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Cost partitioning is a well-known technique to make admissible heuristics for classical planning additive. The optimal cost partitioning of explicit-state abstraction heuristics can be computed in polynomial time with a linear program, but the size of the model is often prohibitive. We study this model from a dual perspective and develop several simplification rules to reduce its size. We use these rules to answer open questions about extensions of the state equation heuristic and their relation to cost partitioning.

Belief tracking is a basic problem in planning with sensing. While the problem is intractable, it has been recently shown that for both deterministic and non-deterministic systems expressed in compact form, it can be done in time and space that are exponential in the problem width. The width measures the maximum number of state variables that are all relevant to a given precondition or goal. In this work, we extend this result both theoretically and practically. First, we introduce an alternative decomposition scheme and algorithm with the same time complexity but different completeness guarantees, whose space complexity is much smaller: exponential in the causal width of the problem that measures the number of state variables that are causally relevant to a given precondition, goal, or observable. Second, we introduce a fast, meaningful, and powerful approximation that trades completeness by speed, and is both time and space exponential in the problem causal width. It is then shown empirically that the algorithm combined with simple heuristics yields state-of-the-art real-time performance in domains with high widths but low causal widths such as Minesweeper, Battleship, and Wumpus., Comment: Proceedings IJCAI-13

Recently, width-based planning methods have been shown to yield state-of-the-art results in the Atari 2600 video games. For this, the states were associated with the (RAM) memory states of the simulator. In this work, we consider the same planning problem but using the screen instead. By using the same visual inputs, the planning results can be compared with those of humans and learning methods. We show that the planning approach, out of the box and without training, results in scores that compare well with those obtained by humans and learning methods, and moreover, by developing an episodic, rollout version of the IW(k) algorithm, we show that such scores can be obtained in almost real time., Published at AAAI-18

Potential heuristics for state-space search are defined as weighted sums over simple state features. Atomic features consider the value of a single state variable in a factored state representation, while binary features consider joint assignments to two state variables. Previous work showed that the set of all admissible and consistent potential heuristics using atomic features can be characterized by a compact set of linear constraints. We generalize this result to binary features and prove a hardness result for features of higher dimension. Furthermore, we prove a tractability result based on the treewidth of a new graphical structure we call the context-dependency graph. Finally, we study the relationship of potential heuristics to transition cost partitioning. Experimental results show that binary potential heuristics are significantly more informative than the previously considered atomic ones., Proceedings AAAI-17

[Departement_IRSTEA]Eaux [TR1_IRSTEA]BELCA; International audience; Nowadays, biofilms are one of the principal targets of community ecotoxicology in aquatic ecosystems with a high potential for future use in ecotoxicology. A large set of methods derived from biofilm ecology has successfully been applied in ecotoxicology providing a diverse and comprehensive toolbox. Our ability to quantify the effects of pollution on different biofilm components, allows the direct effects of pollutants on the most sensitive community and their indirect effects on the rest of biofilm components to be evaluated. Biofilms are also a site for biotransfomation and/or transfer of chemicals to other aquatic organisms, supporting a more generalized use of biofilms in environmental chemistry. Investigations aiming to describe processes at biofilm scale, like nutrient dynamics and those including simple food chains, have recently been applied, providing the opportunity of upscaling the effects of pollutants on biofilms to food webs and ecosystems. Finally, biofilm ecotoxicology should now focus on providing the theoretical background for understanding the complex set of responses of natural communities to pollution. This knowledge should also be the basis for guiding the selection of the most appropriate tools and the development of new approaches for a better detection of the impact of pollution on aquatic life.

Finite-state controllers represent an effective action selection mechanisms widely used in domains such as video-games and mobile robotics. In contrast to the policies obtained from MDPs and POMDPs, finite-state controllers have two advantages: they are often extremely compact, and they are general, applying to many problems and not just one. A limitation of finite-state controllers, on the other hand, is that they are written by hand. In this paper, we address this limitation, presenting a method for deriving controllers automatically from models. The models represent a class of contingent problems where actions are deterministic and some fluents are observable. The problem of deriving a controller is converted into a conformant problem that is solved using classical planners, taking advantage of a complete translation into classical planning introduced recently. The controllers derived are ‘general’ in the sense that they do not solve the original problem only, but many variations as well, including changes in the size of the problem or in the uncertainty of the initial situation and action effects. Several experiments illustrating the automatic derivation of controllers are presented.

Existing controller-based approaches for centralized and decentralized POMDPs are based on automata with output known as Moore machines. In this paper, we show that several advantages can be gained by utilizing another type of automata, the Mealy machine. Mealy machines are more powerful than Moore machines, provide a richer structure that can be exploited by solution methods, and can be easily incorporated into current controller-based approaches. To demonstrate this, we adapted some existing controller-based algorithms to use Mealy machines and obtained results on a set of benchmark domains. The Mealy-based approach always outperformed the Moore-based approach and often outperformed the state-of-the-art algorithms for both centralized and decentralized POMDPs. These findings provide fresh and general insights for the improvement of existing algorithms and the development of new ones.

Datalog-based systems often materialise all consequences of a datalog program and the data, allowing users' queries to be evaluated directly in the materialisation. This process, however, can be computationally intensive, so most systems update the materialisation incrementally when input data changes. We argue that existing solutions, such as the well-known Delete/Rederive (DRed) algorithm, can be inefficient in cases when facts have many alternate derivations. As a possible remedy, we propose a novel Backward/Forward (B/F) algorithm that tries to reduce the amount of work by a combination of backward and forward chaining. In our evaluation, the B/F algorithm was several orders of magnitude more efficient than the DRed algorithm on some inputs, and it was never significantly less efficient.

La artritis neumocócica es infrecuente en adultos, predomina en pacientes pediátricos. La neumonía y la bacteriemia son las manifestaciones más frecuentes, la afectación articular según series recientes tiene una prevalencia menor al 1% en sujetos menores de 50 años. Se presenta el caso de una paciente de 60 años con LES (Lupus Eritematoso Sistémico) la cual presentó monoartritis séptica de rodilla derecha causada por Streptococcus pneumoniae Pneumococcal arthritis is uncommon in adults, predominantly in pediatric patients. Pneumonia and bacteremia are the most common manifestations; joint involvement according to recent series has a lower prevalence of 1% in subjects under 50 years. We report the case of a patient of 60 years with SLE (systemic lupus erythematosus) which presented septic monoarthritis right knee caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

International audience; Chronic, non-lethal stressors occurring gradually (in space or time) can result in cumulative impacts that are more dramatic than higher intensities or occasional critical levels of any single one of these stressors. The negative effects of the chronic stressors trigger lasting impacts that may grow in intensity and become problematic over time and/or to higher trophic levels. In rivers, aquatic organisms experience this type of cumulative stress along the up- to downstream gradient in natural and anthropogenic contaminants generally observed in inhabited watersheds. Diatoms are a major component of the periphyton in rivers; their richness and diversity in natural communities are directly related to their varied ecological preferences and sensitivity to disturbance. In this study, we monitored from 2003 to 2008 the changes in the diversity of taxonomic and non-taxonomic features along a small river (Riou-Mort, South West France), at three sites: one site upstream considered as a reference for this watershed, one intermediate site with high nutrient load, and one downstream site exposed to both nutrient and metal pollution. The cumulative impacts of nutrients plus metals led to a gradual decrease in species richness and diversity, and in a potential capacity to cope with additional stresses, e.g. climate change-related ones. This is reflected by a decrease in species richness downstream, more dramatic in the hot summer of 2003 than in cooler summers. With the increasingly protective environmental regulations (e.g. Water Framework Directive in Europe), accumulation of stresses on aquatic resources are recommended to receive increasing attention, in particular considering the expected changes in climate.

Module extraction — the task of computing a (preferably small) fragment M of an ontology T that preserves entailments over a signature S — has found many applications in recent years. Extracting modules of minimal size is, however, computationally hard, and often algorithmically infeasible. Thus, practical techniques are based on approximations, where M provably captures the relevant entailments, but is not guaranteed to be minimal. Existing approximations, however, ensure that M preserves all second-order entailments of T w.r.t. S, which is stronger than is required in many applications, and may lead to large modules in practice. In this paper we propose a novel approach in which module extraction is reduced to a reasoning problem in datalog. Our approach not only generalises existing approximations in an elegant way, but it can also be tailored to preserve only specific kinds of entailments, which allows us to extract significantly smaller modules. An evaluation on widely-used ontologies has shown very encouraging results.

RESUMO Objectivo: Conhecer o comportamento de uma população de doentes com atrésia das vias biliares nas distintas fases da doença e determinar a sua sobrevida e factores prognósticos. Doentes e Métodos: Estudo retrospectivo, transversal, descritivo, incluindo os doentes com atrésia das vias biliares diagnosticados e tratados de Janeiro de 1992 a Dezembro de 2007; este período foi subdividido em duas partes: P1 de Janeiro de 1992 a Dezembro de 1999 e P2 de Janeiro de 2000 a Dezembro de 2007. Foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: dados clínicos e bioquímicos; achados imagiológicos, histológicos e cirúrgicos; idade de realização do Kasai; realização de transplante hepático e resultado. Resultados: Foram atendidos 15 doentes (seis em P1 e nove em P2). O tempo mediano entre a admissão e a portoenterostomia (PE) de Kasai foi 10 dias (14 dias em P1; 7 dias em P2). A idade mediana de execução da PE de Kasai foi 58 dias (89 dias em P1; 45 dias em P2). A PE de Kasai funcionou em 46,67% (33,33% em P1; 55,56% em P2). A sobrevida global aos cinco anos foi 83.33% (66,67% em P1; 100% em P2). A sobrevida com fígado nativo aos cinco anos foi 41.67% (16,67% em P1; 66.67% em P2). Conclusões: Apesar do número reduzido de doentes operados/ano (1,125 doentes) os resultados em P2 são comparáveis aos observados nos centros europeus de referência. Esta melhoria foi obtida à custa dum diagnóstico mais precoce, com consequente diminuição da idade de execução da PE Kasai; acresce também a importância da experiência acumulada pela equipa ao longo dos anos. ABSTRACT Objective: To obtain further insight into the natural history of patients with biliary atresia and to determine survival and prognostic factors. Patients and Methods: we performed a retrospective cross-sectional, descriptive, case series study, that included all patients with biliary atresia attended in our hospital from January 1992 to December 2007. This period was divided in two parts: P1 from January 1992 to December 1999 and P2 from January 2000 to December 2007. The following variables were analysed: clinical biochemical, imagiological, histological and surgical data; age of Kasai procedure; need of liver transplant and outcome. Results: There were 15 patients attended (six in P1 and nine in P2). Median time between admission and Kasai procedure was 10 days (14 days in P1; 7days in P2). Median age at Kasai procedure was 58 days (89 days in P1; 45 days in P2). Kasai procedure was successful in 46,67% (33,33% in P1; 55.56% in P2). Overall five years survival was 83.33% (66,67% in P1; 100% in P2). Five years survival with native liver was 41.67% (16,67% in P1; 66.67 % in P2). Conclusions: Despite the low rate of admissions (1,125 patients/year) the P2 results are similar to those of Reference European Centers. This improvement was achieved with an early diagnosis (early reference of patients and more rapid investigation, with consequent lowering of Kasai procedure`s median age); it was also important the increased experience of the team within the years.

International audience; Anthropogenic activities are in great concern with metal pollution in fluvial ecosystems. Metals are persistence and bioacumulable contaminants with severe effects on biota. From this perspective, the main aim of this study was to evaluate metal toxicity in the Riou Mort and Osor rives by using different Chl-a fluorescence parameters as a complement to the diatom community composition. Two independent experiments were carried out. Spring 2008, in the Riou Mort (France), which presents high Zn and Cd concentrations in water (Morin et al. 2007), biofilms were translocated from non polluted site to two metal polluted sites,and, after 6 and 24h Chl-a fluorescence parameters where evaluated by PhytoPAM: Spring 2009, in the Osor River (Spain), with a Zn historically contamination (ACA). biofilms were colonized on substrata and translocated from non polluted site to 5 different sites with different Zn concentrations in water. Samples were taken after 6 and 72 hours as well after 1, 3 and 5 weeks of exposure for Chl-a fluorescence measurements and taxonomical diatom analyses. The experimental design applied, by the use of biofilm translocations seems to be a good approach to evaluate in field acute and chronic metal effects on biofilm. The use of Chl-a fluorescence parameters on biofilm for assessing metal contamination on Riou Mort stream and Osor River revelead that this parameters are not specific of metal pollution and their sensitivity to detect metal pollution on biofilms adapted to metal pollution seems to be small. On the other hand, photosynthetic and quenching parameters responded quickly after acute metal exposure. The the diatom community composition seems to be a very sensitive biomarker of chronic Zn exposure, suporting its use for metal assessment.

International audience; A large database of river diatoms (comprising more than 580 taxa) was constituted based on field surveys carried out in 6 different countries (France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Vietnam, China), in rivers exposed to various loads of heavy metals in the water. After taxonomy harmonization, the patterns in diatom community structure were investigated for 187 samples, all collected from hard substrates in rivers of circumneutral waters. As the sites were contaminated by a mixture of different metals (mainly Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) with various loads, metal concentrations were converted into a single score after Clements et al. (2000) in order to determine 4 categories of metal inputs: background, low, moderate and high. The biotypology (i.e. structuration of the diatom dataset) indicates that the species are influenced by the biogeographical context as well as metal inputs. The most structuring environmental parameters are investigated, and discriminating analyses are used to determine the relevance of some particular species (e.g. Eolimna minima, Nitzschia palea, Surirella angusta) as well as teratological forms for the biomonitoring of heavy metal pollutions. Special attention is also given to the information brought by other traits often cited as reliable for metal assessment, i.e. cell size distribution and diatom growth forms and postures.

International audience; The goal of this study was to assess the use of antioxidant enzyme activities (AEA) in periphyton communities as biomarkers of low metal pollution under multiple stress field conditions. With this purpose, the effects of metal exposure were investigated in situ in a low order stream, located in a former mining area. Translocation experiments were performed along a gradient of metal pollution including a control and five polluted sites. Physical and chemical parameters, metal bioaccumulation, AEA and diatom species composition in periphyton were followed over the five weeks of translocation. Dissolved Zn concentration was

International audience; A large database of river diatoms (comprising more than 450 taxa) was constituted based on field surveys carried out in different countries (France, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, Vietnam), in rivers exposed to various loads of heavy metals in the water. After taxonomy harmonization, the patterns in diatom community structure were investigated for 163 samples, all collected from hard substrates. The biotypology (i.e. structuration of the diatom dataset) indicates that the species are influenced by the hydroecoregional context as well as metal inputs. The most structuring environmental parameters are investigated, and discriminating analyses are used to determine the relevance of some particular species (e.g. Eolimna minima, Achnanthidium minutissimum) as well as teratological forms for the biomonitoring of heavy metal pollutions.

International audience; It is well know that some aquatic environments are contaminated by heavy metals from diverse kind of wastes. At present there are not many biomarkers of metal pollution and many of the biotic indices which are in use are mostly based on structural changes occurring at community level which are expected to integrate biotic responses over relatively long periods of time (from weeks to months depending on the life time of the organisms investigated). Thus, it is of great interest to develop new metal toxicity bioindicators focusing on both early responses and chronic effects in order to complete the information provided by the available ones. This will improve our understanding of the causes of ecosystem damage as required by the water framework directive (WFD, 2000/60/EC). In rivers and streams, the biofilm (also known as phytobenthos or periphyton) has been widely used as bioindicator of pollution due its capacity to detect early effects produced by toxic substances, as are heavy metals, providing an ecotoxicology approach at community level with high ecological relevance. Metals interfere with the metabolism of organisms at different stages. The pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) fluorometry has been widely used to assess the direct and indirect functional effects of toxicants on photosynthetic organisms. Antioxidant enzyme activities (AEA) have been studied as well, giving to the main conclusions that AEA can be used as early warning systems because they have a functional response detectable before than structural changes (i.e. algal biomass or species composition). Moreover, these enzyme activities might also be biomarkers of adaptation, since their activation is expected to contribute to metal detoxification under chronic exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate metal toxicity on fluvial biofilms using functional (PAM), metabolic (AEA) as well as structural (diatom species composition) endpoints. To reach this goal, a biofilm translocation experiment was performed in the Osor River, a tributary of the Ter river located in a former mining area. This river presents high levels of dissolved zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe) reaching up to 600 µg Zn/L and 750 µg Fe/L after the entrance of a mining source. Biofilms were translocated from non-polluted to polluted sites in order to evaluate the different responses obtained over a metal concentration gradient at different temporal scales (from hours to several weeks of exposure). In spite of the high temporal variability observed, we identified several functional and metabolic parameters related with the metal gradient. Metal concentrations found in Osor River affected the fluvial biofilm causing transitory physiological responses (short exposure) and structural and functional alterations (chronic exposure). Moreover, at the end of the experiment (after 5 weeks of exposure), dominant diatom species were also related with the metal gradient, showing more teratological forms and a smaller biovolume at the metalpolluted sites. Our results suggest that PAM and AEA of fluvial biofilms can be used as early-warning tools as well as biomarkers of adaptation in metal polluted rivers complementing the information provided by diatom studies (including taxonomical and morphological attributes).

International audience; Les activités anthropogéniques responsables en grande partie de la contamination métallique des écosystèmes fluviaux. Les métaux sont des contaminants persistants et bioaccumulables aux nombreux effets délétères sur le biota. De ce contexte, le but principal de cette étude était d'évaluer la toxicité de métaux dans les cours d'eau Riou Mort (France, Zn et Cd) et Osor (Espagne, Zn) en analysant différents paramètres de fluorescence de la Chl-a en complément de la composition diatomique des communautés périphytiques naturelles. Deux expériences indépendantes ont été effectuées, basées sur la translocation de biofilms matures développés en conditions non contaminées (amont du cours d'eau) vers l'aval (2 sites aval sur le Riou-Mort, 5 le long de la Riera d'Osor). Après transfert des biofilms (6, 24, 72h) de l'emplacement non pollué aux sites contaminés, les paramètres de fluorescence ont été suivis au PhytoPAM. Les effets à long terme sur la communauté ont également été étudiés, avec une détermination des paramètres photosynthétiques et de la structure de la communauté diatomique après 1, 3 et 5 semaines d'exposition. Le plan d'expérience appliqué, employant des translocations de biofilm, semble être une bonne approche pour l'évaluation in situ des effets aigus et chroniques des métaux sur le biofilm.

Submitted by Revista Nascer e Crescer (nascerecrescer.hmp@chporto.min-saude.pt) on 2012-07-31T11:00:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Esferocitose_18-2.pdf: 85856 bytes, checksum: 2e3b1e801ff466b9e4adfa97ef4db130 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-31T11:00:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Esferocitose_18-2.pdf: 85856 bytes, checksum: 2e3b1e801ff466b9e4adfa97ef4db130 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06

Objectivos: Avaliar as indicações para a esplenectomia e colecistectomia, os seus resultados e complicações em crianças com esferocitose hereditária. Material e Métodos: Realizou-se uma revisão retrospectiva das crianças com diagnóstico de Esferocitose Hereditária (EH) seguidas na consulta de Hematologia entre Janeiro de 1992 e Agosto de 2007. Os parâmetros avaliados foram: idade actual; sexo; grau de gravidade da EH avaliado de acordo com os critérios publicados pela British Society for Haematology em 2004; co-hereditariedade de síndrome de Gilbert; doentes submetidos a esplenectomia e colecistectomia; idade à data da cirurgia; método cirúrgico usado (laparotomia/laparoscopia; esplenectomia total/parcial); parâmetros relevantes na decisão de esplenectomia e/ou colecistectomia (anemia, reticulocitose, esplenomegalia, dependência transfusional, litíase vesicular, hematopoiese extramedular e outras) ; parâmetros analíticos pré e pós-cirúrgicos (hemograma, contagem de reticulócitos, bilirrubina total e bioquímica do ferro); atitudes profiláticas relativas a complicações de esplenectomia (vacinação prévia, antibioterapia profi lática e terapêutica) e registo de possíveis complicações (sépsis, trombose, lítiase vesicular) nos doentes submetidos a esplenectomia. Procedeu-se a análise estatística com recurso ao Software SPSS® versão 13. Resultados: O número de doentes com o diagnóstico de EH foi de 52. Destes 19 eram classificados como EH ligeira, 24 como EH moderada e nove como EH grave. Em 15 doentes foi efectuada esplenectomia total (ET) e em três doentes esplenectomia parcial (EP). Os motivos mais relevantes na decisão da esplenectomia foram: anemia com elevada reticulocitose (n=14), esplenomegalia severa (n=14), dependência transfusional (n=4), litíase vesicular (n=5) e pancreatite litiásica (n=2). O incremento médio de hemoglobina pós-esplenectomia foi de 4,95 g/ dl (1,6-10,1). A erradicação de hemólise, entendida como correcção da anemia, reticulocitose e valor de bilirrubina total, após a esplenectomia, verificou-se em 11 casos, três mantiveram reticulocitose moderada (2EP+1ET), dois reticulocitose severa (1ET+1EP). Não foram observadas complicações graves pós-esplenectomia. Em seis doentes observou-se trombocitose sustentada. Cinco das dezoito crianças submetidas a esplenectomia realizaram esplenectomia com colecistectomia concomitante, por lítiase vesicular. Nove doentes realizaram apenas colecistectomia num único tempo cirúrgico. Conclusões: As opções seguidas estão de acordo com as recomendações da literatura, ou seja, a maioria das EH graves foram esplenectomizados precocemente, apenas algumas EH moderadas mais tardiamente, enquanto que os casos ligeiros não foram esplenectomizados. A colecistectomia isolada, realizada em nove doentes, contraria a generalidade da literatura, que recomenda face a indicação para colecistectomia, a realização em simultâneo, de esplenectomia. Esta recomendação fundamenta-se num eventual risco de recorrência de litíase nas vias biliares. ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the indications for splenectomy and cholecystectomy, its results and complications in children with diagnosis of Hereditary spherocytosis (HS). Material and methods: The authors retrospectively reviewed all cases of HS followed in the Haematology Department of our hospital between January of 1992 and August of 2007.The parameters evaluated were: actual age, sex, HS classification accordingly to the criteria published by the British Society for Haematology in 2004, co-inheritance of Gilbert Syndrome, patients submitted to splenectomy and cholecystectomy; age at surgery; surgical method (laparotomy/laparoscopy; total/ partial splenectomy); relevant parameters for splenectomy and cholecystectomy (anemia, reticulocits number, transfusion dependence, splenomegaly, gallstones; extramedullary hematopoiesis and others); analytic results before and after surgery (hemogram, reticulocits count, total bilirrubin, iron bioquimics); prophylactic attitude in respect of complications due to splenectomy (previous vaccination, prophylactic and therapeutic antibiotics); assessment of possible complications (sepsis, thrombosis, gallstones) in patients submitted to splenectomy. It was performed a descriptive analysis recurring to the software SPSS, 13rd version. Results: Fifty-two patients were diagnosed with HS. Nineteen patients were classified as mild HS, 24 as moderate HS and nine as severe HS. Total splenectomy (TS) was performed in 15 patients and partial splenectomy (PS) in three patients. The most relevant motives in the decision to splenectomy were: anaemia with high reticulocyte count (n=14), severe splenomegaly (n=14), transfusion dependence (n=4), gallstones (n=5) and pancreatitis by cholelithiasis (n=2).The median haemoglobin increment after splenectomy was 4.95g/dl (1,6-10,1). The eradication of haemolysis, perceived as anaemia, reticulocitosis and bilirrubinemia correction, after splenectomy, was observed in 11 patients, three maintained moderate reticulocytosis (2PS+1TS) and two maintained severe reticulocytosis (1TS+1PS). We did not observe severe complications after splenectomy. In six patients persistent thrombocytosis was observed. Five from the eighteen children submitted to splenectomy realize both splenectomy and cholecystectomy, because of the presence of gallstones. Nine patients were submitted to cholecystectomy in one surgical time. Conclusions: The options followed agreed with the recommendations suggested in the literature: the majority of the severe HS were splenectomized early, some of the moderate forms were splenectomized later and the milder forms were not submitted to splenectomy. The isolated cholecystectomy, realized in nine patients, refute the general literature, that recommends at the same time of the cholecystectomy the realization of splenectomy. This recommendation fundaments in the eventual risk of recurrence of gallstones in biliar routes.

La incidencia de criptorquidia es del 1% en niños de 1 año de edad, siendo en el 20% de los casos el testículo no palpable. El objetivo de este trabajo fue estudiar la contribución de la cirugía mínimamente invasiva en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de estos pacientes. Los autores realizaron un estudio prospectivo, analítico y longitudinal durante el período de enero de 2001 a diciembre de 2004, englobando 89 niños portadores de 98 testículos no palpables sometidos a laparoscopia. Los autores analizaron los siguientes parámetros: localización del testículo no palpable, examen objetivo bajo anestesia general ecografía inguinoescrotal, edad de la intervención, hallazgos laparoscópicos, tratamiento efectuado, resultados anatomopatológicos de las piezas extirpadas y seguimiento después de la cirugía.

Cir Pediatr. 2006 Apr;19(2):106-10. [Reconstruction of velopharyngeal sphincter in secondary Cleft Palate: surgical alternative] [Article in Spanish] Recamán M, Bonet B, Leitão J, Mesquita A. Hospital Central e Especializado de Crianças Maria Pia, Serviço de Cirurgía Plástica. monicarec@iol.pt Abstract There are numerous surgical procedures for the repair of Cleft Palate (CP). Since 1998, in children with CP we use a modified Wardill-Kilner technique, with a large section of the nasal mucous layer at the level of the muscular insertion on the hard palate and lateral nasopharingeal wall, obtaining a push-back and reorientation of the muscular fibres without dissection, diminishing this way the risks of haemorrhages and fibrosis, simplifying the intervention. It allows a lower operative time and a short internment. The aim of our study was to evaluate the results of this operative procedure specially in the development of the speech in 73 children operated on from 1998 until 2000 in our hospital. We verify a competence of the velopharingeal sphincter with ideal results in speech in 88,8% of the cases. PMID: 16846134 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

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