Surgical management of palatal teratoma (epignathus) with the use of virtual reconstruction and 3D models: a case report and literature review

Epignathus is a rare congenital orofacial teratoma that arises from the sphenoid region of the palate or the pharynx. It occurs in approximately 1:35,000 to 1:200,000 live births representing 2% to 9% of all teratomas. We present the case of a newborn of 39.4 weeks of gestation with a tumor that occupied the entire oral cavity. The patient was delivered by cesarean section. Oral resection was managed by pediatric surgery. Plastic surgery used virtual 3-dimensional models to establish the extension, and depth of the tumor. Bloc resection and reconstruction of the epignathus were performed. The mass was diagnosed as a mature teratoma associated with cleft lip and palate, nasoethmoidal meningocele that conditions hypertelorism, and a pseudomacrostoma. Tridimensional technology was applied to plan the surgical intervention. It contributed to a better understanding of the relationships between the tumor and the adjacent structures. This optimized the surgical approach and outcome.

Surgical management of palatal teratoma (epignathus) with the use of virtual reconstruction and 3D models: a case report and literature review

Epignathus is a rare congenital orofacial teratoma that arises from the sphenoid region of the palate or the pharynx. It occurs in approximately 1:35,000 to 1:200,000 live births representing 2% to 9% of all teratomas. We present the case of a newborn of 39.4 weeks of gestation with a tumor that occupied the entire oral cavity. The patient was delivered by cesarean section. Oral resection was managed by pediatric surgery. Plastic surgery used virtual 3-dimensional models to establish the extension, and depth of the tumor. Bloc resection and reconstruction of the epignathus were performed. The mass was diagnosed as a mature teratoma associated with cleft lip and palate, nasoethmoidal meningocele that conditions hypertelorism, and a pseudomacrostoma. Tridimensional technology was applied to plan the surgical intervention. It contributed to a better understanding of the relationships between the tumor and the adjacent structures. This optimized the surgical approach and outcome.

Análisis del efecto de la sal en el desarrollo de obesidad: ¿existe la obesidad salada? / Analysis of the effect of salt intake on the development of obesity: is there such a thing as "salty obesity"?

Objetivos: el transporte de la glucosa y de muchos aminoácidos en el intestino se realiza por el cotransportador SGLT1 únicamente si está unido al ion sodio. La sal aporta un ion sodio por cada molécula que se consume y en los humanos su ingesta comúnmente es de diez veces más de la cantidad necesaria y, por lo general, se acompaña de dietas ricas en carbohidratos. El presente proyecto evaluó, si el consumo abundante de sal en la dieta conlleva al desarrollo de obesidad. Este trabajo se planteó pensando en que una estrategia simple para reducir de peso sería el disminuir la cantidad de sal en los alimentos. Métodos: para corroborar la hipótesis se evaluó el efecto de la sal en la dinámica de la absorción de la glucosa en el intestino realizando curvas de tolerancia a la glucosa con sal y sin sal. También se analizó si una dieta rica en carbohidratos y sal favorece el desarrollo de obesidad en ratas wistar. Resultados: los experimentos mostraron que la ingesta de sal no influye en la dinámica de la absorción intestinal de la glucosa, ni en el desarrollo de obesidad en la rata wistar. Conclusión: el sodio que, de manera natural, recircula desde el citoplasma de los enterocitos hacia la luz del intestino mantiene saturado al cotransportador de la glucosa SGLT1 y garantiza, en todo momento, el transporte de la glucosa que se ingiere en la dieta.

Objectives: intestinal transport of glucose and many amino acids is performed by the SGLT1 cotransporter only when the latter is bound to the sodium ion. Salt contributes a sodium ion per molecule ingested. Human salt intake is often tenfold the required amount, and is generally accompanied by a carbohydrate-rich diet. The present paper evaluates whether an abundant salt intake leads to the development of obesity. It is based on the assumption that reducing the amount of salt in foods is a simple weight-loss strategy. Methods: to corroborate the hypothesis, an evaluation was conducted of the effect of salt on intestinal glucose absorption, based on tolerance curves for glucose with and without salt. An analysis was also made of whether a diet rich in carbohydrates and salt leads to the development of obesity in Wistar rats. Results: experiments showed that salt intake does not influence intestinal glucose absorption or the development of obesity in Wistar rats. Conclusion: sodium naturally recirculating from the cytoplasm of enterocytes to the intestinal lumen keeps the SGLT1 glucose cotransporter saturated and at all times ensures the transport of the glucose ingested in the diet.