half of matches, with a higher injury burden for replacement players due to higher mean injury severity.

Impact of Flash Glucose Monitoring on the Fear of Hypoglycemia Phenomenon in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes.

Objective: To assess the clinical impact of flash glucose monitoring (FGM) systems on fear of hypoglycemia (FoH) and quality of life in adults with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods: Prospective quasi-experimental study with a 12-month follow-up. People with T1DM (18-80 years old) and self-monitoring by blood capillary glycemia controls were included. The FH15 questionnaire, a survey validated in Spanish in a comparable study population, was used to diagnose FoH with a cutoff point of 28 points. Results: A total of 181 participants were included, with a FoH prevalence of 69% (n = 123). A mean reduction in FH15 score of -4 points (95% confidence interval [-5.5 to -3]; P < 0.001) was observed, along with an improvement in quality of life (EsDQOL-test (Diabetes Quality of Life, Spanish version), -7 points [-10; -4], P < 0.001) and satisfaction with treatment (Diabetes Treatment Satisfaction questionnaire, self-reported version [DTSQ-s] test, +4.5 points [4; 5.5], P < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up, 64.2% of the participants saw an improved FoH intensity, compared to 35.8% who scored the same or higher. This improvement in FoH status was associated with a higher time-in-range at the end of the follow-up (P = 0.003), as well as a lower time spent in hyperglycemia (P = 0.005). In addition, it was linked to participants with a high baseline FoH levels (P < 0.001) and those who were university degree holders (P = 0.07). Conclusions: FGM is associated with an overall reduction of FoH in adults with T1DM and with an increase in their quality of life. Nevertheless, a significant percentage of patients may experience an increase of this phenomenon leading to clinical repercussions and a profound impact on quality of life.

Open-source low-cost design of a buoy for remote water quality monitoring in fish farming.

In this paper we present the design of an open-source and low-cost buoy prototype for remote monitoring of water quality variables in fish farming. The designed battery-powered system periodically measures temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen, transmitting the information locally through a low-power wide-area network protocol to a gateway connected to a cloud service for data storage and visualization. We provide a novel buoy design that can be easily constructed with off-the-shelf materials, delivering a stable anchored float for the IoT device and the probes immersed in the water pond. The prototype was tested at an operating fish farm, showing promising results for a low-cost remote monitoring tool that enables automatic data acquisition and storage in fish farming scenarios. All the elements of this design, including hardware and software designs, are freely available under permissive licenses as an open-source project.

Impact of social isolation and coping strategies in older adults with mild cognitive impairment during the covid-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to explore the experiences and feelings of older adults with MCI during the COVID-19 outbreak in Chile and to know what strategies they used to overcome social isolation. METHOD: A qualitative design was used. Ten participants with a diagnosis of MCI took part in this study. All interviews were recorded and coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS: The thematic analysis identified three themes related to the quarantine experience of older adults with MCI diagnosis: (1) Effects of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic (2) Believes, feelings and behaviors about the SARS-CoV-2 virus (3) Coping with social isolation/response to difficulties during the pandemic. It was found that older adults with MCI have been mainly psychologically and socially affected by social distancing and isolation, particularly individuals who were alone during COVID-19 outbreak. The only physical dimension negatively affected was the level of activity. Social isolation led to a significant number of negative emotions such as anger, fear of contracting the virus or possibility of contagion for their families, worries and sadness as well as emotional loneliness. It is noteworthy that the majority of participants have used several coping strategies during this challenging time. CONCLUSION: Since social isolation and a sedentary life have been associated with poorer cognition and functionality in people with MCI, a rational plan to both prevent the progression of cognitive decline and to increase social contact, is essential. Special attention must be drawn to maintaining people physically active at home and keeping their daily routine (within the possibilities) and also to ensure social connectedness through technology. Implementation of these measures could potentially reduce negative emotions during the pandemic.

Machine learning for manually-measured water quality prediction in fish farming.

Monitoring variables such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and pond temperature is a key aspect of high-quality fish farming. Machine learning (ML) techniques have been proposed to model the dynamics of such variables to improve the fish farmer's decision-making. Most of the research on ML in aquaculture has focused on scenarios where devices for real-time data acquisition, storage, and remote monitoring are available, making it easy to develop accurate ML techniques. However, fish farmers do not necessarily have access to such devices. Many of them prefer to use equipment to manually measure these variables limiting the amount of available data to process. In this work, we study the use of random forests, multivariate linear regression, and artificial neural networks in scenarios with limited amount of measurements to analyze data from water-quality variables that are commonly measured in fish farming. We propose a methodology to build models in two scenarios: i) estimation of unobserved variables based on the observed ones, and ii) forecasting when a low amount of data is available for training. We show that random forests can be used to forecast dissolved oxygen, pond temperature, pH, ammonia, and ammonium when the water pond variables are measured only twice per day. Moreover, we showed that these prediction models can be implemented on a mobile-based information system and run in an average smartphone that fish farmers can afford.

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy for disentangling structural and motional features of lyophilized ripened cheese water-soluble extracts related to antimicrobial activity.

Present work comprises the use of different solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance strategies for characterizing structural and motional aspects of the peptide matrix that compose a set of four lyophilized Mexican cheese aqueous soluble extracts, each with a controlled ripening. Heteronuclear dipolar coupling modulation schemes allowed to characterize local mobility and structural homogeneity of cheeses' peptide segments in the solid-state as a function of ripening. Results suggest that ripened samples with certain local flexibility but important structural homogeneity present efficient microbial inhibition against tested bacterial strains, whilst high local rigidity of peptides within ripened cheese soluble fractions could partially explain the observed lack of antimicrobial activity. The present study attempts to propose novel observables for lyophilized cheese water soluble extracts that could be partially associated to their ripening-dependent antimicrobial activities, whereas said observables shall contribute to the better targeting, design and optimization of solid-state natural food bio-preservatives.

Intracranial EEG and laser interstitial thermal therapy in MRI-negative insular and/or cingulate epilepsy: case series.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess the success rate and complications of stereo-electroencephalogra-phy (sEEG) and laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) in the treatment of nonlesional refractory epilepsy in cingulate and insular cortex. METHODS: The authors retrospectively analyzed the treatment response in 9 successive patients who underwent insular or cingulate LITT for nonlesional refractory epilepsy at their center between 2011 and 2019. Localization of seizures was based on inpatient video-EEG monitoring, neuropsychological testing, 3-T MRI, PET scan, magnetoencephalography scan, and/or ictal SPECT scan. Eight patients underwent sEEG, and 1 patient had implantation of both sEEG electrodes and subdural grids for localization of epileptogenic zones. LITT was performed in 5 insular cases (4 left and 1 right) and 3 cingulate cases (all left-sided). One patient also underwent both insular and cingulate LITT on the left side. All of the patients who underwent insular LITT as well as 2 of the 3 who underwent cingulate LITT were right-hand dominant. The patient who underwent insular plus cingulate LITT was also right-hand dominant. RESULTS: Following LITT, 67% of the patients were seizure free (Engel class I) at follow-up (mean 1.35 years, range 0.6-2.8 years). All patients responded favorably to treatment (Engel class I-III). Two patients developed small intracranial hemorrhages during the sEEG implantation that did not require surgical management. One patient developed a large intracranial hemorrhage during an insular LITT procedure that did require surgical management. That patient experienced aphasia, incoordination, and hemiparesis, which resolved with inpatient rehabilitation. No permanent neurological deficits were noted in any of the patients at last follow-up. Neuropsychological status was stable in this cohort before and after LITT. CONCLUSIONS: sEEG can be safely used to localize seizures originating from insular and cingulate cortex. LITT can successfully treat seizures arising from these deep-seated structures. The insula and cingulum should be evaluated more frequently for seizure onset zones.

Pneumothorax in COVID-19 disease- incidence and clinical characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Spontaneous pneumothorax is an uncommon complication of COVID-19 viral pneumonia. The exact incidence and risk factors are still unknown. Herein we review the incidence and outcomes of pneumothorax in over 3000 patients admitted to our institution for suspected COVID-19 pneumonia. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of COVID-19 cases admitted to our hospital. Patients who were diagnosed with a spontaneous pneumothorax were identified to calculate the incidence of this event. Their clinical characteristics were thoroughly documented. Data regarding their clinical outcomes were gathered. Each case was presented as a brief synopsis. RESULTS: Three thousand three hundred sixty-eight patients were admitted to our institution between March 1st, 2020 and June 8th, 2020 for suspected COVID 19 pneumonia, 902 patients were nasopharyngeal swab positive. Six cases of COVID-19 patients who developed spontaneous pneumothorax were identified (0.66%). Their baseline imaging showed diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities and consolidations, mostly in the posterior and peripheral lung regions. 4/6 cases were associated with mechanical ventilation. All patients required placement of a chest tube. In all cases, mortality (66.6%) was not directly related to the pneumothorax. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous pneumothorax is a rare complication of COVID-19 viral pneumonia and may occur in the absence of mechanical ventilation. Clinicians should be vigilant about the diagnosis and treatment of this complication.

Deep Learning Provides Exceptional Accuracy to ECoG-Based Functional Language Mapping for Epilepsy Surgery.

The success of surgical resection in epilepsy patients depends on preserving functionally critical brain regions, while removing pathological tissues. Being the gold standard, electro-cortical stimulation mapping (ESM) helps surgeons in localizing the function of eloquent cortex through electrical stimulation of electrodes placed directly on the cortical brain surface. Due to the potential hazards of ESM, including increased risk of provoked seizures, electrocorticography based functional mapping (ECoG-FM) was introduced as a safer alternative approach. However, ECoG-FM has a low success rate when compared to the ESM. In this study, we address this critical limitation by developing a new algorithm based on deep learning for ECoG-FM and thereby we achieve an accuracy comparable to ESM in identifying eloquent language cortex. In our experiments, with 11 epilepsy patients who underwent presurgical evaluation (through deep learning-based signal analysis on 637 electrodes), our proposed algorithm obtained an accuracy of 83.05% in identifying language regions, an exceptional 23% improvement with respect to the conventional ECoG-FM analysis (∼60%). Our findings have demonstrated, for the first time, that deep learning powered ECoG-FM can serve as a stand-alone modality and avoid likely hazards of the ESM in epilepsy surgery. Hence, reducing the potential for developing post-surgical morbidity in the language function.

Early Expression of Neuronal Dopaminergic Markers in a Parkinson's Disease Model in Rats Implanted with Enteric Stem Cells (ENSCs).

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder affecting the dopaminergic (DAergic) system. Replacement therapy is a promising alternative aimed at reconstructing the cytoarchitecture of affected brain regions in PD. Experimental approaches, such as the replacement of DAergic neurons with cells obtained from the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) has yet to be explored. OBJECTIVE: To establish and characterize a cell replacement strategy with ENS Cells (ENSCs) in a PD model in rats. METHODS: Since ENSCs can develop mature DAergic phenotypes, here we cultured undifferentiated cells from the myenteric plexus of newborn rats, establishing that they exhibit multipotential characteristics. These cells were characterized and further implanted in the Substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) of adult rats previously lesioned by a retrograde degenerative model produced by intrastriatal injection of 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). DAergic markers were assessed in implants to validate their viability and possible differentiation once implanted. RESULTS: Cell cultures were viable, exhibited stem cell features and remained partially undifferentiated until the time of implant. The retrograde lesion induced by 6-OHDA produced DAergic denervation, reducing the number of fibers and cells in the SNpc. Implantation of ENSCs in the SNpc of 6-OHDAlesioned rats was tracked after 5 and 10 days post-implant. During that time, the implant increased selective neuronal and DAergic markers, Including Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 (MAP-2), Dopamine Transporter (DAT), and Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH). CONCLUSION: Our novel results suggest that ENSCs possess a differentiating, proliferative and restorative potential that may offer therapeutic modalities to attenuate neurodegenerative events with the inherent demise of DAergic neurons.

Altered integrity of corpus callosum in generalized epilepsy in relation to seizure lateralization after corpus callosotomy.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized-onset seizures are usually conceptualized as engaging bilaterally distributed networks with no clear focus. However, the authors previously reported a case series demonstrating that in some patients with generalized-onset seizures, focal seizure onset could be discovered after corpus callosotomy. The corpus callosum is considered to be a major pathway for seizure generalization in this group of patients. The authors hypothesized that, in patients with generalized-onset seizures, the structure of the corpus callosum could be different between patients who have lateralized seizures and those who have nonlateralized seizures after corpus callosotomy. The authors aimed to evaluate the structural difference through statistical analysis of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scalars between these two groups of patients. METHODS: Thirty-two patients diagnosed with generalized-onset motor seizures and without an MRI lesion were included in this study. Among them, 16 patients developed lateralized epileptic activities after corpus callosotomy, and the remaining 16 patients continued to have nonlateralized seizures after corpus callosotomy. Presurgical DTI studies were acquired to quantify the structural integrity of the corpus callosum. RESULTS: The DTI analysis showed significant reduction of fractional anisotropy (FA) and increase in radial diffusivity (RD) in the body of the corpus callosum in the lateralized group compared with the nonlateralized group. CONCLUSIONS: The authors' findings indicate the existence of different configurations of bilateral epileptic networks in generalized epilepsy. Generalized seizures with focal onset relying on rapid spread through the corpus callosum might cause more structural damage related to demyelination in the corpus callosum, showing reduced FA and increased RD. This study suggests that presurgical DTI analysis of the corpus callosum might predict the seizure lateralization after corpus callosotomy.

Caracterización de pacientes con traumatismo torácico tratados en el Hospital Enrique Cabrera. 2014-2018 / Characterization of patients with thoracic trauma treated at the Enrique Cabrera Hospital. 2014-2018

RESUMEN Fundamento: los traumatismos torácicos son frecuentes en la sociedad actual y de gran importancia por la naturaleza de los órganos que se localizan en el interior del tórax. Objetivo: caracterizar pacientes con traumatismo toráxico tratados en el Hospital Enrique Cabrera. Métodos: investigación descriptiva, retrospectiva, en la que se estudiaron 102 pacientes que ingresaron en el Hospital Enrique Cabrera con el diagnóstico de traumatismo torácico, desde el primero de enero del 2014 hasta el 31 de diciembre del 2018. Se analizaron las variables: edad, sexo, causa y tipo de traumatismo, tipo de lesión, tratamiento, complicaciones y estadía hospitalaria. Resultados: predominó el sexo masculino (77,45 %) y las edades entre 40 a 49 años (25, 49 %). Los accidentes de tránsito fueron la causa más frecuente del traumatismo (31, 38 %); predominaron los traumas torácicos contusos (63,73 %). La lesión torácica que con más frecuencia se presentó fue el neumotórax (44, 11 %) y las lesiones extratorácicas más observadas ocurrieron en las extremidades (13, 72 %); no se asociaron lesiones en el 66,75 % de los pacientes. El tratamiento quirúrgico fue el más empleado, la pleurostomía mínima fue la más utilizada (73,72 %). La complicación más frecuente fue la infección de las heridas (13, 72 %). El 44, 12 % de los pacientes permaneció ingresado de 5 a 10 días. Conclusiones: estos resultados difieren en algunos aspectos al compararse con otros países, lo cual está dado por las diferencias en el orden económico y social.

ABSTRACT Foundation: thoracic trauma is common in today's society and of great importance due to the nature of the organs that are located within it. Objective: to characterize patients with thoracic trauma treated at the Enrique Cabrera Hospital. Methods: descriptive, retrospective research, in which 102 patients who were admitted to Enrique Cabrera Hospital with the diagnosis of thoracic trauma were studied, from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2018. The variables analyzed were: age, sex, cause and type of trauma, type of injury, treatment, complications and hospital stay. Results: prevalence of the male sex (77.45%) and the 40 to 49 year old group (25, 49%). Traffic accidents were the most frequent cause of trauma (31, 38%); Bruising thoracic trauma prevailed (63.73%). The most frequent thoracic lesion was pneumothorax (44, 11%) and the most observed extrathoracic lesions occurred in the extremities (13, 72%); no lesions were associated in 66.75% of patients. Conclusion: All these results differ in some aspects when compared to other countries, which results from economic and social differences.

How meaning unfolds in neural time: Embodied reactivations can precede multimodal semantic effects during language processing.

Research on how the brain construes meaning during language use has prompted two conflicting accounts. According to the 'grounded view', word understanding involves quick reactivations of sensorimotor (embodied) experiences evoked by the stimuli, with simultaneous or later engagement of multimodal (conceptual) systems integrating information from various sensory streams. Contrariwise, for the 'symbolic view', this capacity depends crucially on multimodal operations, with embodied systems playing epiphenomenal roles after comprehension. To test these contradictory hypotheses, the present magnetoencephalography study assessed implicit semantic access to grammatically constrained action and non-action verbs (n = 100 per category) while measuring spatiotemporally precise signals from the primary motor cortex (M1, a core region subserving bodily movements) and the anterior temporal lobe (ATL, a putative multimodal semantic hub). Convergent evidence from sensor- and source-level analyses revealed that increased modulations for action verbs occurred earlier in M1 (∼130-190 ms) than in specific ATL hubs (∼250-410 ms). Moreover, machine-learning decoding showed that trial-by-trial classification peaks emerged faster in M1 (∼100-175 ms) than in the ATL (∼345-500 ms), with over 71% accuracy in both cases. Considering their latencies, these results challenge the 'symbolic view' and its implication that sensorimotor mechanisms play only secondary roles in semantic processing. Instead, our findings support the 'grounded view', showing that early semantic effects are critically driven by embodied reactivations and that these cannot be reduced to post-comprehension epiphenomena, even when words are individually classified. Briefly, our study offers non-trivial insights to constrain fine-grained models of language and understand how meaning unfolds in neural time.

A MEG Study on the Processing of Time and Quantity: Parietal Overlap but Functional Divergence.

A common magnitude system for the processing of time and numerosity, supported by areas in the posterior parietal cortex, has been proposed by some authors. The present study aims to investigate possible intersections between the neural processing of non-numerical (time) and numerical magnitudes in the posterior parietal lobe. Using Magnetoencephalography for the comparison of brain source activations during the processing of duration and numerosity contrasts, we demonstrate parietal overlap as well as dissociations between these two dimensions. Within the parietal cortex, the main areas of overlap were bilateral precuneus, bilateral intraparietal sulci, and right supramarginal gyrus. Interestingly, however, these regions did not equivalently correlated with the behavior for the two dimensions: left and right precuneus together with the right supramarginal gyrus accounted functionally for durational judgments, whereas numerosity judgments were accounted by the activation pattern in the right intraparietal sulcus. Present results, indeed, demonstrate an overlap between the neural substrates for processing duration and quantity. However, the functional relevance of parietal overlapping areas for each dimension is not the same. In fact, our data indicates that the same parietal sites rule differently non-numerical and numerical dimensions, as parts of broader networks.

Herniorrafia de Mohan P. Desarda modificada en la reparación de hernia inguinal sin prótesis / Modified Mohan P. Desarda herniorraphy in inguinal hernia repair with no prosthesis

Introducción: La afección herniaria es uno de los procesos mejor estudiados y cuyo tratamiento persigue la excelencia, aunque todavía quedan muchas controversias por resolver. Objetivo: Valorar los resultados de la aplicación de la técnica del Dr. Mohan P. Desarda modificada en el Servicio de Cirugía del Hospital General Docente Enrique Cabrera. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo aleatorio de 1 010 pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico de hernia inguinal desde enero del 2004 hasta diciembre del 2017. A estos pacientes se les realizó la técnica quirúrgica del Dr. Mohan P. Desarda modificada, los cuales fueron evolucionados por consulta externa y finalmente por teléfono. Resultados: La mayor incidencia ocurrió en el sexo masculino con 915 (90,6 por ciento) pacientes y la edad promedio fue de 58,3 años. La localización más frecuente fue la derecha en 497 (49,0 por ciento) pacientes. Se aplicó la anestesia local a 690 (68,3 por ciento) pacientes. Se trataron de manera ambulatoria 783 (77,4 por ciento) pacientes. En 46 (34,5 por ciento) pacientes se diagnosticaron complicaciones. La recidiva se observó en 6 pacientes (0,6 por ciento) del total. Conclusiones: Con la herniorrafia de Mohan P. Desarda modificada, se obtienen resultados satisfactorios al igual que con las técnicas protésicas, aportando ahorros económicos importantes(AU)

Introduction: Hernia is one of the best studied processes in order to achieve treatment of excellence, but there are still many pending controversies to be solved. Objective: To determine the results of the modified Mohan P. Desarda technique in the surgical service of Enrique Cabrera general teaching hospital. Method: A prospective randomized study was performed on 1010 surgical patients with the diagnosis of inguinal hernia from January 2004 to December 2017. These patients were operated on by using modified Dr Mohan P. Desarda's technique and they were followed up in the outpatient service and finally by phone. Results: The highest incidence rate was found in males, with 915 (90.6 percent) patients and the average age was 58.3 years. The most common location was on the right side of 497 (49 percent) patients. Local anesthesia was used in 690 (68.3 percent) patients and 783 (77.4 percent) were treated as outpatients. Forty six (34.5 percent) patients suffered complications. Recurrence occurred in 6 patients, which accounted for 0.6 percent of the total number. Conclusions: Modified Mohan P. Desarda herniorraphy achieves satisfactory results as well as the other prosthetic techniques, thus contributing important economic savings(AU)

Herniorrafia de Mohan P. Desarda modificada en la reparación de hernia inguinal sin prótesis / Modified Mohan P. Desarda herniorraphy in inguinal hernia repair with no prosthesis

Introducción: La afección herniaria es uno de los procesos mejor estudiados y cuyo tratamiento persigue la excelencia, aunque todavía quedan muchas controversias por resolver. Objetivo: Valorar los resultados de la aplicación de la técnica del Dr. Mohan P. Desarda modificada en el Servicio de Cirugía del Hospital General Docente Enrique Cabrera. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo aleatorio de 1 010 pacientes intervenidos quirúrgicamente con el diagnóstico de hernia inguinal desde enero del 2004 hasta diciembre del 2017. A estos pacientes se les realizó la técnica quirúrgica del Dr. Mohan P. Desarda modificada, los cuales fueron evolucionados por consulta externa y finalmente por teléfono. Resultados: La mayor incidencia ocurrió en el sexo masculino con 915 (90,6 por ciento) pacientes y la edad promedio fue de 58,3 años. La localización más frecuente fue la derecha en 497 (49,0 por ciento) pacientes. Se aplicó la anestesia local a 690 (68,3 por ciento) pacientes. Se trataron de manera ambulatoria 783 (77,4 por ciento) pacientes. En 46 (34,5 por ciento) pacientes se diagnosticaron complicaciones. La recidiva se observó en 6 pacientes (0,6 por ciento) del total. Conclusiones: Con la herniorrafia de Mohan P. Desarda modificada, se obtienen resultados satisfactorios al igual que con las técnicas protésicas, aportando ahorros económicos importantes(AU)

Introduction: Hernia is one of the best studied processes in order to achieve treatment of excellence, but there are still many pending controversies to be solved. Objective: To determine the results of the modified Mohan P. Desarda technique in the surgical service of Enrique Cabrera general teaching hospital. Method: A prospective randomized study was performed on 1010 surgical patients with the diagnosis of inguinal hernia from January 2004 to December 2017. These patients were operated on by using modified Dr Mohan P. Desarda's technique and they were followed up in the outpatient service and finally by phone. Results: The highest incidence rate was found in males, with 915 (90.6 percent) patients and the average age was 58.3 years. The most common location was on the right side of 497 (49 percent) patients. Local anesthesia was used in 690 (68.3 percent) patients and 783 (77.4 percent) were treated as outpatients. Forty six (34.5 percent) patients suffered complications. Recurrence occurred in 6 patients, which accounted for 0.6 percent of the total number. Conclusions: Modified Mohan P. Desarda herniorraphy achieves satisfactory results as well as the other prosthetic techniques, thus contributing important economic savings(AU)

[Utilidad de la proteína C reactiva en el diagnóstico oportuno de fuga de anastomosis en cirugía colorrectal]. / Utility of C-reactive protein in the early diagnosis of anastomotic leakage in colorectal surgery.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La fuga de anastomosis (FA) en cirugía colorrectal es una complicación temida por el incremento de la morbimortalidad. La tasa de FA se reporta desde el 1 hasta el 25%. Realizar el diagnóstico de forma temprana es difícil. OBJETIVO: Determinar el rendimiento diagnóstico de la proteína C reactiva (PCR) en una cohorte de pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal electiva con anastomosis. MÉTODO: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, comparativo, en 138 pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal con anastomosis de forma electiva, analizando los valores séricos de la PCR los días 1, 3, 5 y 7 del posoperatorio, así como los de leucocitos y otros datos de sepsis abdominal. RESULTADOS: La tasa de FA fue del 6.5%, y los valores de la PCR fueron significativamente más altos en el grupo de pacientes con FA en el tercer día del posoperatorio. Con un punto de corte de 18.5 mg/dl en el tercer día del posoperatorio se obtuvo una sensibilidad del 81%, una especificidad del 91%, un valor predictivo positivo del 45% y un valor predictivo negativo del 98%. CONCLUSIÓN: La medición de la PCR en el tercer día del posoperatorio en pacientes sometidos a cirugía colorrectal electiva con anastomosis primaria o secundaria permite identificar las complicaciones sépticas, incluida la FA. INTRODUCTION: The anastomotic leakage (AL) in colorectal surgery is a complication feared by the increase in morbidity and mortality. The rate of AF is reported from 1 to 25%. Making the diagnosis early is difficult. OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic performance of the C reactive protein (CRP) in a cohort of patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery with anastomosis. METHOD: A prospective, comparative study was conducted in 138 patients undergoing elective anastomosis with colorectal surgery, analyzing the serum values of CRP on postoperative days 1, 3, 5 and 7, as well as leukocytes and other abdominal sepsis data. RESULTS: The AL rate was 6.5%, the CRP values were significantly higher in the group of patients with AF on the 3rd postoperative day; with a cut-off point of 18.5 mg/dl on the third postoperative day, it obtained sensitivity 81%, specificity 91%, positive predictive value 45%, negative predictive value 98%. CONCLUSION: Measurement of CRP on the third postoperative day in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery with primary or secondary anastomosis allows the identification of septic complications including leakage of anastomosis.

Informed consent comprehension among vulnerable populations in Ecuador: video-delivered vs. in-person standard method.

The informed consent comprehension process is key to engaging potential research subject participation. The aim of this study is to compare informed consent comprehension between two methods: standard and video-delivered. We compared the in-person and video-delivered informed consent process in the Familias Unidas intervention. We evaluated comprehension using a 7-item true/false questionnaire. There were a total of 152 participants in the control group and 87 in the experimental. General characteristics were similar between both groups (p > 0.05). First-attempt informed consent comprehension was higher in the intervention group but was not statistically significant (80% and 78% respectively p = 0.44). A video-delivered informed consent process did not differ from the standard method of informed consent in a low educational and socioeconomic environment.

Structural similarity index family for image quality assessment in radiological images.

The structural similarity index (SSIM) family is a set of metrics that has demonstrated good agreement with human observers in tasks using reference images. These metrics analyze the viewing distance, edge information between the reference and the test images, changed and preserved edges, textures, and structural similarity of the images. Eight metrics based on that family are proposed. This new set of metrics, together with another eight well-known SSIM family metrics, was tested to predict human performance in some specific tasks closely related to the evaluation of radiological medical images. We used a database of radiological images, comprising different acquisition techniques (MRI and plain films). This database was distorted with different types of distortions (Gaussian blur, noise, etc.) and different levels of degradation. These images were analyzed by a board of radiologists with a double-stimulus methodology, and their results were compared with those obtained from the 16 metrics analyzed and proposed in this research. Our experimental results showed that the readings of human observers were sensitive to the changes and preservation of the edge information between the reference and test images, changes and preservation in the texture, structural component of the images, and simulation of multiple viewing distances. These results showed that several metrics that apply this multifactorial approach (4-G-SSIM, 4-MS-G-SSIM, [Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text]) can be used as good surrogates of a radiologist to analyze the medical quality of an image in an environment with a reference image.