Impact of Earthquakes During COVID-19 Lockdown on the Pediatric Injury Pattern in the Zagreb Urban Area.

: Previous works on the epidemiology of pediatric trauma during the COVID-19 lockdown observed a decrease in pediatric surgical emergency consultations and fracture referrals. None of those works describes a unique situation in which there is the coexistence of another opposing factor, like an earthquake, that influences the number of injured children's referrals. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the influence of earthquakes during the COVID-19 lockdown on pediatric injury pattern referrals at a tertiary care hospital in a urban setting.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in the Treatment of Crohn's Disease.

: Our study describes hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an additional therapy in the conservative treatment of Crohn's disease (CD) and its benefit in the early postoperative period to prevent surgical complications and improve gastrointestinal motility. : This retrospective study evaluated HBOT in patients hospitalized at the Clinical Hospital Center Split for complications of CD between 2015 and 2020. Patients (N = 61) aged 19 to 67 with perianal fistulas, abscesses, fistulas, obstruction, stenosis, or bleeding were included, excluding those with ulcerative colitis or requiring intensive care.

Whole-Genome Sequencing-Based Characterization of Infection Cases at the University Hospital Centre Zagreb.

We investigated the intra-hospital distribution of strains by whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates collected in 2022 at the University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb. In total, 103 patients with first-episode CDI in 2022 at UHC Zagreb were included, based on the screening stool antigen test for GDH (RidaQuick CD GDH; R-Biopharm AG, Germany), confirmed by Eazyplex assays (Eazyplex CD assay; AmplexDiagnostics GmbH, Germany) specific for A, B, and binary toxins. Demographic and clinical data were retrospectively analyzed from electronic medical records.

Thermal Changes During Clavicle Fracture Healing in Children.

Clavicle fractures are among the most common in children, typically treated conservatively, with standard radiographs used to diagnose and monitor healing. Recently, infrared thermography (IRT) has been proposed as an alternative method for fracture detection, but no study has correlated the temperature changes during callus formation. Children aged 4-18 with X-ray-diagnosed clavicle fractures were included in the study.

International cross-sectional survey on current and updated definitions of intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome.

Background: The Abdominal Compartment Society (WSACS) established consensus definitions and recommendations for the management of intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in 2006, and they were last updated in 2013. The WSACS conducted an international survey between 2022 and 2023 to seek the agreement of healthcare practitioners (HCPs) worldwide on current and new candidate statements that may be used for future guidelines.

Methods: A self-administered, online cross-sectional survey was conducted under the auspices of the WSACS to assess the level of agreement among HCPs over current and new candidate statements.

Primary hyperparathyroidism-induced acute pancreatitis in pregnancy: A systematic review with a diagnostic-treatment algorithm.

Background: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP) during pregnancy has rarely been described. Due to this rarity, there are no diagnostic or treatment algorithms for pregnant patients.

Aim: To determine appropriate diagnostic methods, therapeutic options, and factors related to maternal and fetal outcomes for PHPT-induced AP in pregnancy.

Spontaneous Sigmoid Colon Perforation and Ruptured Subserosal ("Zebra" Pattern) Small-Bowel Hematomas in Type IV Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: A Case Report and a Short Review.

Spontaneous colonic perforations (SCPs) in teenagers and young adults are extremely rare. Common underlying conditions, such as colonic tumors and diverticulitis, are absent at that age. The vascular type of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (vEDS) is one cause of SCP.

Association between chlorine-treated drinking water, the gut microbiome, and enteric pathogen burden in young children in Haiti: An observational study.

Objective: The effects of sanitation and hygiene interventions on the gut microbiome and enteric pathogen burden are not well understood. We measured the association between free chlorine residue (FCR) levels in drinking water, microbiome composition, and stool enteric pathogens in infants and young children in Haiti.

Methods: FCR levels were measured in household drinking water and enteric pathogen burden was evaluated using multiplex RT-PCR of stool among 131 children from one month to five years of age living in Mirebalais, Haiti.

Comparison of Clinical, Pathological, and Procedural Characteristics of Adult and Pediatric Acute Appendicitis before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: This study aims to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical, pathological, and surgical characteristics of acute appendicitis (AA) at the University Hospital Centre (UHC) Zagreb.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed demographic, clinical, and surgical data from consecutive AA patients. Data were collected from an electronic database for two periods: 1 January to 31 December 2019 (pre-COVID-19), and 11 March 2020, to 11 March 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic).

Correlation between the liver transection line localization and future liver remnant hypertrophy in associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy.

Background And Aims: Colorectal liver metastases (CRLMs) represent the most prevalent form of secondary liver tumors, and insufficient future liver remnant (FLR) often leads to unresectability. To tackle this challenge, various methods for stimulating liver hypertrophy have been developed including portal vein embolization (PVE), associating liver partition and portal vein ligation for staged hepatectomy (ALPPS) and the newest one, liver venous deprivation (LVD). ALPPS was thoroughly studied over the last decade and it has been shown to induce rapid and intensive FLR hypertrophy.

Evaluation of PD-L1 Expression in Colorectal Carcinomas by Comparing Scoring Methods and Their Significance in Relation to Clinicopathologic Parameters.

Background: This study aims to evaluate PD-L1 expression in colorectal carcinomas (CRCs) by using the tumor proportion score (TPS) and the combined positive score (CPS), and to investigate whether there is a correlation with clinicopathologic features.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted that included samples from patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma treated with colon resection and rectal resection after neoadjuvant radio- and chemotherapy at the Department of Abdominal Surgery at Požega Hospital in the period from 2017 to 2022. The study included 102 tumor tissue samples from patients after resection and the pathohistological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma.

Can small bowel obstruction during pregnancy be treated with conservative management? A review.

Background: Small bowel obstruction can occur during pregnancy, which, if missed, can lead to dire consequences for both the mother and foetus. Management of this condition usually requires surgical intervention. However, only a small number of patients are treated conservatively.

Maternal diaphragmatic hernia in pregnancy: A systematic review with a treatment algorithm.

Background: Diaphragmatic hernia (DH) is extremely rarely described during pregnancy. Due to the rarity, there is no diagnostic or treatment algorithm for DH in pregnancy.

Aim: To summarize and define the most appropriate diagnostic methods and therapeutic options for DH in pregnancy based on scarce literature.

Maternal choledochal cysts in pregnancy: A systematic review of case reports and case series.

Background: Choledochal cysts (CC) are cystic dilatations of the biliary tract, usually diagnosed during childhood, with an estimated incidence in the general population of 1:100000. Complications related to CC include rupture, biliary obstruction, and cholangitis. Maternal CC in pregnancy are rarely reported, and there are no guidelines on optimal management.

Seroprevalence of Vibrio cholerae in Adults, Haiti, 2017.

In Haiti in 2017, the prevalence of serum vibriocidal antibody titers against Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 among adults was 12.4% in Cerca-la-Source and 9.54% in Mirebalais, suggesting a high recent prevalence of infection.

ECLAPTE: Effective Closure of LAParoTomy in Emergency-2023 World Society of Emergency Surgery guidelines for the closure of laparotomy in emergency settings.

Laparotomy incisions provide easy and rapid access to the peritoneal cavity in case of emergency surgery. Incisional hernia (IH) is a late manifestation of the failure of abdominal wall closure and represents frequent complication of any abdominal incision: IHs can cause pain and discomfort to the patients but also clinical serious sequelae like bowel obstruction, incarceration, strangulation, and necessity of reoperation. Previous guidelines and indications in the literature consider elective settings and evidence about laparotomy closure in emergency settings is lacking.

Colonic gallstone ileus: a systematic literature review with a diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm.

Rare complication of gallstone disease is gallstone ileus. The common location is the small intestine, followed by the stomach. The rarest location is colonic gallstone ileus (CGI).

The unrestricted global effort to complete the COOL trial.

Background: Severe complicated intra-abdominal sepsis (SCIAS) has an increasing incidence with mortality rates over 80% in some settings. Mortality typically results from disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, progressive and self-perpetuating bio-mediator generation, systemic inflammation, and multiple organ failure. A further therapeutic option may be open abdomen (OA) management with negative peritoneal pressure therapy (NPPT) to remove inflammatory ascites and attenuate the systemic damage from SCIAS, although there are definite risks of leaving the abdomen open whenever it might possibly be closed.

Food insecurity and risk of cholera: A cross-sectional study and exploratory analysis of potential mediators.

Background: Food insecurity has been independently associated with developing cholera and there is an inverse relationship between national food security and annual cholera incidence. However, the factors that mediate the risk of cholera among food insecure households remain largely unexplored.

Methodology And Principal Findings: In a cross-sectional survey of rural households in Haiti, we explored the role of food behaviors (i.