Surface ruptures database related to the 26 December 2018, MW 4.9 Mt. Etna earthquake, southern Italy.

We provide a database of the surface ruptures produced by the 26 December 2018 Mw 4.9 earthquake that struck the eastern flank of Mt. Etna volcano in Sicily (southern Italy). Despite its relatively small magnitude, this shallow earthquake caused about 8 km of surface faulting, along the trace of the NNW-trending active Fiandaca Fault. Detailed field surveys have been performed in the epicentral area to map the ruptures and to characterize their kinematics. The surface ruptures show a dominant right-oblique sense of displacement with an average slip of about 0.09 m and a maximum value of 0.35 m. We have parsed and organized all observations in a concise database, with 932 homogeneous georeferenced records. The Fiandaca Fault is part of the complex active Timpe faults system affecting the eastern flank of Etna, and its seismic history indicates a prominent surface-faulting potential. Therefore, this database is essential for unravelling the seismotectonics of shallow earthquakes in volcanic areas, and contributes updating empirical scaling regressions that relate magnitude and extent of surface faulting.

One-Year Prospective Study of Liver Function Tests in Children and Adolescents on Second-Generation Antipsychotics: Is There a Link with Metabolic Syndrome?

OBJECTIVE: To analyze liver function tests (LFT), weight, metabolic syndrome (MetS) and at risk of meeting MetS criteria (AR-MetS) in children and adolescents on antipsychotics (AP) during a year-long follow-up. METHODS: Two hundred sixteen patients, AP naïve or quasi-naïve (<30 days on AP), were included. Total bilirubin, the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), weight and other parameters of MetS were measured at baseline, and at 3, 6 and 12 months, while patients remained on the same AP. RESULTS: At baseline, patients (mean age: 14.1 ± 3.1 years; 60.2% male) were on risperidone (N = 143), olanzapine (N = 37), or quetiapine (N = 36), although the sample decreased over time to 67 patients at 12 months (risperidone N = 46, olanzapine N = 10, and quetiapine N = 11). Around 3% of patients had ALT/AST levels that were at least twice the upper limit of normal (ULN) at 3 and 6 months; whereas roughly 19% of patients had ALP levels that were at least twice the ULN in at least one assessment after baseline, but had no clinical symptoms. From baseline to 6 months, significant increases were observed in ALT levels in the whole sample (p = 0.005), whereas ALP increased only in patients on risperidone. Patients showed significant weight gain, and more individuals met criteria for MetS and AR-MetS over time (from baseline: 2.8% and 8.3%, to 1 year: 10.5% and 23.9%, respectively). There was a trend-level group effect in global ALT across time (p = 0.076). Patients with MetS showed higher ALT concentrations (28.9 [18.4-39.4] U/L) than AR-MetS (20.4 [8.5-32.2] U/L), and no-AR-MetS (19.2 [8.4-29.9] U/L). CONCLUSIONS: Less than 3% of children and adolescents on AP during 1-year follow-up showed an increase in ALT or AST levels in one or more of the assessments, and none of these increases was of clinical significance. Patients with MetS and AR-MetS increased during this period, and the possible role of ALT levels to monitor these patients deserves further study.

Linfangioma quístico retroperitoneal / Retroperitoneal cystic lymphangioma

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Weight gain and cardiovascular risk factors during smoking cessation with bupropion or nicotine.

Weight gain is frequent after smoking cessation, and may limit patient's will to quit and long-term success. Nicotine and bupropion are effective drugs for smoking withdrawal. However, their influence on weight gain, insulin resistance and other cardiovascular risk factors, as well as possible differences in obese and lean subjects, have not been fully evaluated. We randomised 25 lean and 25 obese smokers to receive either bupropion or nicotine patches. Clinical evaluation and lipid profile were performed at baseline and after treatment. Insulin resistance was also assessed at the end. Weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and diastolic blood pressure increased (p < 0.005), whereas lipid profile improved (p < 0.001) after smoking cessation independently of obesity at baseline or drug used. Obese patients had higher insulin resistance at the end (p < 0.05) regardless of drug used. Weight gain was inversely related to age (beta= - 0.125, R = 0.38, p = 0.046), and insulin resistance was related to obesity at baseline (beta = 0.85, R = 0.46, p = 0.02). In conclusion, weight gain after smoking cessation is not dependent on obesity or drug taken. A beneficial lipid profile is achieved after quitting smoking with either bupropion or nicotine patch in both obese and lean subjects.

Tratamiento quirúrgico de los adenocarcinomas de la ampolla de Vater / Surgical treatment for adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater

Introducción. Los tumores de la ampolla de Vater constituyen el 10 por ciento de los cánceres periampulares. Son de crecimiento más lento y tienen mejor pronóstico que los del páncreas, por lo que algunos autores recomiendan ampulectomías en determinados casos. En este trabajo analizamos nuestros resultados en el tratamiento de esta enfermedad, para el que se han utilizado diversas técnicas quirúrgicas. Pacientes y método. Estudio retrospectivo de datos perioperatorios, morbimortalidad y supervivencia en un grupo de 20 pacientes intervenidos por adenocarcinoma ampular. Resultados. Fueron intervenidos 14 varones y 6 mujeres, con una edad media de 65 años. El síntoma principal fue la ictericia (75 por ciento); la bilirrubina media fue de 7,67 mg por ciento; la prueba diagnóstica más resolutiva fue la colangiopancreatografía retrógrada endoscópica, con un 78,6 por ciento de verdaderos positivos. Las intervenciones realizadas fueron: 12 duodenopan createctomías cefálicas, 2 duodenopancreatectomías totales, 3 ampulectomías y 3 derivaciones. La mortalidad fue del 5 por ciento. En cuanto a las recidivas se produjeron 1/3 tras ampulectomía a los 10 meses frente a 1/11 tras duodenopancreatectomía cefálica a los 4 años. La supervivencia global fue de 37,11 meses. Conclusiones. El síntoma más frecuente en estos tumores es la ictericia y la prueba diagnóstica más rentable la colangiopancreatografía retrógrada endoscópica. La técnica de elección sigue siendo la duodenopancreatectomía cefálica (AU)

Intestinal leiomyosarcoma as the cause of severe hemoperitoneum.

Leiomyosarcomas represent 10-20% of malignant tumors in the small bowel and 1% of those located in the large bowel. These tumors have aspecific symptoms depending on their size, location and histology. Intestinal leiomyosarcomas may be the cause of numerous types of surgical emergency. We report 2 cases of intestinal leiomyosarcoma in the jejunum and transverse colon. Both were diagnosed during an emergency exploratory celiotomy. The clinical features on admission were similar to those of acute abdomen. The main cause of surgical emergency was an extremely rare complication of gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma: a severe hemoperitoneum. We briefly describe the surgical emergencies caused by intestinal leiomyosarcomas as well as the surgical methods employed in these cases.

Time-dependent changes of serum gastrin and gastrin receptors in the rat oxyntic mucosa after proximal gastric vagotomy.

Proximal gastric vagotomy (PGV) is a first-choice approach for the surgical treatment of duodenal peptic ulcer. However, a high percentage of recidivism takes place after this surgical strategy. To study the possible involvement of gastrin in ulcer recidivism, serum gastrin levels and gastrin receptors in gastric mucosa were determined at several times after PGV in rats. Gastrin concentration was determined using a commercial radioimmunoassay kit and gastrin receptors were analyzed in oxyntic mucosa membrane preparations using 125I-labeled 15-Leu-gastrin-17 as label. Our results show a significant, time-dependent increase in serum gastrin concentration, reaching highest values at 12 weeks after PGV. Similarly, a significant increase in the number of gastrin receptors (Bmax) and in the dissociation constant (Kd) occurred from 1 to 12 weeks post-PGV. Since gastrin exerts a positive feedback effect on its receptors, the PGV-dependent increase in serum gastrin concentration explains the up-regulation of the gastrin receptors in the rat oxyntic mucosa. Furthermore, an increase in the number of gastrin receptors after vagotomy may be at least partially responsible for the recidivism in duodenal peptic ulcers after this surgical approach.

Small-cell epidermoid carcinoma with melanocyte colonization arising in a mature ovarian cystic teratoma.

A case of small-cell epidermoid carcinoma, a rare tumor of the aerodigestive tract, is presented arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary in a 69-year-old woman. Microscopically the small-cell epidermoid carcinoma had a uniform cell population with focal differentiation into keratinous cells. Both the small and keratinized cells were positive for epithelial membrane antigen and CAM 5.2 but negative for vimentin and neuroendocrine markers. This tumor is different from other recently described primary and metastatic small-cell tumors of the ovary. Furthermore, this small-cell epidermoid carcinoma behaved in a nonaggressive fashion. Melanocyte colonization seen in the small-cell epidermoid carcinoma areas of the tumor was a result of its invasion of preexistent areas of a teratoid blue nevus. The staining pattern of HMB-45 demonstrated that pigment was transferred to, but not produced by, the neoplastic small cells.

Chronic constipation as a symptom of cow milk allergy.

Twenty-seven consecutive infants (mean age, 20.6 months) with chronic "idiopathic" constipation were studied to investigate the possible relation between constipation and cow milk protein allergy (CMPA). The infants were initially observed on an unrestricted diet, and the number of stools per day was recorded. Subsequently the infants were put on a diet free of cow milk protein (CMP) for two periods of 1 month each, separated by two challenges with CMP. During the CMP-free diet, there was a resolution of symptoms in 21 patients; during the two consecutive challenges, constipation reappeared within 48 to 72 hours. In another six patients the CMP-free diet did not lead to improvement of constipation. Only four of the patients who improved on the CMP-free diet had concomitant symptoms of suspected CMPA, but a medical history of CMPA was found in 15 of the 21 patients cured and in only one of the six patients whose condition had not improved (p < 0.05); in addition, in 15 of the 21 cured patients, results of one or more laboratory tests (specific IgE, IgG, anti-beta-lactoglobulin, circulating eosinophils) were positive at the time of diagnosis, indicating hypersensitivity, compared with one of the six patients whose condition did not improve (p < 0.05). The endoscopic and histologic findings at the time of diagnosis showed proctitis with monocytic infiltration in two patients cured with the CMP-free diet; after 1 month on this diet, they were completely normal. We conclude that constipation in infants may have an allergic pathogenesis.

A side-to-end choledochoduodenostomy between the common bile duct and the stump of the transected duodenum.

A technique for treating patients with benign pyloric stenosis and associated choledocholithiasis upon a dilated common bile duct is described. The procedure consists in the performance of a Billroth II partial gastrectomy with the Hofmeinster-Finsterer modification and truncal vagotomy and a simultaneous side-to-end choledochoduodenostomy between the common bile duct and the duodenal stump. We have operated two cases in this way up to now without complications and with good postoperative results.