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This article discusses a rare case of coexistent meningiomas and Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC). PFBC is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by brain calcifications and a variety of neuropsychiatric symptoms and signs, with pathogenic variants in specific genes. The study explores the potential link between PFBC and meningiomas, highlighting shared features like intralesional calcifications and common genes such as MEA6. The article also revisits PFBC patients developing other brain tumors, particularly gliomas, emphasizing the intersection of oncogenes like PDGFB and PDGFRB in both calcifications and tumor progression. In recent investigations, attention has extended beyond brain tumors to breast cancer metastasis, unveiling a noteworthy connection. These findings suggest a broader connection between brain calcifications and tumors, encouraging a reevaluation of therapeutic approaches for PFBC., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Referees and assistant referees are submitted to high physical stress during matches. Pressure to make decisions in front of large crowds is another potential stressor. These two stressors can impair attention executive control, depending on physical fitness and individual vulnerability or resilience to situational pressure. Error percentage for referees and assistants may reach around 14% during a soccer match. Although previous studies have suggested that soccer referees and assistants should take cognitive assessments, they are only required by Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to demonstrate knowledge of the rules and pass annually in a fitness test (FIFA-Test). This study aimed to assess attention performance in referees and assistants before and after the mandatory FIFA-Test. It is hypothesized that the high physical demands associated with the pressure to pass the FIFA-Test would interfere with attention performance. The sample included 33 referees and 20 assistants. The Continuous Visual Attention Test (CVAT) consisted of a 15-min Go/No-go task. Performance in the CVAT is based on four variables: omission and commission errors, reaction time, and variability of reaction time (VRT). Failure in the CVAT was defined by a performance below the 5th percentile of the age- and sex-matched normative data in at least one variable of the CVAT. Before the FIFA-Test all participants performed the CVAT. The second CVAT began 3-7 min directly following completion of the FIFA-test. Considering only the officials who passed both the FIFA-Test and the first CVAT (19 referees and 15 assistants), 44% (9 referees and 6 assistants) exhibited a performance decline in the second CVAT. A significant increase in VRT was found after the high intensity exercise. As increase in VRT is thought to reflect executive dysfunctions and lapses of attention, we concluded that physical fitness alone may not be enough to help officials cope with the physical and contextual stresses associated with the FIFA-Test. These data suggest that over 35% of soccer referees and their assistants who were considered physically able to referee matches may not be mentally prepared for the attentional demands of refereeing soccer matches.

Introduction: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) is one of the surgical procedures indicated in the treatment of obesity. The occurrence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in the postoperative period of this surgery is related to a reduction in the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) tone and the presence of gastric residual fundus (RF) associated with increased gastric intraluminal pressure. Fixation of the remaining gastric reservoir to the gastrosplenic and gastrocolic ligaments (omentopexy) has emerged as a technical option to avoid or decrease GER in the postoperative period of LSG., Objective: To evaluate the presence of GER symptoms, alterations in LES tone, and the presence of RF in obese subjects submitted to LSG with omentopexy., Methods: Twenty obese patients were submitted to LSG with omentopexy from July 2016 to July 2017 at the Hospital Unimed de Teresina, Brazil and was studied prospectively. Clinical evaluations, including a specific questionnaire (clinical score), upper digestive endoscopy and esophageal manometry, were performed preoperatively and on the 90th postoperative day. Contrast x-ray of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum were performed after the 90th postoperative day. The Fischer exact test was used to evaluate the correlation between GER symptoms and changes in LES tone or the presence of RF. Analysis of variance was used to evaluate the correlation of GER symptoms with the 2 variables together. All analyses adopted a level of significance for α errors >5% (P-value <0.05)., Results: The mean clinical score of GER reduced from 6.7 in the preoperative period to 2.7 in the postoperative period. By manometry, there were no significant changes in the LES tone with mean values of 26.04 and 27.07 mm Hg before and after the procedure. RF was identified in 3 cases by contrast radiology. There was no statistical correlation between the changes in the LES tone or the presence of RF with the increase in the clinical score of GER (in cases where this occurred), even when the variables were evaluated together., Conclusions: LSG with omentopexy improved the clinical score of GER in most cases and did not cause significant changes in the LES tone. The presence of RF did not exacerbate the clinical score of GER.

Background: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is widely used for cholelithiasis. Abdominal ultrasonography often precedes this operation and can prove diagnosis, as well as helps in showing possible complications during the perioperative period., Aim: Evaluate the description of variables of gallbladder and bile ducts present in reports of preoperative abdominal ultrasonography in cholelithiasis comparing with surgical findings., Methods: Were studied 91 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy with previous abdominal ultrasonography. Variables such as identification and amount of gallstones involved were evaluated, both in preoperative ultrasonography and during surgery to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, concordance and positive and negative predictive values., Results: The reports did not mention diameter of vesicular light (98.9%), organ distension (62.6%), gallstone sizes (58.2%), wall thickness (41.8%) and evaluation of the common bile duct (39.6%). Ultrasound had high values for sensitivity, consistency and positive predictive value for identifying the presence/absence of gallstones: 98.8%, 96.7% and 97.8% respectively. As for the amount of stones, ultrasonography showed agreement in 82.7%, negative predictive value in 89.1% and specificity in 87.7%, with lower values for sensitivity (68.2%) and positive predictive value (65.2%)., Conclusions: The ultrasound reports were flawed in standardization. Significant percentage of them did not have variables that could predict perioperative complications and surgical conversion.