Allopurinol-Induced Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is a rare and life-threatening cutaneous disease, frequently triggered by drugs. Allopurinol is one of the most frequent drugs associated with TEN, which implies detachment of a significant amount of the body surface area (BSA) and has a high morbidity and mortality associated with it. We present the case of a 68-year-old female with a recent diagnosis of hyperuricemia who started treatment with allopurinol. A week later, she presented to the emergency department with an extensive maculopapular exanthema with blisters and skin detachment. After the exclusion of other etiologies, the diagnosis of allopurinol-induced TEN was made, with 35% of BSA involvement. Due to the severity of the clinical condition, she was admitted to intensive care and treated with corticoids that had no response. So, she was started on immunoglobulins and transferred to a burn unit. She developed sepsis with multiorgan failure and required supportive treatment. She was discharged after a month, and physical rehabilitation was needed. This clinical case highlights the severity of allopurinol hypersensitivity that may happen and the importance of an accurate diagnosis and treatment for this rare disease.

Visual Thinking Strategies in medical education: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Arts-based pedagogical tools have been increasingly incorporated into medical education. Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) is a research-based, constructivist teaching methodology that aims to improve visual literacy, critical thinking, and communication skills through the process of investigating works of art. Harvard Medical School pioneered the application of VTS within medical education in 2004. While there are several studies investigating the use of VTS, there is a need to systematically assess the different programs that exist for medical education and their efficacy in improving relevant clinical skills. This systematic review aims to critically analyse the available evidence of the effectiveness of VTS in medical education to guide future research and provide a framework to adapt medical curricula. METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL databases (through November 2022) was conducted to identify studies of VTS-based interventions in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education. Two reviewers independently screened citations for inclusion criteria, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias. The extracted data was then narratively synthesized. RESULTS: Of 5759 unique citations, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. After reference review, one additional study was included. Therefore, 11 studies were included in our review. Of these, eight reported VTS-based interventions for undergraduate medical students and three reported interventions in residency training, specifically in dermatology and ophthalmology. The main goal of most studies was to increase observational or visual diagnostic skills. Three of the studies in undergraduate medical education and two in postgraduate achieved a statistically significant improvement in observational skills in post-course evaluations. Some studies reported increased tolerance for ambiguity and empathy. CONCLUSIONS: Although the studies varied considerably in study design, learning objectives, and outcomes, findings consistently indicate that the VTS approach can serve as a vehicle to develop crucial clinical competencies, encouraging more in-depth visual analysis that could be applied when observing a patient. Despite some limitations of the included studies (lack of control groups, self-selection bias, or non-standard outcome measures), the results of this review provide support for greater inclusion of VTS training in the medical curriculum.

Androgenic-Anabolic Steroids: From the Gym to Drug-Induced Liver Injury.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a frequent cause of liver toxicity. We describe the case of a 32-year-old male patient without any relevant past medical history or medication use. In the past two months, he was engaged in weightlifting exercises and consumed androgenic-anabolic steroids to enhance his exercise routine. The patient initially experienced choluria and acholia for two weeks, followed by itching for two days, which led him to present to the emergency room. His laboratory results revealed cytocholestasis. He was admitted for investigations and after excluding other causes of liver injury, the diagnosis of DILI related to the consumption of androgenic-anabolic steroids was made. This case report highlights the perils of using performance-enhancing substances such as androgenic-anabolic steroids, which may lead to severe side effects like DILI.

DOEGE-POTTER SYNDROME BY PLEURAL SOLITARY FIBROUS TUMOR.

INTRODUCTION: Solitary fibrous tumor of the pleura (SFTP) is a rare neoplasm that accounts for less than 5% of all pleural tumors. We present the case of a 73-year-old man with a history of recurrent episodes of severe hypoglycemia secondary to a large malignant SFTP. This paraneoplastic manifestation of SFTP occurs in less than 5% of cases and is referred to as Doege-Potter syndrome. Although rare, this is an important and reversible cause of hypoglycemia, which is resolved by complete surgical resection of the tumor. We describe the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of Doege-Potter syndrome. Key imaging findings and pathologic correlation are shown.

Clues to the diagnosis of borderline ovarian tumours: An imaging guide.

Borderline Ovarian Tumours (BOTs) are an interesting subset of epithelial neoplasms defined histologically by atypical epithelial proliferation without stromal invasion. These tumours typically affect young women in the reproductive age group and have a good prognosis. Although ultrasonography is the primary screening imaging technique in the evaluation of any suspected adnexal mass, grey-scale and colour Doppler have limited value in characterizing BOTs. Thus, a pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended for further characterization on account of its multiplanar capabilities, excellent soft-tissue contrast and high spatial resolution. BOTs histological subtypes display specific features on MRI that are useful in differential diagnosis. However, the final diagnosis and staging of BOTs require pathologic evaluation after surgical excision. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to describe, illustrate and compare the imaging characteristics of the different subtypes of BOTs - serous, mucinous and seromucinous - focusing on MRI, as well as to correlate with pathology findings considering the recent 2020 World Health Organization (WHO) classification, in order to improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis and facilitate optimal patient management.

Two Rare Entities in One Patient: Mucinous Tubular and Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Kidney and Peritoneal Adenomyomas.

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kidney is a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma, that is believed to portend a favorable prognosis. Adenomyomas are benign tumors that typically arise from the myometrium. Extrauterine adenomyomas are extremely rare, with only a few cases reported in the literature. Here, we present an unusual case of a 46-year-old woman, with an incidentally detected bulky interpolar left kidney mass measuring 12 cm and multiple lobulated coalescent peritoneal nodules in the large epiploon suspicious for peritoneal carcinomatosis. A biopsy of the lesions revealed a mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma of the kidney and extrauterine adenomyomas of the peritoneum. A left radical nephrectomy was performed and long-term hormone therapy with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists was prescribed. The purpose of this article is to focus on these two rare lesions, review the current literature, illustrate their key imaging findings along with pathologic correlation, as well as to discuss the differential diagnosis and clinical management.

Multicomponent training with different frequencies on body composition and physical fitness in obese children.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to compare the effects of ten-week multicomponent training with different exercise frequencies on body composition (BC) and physical fitness (PF) in overweight and obese young children. METHODS: 40 children, aged 12-15 (14.77±1.49), were randomly selected and assigned to experimental groups to train three times/week (EG1) or two times/week (EG2) for 10 weeks and a CG group (no training program). RESULTS: It was shown that experimental groups (EG1 and EG2) improved similarly aerobic capacity (3.8% and 3.5%, respectively), muscular strength (29.7% and 25.2%), flexibility (6.1% and 9.9%), body mass index (5.0% and 4.6%), and body fat (6.4% and 5.6%) from pre- to post-training. CG group showed no significant improvements on BC and PF variables. CONCLUSION: Short-term multicomponent training seems to be effective on PF improvements, independently of the exercise frequency, in overweight and obese young children. However, it seems to be more effective to perform a multicomponent exercise training three times/week to improve muscular strength, body mass index, and decrease body fat percentage. This knowledge should be considered by professionals in physical education or youth sport in order to adapt practical tasks depending on the training purposes.

Transporte inter-hospitalar da pessoa em situação crítica: perceção de segurança dos enfermeiros da ULSNA / Inter-hospital transport of the person in critical condition: safety perception of ULSNA nurses

A segurança nos cuidados de saúde é eminentemente um direito do doente e constituí um dever do profissional que lhe presta cuidados, nomeadamente no decorrer de um transporte inter-hospitalar (TIH) da pessoa em situação crítica (PSC). O presente estudo, de natureza quantitativa, descritivo-correlacional, tem como objetivo "Avaliar a perceção de segurança dos enfermeiros que realizam transporte inter-hospitalar da Pessoa em Situação Crítica e quais os fatores que a influenciam". Através de amostragem não probabilística, intencional, constituiu-se uma amostra de 59 enfermeiros que realizaram TIH da PSC nos últimos 5 anos. Definiram-se como hipóteses de investigação, a existência de relação significativa entre a idade dos enfermeiros e a sua perceção de segurança, as suas capacidades e emoções durante o TIH da PSC, bem como a existência de relação significativa entre a experiência no TIH a PSC no último ano e a perceção de segurança, as capacidades e emoções sentidas pelos enfermeiros durante o TIH da PSC. O instrumento de colheita de dados utilizado foi o questionário, construído tendo por base a revisão bibliográfica. Elaborado em 3 partes, caracterização sociodemográfica e profissional da amostra, perceção de segurança e capacidades (14 itens) e emoções sentidas pelos enfermeiros (10 itens). A primeira, constituída essencialmente por questões de reposta fechada, enquanto que nas restantes, foi criada uma escala tendo em conta o grau de concordância, entre 1 (discordo totalmente) e 5 (concordo totalmente). No final foi colocada uma questão de resposta aberta, onde permite deixar sugestões de melhoria, trabalhada à posteriori. Na análise de dados recorreu-se a técnicas de estatística descritiva e inferencial, nomeadamente a correlação de Pearson, com um nível de significância de 0,05. Os resultados evidenciam que, a experiência no transporte inter-hospitalar da pessoa em situação crítica, confere aos enfermeiros capacidades que aumentam a perceção de segurança no TIH. Embora esteja evidenciado que a perceção de segurança poderá beneficiar com a aplicação futura dos diversos registos enunciados no estudo, não foi possível encontrar uma relação estatisticamente significativa entre a idade dos enfermeiros e a sua perceção de segurança durante o TIH. Por outro lado, foi possível verificar que, a idade influencia as capacidades e emoções sentidas pelos enfermeiros na, no que confere à utilização de protocolos de atuação, ou seja, quanto maior for a idade dos enfermeiros, menor será, na opinião deles, a contribuição dos protocolos de atuação para a segurança da pessoa, durante o transporte inter-hospitalar.

Safety in health care is eminently a patient's right and a duty of the professional who provides care, namely during inter-hospital transport (IHT) of the person in critical condition (PSC). This quantitative, descriptive-correlational study aims to "Assess the perception of safety of nurses who perform inter-hospital transport of the critically ill person and the factors that influence it". Through non-probabilistic, intentional sampling, a sample of 59 nurses who have performed HICT of PSC in the last 5 years was constituted. The research hypotheses were defined as the existence of a significant relationship between the age of nurses and their perception of safety, their abilities and emotions during HIP HIT, as well as the existence of a significant relationship between experience in HIP HIT in the last year and the perception of safety, abilities and emotions felt by nurses during HIP HIT. The data collection instrument used was the questionnaire, built based on the literature review. It was divided into three parts: sociodemographic and professional characterisation of the sample, perception of safety and skills (14 items) and emotions felt by nurses (10 items). The first, consisting essentially of closed-ended questions, while in the others, a scale was created taking into account the degree of agreement, between 1 (totally disagree) and 1 (strongly disagree). At the end, an open-ended question was asked, allowing suggestions for improvement to be made, which was worked on a posteriori. Descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were used to analyse the data, namely Pearson's correlation, with a significance level of 0.05. The results show that experience in the inter-hospital transport of critically ill people gives nurses skills that increase their perception of safety in HIC. Although it is evident that the perception of safety could benefit from the future application of the various records listed in the study, it was not possible to find a statistically significant relationship between the age of nurses and their perception of safety during HIT. On the other hand, it was possible to verify that age influences the capacities and emotions felt by nurses regarding the use of action protocols, i.e. the older the nurses, the lower, in their opinion, the contribution of action protocols to the safety of the person during inter-hospital transport.

On-pump versus off-pump coronary-artery bypass surgery: a meta-analysis.

There are controversies about the possible benefits of off pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) compared to on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (ONCABG). For a better perspective on this important issue, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, comparing the two techniques. The objective of this study was to verify which technique applied in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, OPCABG or ONCABG, provides better results through a meta-analysis of published randomized trials comparing the two techniques. We carried out a computer-based literature search in PubMed, Embase, B-on and Science Direct from March 2009 to January 2010. The studies covered were recovered according to predetermined criteria. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was performed in order to evaluate the differences between the two revascularization techniques (OPCABG versus ONCABG) regarding mortality and morbidity. Selected studies did not include patients at high risk and long-term longitudinal evaluations. The meta-analysis focused on nine randomized clinical trials, corresponding to a total of 75,086 patients, and compared OPCABG to ONCABG. Regarding mortality, a reduction of 18% in the risk of cardiovascular mortality (OR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.70 to 0.98, p = 0.03) and 27% in the risk of stroke postoperatively (OR: 0.73, 95%CI: 0.63 to 0.85, p = 0.0001) were observed, both in favor of OPCABG. Concerning the occurrence of complications associated with the procedure, no significant differences were found between the two surgical techniques, particularly with regard to the occurrence of kidney complications (OR: 0.97, 95%CI: 0.84-1.14, p = 0, 74) and sepsis (OR 0.98, 95%CI: 0.64-1.51, p = 0.93, respectively). Off-pump CABG significantly reduces the occurrence of major cardiovascular events (mortality and CVA) compared to on-pump CABG surgery.

Cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica com circulação extracorpórea versus sem circulação extracorpórea: uma metanálise / On-pump versus off-pump coronary-artery bypass surgery: a meta-analysis / Cirugía de revascularización miocárdica con circulación xtracorpórea versus sin circulación extracorpórea: un metanálisis

Há controvérsias quanto aos eventuais benefícios da cirurgia de revascularização miocárdica sem a técnica de circulação extracorpórea (SCEC) comparativamente à revascularização miocárdica com circulação extracorpórea (CEC). Para obter uma perspectiva melhor sobre essa importante questão, foi realizada uma metanálise de ensaios clínicos randomizados, cotejando as duas técnicas. O objectivo do presente trabalho foi verificar qual a técnica aplicada na Cirurgia de Revascularização Miocárdica, CEC ou SCEC, que oferece melhores resultados, por metanálise de estudos randomizados publicados comparando CEC com SCEC. Realizou-se uma pesquisa bibliográfica informatizada nos motores de busca PubMed, Embase, B-on e Science Direct, durante o período de março de 2009 a janeiro de 2010. Os estudos abrangidos foram recuperados de acordo com critérios predeterminados. A revisão sistematizada de estudos clínicos randomizados foi executada, de forma a avaliar as diferenças entre ambas as técnicas de revascularização (SCEC versus CEC) na mortalidade e na morbidade. Os artigos selecionados não incluem pacientes de alto risco e avaliação longitudinal a longo prazo. A metanálise incidiu em nove ensaios clínicos randomizados, correspondendo a um total de 75.086 pacientes, e comparou a CEC à SCEC. No que diz respeito à mortalidade, observou-se redução de 18 por cento no risco de mortalidade cardiovascular (OR - 0,82; IC95 - 0,70 - 0,98; p = 0,03) e de 27 por cento no risco de ocorrência de AVC no pós-operatório (OR - 0,73; IC95 - 0,63 - 0,85; p = 0,0001), ambos a favor da técnica cirúrgica SCEC. Em relação à ocorrência de complicações associadas ao procedimento, não foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre ambas as técnicas cirúrgicas, particularmente no que se refere à ocorrência de complicações renais (OR - 0,97; IC95 - 0,84 - 1,14; p = 0,74) e de septicemia (OR - 0,98; IC95 - 0.64 - 1.51, p = 0,93, respectivamente). A revascularização miocárdica SCEC reduz significativamente a ocorrência de eventos cardiovasculares maiores (mortalidade e AVC), comparativamente à revascularização com CEC.

There are controversies about the possible benefits of offpump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG) compared to on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (ONCABG). For a better perspective on this important issue, we performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, comparing the two techniques. The objective of this study was to verify which technique applied in Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, OPCABG or ONCABG, provides better results through a meta-analysis of published randomized trials comparing the two techniques. We carried out a computer-based literature search in PubMed, Embase, B-on and Science Direct from March 2009 to January 2010. The studies covered were recovered according to predetermined criteria. A systematic review of randomized clinical trials was performed in order to evaluate the differences between the two revascularization techniques (OPCABG versus ONCABG) regarding mortality and morbidity. Selected studies did not include patients at high risk and long-term longitudinal evaluations. The meta-analysis focused on nine randomized clinical trials, corresponding to a total of 75,086 patients, and compared OPCABG to ONCABG. Regarding mortality, a reduction of 18 percent in the risk of cardiovascular mortality (OR: 0.82, 95 percentCI: 0.70 to 0.98, p = 0.03) and 27 percent in the risk of stroke postoperatively (OR: 0.73, 95 percentCI: 0.63 to 0.85, p = 0.0001) were observed, both in favor of OPCABG. Concerning the occurrence of complications associated with the procedure, no significant differences were found between the two surgical techniques, particularly with regard to the occurrence of kidney complications (OR: 0.97, 95 percentCI: 0.84-1.14, p = 0, 74) and sepsis (OR 0.98, 95 percentCI: 0.64-1.51, p = 0.93, respectively). Off-pump CABG significantly reduces the occurrence of major cardiovascular events (mortality and CVA) compared to on-pump CABG surgery.

Hay controversias en cuanto a los eventuales beneficios de la cirugía de revascularización miocárdica sin la técnica de circulación extracorpórea (SCEC) comparativamente a la revascularización miocárdica con circulación extracorpórea (CEC). Para obtener una perspectiva mejor sobre esa importante cuestión, fue realizada un metanálisis de ensayos clínicos randomizados, cotejando las dos técnicas. El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar cual es la técnica aplicada en la Cirugía de Revascularización Miocárdica, CEC o SCEC, que ofrece mejores resultados, por metanálisis de estudios randomizados publicados comparando CEC con SCEC. Se realizó una investigación bibliográfica informatizada en los motores de búsqueda PubMed, Embase, B-on y Science Direct, durante el período de marzo de 2009 a enero de 2010. Los estudios abarcados fueron recuperados de acuerdo con criterios predeterminados. La revisión sistematizada de estudios clínicos randomizados fue ejecutada, de forma de evaluar las diferencias entre ambas técnicas de revascularización (SCEC versus CEC) en la mortalidad y en la morbilidad. Los artículos seleccionados no incluyen pacientes de alto riesgo y evaluación longitudinal a largo plazo. El metanálisis incidió en nueve ensayos clínicos randomizados, correspondiendo a un total de 75.086 pacientes, y comparó la CEC a la SCEC. En lo que se refiere a la mortalidad, se observó reducción de 18 por ciento en el riesgo de mortalidad cardiovascular (OR - 0,82; IC95 - 0,70 - 0,98; p = 0,03) y de 27 por ciento en el riesgo de ocurrencia de ACV en el postoperatorio (OR - 0,73; IC95 - 0,63 - 0,85; p = 0,0001), ambos a favor de la técnica quirúrgica SCEC. En relación a la ocurrencia de complicaciones asociadas al procedimiento, no fueron encontradas diferencias significativas entre ambas técnicas quirúrgicas, particularmente en lo que se refiere a la ocurrencia de complicaciones renales (OR - 0,97; IC95 - 0,84 - 1,14; p = 0,74) y de septicemia (OR - 0,98; IC95 - 0.64 - 1.51, p = 0,93, respectivamente). La revascularización miocárdica SCEC reduce significativamente la ocurrencia de eventos cardiovasculares mayores (mortalidad y ACV), comparativamente a la revascularización con CEC. Puente de Arteria Coronaria sin Circulación Extracorpórea, Revascularización Miocárdica, Complicaciones Intraoperatorias, Metanálisis.

[High blood pressure prevalence in Oporto sedentary and regular exercise practicing people]. / Prevalência do diagnóstico de hipertensão arterial em pessoas sedentárias e em praticantes de exercício físico, na cidade do Porto.

INTRODUCTION: The association between the lack of exercise and prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) is a well known fact. The non-pharmacological treatment for HBP includes regular aerobic exercise practicing. METHODS: A total of 900 individuals, aged above 40, resident in Oporto, representing the 15 parishes of the city, were approached to answer a questionnaire about exercise habits and diagnosis of HBP. The exercise practitioner was defined as the one who practices aerobic exercise for a minimal period of 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. For data analysis non-parametric tests (Pearson's Chi-Square) were used through the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. RESULTS: The HBP prevalence in the sample was 39.67% (Confidence Interval (IC) 95%, 36,46% to 42,87%). The HBP prevalence in the exercise practitioners was inferior to the one of the non-practitioners (13,78% vs 25,89%, p < 0,001). This result is valid to the male 33,5% vs 51,6%, p < 0,001) and female population (27,1% vs 51,9%, p < 0,001), as well as to the population without the most frequent HBP-related comorbidities (21,8% vs 44,6%, p < 0,001). CONCLUSIONS: The HBP prevalence in the population resident in Oporto city is higher in the non-practitioners of regular exercise. The HBP prevalence, in both sexes, is higher in the non-practitioners of exercise. Finally, we can also conclude that the studied comorbidities don't bias the obtained results because the group of individuals who don't have them the HBP prevalence is still higher in the group of sedentary.

Coinfections of Rickettsia slovaca and Rickettsia helvetica with Borrelia lusitaniae in ticks collected in a Safari Park, Portugal.

Borrelia and Rickettsia bacteria are the most important tick-borne agents causing disease in Portugal. Identification and characterization of these circulating agents, mainly in recreational areas, is crucial for the development of preventive measures in response to the gradually increasing exposure of humans to tick vectors. A total of 677 questing ticks including Dermacentor marginatus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ricinus, Hyalomma lusitanicum, H. marginatum, and Haemaphysalis punctata were collected in a Safari Park in Alentejo, Portugal, to investigate the prevalences of infection and characterize Borrelia and Rickettsia species. From a total of 371 ticks tested by PCR for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.), of which 247 were tested for Rickettsia, an infection prevalence of 18.3% was found for B. lusitaniae and 55.1% for Rickettsia spp. Sequence analysis of positive amplicons identified the presence of B. lusitaniae (18.3%), R. monacensis strain IRS3 (51.7%), and R. helvetica (48.3%) in I. ricinus. R. slovaca (41.5%), R. raoultii (58.5%), and also B. lusitaniae (21%) were identified in D. marginatus ticks. One (5.9%) H. lusitanicum was infected with B. lusitaniae, and R. massiliae was found in one Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Coinfection was found in 7 (20%) I. ricinus and 34 (23.3%) D. marginatus ticks. We report, for the first time, simultaneous infection with R. helvetica and B. lusitaniae and also R. slovaca, the agent of TIBOLA/DEBONEL, with B. lusitaniae. Additionally, 6 isolates of B. lusitaniae were established, and isolates of Rickettsia were also obtained for the detected species using tick macerates cultured in mammalian and mosquito cell lines. This report describes the detection and isolation of tick-borne agents from a Portuguese Safari Park, highlighting the increased likelihood of infection with multiple agents to potential visitors or staff.