Ecuador is one of the world's leading producers of cacao beans, and Nacional x Trinitario cacao represents one of the most distinctive varieties due to its flavor and aroma characteristics. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the starter culture isolated from microbial diversity during the spontaneous fermentation of Nacional x Trinitario cacao. A total of 249 microbial isolates were obtained from spontaneous culture, with (45 %), (17 %), and (2 %) being the most relevant genera for fermentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Value congruence (VC) is the degree of alignment between worker and workplace values and is strongly associated with reduced job strain and retention. Within general surgery residency, the impact of VC and how to operationalize it to improve workplace well-being remain unclear.
Study Design: This 2-part mixed-methods study comprised 2 surveys of US general surgery residents and qualitative interviews with program directors.
Objective: To conduct a scoping review of literature on financial implications of surgical resident well-being.
Background: Surgeon well-being affects clinical outcomes, patient experience, and health care economics. However, our understanding of the relationship between surgical resident well-being and organizational finances is limited.
Objectives: We explored differences by race/ethnicity in regard to several factors that reflect or impact wellbeing.
Background: Physician wellbeing has critical ramifications for the US healthcare system, affecting clinical outcomes, patient experience, and healthcare economics. Within surgery, literature examining the association between race/ethnicity and wellbeing has been limited and inconclusive.
Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is the second most common cancer type arising from the salivary gland. The frequent occurrence of chromosome t(6;9) translocation leading to the fusion of MYB and NFIB transcription factor genes is considered a genetic hallmark of ACC. This inter-chromosomal rearrangement may encode multiple variants of functional MYB-NFIB fusion in ACC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIngestion of foreign bodies is often found in clinical practice; however, intestinal perforation due to ingestion of foreign bodies is rare. Sharp and metallic objects are usually the ones that cause most complications. Preoperative diagnosis is difficult since the clinical presentation is vague and nonspecific presentation can simulate many abdominal pathologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLymphomatoid granulomatosis is a very rare B cell lymphoproliferative disease associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. It is related to states of immunosuppression and affects the lung in more than 90% of cases, forcing the clinician to establish a differential diagnosis with other diseases such as infections, Wegener's granulomatosis, lymphoma, or lung metastases. There is no standard treatment for this disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFΔ-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the intoxicating constituent of cannabis and is responsible for the drug's reinforcing effects. Retrospective human studies suggest that cannabis use during adolescence is linked to long-term negative psychological outcomes, but in such studies it is difficult to distinguish the effects of THC from those of coexisting factors. Therefore, translationally relevant animal models are required to properly investigate THC effects in adolescents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) is a rare condition characterized by gas infiltration into the intestine wall. When gas is seen in the intestinal wall, it is usually a sign of bowel wall infarction and a surgical emergency; therefore, an adequate differentiation of benign and urgent conditions of pneumatosis intestinalis is necessary to prevent misdiagnosis and inadequate therapies.
Case Presentation: We present the case of a 79-year-old male with past medical history of Alzheimer's, cholecystectomy, and umbilical hernia.
Tumor-specific mutations can generate neoantigens that drive CD8 T cell responses against cancer. Next-generation sequencing and computational methods have been successfully applied to identify mutations and predict neoantigens. However, only a small fraction of predicted neoantigens are immunogenic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: We describe the compassionate use of high dose insulin dextrose (HID) for life threatening metformin associated lactic acidosis (MALA) in four patients admitted to intensive care.
Methods: Patients presenting with refractory lactic acidosis believed to be secondary to metformin poisoning were included.High dose insulin dextrose at 0.
Background: Gunshot wounds in pregnant women, although rare, represent an important cause of fetal and maternal mortality. Understanding the mechanism of injury is essential to identify the possible injuries and to adequately manage the complexity of these emergency scenarios.
Case Presentation: We present a case of a 27-year-old woman and her 37 week fetus who were the victims of a gunshot wound.
Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESLW) is a common and relatively safe procedure, with a high success rate and low adverse effects. Complications of this procedure are usually limited to the kidneys and almost always resolve spontaneously. However, on rare occasions, a frightening complication, as a hematoma of a parenchymatous organ, such as the liver can appear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInadvertent ingestion of foreign bodies is a common condition within clinical practice. It rarely produces any symptoms. The diagnosis is difficult since most patients do not recall having swallowed any object.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmebiasis is still a major healthcare concern, especially in developing countries like Ecuador. The lack of sanitary control and hygiene measures make parasites infections still a burden for patients and physicians. Despite infections due to this parasites are usually mild, severe infections and fatal outcomes although rare still occur.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAims: Cardio-oncology clinics optimise the cardiovascular status of cancer patients but there is a limited description of their structure, case mix, activity and results. The purpose of this paper is to describe the activity and outcomes of a cardio-oncology service, particularly with respect to supporting optimal cancer treatment and survival.
Methods And Results: We prospectively studied patients referred to our service from February 2011 to February 2016.
Mucinous neoplasm of the appendix are rare entities, among these, mucinous cystadenomas contribute to 31-34%. Cystadenomas often produce extensive dilatation of the appendix with epithelial atypia. Spontaneous perforation often occurs in 20%, leading to mucin distribution throughout the peritoneal cavity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntestinal duplication is rare congenital pathology generally diagnosed in infancy or early childhood. Presentation in adults is extremely rare. We present a case of a 36-year-old otherwise healthy female patient without any past medical history.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMany parasitic nematodes have an environmental infective stage that searches for hosts. Olfaction plays an important role in this process, with nematodes navigating their environment using host-emitted and environmental olfactory cues. The interactions between parasitic nematodes and their hosts are also influenced by the olfactory behaviors of the host, since host olfactory preferences drive behaviors that may facilitate or impede parasitic infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) has traditionally been considered to cause no significant brain damage since symptoms spontaneously remit after a few days. However, this idea is facing increasing scrutiny. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the presence of early cognitive alterations in a series of patients with mTBI and to link these findings to different markers of brain damage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the impact of gender upon the prognosis and medical care in a regional acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network.
Design: An observational study was made of consecutive patients entered in a prospective database.
Scope: The Catalan acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction management network.