Anesthesiologists' perception on their residency training.

BACKGROUND: Self-regulated professions such as medicine are characterized by professional commitment to the public they serve and require life-long development of expected skills. There is a paucity of data regarding quality of training during residency in anesthesiology. The objective of this study was to create an instrument to assess the anesthesiologists' perception regarding the quality of their training during medical residency. METHODS: An electronic questionnaire was sent to 120 anesthesiologists, assuming 15% response rate for worst case scenario, considering a number of 613 potential respondents. The answers to the questionnaire were submitted to psychometric evaluation through internal consistency analysis measured by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and factorial analysis by the principal components' method with varimax rotation method with Kaiser normalization. The level of Concordance (C) and Disaccord (D) of each item were compared byz tests (consensus if p < 0.05). A question asking the respondents if they would recommend their training center to a relative or a friend was added to the questionnaire and considered as a secondary outcome. RESULTS: One hundred and one responses were obtained. The Cronbach's alpha value was 0.86, suggesting good reliability of the questionnaire. The initial analysis including all the 14 items presented on the questionnaire demonstrated that four components obeyed the Kaiser criterion, depicting 68.20% of variance. Consensus was achieved among participants regarding all items of the questionnaire. The medical residency in anesthesiology was recommended by 93% of the participants. Preceptors were considered role-models by 83% of the participants. Acquisition of practical skills was better evaluated in comparison to other areas. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire effectively characterized the perception of anesthesiologists regarding the quality of their training during medical residency. The information produced by this instrument could provide interesting clues on the quality of residency programs, pointing out areas of education that need more attention.

Intraoperative cholangiography with filling defects: comparative complication analysis of postoperative transcystic duct (TCD) catheter maintenance.

BACKGROUND: This is a retrospective cohort of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy with intraoperative cholangiography (IOC) with positive findings for filling defects. We comparatively assessed differences in complication risks for patients that had their cholangiography catheter maintained in its transcystic duct (TCD) position postoperatively. This is a practice proposed to overcome the limited availability of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) as well as to avoid surgical exploration of the common bile duct. METHODS: Retrospective medical record review of all positive IOC from January 2015 to December 2018 were assessed. Patients' demographic and perioperative data from the hospital stay period in which the cholecystectomy occurred until the last surgical ambulatory visit for perioperative characteristics were compared between groups (with vs. without TCD catheter). Complications were operationalized using the Clavien-Dindo scale. RESULTS: Univariate analysis of complications showed a 2.4-fold risk increase in complications (95% CI 1.13-5.1) between comparison groups. Number of ERCPs (18 vs. 30), and MRCPs (5 vs. 17) were not significantly different between maintaining or not the TCD catheter postop, respectively. Stratified analysis followed by exact logistic regression supported the findings that maintaining the TCD catheter postoperatively increased complication rates (OR = 5.34, 95% CI 1.22, 29.83, p = 0.022), adjusting for potential confounders. CONCLUSION: The maintenance of the TCD catheter postoperatively did not prove to be effective in significantly reducing the number of ERCP nor associated complications. Also, outcomes inherited from the practice caused adverse events that surpassed its potential benefits. Moreover, expectant follow-up is reasonable for patients with evidence of common bile duct stones, even in setting with limited resource availability. We do not recommend this practice, even in settings where there are limited resources of more modern management of choledocholithiasis.

Mesenchymal stem cells and nanofibers as scaffolds for the regeneration of thyroid cartilage.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this study has been to establish an alternative approach in the form of regeneration of the thyroid cartilage. STUDY DESIGN: Four 1-month old pigs (Sus scrofa) were used (divided into 3 groups) and submitted to general anesthetic to perform cervictomy with exposure of the thyroid cartilage in a total of 12 (twelve) samples. METHOD: A resection of 4.0 cm(2) of cartilage was carried out in the right upper region and in the left upper and lower left region of the cartilage, where a scaffold with or without stem cells was implanted. In the left lower region, no biomaterial was implanted and the defect was left open (lesion control [L]). RESULTS: The average extension of the cartilaginous neoformation of L group was 136.3 µm (± 9.6) and 387.7 µm (± 43.2) in the scaffold (SCA) group, presenting a significant statistical difference (P < 0.01). The analysis carried out on the lesion site sections of the cartilage of the larynx of the animals from the SCA group + mesenchymal stem cells (SCA+MSC) showed an average of the extension of neocartilage of 825.4 µm (± 122.1), showing a more extensive area of neocartilage when compared to the other groups. These results demonstrated a high significantly statistical difference (P < 0.001) when compared with the L and SCA groups. CONCLUSION: In 100% of the cases for which SCA+MSCs were used, a significant success in the cartilage growth and closing of the lesion in the thyroid cartilage was obtained compared to the other two groups for which MSCs were not used. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: N/A.

Radioresistance of human glioma spheroids and expression of HSP70, p53 and EGFr.

BACKGROUND: Radiation therapy is routinely prescribed for high-grade malignant gliomas. However, the efficacy of this therapeutic modality is often limited by the occurrence of radioresistance, reflected as a diminished susceptibility of the irradiated cells to undergo cell death. Thus, cells have evolved an elegant system in response to ionizing radiation induced DNA damage, where p53, Hsp70 and/or EGFr may play an important role in the process. In the present study, we investigated whether the content of p53, Hsp70 and EGFr are associated to glioblastoma (GBM) cell radioresistance. METHODS: Spheroids from U-87MG and MO59J cell lines as well as spheroids derived from primary culture of tumor tissue of one GBM patient (UGBM1) were irradiated (5, 10 and 20 Gy), their relative radioresistance were established and the p53, Hsp70 and EGFr contents were immunohistochemically determined. Moreover, we investigated whether EGFr-phospho-Akt and EGFr-MEK-ERK pathways can induce GBM radioresistance using inhibitors of activation of ERK (PD098059) and Akt (wortmannin). RESULTS: At 5 Gy irradiation UGBM1 and U-87MG spheroids showed growth inhibition whereas the MO59J spheroid was relatively radioresistant. Overall, no significant changes in p53 and Hsp70 expression were found following 5 Gy irradiation treatment in all spheroids studied. The only difference observed in Hsp70 content was the periphery distribution in MO59J spheroids. However, 5 Gy treatment induced a significant increase on the EGFr levels in MO59J spheroids. Furthermore, treatment with inhibitors of activation of ERK (PD098059) and Akt (wortmannin) leads to radiosensitization of MO59J spheroids. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the PI3K-Akt and MEK-ERK pathways triggered by EGFr confer GBM radioresistance.

Avaliaçäo da qualidade vocal de crianças sem queixas vocais: estudo prospectivo duplo-cego / Vocal quality evaluation in children withou voice disorders: a prospective and double-blind study

Objetivo: Avaliar a qualidade vocal de crianças que não paresentam queixas de distúrbios na voz. As crianças foram analisadas quanto à possível presença e tipo de lesão, quanto ao tipo de coaptação das pregas vocais e quanto à rouquidão, aspereza e soprosidade da voz. Foram avaliadas 50 crianças do sexo masculino, escolhidas aleatoriamente, na faixa etária de 3 a 10 anos, que não apresentavam queixas otorrinolaringológicas. Todas passaram por exame otorrinolaringológico, seguido de videofibrolaringoscopia e avaliação fonoaudiológica...

Pâncreas anular: apresentaçäo de caso e revisäo da literatura / Annular pancreas: report a case and review of the literature

É apresentado um caso de recém-nascido prematuro com peso de 2,25O gramas e polidrâmnio. No primeiro dia de vida apresentou quadro sugestivo de obstruçao intestinal alta. A radiografia simples de abdome confirmava o achado prévio de obstruçao intestinal, observando-se imagem de ar no estômago e na primeira porçao duodenal (dupla bolha). A radiografia contrastada do esôfago e estômago nao apresentou progressao do contraste a partir da segunda porçao duodenal. No segundo dia de vida, na laparotomia observou-se estenose ao nível da segunda porçao do duodeno por pâncreas anular. Foi realizada uma duodeno-jejuno-anastomose látero-lateral, nao sendo observadas outras anomalias. O recém-nascido apresentou boa evoluçao pós-operatória. O exame contrastado, um mês após a cirurgia, apresentava-se normal.

Prophylatic appendicectomy due to foreign body: case report

É apresentado um caso de ingestäo de corpo estranho (colar de metal) por paciente doente mental do sexo masculino de 11 anos, que se alojou no apêndice cecal. Devido aos elevados riscos de desenvolvimento de apendicite aguda, a apendicectomia profilática foi realizada