"Mesenteric stripping using a Veress needle: A creative approach to resect small bowel disease in advanced ovarian cancer".

Small bowel involvement in patients with advanced ovarian cancer has been associated with a worse prognosis and recent data suggests it can be an independent factor associated with shorter disease-free interval (Casales Campos et al., 2022). In the upfront cytoreductive setting, small bowel residual disease (serosa and mesentery) has been identified as the most common site of residual disease (Heitz et al., 2016). The morbidity associated with multiple small bowel resections and the length of the remaining small bowel constitute major limiting factors. As the surgical armamentarium of the gynecologic oncologist has considerably broaden to include more radical procedures, addressing miliary small bowel disease remains extremely important in the quest to achieve complete gross resection (CGR) and thus improving the overall prognosis (Jurado and Chiva, 2021). We present a case of a patient with stage IIIC high grade serous ovarian carcinoma that already had started neoadjuvant chemotherapy before presenting for surgical options. After 4 cycles of carboplatin and paclitaxel, the patient was offered interval cytoreductive surgery plus HIPEC with cisplatin. During surgical exploration, miliary small bowel mesenteric disease was noted but with a grossly intact jejunoileal serosa. The patient underwent bilateral diaphragmatic stripping, cholecystectomy, extraperitoneal hysterectomy and multiple parietal peritonectomies. A decision was made to perform a mesenterectomy using a Veress needle. A standard insuflator was utilized to a maximum pressure of 4 mmHg. CGR was achieved and the patient underwent HIPEC as per institution protocol. The post operative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged five days after surgery. She is currently free of disease (20 months after surgery).

The determinants of waste generation and recycling performance across the Portuguese municipalities - A simultaneous equation approach.

Waste management and recycling are fundamental issues for policy makers to protect the environment. Although these topics have been broadly studied at country-level, studies addressing sub-national units are still limited. This research aims to contribute to this field by analyzing the waste generation and recycling processes across the Portuguese municipalities during the period 2009-2018. The paper assesses the decoupling hypothesis consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve, advocating that a threshold of development is reached and, afterwards, environmental degradation declines through less waste production and higher recycling rates. To address this hypothesis the waste generation and recycling equations are estimated using as fundamentals the total production activity and by sector, the population age structure, and population density as proxy for the degree of urbanization. This study also assesses whether the development dichotomy between more and less developed municipalities affects waste and recycling performances, and to what extent the fiscal consolidation period (2011-2014) influenced these processes. Empirical evidence validates the inverted U-shaped relationship between municipal waste generation and overall production per head, the U-shaped relationship between recycling and waste generation, as well as between recycling and the share of the tertiary sector. The municipal production structure is shown to be important for explaining waste generation and recycling behavior, in contrast to population age structure that only differentiates recycling performance. It is also shown that the fiscal consolidation period affected positively the waste and recycling processes, while population density and the development dichotomy are not relevant factors for explaining differences in waste generation and recycling activities across the Portuguese municipalities.

Pelvic actinomycosis mimicking pelvic malignancy / Actinomicose pélvica simulando neoplasia maligna pélvica

Abstract Asymptomatic female genital tract colonization with Actinomyces spp is not uncommon, particularly among intrauterine device users. Pelvic actinomycosis is an extremely rare disease. The clinical picture can resemble an advanced ovarian malignancy. We report a case of pelvic actinomycosis mimicking ovarian malignancy diagnosed postoperatively. Preoperative diagnosis is possible if there is a high index of suspicion, obviating extensive surgery and preserving fertility, since long term antibiotic treatment can be completely effective. Pelvic actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of women presenting a pelvic mass, especially if there is intrauterine device use history.

Resumo A colonização assintomática do aparelho genital feminino por Actinomyces spp não é infrequente, sobretudo em utilizadoras de dispositivo intra-uterino. A actinomicose pélvica é uma doença extremamente rara. O quadro clínico pode assemelhar-se ao de uma neoplasia maligna do ovário avançada. Relatamos um caso de actinomicose pélvica, simulando uma neoplasia maligna do ovário, com diagnóstico pós-operatório. O diagnóstico pré-operatório é possível se houver um elevado grau de suspeição, permitindo evitar cirurgias extensas e preservar a fertilidade, uma vez que o tratamento antibiótico prolongado pode ser totalmente eficaz. A actinomicose pélvica deve ser incluída no diagnóstico diferencial da mulher que apresente uma massa pélvica, sobretudo se houver história de uso de dispositivo intra-uterino.

Pelvic Actinomycosis Mimicking Pelvic Malignancy.

Asymptomatic female genital tract colonization with Actinomyces spp is not uncommon, particularly among intrauterine device users. Pelvic actinomycosis is an extremely rare disease. The clinical picture can resemble an advanced ovarian malignancy. We report a case of pelvic actinomycosis mimicking ovarian malignancy diagnosed postoperatively. Preoperative diagnosis is possible if there is a high index of suspicion, obviating extensive surgery and preserving fertility, since long term antibiotic treatment can be completely effective. Pelvic actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of women presenting a pelvic mass, especially if there is intrauterine device use history.

A colonização assintomática do aparelho genital feminino por Actinomyces spp não é infrequente, sobretudo em utilizadoras de dispositivo intra-uterino. A actinomicose pélvica é uma doença extremamente rara. O quadro clínico pode assemelhar-se ao de uma neoplasia maligna do ovário avançada. Relatamos um caso de actinomicose pélvica, simulando uma neoplasia maligna do ovário, com diagnóstico pós-operatório. O diagnóstico pré-operatório é possível se houver um elevado grau de suspeição, permitindo evitar cirurgias extensas e preservar a fertilidade, uma vez que o tratamento antibiótico prolongado pode ser totalmente eficaz. A actinomicose pélvica deve ser incluída no diagnóstico diferencial da mulher que apresente uma massa pélvica, sobretudo se houver história de uso de dispositivo intra-uterino.

Metastatic Breast Cancer in Uterine Cervix: A Rare Presentation.

Uterine cervix involvement by a distant primary tumor is a rare event. We report the following 2 cases of breast tumor metastasis to the uterine cervix with different presentations: case 1 is an isolated cervix metastasis and case 2 is a disseminated metastatic disease with cervix involvement. In both, clinical examination raised the suspicion of cervical tumor, which was confirmed to be a metastatic adenocarcinoma.The poor outcome and lack of symptoms suggest that although its rareness, all patients with breast cancer should undergo a careful routine gynecologic examination.

Spontaneous rupture of renal angiomyolipoma during pregnancy.

Renal angiomyolipoma is a benign tumor, composed of adipocytes, smooth muscle cells and blood vessels. The association with pregnancy is rare and related with an increased risk of complications, including rupture with massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage. The follow-up is controversial because of the lack of known cases, but the priorities are: timely diagnosis in urgent cases and a conservative treatment when possible. The mode of delivery is not consensual and should be individualized to each case. We report a case of a pregnant woman with 18 weeks of gestation admitted in the emergency room with an acute right low back pain with no other symptoms. The diagnosis of rupture of renal angiomyolipoma was established by ultrasound and, due to hemodynamically stability, conservative treatment with imaging and clinical monitoring was chosen. At 35 weeks of gestation, it was performed elective cesarean section without complications for both mother and fetus.

Spontaneous rupture of renal angiomyolipoma during pregnancy / Rotura espontânea de um angiomiolipoma durante a gravidez

Renal angiomyolipoma is a benign tumor, composed of adipocytes, smooth muscle cells and blood vessels. The association with pregnancy is rare and related with an increased risk of complications, including rupture with massive retroperitoneal hemorrhage. The follow-up is controversial because of the lack of known cases, but the priorities are: timely diagnosis in urgent cases and a conservative treatment when possible. The mode of delivery is not consensual and should be individualized to each case. We report a case of a pregnant woman with 18 weeks of gestation admitted in the emergency room with an acute right low back pain with no other symptoms. The diagnosis of rupture of renal angiomyolipoma was established by ultrasound and, due to hemodinamically stability, conservative treatment with imaging and clinical monitoring was chosen. At 35 weeks of gestation, it was performed elective cesarean section without complications for both mother and fetus.

O angiomiolipoma é um tumor benigno, constituído por adipócitos, células de músculo liso e vasos sanguíneos. Sua associação com a gravidez é rara e está relacionada com um aumento de complicações, nomeadamente rotura com hemorragia retroperitoneal maciça. O follow-up é controverso em razão do escasso número de casos descritos, no entanto as prioridades são: diagnóstico atempado nas situações urgentes e, sempre que possível, tratamento conservador. O tipo de parto não é consensual e deve ser individualizado caso a caso. Relatamos um caso de uma grávida com 18 semanas de gestação que recorreu ao serviço de urgência por lombalgia direita aguda, sem outros sintomas relevantes. Diagnosticou-se ecograficamente rotura de angiomiolipoma renal e, em decorrência da estabilidade hemodinâmica do quadro, procedeu-se ao tratamento conservador com monitorização imagiológica e clínica. Às 35 semanas de gestação, realizou-se uma cesariana eletiva que decorreu sem complicações maternas ou fetais.