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Study Objective: To illustrate a technique of robotic vesicovaginal fistula repair in a patient with a previous history of pelvic radiation therapy and multiple abdominal surgeries., Design: Stepwise demonstration of the technique with narrated video footage., Setting: This 59-year-old woman presented with vesicovaginal fistula. She had a history of rectosigmoidectomy followed by pelvic radiotherapy for stage III colon cancer 23 years earlier and subsequent robotic hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and omentectomy with bilateral pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy for stage II mixed cell endometrial carcinoma, which required surgical reintervention because of a pelvic hematoma and complete vaginal cuff dehiscence., Interventions: We performed a robotic approach to vesicovaginal fistula with several key steps to repair the fistula and maintain the integrity of the abdominopelvic structures: (1) careful bowel adhesiolysis involving multiple segments of the intestine to the abdominal and pelvic peritoneum; (2) cystotomy with vaginal probe guidance; (3) fistulectomy by monopolar scissors after ureteral orifice visualization; (4) dissection of the retropubic space of Retzius, relieving bladder tension; (5) transverse sutures to coapt the raw surfaces on the vaginal side and the bladder in 2 layers with minimal tension; and (6) transurethral instillation of methylene blue into the bladder., Conclusions: Traditionally, patients with vesicovaginal fistula after pelvic radiation therapy and multiple abdominal surgeries are managed by laparotomy. This video demonstrates a feasible robotic approach to vesicovaginal fistula repair, with superior imaging affording 3-dimensional visualization and stabilization of instruments, allowing wrist-like movements., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Intelligent farming is one of the vast range of applications covered by the Internet of Things concept. Notwithstanding, such applications present specific requirements and constraints that are dependent on their purpose. A practical case on which that is particularly relevant is the SheepIT project, where an automated IoT-based system controls grazing sheep within vineyards, guaranteeing that they do not threaten cultures. Due to its rigid requirements, particularly regarding the deployment of the Wireless Sensor Network, Machine-2-Machine communications and necessary interactions with a computational platform available through the Internet, Internet Protocol-based solutions are not suitable. Consequently, a customized communication stack has been developed, that intends to meet the project requirements, from the physical to the Application Layers. Although it has been developed considering the SheepIT requirements, its use may be extended to more generic intelligent farming applications, since most of the requirements are directly related with the farming environment. This paper reviews the proposed stack and details the recent developments. Particularly, we focused on Internet of Things/Machine-2-Machine interaction, describing the design and deployment of a gateway that addresses the SheepIT service requirements. Additionally, and complementary to previously published results, we evaluate the gateway performance and show its feasibility and scalability in a real scenario.

Introduction: Arterial hypertension is a complex, multifactorial disease, controlled by genetic and environmental factors., Objective: Evaluate the genetic susceptibility for developing arterial hypertension and its association with the traditional risk factors in the outbreak of this pathology., Material and Methods: Case-control study with 1712 individuals, mean age of 51.0 ± 7.9 years (860 hypertensive patients and 852 controls). Biochemical and traditional risk factors, and genetic variants were evaluated: ACE I/D rs4340, ACE A2350G rs4343, AGT T174M rs4762, AGT M235T rs699 AGTR1 A1166C rs5186, CYP11B2 -344 C/T rs1799998, ADRB1 R389G rs1801253, ADRB2 R16G rs1042713, ADD1 G460W rs4961, SCNN1G G173A rs5718, GNB3 C825T rs5443, ATP2B1 A/G rs2681472, CYP17A1 T/C rs11191548, SLC4A2 C/T rs2303934. The risk of each gene for hypertension was estimated by the dominant, recessive, co-dominant and multiplicative models. By logistic regression, variables associated with hypertension were evaluated. ROC curves were first performed with traditional risk factors and then adding the genetic variants associated with hypertension. Data were analyzed by SPSS for Windows 19.0 and MedCalc v. 13.3.3.0., Results: The genetic variants ADD1 G460W, GNB3 C825T, ACE I/D, ACE A2350G were associated with hypertension. ROC curve with traditional risk factors and these variants showed an increase in the predictive capacity of hypertension (p = 0.018)., Discussion: According to the results of our study, the genetic variants found to be associated with hypertension were: ACE I/D rs4340, ACE A2350G rs4343, ADD1 G460W rs4961 and GNB3 C825T rs5443. The first two variants are associated with hypertension by interfering with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, which plays an important role in regulating blood pressure. It should be noted that genes encoding the components of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system are natural candidates for the development and progression of hypertension. In our population alpha-aducin polymorphism (ADD1 G460W rs4961) was also associated with hypertension. In a Portuguese population, known to have high salt intake, it makes sense that this polymorphism which is relevant in salt and water management may consequently be relevant in the onset of hypertension. The genetic variant GNB3 C825T rs5443 that affects intracellular signalling was also found to be a strong risk candidate for hypertension. Initially, with the elaboration of the ROC curve and calculation of the AUC using only with traditional risk factors and later by adding the variants ADD1 G460W, GNB3 C825T, ACE I/D and ACE A2350G to the traditional risk factors, we verified that genetic polymorphisms increased the predictive risk of hypertension, when compared to the risk given only by traditional risk factors, with statistical significance (p = 0.018). This suggests that hypertension is a multifactorial disease that results from the interaction of environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors that interact with each other and lead to the advent of this important pathology., Conclusion: In our study, the hypertension-associated polymorphisms are linked to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis (ACE I/D, ACE A2350G), as well as to salt and water management (ADD1 G460W, GNB3 C825T). Through a multivariate analysis, it was concluded that these two last genetic variants together with four of the traditional risk factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and diabetes) are associated in a significant and independent way with essential hypertension. In a predictive model of hypertension, the introduction of genetic variants slightly increases the predictive value of the model.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to characterize the profile of victims of interpersonal physical violence (IPV) caused by a knife or other sharp instrument, identify the factors associated with maxillofacial trauma, and examine the incidence of maxillofacial trauma over time., Patients and Methods: In a retrospective cohort study, we evaluated 569 medicolegal and social records of IPV victims by knife or other sharp instruments treated at a forensic medicine and dentistry center in Brazil during a 4-year consecutive period. The variables investigated were related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the victims, circumstances of the aggression, and trauma patterns. Descriptive and multivariate statistics through Poisson regression and trend analysis with the creation of polynomial regression models were used., Results: The cumulative incidence of oral-maxillofacial trauma was 19.3%. The mean age of the victims was 31.29 ± 13.82 years. Cases of trauma affecting more than one region of the face prevailed (45.5%). Based on the final Poisson regression model, unemployed people were more likely to exhibit maxillofacial trauma (relative risk [RR] 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03-3.35; P = .039). In addition, individuals were more likely to experience maxillofacial trauma on Wednesdays (RR 1.85; 95% CI 1.01-3.37; P = .045). The trend analysis revealed a significant increase in oral-maxillofacial injuries over time (P < .05)., Conclusions: The incidence of oral-maxillofacial trauma was high, and the main factors associated with trauma were the victim's employment status and day of occurrence. Future studies will focus on assessing the effect of maxillofacial trauma on the quality of life and well-being of violence victims., (Copyright © 2018 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

New psychoactive substances (NPS), often referred as 'legal highs' or 'designer drugs', are derivatives and analogs of existing psychoactive drugs that are introduced in the recreational market to circumvent existing legislation on drugs of abuse. This work aims to review the state-of-the-art regarding chemical, molecular pharmacology, and in vitro and in vivo data on toxicokinetics of the potent synthetic cathinone α-pyrrolidinovalerophenone (α-PVP or flakka or zombie drug). Chemical, pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical effects of α-PVP were searched in PubMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine) and governmental websites without limitation of the period. α-PVP is a wide spread and easy to get special type of synthetic cathinone with seemingly powerful cocaine-like stimulant effects, high brain penetration, high liability for abuse and with increased risk of adverse effects such as tachycardia, agitation, hypertension, hallucinations, delirium, mydriasis, self-injury, aggressive behavior, and suicidal ideations. α-PVP undergoes extensive metabolism via different pathways and the α-PVP itself or its metabolites β-hydroxy-α-PVP and α-PVP lactam represent the main targets for toxicological analysis in urine. There is a limited knowledge regarding the short- and long-term effects of α-PVP and metabolites, and pharmacogenetic influence, hence further clinical and forensic toxicological studies are required. Moreover, since α-PVP cannot be detected with classic routine analysis procedures, statements on the frequency of their consumption cannot be made.

The main objective of this study was to show the applicability of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) in the detection and representation of underlying structures in large datasets used to investigate oral-maxillofacial lesions. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving the analysis of the medical-forensic and social records of 992 people who experienced oral-maxillofacial trauma resulting from non-fatal violent crimes that occurred in the community. Based on the MCA results, two distinct victim profiles were identified. The first profile was characterized by adult men, victims of instruments of violence (such as firearms, knives, or mixed aggression), resulting in severe trauma, mainly affecting the upper or middle third of the face. The second profile was characterized by adolescent and young adult women, victims of aggression using physical force, resulting in soft tissue traumas, mainly affecting the lower third of the face or more than one region at the same time. MCA has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool for exploring complex data related to oral-maxillofacial trauma, showing whether there is a relationship and how variables are related. This multivariate method can also be very valuable in the study of several outcomes in oral and maxillofacial surgery and supporting specialties., (Copyright © 2017 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Degloving injuries may be a challenge when it comes to deciding the surgical approach to be used. Repositioning of the flap and suturing are faster and more straightforward, but often these procedures often lead to total or partial loss of the avulsed flap. Pharmacological agents with vascular properties that enhance the viability of the reattached flap could be beneficial to patients with degloving injuries. Experimental models with which to test this hypothesis are scarce. An experimental model reproducing a degloving injury of the hind limb of rats was developed in our department, and the effects of pentoxifylline (Ptx) and allopurinol (Alp) were assessed., Methods: In all, 3 groups of rats were studied (25 rats each). A hind limb degloving model was used in all groups, resulting in a reverse flow flap. The flap was then repositioned and sutured. The control (Ct) group received only saline solution, the Ptx group received pentoxifylline (25 mg/kg), and the Alp group received allopurinol (45 mg/kg). The rats were observed for 7 days, after which they were killed, and the flap was removed. The total area of the avulsed flap and the necrotic area were measured., Results: The median total flap area (cm) was 5.6 for the Ct group, 5.5 for the Ptx group, and 5.8 for the Alp group (P = 0.9465). Thus, the flaps were similar. The median necrotic flap area (cm) was 3.3 for the Ct group, 2.3 for the Ptx group, and 1.9 for the Alp group (P = 0.0001). There was a statistical difference between the Ct and Ptx groups and the Ct and Alp groups (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The areas of necrosis observed in the degloved flaps of the rats' hind limbs were smaller in the pentoxifylline and allopurinol groups. Although allopurinol seems to be more efficient, the difference was not significant.

Objective: To analyze the cost-effectiveness of a meningococcal C vaccination program in Brazil., Methods: A hypothetical cohort of 3,194,038 children born in Brazil in 2006 was followed for 10 years. A decision tree model was developed using the TreeAge Pro 2007 software program to compare universal infant vaccination with the current program. Epidemiological and cost estimates were based on data retrieved from National Health Information Systems and the literature. The analysis was conducted from the public health care system and societal perspectives. Costs are expressed in 2006 Brazilian reals (R$)., Results: At 94% coverage, the program would avoid 1,218 cases, 210 deaths, and 14,473 life-years lost, a reduction of, respectively, 45%, 44%, and 44%, for the 10-year period. Vaccination costs of R$320.9 million would not be offset by R$4 to R$7.9 million decreases in disease treatment costs. A national vaccination program would cost R$21,620 per life-year saved from the perspective of the health-care system and R$21,896 per life-year saved from society's perspective. Results were most sensitive to case fatality rate, disease incidence, and vaccine cost., Conclusions: A universal childhood vaccination program against meningococcal C proved to be a cost-effective strategy, supporting the recent decision of the Brazilian government. These results could contribute to defining the most favorable price of the vaccine and to monitoring its impact on the population., (Copyright © 2011 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)