1,721,016 research outputs found
Colonoscopy is mandatory after <it>Streptococcus bovis </it>endocarditis: a lesson still not learned. Case report
No full textAbstract Background Even though the relationship between certain bacterial infections and neoplastic lesions of the colon is well-recognized, this knowledge has not been sufficiently translated into routine practice yet. Case presentation We describe the case of a 51-year-old man who was admitted to our Surgical Department due to rectal bleeding and abdominal pain. Preoperative colonoscopy, staging exams and subsequent surgery demonstrated a stenotic adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon, invading the left urinary tract and the homolateral bladder wall, with regional lymph nodes involvement and massive bilobar liver metastases (T4N1M1). After Hartmann's rectosigmoidectomy and despite systemic chemotherapy, a rapid progression occurred and the patient survived for only 5 months after diagnosis. Five years before detecting this advanced colonic cancer, the patient underwent aortic valve replacement due to a severe Streptococcus bovis endocarditis. Subsequent to this infection he never underwent a colonoscopy until overt intestinal symptoms appeared. Conclusion As this case illustrates, in the unusual setting of a Streptococcus bovis infection, it is necessary to timely and carefully rule out occult colon cancer and other malignancies during hospitalization and, if a tumor is not found, to schedule endoscopic follow-up. Rigorous application of these recommendations in the case described would have likely led to an earlier diagnosis of cancer and maybe saved the patient's life.</p
Ventriculoperitoneal shunt and the need to remove the gallbladder: Time to definitely overcome the feeling that laparoscopic surgery is contraindicated
No full textThe "Pavia model" of experimental small bowel transplantation in pigs: technical variations for ischemia reperfusion injury studies.
No full textIschemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major field of study in small bowel transplantation because of its implications regarding intestinal immunity. In this study, we have introduced some variations to the described models of IRI in pigs to make possible a complete isolation of the small bowel for IRI studies. In swine, two anatomical barriers make impossible a complete isolation of the small bowel at the origin of superior mesenteric artery (SMA) and vein (SMV): the main colic vessels, which originate distally to form SMA and SMV, and the blood supply of the distal portion of the duodenum and the cephalic part of the pancreas. In a group of Large White pigs (n = 5), we have performed a complete isolation of the small bowel, including sub-total colectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy. Both SMA and SMV were isolated at the origin from the aorta and at the junction of the splenic vein, respectively. Intestinal continuity was restored with duodenojejunal anastomosis and with ileotransverse colon anastomosis. One pig died on postoperative day 5 from intestinal occlusion due to adhesions. The remaining four pigs were killed on postoperative day 7 after an uneventful postoperative course. No complications were found at autopsy. In swine, resection of part of the pancreas and duodenum and removal of the large bowel does not affect short-term survival, allowing a full isolation of the entire small bowel mimicking the transplantation procedure. Thus, this model appears to be attractive for IRI studies in the field of intestinal transplantatio
Effetti clinici e metabolici della somministrazione preoperatoria di carboidrati in chirurgia generale
No full text
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Influence of Surgical Technique, Performance Status, and Peritonitis Exposure on Surgical Site Infection in Acute Complicated Diverticulitis: A Matched Case-Control Study
No full textBackground: Acute generalized peritonitis secondary to complicated diverticulitis is a life-threatening condition; the standard treatment is surgery. Despite advances in peri-operative care, this condition is accompanied by a high peri-operative complication rate (22%-25%). No definitive evidence is available to recommend a preferred surgical technique in patients with Hinchey stage III/IV disease. Methods: A matched case-control study enrolling patients from four surgical units at Italian university hospital was planned to assess the most appropriate surgical treatment on the basis of patient performance status and peritonitis exposure, with the aim of minimizing the surgical site infection (SSI). A series of 1,175 patients undergoing surgery for Hinchey III/IV peritonitis in 2003-2013 were analyzed. Cases (n=145) were selected from among those patients who developed an SSI. The case:control ratio was 1:3. Cases and control groups were matched by age, gender, body mass index, and Hinchey grade. We considered three surgical techniques: T-1=Hartman's procedure; T-2=sigmoid resection, anastomosis, and ileostomy; and T-3=sigmoid resection and anastomosis. Six scoring systems were analyzed to assess performance status; subsequently, patients were divided into low, mild, and high risk (LR, MR, HR) according to the system producing the highest area under the curve. We classified peritonitis exposition as P-1=24h. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. Results: The Apgar scoring system defined the risk groups according to performance status. Lowest SSI risk was expected when applying T-3 in P1 (OR=0.22), P-2 (OR=0.5) for LR and in P-1 (OR=0.63) for MR; T-2 in P2 (OR=0.5) in LR and in P1 (OR=0.61) in MR; T-1 in P-3 (OR=0.56) in LR; in P-2 (OR=0.63) and P-3 (OR=0.54) in MR patients, and in each P subgroup (OR=0.93;0.97;1.01) in HR. Conclusions: Pre-operative assessment based on Apgar scoring system integrated with peritonitis exposure in complicated diverticulitis may offer a ready-to-use tool for reducing SSI-related complications and applying appropriate treatment, reducing the need for disabling ostomy
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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