Randomized Controlled Trial to Study the Acute Effects of Strength Exercise on Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Adults.

An acute session of strength exercise (SE) ameliorates insulin sensitivity (IS) for several hours; however, the effects of SE volume (i.e., number of sets) have not been studied thoroughly. Although it is intuitive that some SE is better than none, and more is better than some for the improvement of IS, high-volume sessions might be challenging for diseased populations to complete, especially obese adults, for whom even a brisk walk can be challenging. This protocol details a randomized clinical trial to assess the acute effects of SE on IS in obese adults. The inclusion criteria are body mass index >30 kg/m2, central obesity (waist circumference >88 cm and >102 cm for women and men, respectively), and age >40 years. Participants will be familiarized with the SE (7 exercises targeting major muscle groups) and then will perform three sessions in a randomized order: session 1 - high-volume session (3 sets/exercise); session 2 - low-volume session (1 set/exercise); session 3 - control session (no exercise). Diet will be controlled the day before and on the day of the sessions. Sessions will be completed at night, and an oral glucose tolerance test will be performed the next morning, from which several indexes of IS will be derived, such as the area under the curve (AUC) of glucose and insulin, the Matsuda index, the Cederholm index, the muscle IS index, and the Gutt index. Based on pilot studies, we expect ~15% improvement in IS (insulin AUC, and Matsuda and Cederholm indexes) after the high-volume session, and ~8% improvement after the low-volume session compared to the control session. This study will benefit individuals who find high-volume SE sessions challenging but still aim to improve their IS by investing 1/3 of their time and effort.

Children then, adults now: long-term outcomes-performance at 15, 20, and 25 years of cochlear implant use.

Motivation: Severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss interferes with a child's development at the cognitive, linguistic, academic, and social levels. Since the beginning of the pediatric auditory rehabilitation program through cochlear implantation in the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Service of the Coimbra Hospital and University Center (CHUC), Portugal, its mentors defended the early diagnosis of hearing loss followed by timely intervention, and this was considered the starting point to optimize (re)habilitation through this method. Three decades or so later, recently we conducted this study to evaluate the performance of patients implanted in the initial phase of the cochlear implantation program. Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the performance of individuals with severe to profound congenital hearing loss who underwent pediatric cochlear implantation and have used the cochlear implant for at least 25 years, to analyze the beneficial effect of early intervention in improving performance results. Methods: The study sample is composed of 31 individuals with severe to profound congenital hearing loss and no other comorbidities, divided into two groups (Group 1: age at implantation was under 3 years; Group 2: age at implantation was over 3 years). All 31 subjects were evaluated at 15, 20, and 25 years of cochlear implant (CI) use with a comprehensive set of tests. In addition, data were collected regarding the academic level of each participant. The results of both groups were compared to find out if there is an effect of age at implantation on auditory performance, and if there is an improvement in the performance with CI over time (15, 20, and 25 years of use). Results: The results show that there is a positive effect, with statistical significance, of early implantation on auditory performance, and telephone use. In both groups, there is an increase in performance over time, but it tends to stabilize after 20 years of CI use. Discussion and conclusion: The results obtained in this work support the importance of early intervention in patients with severe to profound hearing loss who are cochlear implant users and show that CI is an effective and reliable method in the treatment of these patients, contributing to their improved socio-educational integration, and that the benefits last over time.

Effects of the association of different volumes of strength training with photobiomodulation therapy on insulin resistance: A protocol for a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is the main risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes. Both strength training (ST) and photobiomodulation therapy (PBMt) reduce IR, but the effect of combining different volumes of ST with PBMt is unknown. Methods: Overweight/obese individuals will be assigned to 4 groups (n = 12/group): ST with volume following international guidelines (3 sets per exercise - high volume) or one-third of this volume (1 set per exercise - low volume), combined with PBMt or placebo. ST will be performed for 20 sessions over 10 weeks and will consist of 7 exercises. The PBMt will be applied after training sessions using blankets with light emitters (LEDs) placed over the skin on the frontal and the posterior region of the body, following the parameters recommended by the literature. The placebo group will undergo an identical procedure, but blankets will emit insignificant light. To measure plasma glucose and insulin concentrations, oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) will be performed before and after the training period. Thereafter, IR, the area under the curve of glucose and insulin, and OGTT-derived indices of insulin sensitivity/resistance will be calculated. Expected impact on the field: This study will determine the effects of different ST volumes on IR and whether the addition of PBMt potentiates the effects of ST. Because previously sedentary, obese, insulin-resistant individuals might not comply with recommended volumes of exercise, the possibility that adding PBMt to low-volume ST enhances ST effects on IR bears practical significance.

Isolated hypoglossal palsy, a rare complication of Epstein-Barr virus infection / Parálisis aislada del nervio hipogloso: una complicación infrecuente de la infección por virus de Epstein-Barr

No disponible

Facial nerve stimulation after cochlear implantation: Our experience in 448 adult patients.

Facial nerve stimulation (FNS) after cochlear implant activation is a well-known side effect, with an incidence rate raging between 1% and 14.9%. Some causes of deafness have been associated with a higher incidence of this entity, however, there is still no consensus regarding its pathophysiological mechanisms. Although FNS can be solved with changes in speech processor programming, in some cases this can lead to a decrease in performance. The aim of this work was to review the epidemiologic, clinical aspects, and performance results in a group of FNS after cochlear implantation. It was conducted a retrospective chart review of 448 adult patients, all implanted between 1985 and 2016. Speech perception tests results were statistically analysed, using non-parametric tests. We registered a group of 13 patients with FNS, contributing to a prevalence of 2.9%. The causes of hearing loss in this group varied between otosclerosis, Menière's disease, head trauma, and idiopathic cause. Six cases were managed by changing the programming strategy and the other seven required the deactivation of the affected electrodes. Statistical evaluation showed no statistically significant difference between the performance results of the groups with and without FNS. In this series, the overall incidence of FNS was consistent with the literature. Our study supports the current idea that FNS can frequently be eliminated by changing programming strategies or deactivating the involved electrodes, without affecting the implant's performance.

Cochlear implant rehabilitation outcomes in Waardenburg syndrome children.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to review the outcomes of children with documented Waardenburg syndrome implanted in the ENT Department of Centro Hospitalar de Coimbra, concerning postoperative speech perception and production, in comparison to the rest of non-syndromic implanted children. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for children congenitally deaf who had undergone cochlear implantation with multichannel implants, diagnosed as having Waardenburg syndrome, between 1992 and 2011. Postoperative performance outcomes were assessed and confronted with results obtained by children with non-syndromic congenital deafness also implanted in our department. Open-set auditory perception skills were evaluated by using European Portuguese speech discrimination tests (vowels test, monosyllabic word test, number word test and words in sentence test). Meaningful auditory integration scales (MAIS) and categories of auditory performance (CAP) were also measured. Speech production was further assessed and included results on meaningful use of speech Scale (MUSS) and speech intelligibility rating (SIR). RESULTS: To date, 6 implanted children were clinically identified as having WS type I, and one met the diagnosis of type II. All WS children received multichannel cochlear implants, with a mean age at implantation of 30.6±9.7months (ranging from 19 to 42months). Postoperative outcomes in WS children were similar to other nonsyndromic children. In addition, in number word and vowels discrimination test WS group showed slightly better performances, as well as in MUSS and MAIS assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown that cochlear implantation should be considered a rehabilitative option for Waardenburg syndrome children with profound deafness, enabling the development and improvement of speech perception and production abilities in this group of patients, reinforcing their candidacy for this audio-oral rehabilitation method.

SPONTANEOUS RESOLUTION OF PSEUDOANEURYSM OF AN ILIAC ARTERY BRANCH IN A MULTIPLE TRAUMA PATIENT WITH PELVIC FRACTURE: CLINICAL CASE.

In patients who have been the victims of high-energy trauma, severe pelvic injury should always be suspected. Most of these fractures are stable and respond well to conservative treatment. Pelvic fractures constitute 3% of all skeletal fractures and are associated with high-energy trauma. They are potentially serious injuries with significant mortality and large numbers of associated lesions. There are fundamentally three sources of bleeding in pelvic fractures: arterial, venous and through the bone ends of the fracture. Arterial bleeding is more associated with hemodynamic instability. In such cases, both early external fixation of the pelvic fracture and angiography with selective embolization of the bleeding vessels are effective methods for achieving hemostasis. Aneurysms of iliac artery branches are rare and are mostly pseudoaneurysm relating to the traumatic event. The natural history of pseudoaneurysms is unknown because of their rarity, but if they rupture, the mortality rate is high. We report a case of spontaneous thrombosis of a pseudoaneurysm of a branch of the right iliac artery.

Resolução espontânea de pseudoaneurisma de ramo da artéria ilíaca em politraumatizado com fratura da bacia - caso clínico / Spontaneous resolution of pseudoaneurysm of an iliac artery branch in a multiple trauma patient with pelvic fracture: clinical case

Em doentes vítimas de trauma de grande energia uma lesão pélvica grave deve ser sempre suspeitada. Na sua maioria, as fraturas são estáveis, respondendo bem ao tratamento conservador. As fraturas da bacia constituem 3 por cento do total das fraturas do esqueleto, associam-se a trauma de grande energia, sendo lesões potencialmente graves, com uma mortalidade significativa e grande número de lesões associadas. Há fundamentalmente três fontes de sangramento nas fraturas pélvicas: arterial, venosa e pelos topos ósseos da fratura. O sangramento arterial está mais associado com instabilidade hemodinâmica. Nos casos indicados, tanto a fixação externa precoce da fratura de bacia como a angiografia com embolização seletiva dos vasos sangrantes são métodos efetivos para a hemostasia. Os aneurismas de ramos da artéria ilíaca são raros, sendo na maioria pseudoaneurismas relacionados com o episódio traumático. A história natural dos pseudoaneurismas é desconhecida por serem uma identidade rara, mas a sua ruptura traduz-se em grande mortalidade. Relatamos um caso de trombose espontânea de pseudoaneurisma de ramo da artéria ilíaca direita.

In patients who have been the victims of high-energy trauma, severe pelvic injury should always be suspected. Most of these fractures are stable and respond well to conservative treatment. Pelvic fractures constitute 3 percent of all skeletal fractures and are associated with high-energy trauma. They are potentially serious injuries with significant mortality and large numbers of associated lesions. There are fundamentally three sources of bleeding in pelvic fractures: arterial, venous and through the bone ends of the fracture. Arterial bleeding is more associated with hemodynamic instability. In such cases, both early external fixation of the pelvic fracture and angiography with selective embolization of the bleeding vessels are effective methods for achieving hemostasis. Aneurysms of iliac artery branches are rare and are mostly pseudoaneurysm relating to the traumatic event. The natural history of pseudoaneurysms is unknown because of their rarity, but if they rupture, the mortality rate is high. We report a case of spontaneous thrombosis of a pseudoaneurysm of a branch of the right iliac artery.

DFNB1-associated deafness in Portuguese cochlear implant users: prevalence and impact on oral outcome.

OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss is a condition that interferes with the development of the child at a cognitive and language level. Therefore, early diagnosis of deafness is important for (re)habilitation, namely through the use of cochlear implant (CI). The present study aimed at screening CI Portuguese individuals for the presence of mutations in the genes GJB2 and GJB6 (DFNB1 locus), and searching a possible correlation between the genotype and the oral habilitation outcome following implantation. METHODS: Our sample included 117 CI individuals implanted longer than 5 years. Sequencing of GJB2 entire coding region was first performed. The presence of deletions del(GJB6-D13S1830) and del(GJB6-D13S1854) was subsequently tested by multiplex PCR. To assess the oral outcome of these individuals, a global score is calculated through a formula that integrates the results of a battery of speech and audiological tests routinely used in ORL services. This global oral performance score was used to test whether individuals with DFNB1-associated deafness perform significantly better than individuals without DFNB1-associated deafness. RESULTS: In 35% of the cases, deafness was clearly associated to DFNB1. The most common mutated allele was c.35delG (85%). Other variants have also been found, namely p.Gly130Ala, p.Asn206Ser, p.Val37Ile, p.Glu47X, p.Arg184Trp, p.Trp24X and the two common GJB6 deletions, del(GJB6-D13S1854) and del(GJB6-D13S1830), the last one identified for the first time in our population. Regarding the oral outcome, after testing the homogeneity of the two groups it could be observed that, in mean, the individuals with DFNB1-associated deafness perform significantly better (p=0.012) than the individuals without DFNB1-associated deafness. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This first screening of DFNB1 genes in the Portuguese CI population provides clear evidence of the high proportion of DFNB1-associated deafness amongst the Portuguese implanted individuals. DFNB1 status is significantly associated to higher oral performance scores, with DFNB1 individuals performing, on average, 6% better than the individuals without DFNB1-associated deafness.

Metaplasia--a transdifferentiation process that facilitates cancer development: the model of gastric intestinal metaplasia.

Metaplasia, in general, and intestinal metaplasia, in particular, are transdifferentiation processes triggered by environmental aggressions. The heterogeneity of different morphologic variants of metaplasia and distinction from close morphologic entities--heterotopia and hamartoma--is reviewed. Recent data on the characterization of the molecular and epidemiological data involved in the development and progression of lesions of gastric intestinal metaplasia are discussed. A redefinition of intestinal metaplasia is proposed.

Esofagomanometria computadorizada: resultados preliminares em voluntários adultos saudáveis / Esofageal manometry: preliminary values in health adult volunteers

Com o advento da esofagomanometria e, mais recentemente, de sua informatizacao, gerou-se uma nova pespectiva para o entendimento da fisiologia esofageana, assim como dos processos fisiopatologicos ligados aos disturbios motores que acometem o órgao. A partir de entäo, o estudo manometrico esofagiano ultrapassou as linhas de pesquisa e ganhou aplicabilidade clínica, contribuindo para o esclarecimento de sintomas como disfagia e dor torácica e na avaliacao da terapeutica a ser adotada nos processos morbiods envolvidos com a motilidade do órgäo. Para tal é desejável a criacao de parametros a partir de uma populacao saudável que reflitam um padrao de mormalidade. No presente estudo apresentam-se os resultados preliminares do estudo morfometrico em equipamento computadorizado, obtidos em uma pequena amostra de indivíduos saudáveis. Espera-se que em futuro proximo possa determinar-se um padräo brasileiro de normalidade visando melhor adequaçao desses valores a nossa populacäo

Esôfago em quebra-nozes: avaliaçäo clínica de 97 pacientes / Nutcracker esophagus: clinical evaluation in 97 patients

O esôfago em quebra-nozes é uma anormalidade, incluída entre os distúrbios motores primários do esôfago, caracterizado por ondas peristálticas que atinge elevada amplitude em esôfago distal, descrita inicialmente em pacientes com dor torácica näo-cardíaca. Embora trabalhos posteriores tenham registrados o esôfago em quebra-nozes em pacientes com disfagia e, mais recentemente, o associado à doença do refluxo gastrotroesofágico, há bastante controvérsia em relaçäo a seu verdadeiro significado, sendo escassos os estudos clíncos envolvendo grande número de pacientes. Noventa e sete pacientes com o diagnóstico manométrico de esôfago em quebra-nozes, definido a partir de um grupo controle assintomático, foram estudados retrospectivamente quanto às caraterísticas clínicas e propedêuticaesofagiana, que incluiu endoscopia digestiva alta, esofagografia convencional e pHmetria esofagiana prolongada. Houve predomínio do sexo feminino (63,9 por cento), com média de idade de 54,3 anos. A queixa mais freqüentes que determinou a realizaçäo do examem manométrico foi dor toráxica, seguida de disfagia e pirose. As manifestaçöes clínicas como um todo foram dor toráxica (53,6 por cento), disfagia ( 52,6 por cento), pirose (52,6 por cento), regurgitaçäo (21,6 por cento), queixas otorrinolaringológicas (15,4 por cento), dispepsia (15,4 por cento) e odinofagia (4,1 por cento). A maior parte dos pacientes apresentou sintomas múltiplos, sendo queixa única observada em 28 porcento dos mesmo. A endoscopia digestiva alta demostrou esofagite erosiva em 8 por cento dos pacientes e a esofagografia convencional revelou distúrbios motor esofagiano em 16,4 por cento. A pHmetria esofagiana prolongada diagnosticou refluxo gastroesofagiano anormal em 41,2 por cento dos exames realizados. Concluiu-se que, controvérsias à parte, säo encontradas outras queixas além de dor toráxica e disfagia associadas ao esôfago em quebra-nozes e que é importante definir a associaçäo com a doença do refluxo gastroesofágico para orientar a conduta terapêutica.