Search

Intralaminar galls of Meunieriella result from ground tissue proliferation in leaves of Avicennia schaueriana, a typical halophytic mangrove. We tested if the preferred sites of gall induction were the midribs and secondary veins (SV) at the basal leaf portion, where the galls were expected to be largest; and if the vascular system in galls and adjacent regions was altered to favour water supply in galls, thus increasing their growth.Gall induction sites and gall sizes were quantified according to leaf portions and regions. Anatomical and histometric analyses in vascular and ground tissues of galls and adjacent regions were compared to equivalent regions of non‐galled leaves.The galls were largest at basal sites on leaves, the midrib and SV. More galls occurred on the apical portion of the leaf, and on the leaf blade and secondary vein regions. Changes in shape and vascular system area, number and diameter of vessel elements were detected in both galls and adjacent regions. Fewer and smaller‐sized vessel elements were observed in regions proximal to the galls and inside them.Gall size is not related with preferred induction sites, which could be explained by factors such as thermal balance. Alterations in the vascular system indicate reduced hydraulic conductivity in the xylem in the proximal region and inside galls, leading to water leakage to gall parenchyma cells. This compensatory mechanism explains the expansion and proliferation of water storage and spongy parenchyma cells in the galls, explaining the higher growth in more vascularized regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Magnetic resonance liver scans indicate that iron overload is common in haemodialysis (HD) patients. However, histological evidence is scarce., Methods: Liver biopsy and bone marrow aspirate were obtained in the first 24h post mortem from 21 adult HD patients. Biochemical liver iron content (LIC) was quantified by electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Tissue iron deposition was graded in the liver and bone marrow using Scheuer and Gale's criteria, respectively., Findings: Median LIC was 42.5 (22.9-69.7) μmol/g and the majority (n=11; 57%) had mild to moderate liver iron overload (LIC >36 μmol/g). Scheuer grade was 2 (1-3) and 13 (62%) of liver biopsies had increased (> 1) iron deposition. In the bone marrow, median Gale's grade was 3 (3-4) and 9 (45%) patients had increased (>3) iron content. Contrary to old autopsy studies, done in the pre-erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) era, both liver and bone marrow were iron replete and showed a positive correlation (r=0.71, p<0.001). Ferritin proved to have a good diagnostic accuracy for liver iron overload (0.87 95% CI 0.71-1.00) with an optimal cut-off value of 422 ng/ml. Haemoglobin was negatively associated with both LIC (r= -0.46, p=0.04) and iron content in the bone marrow (p=0.04). Patients with increased LIC had higher resistance to ESAs (p=0.02), yet no association with previous IV iron therapy., Interpretation: In the majority of HD patients there was iron accumulation in both the liver and bone marrow that associated with anaemia severity and resistance to ESAs, suggesting a blocking mechanism of iron's utilization., Funding: None., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests None of the authors have competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To present the first robot-assisted uterus retrieval from a living donor for uterine transplantation in Brazil., Design: Stepwise demonstration of the technique with narrated video footage., Setting: A uterine transplantation was performed in a 33-year-old patient with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome. The donor was a 50-year-old woman who underwent a robotic-assisted uterus retrieval. The procedure was held at Barretos Cancer Hospital, Barretos, Sao Paulo, Brazil., Interventions: After approval from the national and local institutional review board, the protocol was submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04249791), and the first case was performed. The screening of the patients was done. The uterus was retrieved through a Pfannenstiel incision to avoid complications to the uterine vessels. Uterus was transplanted in the recipient by end-to-end anastomosis of the internal iliac arteries and end-to-side anastomosis of the external iliac vein with a gonadal vein from the infundibulopelvic ligament. Surgical intraoperative parameters were measured. The docking time was 4 minutes. Robotic donor surgery took 400 minutes, bench surgery took 62 minutes, and laparotomic recipient surgery was completed in 240 minutes. There were no intraoperative complications. The donor patient was discharged from the hospital in 48 hours and the recipient patient in 5 days., Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case in Brazil of uterine transplantation with a living donor. Traditionally, patients who undergo uterine transplantation by minimally invasive surgery are managed by laparoscopy. This video demonstrates a feasible robotic approach to uterine transplantation with superior imaging affording a 3-dimensional vision and stabilization of instruments allowing wrist-like movements., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background and Aims: GPIHBP1 is an accessory protein of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) essential for its functioning. Mutations in the GPIHBP1 gene cause a deficit in the action of LPL, leading to severe hypertriglyceridemia and increased risk for acute pancreatitis., Methods: We describe twelve patients (nine women) with a novel homozygous mutation in intron 2 of the GPIHBP1 gene., Results: All patients were from the Northeastern region of Brazil and presented the same homozygous variant located in a highly conserved 3' splicing acceptor site of the GPIHBP1 gene. This new variant was named c.182-1G > T, according to HGVS recommendations. We verified this new GPIHBP1 variant's effect by using the Human Splicing Finder (HSF) tool. This mutation changes the GPIHBP1 pre-mRNA processing and possibly causes the skipping of the exon 3 of the GPIHBP1 gene, affecting almost 50% of the cysteine-rich Lys6 GPIHBP1 domain. Patients presented with severe hypertriglyceridemia (2351 mg/dl [885-20600]) and low HDL (18 mg/dl [5-41). Four patients (33%) had a previous history of acute pancreatitis., Conclusions: We describe a novel GPIHBP1 pathogenic intronic mutation of patients from the Northeast region of Brazil, suggesting the occurrence of a founder effect., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the difference between early and delayed removal of indwelling urinary catheter after radical hysterectomy (RH) or radical trachelectomy (RT)., Methods: An ambispective study was conducted in early-stage cervical cancer patients who underwent RH or RT. Delayed indwelling urinary catheter removal occurred on a postoperative day (POD) 7 in the retrospective group (January 2012-November 2013), and early removal occurred on POD 1 in the prospective group (May 2014-June 2017). The postvoid residual (PVR) test was performed after indwelling catheter removal in both groups., Results: Our sample included 47 patients in the delayed group and 48 in the early one. There was no difference in age, body mass index, tumor size, histology, stage, surgical approach, and intraoperative and postoperative complications. Indwelling urinary catheter reinsertion was needed in 16 (34%) patients in the delayed group and 12 (25%) in the early group (P = .37), with no statistical difference between the median PVR volumes -82.5 and 45 mL (P = .06), respectively. Seven (14.9%) patients in the delayed group presented with 30-day urinary tract infection vs two (4.2%) in the early group (P = .09)., Conclusions: Early indwelling urinary catheter removal, in regard to the rate of catheter reinsertion and PVR volume, does not differ from delayed removal., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

This paper presents an algorithm for the localisation of partial discharge (PD) sourcesin power transformers based on the electromagnetic waves radiated by a PD pulse. The proposedalgorithm is more accurate than existing methods, since it considers the effects of the reflection,refractions and diffractions undergone by the ultra-high frequency (UHF) signal within the equipmenttank. The proposed method uses computational simulations of the electromagnetic waves generatedby PD, and obtains the time delay of the signal between each point in the 3D space and the UHFsensors. The calculated signals can be compared with the signals measured in the field, so thatthe position of the PD source can be located based on the best correlation between the simulatedpropagation delay and the measured data. The equations used in the proposed method are definedas a 3D optimisation problem, so that the binary particle swarm optimisation algorithm can be used.To test and demonstrate the proposed algorithm, computational simulations were performed. Thesolutions were sufficient to identify not only the occurrence of defects, but also the winding and theregion (top, centre or base) in which the defect occurred. In all cases, an accuracy of greater than15 cm was obtained for the location, in a 180 MVA three-phase transformer.

The premature infant has limited ability to integrate the swallowing-breathing cycle during feeding. The aim of this study was to assess the pattern of swallowing between the period of tube-bottle (TBF) and bottle (BF) feeding by means of cervical auscultation in premature infants. Twenty-three premature infants were enrolled (mean gestational age 34.7 +/- 1.7 weeks). Audiosignal recordings were made during TBF and BF with a small microphone set in front of the cricoid cartilage. The following parameters were calculated for 2 min and reported at 1 min: the percentage of time involved in swallowing (ST), the numbers of swallows (SN) and swallowing bursts (SB) and swallowing groups (SG). Individual histograms were established to show the individual pattern of swallowing behaviour and the distribution of groups, bursts and swallows over 2 min. Mean (STm), (SNm), (SBm), (SGm) values were calculated (+/- S.D.). Statistical analysis was used to compare the means and to establish correlations between parameters and curves. (STm), (SNm) and (SBm) increased significantly during BF compared with TBF for all premature infants and during follow-up. The histograms showed that in BF the groups were high in bursts. These findings and the histograms for each infant will allow determination of transition to bottle feeding without risk corresponding to the stage of maturation of swallowing function.