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We present a case of distal ileum perforation after the ingestion of a fish bone. This case report includes the symptomatology, studies conducted for reaching a concise diagnosis, abdominal ultrasound results, and description of the operative technique. In addition, a discussion of the topic and information gathered from the literature is carried out.

Amyand’s hernia is defined as the presence of the vermiform appendix within an inguinal hernial sac. Less than 1 % of the world medical publications on hernias address this disease, out of which very few come from Latin America and the Caribbean. This is the case of a 78-year-old male patient who experienced signs and symptoms for approximately five months. He felt a lump in the right inguinal region which progressively increased in size. Two days prior to admission to the intensive care unit, he said his pain level was 8/10. During the right inguinal approach, the hernial sac was opened, revealing parts of the right colon, cecum and appendix with edematous changes. Therefore, the patient underwent an appendectomy and repair with polypropylene mesh.

Advances in biomedical technology have increased the success rate of medical procedures due to improvements in safety and efficacy. During the assessment of patients with acute neurological disorder who require a lumbar puncture, some conditions may hinder its performance, such as infection at the puncture site or bone abnormalities that may cause spinal cord injury. Bedside ultrasound is a good alternative to assist in the performance of a puncture, due to its ability to examine structures that cannot be assessed by physical examination. In primary health care centers, where there may be obstacles that prevent access to expensive imaging tools, ultrasound is a cost-effective option in the approach to urgent pathologies. In view of the foregoing, this paper aims to review important recent evidence-based concepts related to the use of ultrasound for the performance of a lumbar puncture.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract which causes high health costs, substantially affects the quality of life and, depending on certain associated risk factors, reduces the functional capacity of the sufferer. By 2019, asthma affected 262 million people (4.3 % of the world’s population) and caused 461,000 deaths. It is estimated that therewill be an additional 100 million people with asthma by 2025. Severe asthma is a phenotype resistant to corticosteroids which causes a greater number of exacerbations and substantially affects the quality of life and functional capacity of the affected person. Its management was initially aimed at suppressing the symptoms and then evolved to understand, although not completely, the intrinsic systems of its generation. Thus, new ways of influencing its management have been studied by modulating the immune response and the ...

Maternal and perinatal health is one of today’s global health priorities. Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the leading causes of maternal mortality. Placental abruption remains a critical concern for maternal morbidity because it has been associated with long-term vascular disease. However, there is neither much literature available in Spanish nor recent evidence elucidating some questions on this topic. Thus, this review aims to synthesize recent evidence on the long-term risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in women with a personal history of placental abruption. It was found that, through complex pathophysiological mechanisms involving the structure and functionality of the placental vascular network with subsequent extension of vascular injury and production of proinflammatory and procoagulant factors which remain after delivery, major cardiovascular events are p...

Objective: To determine the effects of fuel vapor exposure on pulmonary function among informal sellers. Methods: Cross-sectional study carried-out among informal fuel sellers in Maicao, Colombia. Sociodemographic data were gathered as well as pulmonary function by spirometry, pulse oximetry and evaluation of biomass exposure. Results: 74 patients were evaluated; 87.8% were males, 71.6% of them had between 18 to 40 years of age; 21.6% (n=16) reported pulmonary diseases; 59.4% had a predicted FEV1 <80%; 68.9% had a predicted FVC <80% and 32.4% had a predicted FEV1/FVC < 70%. Among those who had abnormal spirometry, (n=45) 62.2% reported to had worked ≥5 years. The most common reported symptoms were dysphonia (14.8%), conjunctivitis (14.8), epigastric pain (10.8) and headache (9.45%). No statistically significant differences were found between spirometry alterations and history ...

The perforation of the duodenum is a rare complication of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement. The aim of this report is to highlight the importance of high clinical suspicion in patients with a history of IVC filter placement and non-specific abdominal pain. This report presents a case of a 62-year-old male with 8 years of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, who had a history of multiple deep vein thrombosis with IVC filter placement. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and angiotomography were used for diagnosis. An exploratory laparotomy was performed for removal of the IVC filter and repair of the vena cava and duodenum. The patient made satisfactory recovery and was discharged from the hospital a few days later. This case highlights the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. It also suggests that patients with this complicatio...

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Herniation is one of the most frequent surgical conditions. However, the presence of a megaureter in the hernia sac or content is extremely rare. Little has been reported on this topic in the world literature, and its diagnosis has been incidentally reached either as an intraoperative finding or during different contrast imaging studies. This is the clinical case of a patient with a history of inguinal hernia who underwent a herniorrhaphy 20 years ago and presented to the emergency department with a diagnostic impression of a relapsed hernial defect. He also had poorly-controlled diabetes mellitus. During his hospital stay, a diagnosis of relapsed hernia sac containing a megaureter was confirmed, and visceral-parietal adhesions and a subhepatic cecum were found.

Objective: To assess the five- and ten-year cardiovascular disease risk in HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy, using the Framingham risk score and the Data collection on adverse effects of anti-HIV drugs (D:A:D) study. Materials and methods: An observational prospective cross-sectional study. HIV-positive patients on antiretroviral treatment from a referral center for HIV patients were included in the study between January 1 and April 30, 2019. A five- and ten-year cardiovascular risk assessment was performed using the Framingham risk score and the D:A:D study. Additionally, both risk models were compared through statistical models. Results: The study population consisted of 159 patients with a mean age of 48.90 years ± 9.90. The mean cardiovascular risk according to the five-year Framingham risk score was 2.70 % ± 2.80, the ten-year Framingham risk score was 6.10 % ± 5.7...

The Duffy protein, a transmembrane molecule, functions as a receptor for various chemokines and facilitates attachment between the reticulocyte and the Plasmodium Duffy antigen-binding protein. Duffy expression correlates with the Duffy receptor gene for the chemokine, located on chromosome 1, and exhibits geographical variability worldwide. Traditionally, researchers have described the Duffy negative genotype as a protective factor against Plasmodium vivax infection. However, recent studies suggest that this microorganism’s evolution could potentially diminish this protective effect. Nevertheless, there is currently insufficient global data to demonstrate this phenomenon. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the Duffy genotype/phenotype and the prevalence of P. vivax infection. The protocol for the systematic review was registered in PROSPERO as CRD42022353427 and inv...