RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic represents an important negative impact on global training of neurosurgery residents. Even before the pandemic, discrimination is a challenge that neurosurgical residents have consistently faced. In the present study, we evaluated discriminatory conditions experienced by residents during their neurosurgical training in Mexico before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. METHODS: An electronic survey of 18 questions was sent among residents registered in the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery (MSNS), between October 2019 and July 2020. Statistical analysis was made in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The survey focused on demographic characteristics, discrimination, personal satisfaction, and expectations of residents. RESULTS: A response rate of 50% (132 of 264 residents' members of MSNS) was obtained and considered for analysis. Median age was 30.06 ± 2.48 years, 5.3% (n = 7) were female and 16.7% (n = 22) were foreigners undergoing neurosurgical training in Mexico. Approximately 27% of respondents suffered any form of discrimination, mainly by place of origin (9.1%), by gender (8.3%) or by physical appearance (6.1%). About 42.9% (n = 3) of female residents were discriminated by gender versus 6.4% (n = 8) of male residents (P = 0.001); while foreign residents mentioned having suffered 10 times more an event of discrimination by place of origin compared to native Mexican residents (36.4% vs. 3.6%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This manuscript represents the first approximation to determine the impact of discrimination suffered by residents undergoing neurosurgical training in Mexico before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Actinomycosis is a rare infection, frequently misdiagnosed as a neoplasia. This chronic and granulomatous disease is caused by Actinomyces israelii species. Cervicofacial actinomycosis occurs in 60% of cases and the diagnosis is commonly made by histopathology study. CASE DESCRIPTION: We report a case of fronto-orbital osteomyelitis initially misdiagnosed as a cranial bone meningioma, but later proved to be a case of actinomycosis. 99mTechnetium (99mTc) three-phase bone single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) and 99mTc-ubiquicidin (UBI) 29-41 bone SPECT/CT scans were performed to corroborate the control of the infection. CONCLUSION: Craniofacial actinomycosis is the most common presentation of actinomycosis. However, it continues to be a rare and difficult disease to diagnose and is often confused with a neoplastic process. The 99mTc-UBI 29-41 bone SPECT/CT scan could be an auxiliary noninvasive diagnostic alternative and a follow-up method for these patients.
