Patient-perceived barriers to surgical treatment of cleft lip and palate in Brazil: A multi-region study.

Introduction: Many patients worldwide are unable to access timely primary repair of cleft lip and palate. The aim of this study was to assess patient-perceived barriers to accessing timely cleft lip and palate repair across Brazil.

Methods: A 29-item questionnaire was applied to patients undergoing surgery for cleft lip and/or palate across five contrasting sites in Brazil from February 2016 to November 2017.

Segmenting Cellular Retinal Images by Optimizing Super-pixels, Multi-level Modularity, and Cell Boundary Representation.

We introduce an interactive method for retina layer segmentation in gray-level and RGB images based on super-pixels, multi-level optimization of modularity, and boundary erosion. Our method produces highly accurate segmentation results and can segment very large images. We have evaluated our method with two datasets of 2D confocal microscopy (CM) images of a mammalian retina.

Patient-Perceived Barriers to Accessing Cleft Care at a Tertiary Referral Center in São Paulo, Brazil.

Background: In low- and middle-income countries, poor access to care can result in delayed surgical repair of orofacial clefts leading to poor functional outcomes. Even in Brazil, an upper middle-income country with free comprehensive cleft care, delayed repair of orofacial clefts commonly occurs. This study aims to assess patient-perceived barriers to cleft care at a referral center in São Paulo.

MINIMALLY INVASIVE LAPAROSCOPIC ESOPHAGECTOMY VS. TRANSHIATAL OPEN ESOPHAGECTOMY IN ACHALASIA: A RANDOMIZED STUDY.

Background: Open and laparoscopic trans-hiatal esophagectomy has been successfully performed in the treatment of megaesophagus. However, there are no randomized studies to differentiate them in their results.

Aim: To compare the results of minimally invasive laparoscopic esophagectomy (EMIL) vs.

Schistosomal portal hypertension: Randomized trial comparing endoscopic therapy alone or preceded by esophagogastric devascularization and splenectomy.

Unlabelled:  Background. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with portal hypertension secondary to schistosomiasis mansoni.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of combined surgery and sclerotherapy versus endoscopic treatment alone in the prophylaxis of esophageal variceal rebleeding due to portal hypertension in schistosomiasis.

Medical image retrieval and analysis by Markov random fields and multi-scale fractal dimension.

Many Content-based Image Retrieval (CBIR) systems and image analysis tools employ color, shape and texture (in a combined fashion or not) as attributes, or signatures, to retrieve images from databases or to perform image analysis in general. Among these attributes, texture has turned out to be the most relevant, as it allows the identification of a larger number of images of a different nature. This paper introduces a novel signature which can be used for image analysis and retrieval.

Mechanical cervical esophagogastric laterolateral anastomosis after esophagectomies.

Among the challenges of esophagectomies, the cervical anastomosis remains challenging for its consequences, the main being the anastomotic stricture. The authors present a technique for an Orringer-fashion mechanical cervical laterolateral esophagogastric anastomosis, which reduces the rate of fistula and stenosis.

Evolutional profile of the esophageal varices after splenectomy associated with ligation of the left gastric vein and sclerotherapy in schistosomal portal hypertension.

Background: The schistosomiasis affects 200 million people in 70 countries worldwide. It is estimated that 10% of those infected will develop hepatosplenic status and of these, 30% will progress to portal hypertension and esophagogastric varices, whose expression is through gastrointestinal bleeding with significant mortality in the first bleeding episode. Multiple surgical techniques have been developed to prevent re-bleeding.

Decrease of type IV collagen and TIMP-1 serum levels after splenectomy in patients with schistosomiasis mansoni.

The role of the spleen in the process of liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis still needs clarification. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of splenectomy on serum levels of two markers of fibrosis, type IV collagen and TIMP-1, in patients with schistosomiasis mansoni. Twenty-four patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis mansoni participated in the study.