Posttraumatic Scrotal Reconstruction with a Pedicled "Extended" Superficial Circumflex Iliac Artery Perforator Flap: A Case Report.

The superficial circumflex iliac artery (SCIA) perforator (SCIP) flap has been used for scrotal reconstruction after Fournier's gangrene, skin cancer, or infections. However, there are few publications with regard to penoscrotal reconstruction after a traumatic injury with this flap. In this article, we propose a new SCIP flap variation, the "extended" or "direct" SCIP flap, to effectively reconstruct a wide scrotal defect after a traumatic injury.

Ellagic acid ameliorates hexavalent chromium-induced renal toxicity by attenuating oxidative stress, suppressing TNF-α and protecting mitochondria.

Nephrotoxicity is an important adverse effect of oxidative stress induced by hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)]. The effect of ellagic acid, a dietary polyphenolic compound with potent antioxidant activity, was investigated in Cr(VI)-induced kidney injury. Six groups of male Wistar rats were treated intragastrically with vehicle or ellagic acid (15 and 30 mg/kg) for 10 days.

Trajectories of wildfire behavior under climate change. Can forest management mitigate the increasing hazard?

Mediterranean forests and fire regimes are closely intertwined. Global change is likely to alter both forest dynamics and wildfire activity, ultimately threatening the provision of ecosystem services and posing greater risks to society. In this paper we evaluate future wildfire behavior by coupling climate projections with simulation models of forest dynamics and wildfire hazard.

Convergence in critical fuel moisture and fire weather thresholds associated with fire activity in the pyroregions of Mediterranean Europe.

Wildfires are becoming an increasing threat to many communities worldwide. There has been substantial progress towards understanding the proximal causes of increased fire activity in recent years at regional and national scales. However, subcontinental scale examinations of the commonalities and differences in the drivers of fire activity across different regions are rare in the Mediterranean zone of the European Union (EUMed).

Increased FNDC5/IRISIN protein expression in breast cancer tissue is associated with obesity in postmenopausal women.

Aim: To analyse the fibronectin type III domain containing 5 (FNDC5)/irisin expression in tumour tissue of postmenopausal women presenting breast cancer and different body mass indexes (BMIs), proposing that obesity deregulates the expression of FNDC5/irisin at the breast tumour level. In addition, we investigated if different breast cancer cell lines are capable to synthesise this protein.

Methods: A total of 150 postmenopausal women (50 with a normal BMI, 50 presenting overweight and 50 having obesity) diagnosed with operable breast cancer were included.

The Effect of Perioperative Blood Transfusions on Microvascular Anastomoses.

Introduction: Perioperative transfusions are associated with complications of free flaps. The purpose of the present study was to find out whether there is a significant relationship between the risk of developing complications in vascular anastomoses and the history of transfusions.

Methods: We studied 372 patients retrospectively with microsurgical reconstruction between 2009 and 2017 with regards to the number of red blood cell concentrates transfused.

Leptin and its receptor are overexpressed in breast cancer tissue of postmenopausal Mexican-Mestizo women with obesity.

The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of leptin (LEP) and its receptor (LEPR) in breast cancer tissue of postmenopausal women with different body mass indexes (BMI), as well as the relationship of this expression with the rate of recurrence free survival (RFS). Leptin and LEPR expression, determined by immunohistochemistry, were studied in breast cancer tissues of 154 patients. Qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of protein expression was performed by the H-Score method, through the ImageJ's IHC Profiler software.

Has COVID-19 halted winter-spring wildfires in the Mediterranean? Insights for wildfire science under a pandemic context.

Wildfires in the Mediterranean are strongly tied to human activities. Given their particular link with humans, which act as both initiators and suppressors, wildfire hazard is highly sensitive to socioeconomic changes and patterns. Many researchers have prompted the perils of sustaining the current management policy, the so-called 'total fire exclusion'.

Adiponectin and adiponectin receptor 1 expression proteins levels are modified in breast cancer in postmenopausal women with obesity.

Aim: To analyse the expression of adiponectin (ADIPOQ), and its receptors ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2, in breast cancer tissue of postmenopausal women with different body mass indexes (BMIs).

Subjects And Methods: One hundred and fifty postmenopausal Mexican-Mestizo women with breast cancer were included. BMI was determined in each case.

Oral cavity colon adenocarcinoma metastases: case report with surgical approach and review of more than 30 years literature.

Introduction: Metastatic oral tumours are rare, contributing to 1% of all malignant oral cavity tumours.

Case Report: We report the case of a 59-year-old man with colon cancer at an advanced disease stage, with progression to the peritoneum and maxillary gingiva. Palliative surgery was indicated to improve the patient's quality of life.

Geospatial Modeling of Containment Probability for Escaped Wildfires in a Mediterranean Region.

Despite escalating expenditures in firefighting, extreme fire events continue to pose a major threat to ecosystem services and human communities in Mediterranean areas. Developing a safe and effective fire response is paramount to efficiently restrict fire spread, reduce negative effects to natural values, prevent residential housing losses, and avoid causalties. Though current fire policies in most countries demand full suppression, few studies have attempted to identify the strategic locations where firefighting efforts would likely contain catastrophic fire events.

How does drought impact burned area in Mediterranean vegetation communities?

Drought and water stress are widely known to influence fuel moisture content and flammability, although differences do exist according to the response mechanisms and adaptive traits displayed by plant communities. In the Mediterranean basin, as a result of climate change, extreme drought events are expected to become more frequent and severe, envisaging episodes of increased fire risk. In this paper, we expand the scale of analysis on how does drought influence wildfire incidence exploring the joint influence on burned area of drought duration, magnitude and temporal distribution, and the affected vegetation communities (VCs).

Spatial stratification of wildfire drivers towards enhanced definition of large-fire regime zoning and fire seasons.

The area affected by wildfires is experiencing an overall decrease in the Mediterranean European region. However, there is no clear trend associated to the incidence of large fire events, which continue to pose an important threat to assets-at-risk, while debates on control by meteorological or fuel drivers are ongoing. Understanding the underlying spatial and temporal patterns of large-fire drivers is of critical importance for a more efficient and science-based management, and specifically for improving wildfire season definition and informing fuel management.

Towards a comprehensive wildfire management strategy for Mediterranean areas: Framework development and implementation in Catalonia, Spain.

Southern European countries rely largely on fire suppression and ignition prevention to manage a growing wildfire problem. We explored a more wholistic, long-term approach based on priority maps for the implementation of diverse management options aimed at creating fire resilient landscapes, restoring cultural fire regimes, facilitating safe and efficient fire response, and creating fire-adapted communities. To illustrate this new comprehensive strategy for fire-prone Mediterranean areas, we developed and implemented the framework in Catalonia (northeastern Spain).

Improving fire season definition by optimized temporal modelling of daily human-caused ignitions.

Wildfire suppression management is usually based on fast control of all ignitions, especially in highly populated countries with pervasive values-at-risk. To minimize values-at-risk loss by improving response time of suppression resources it is necessary to anticipate ignitions, which are mainly caused by people. Previous studies have found that human-ignition patterns change spatially and temporally depending on socio-economic activities, hence, the deployment of suppression resources along the year should consider these patterns.

The wildland-urban interface raster dataset of Catalonia.

We provide the wildland urban interface (WUI) map of the autonomous community of Catalonia (Northeastern Spain). The map encompasses an area of some 3.21 million ha and is presented as a 150-m resolution raster dataset.

Wildfire spread, hazard and exposure metric raster grids for central Catalonia.

We provide 40 m resolution wildfire spread, hazard and exposure metric raster grids for the 0.13 million ha fire-prone Bages County in central Catalonia (northeastern Spain) corresponding to node influence grid (NIG), crown fraction burned (CFB) and fire transmission to residential houses (TR). Fire spread and behavior data (NIG, CFB and fire perimeters) were generated with fire simulation modeling considering wildfire season extreme fire weather conditions (97 percentile).

Optimizing prescribed fire allocation for managing fire risk in central Catalonia.

We used spatial optimization to allocate and prioritize prescribed fire treatments in the fire-prone Bages County, central Catalonia (northeastern Spain). The goal of this study was to identify suitable strategic locations on forest lands for fuel treatments in order to: 1) disrupt major fire movements, 2) reduce ember emissions, and 3) reduce the likelihood of large fires burning into residential communities. We first modeled fire spread, hazard and exposure metrics under historical extreme fire weather conditions, including node influence grid for surface fire pathways, crown fraction burned and fire transmission to residential structures.

Chimeric Superficial Circumflex Iliac Perforator Flap Including External Oblique Fascia: A Refinement of Conventional Harvesting.

The superficial circumflex iliac perforator (SCIP) flap is one of the most suitable flaps to cover distal extremity defects due to its lack of bulkiness and donor site concealment. However, it is less popular than other perforator flaps due to its anatomical variations, short pedicle length, and small caliber vessels. We describe a novel design for the SCIP flap, consisting of a chimeric flap with a piece of the external oblique muscle fascia.

Oxidative Stress Markers and Histological Analysis in Diverse Organs from Rats Treated with a Hepatotoxic Dose of Cr(VI): Effect of Curcumin.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] compounds are extremely toxic and carcinogenic. Despite the vast quantity of reports about Cr(VI) toxicity, the information regarding its effects when it is intraperitoneally (i.p.

Curcumin pretreatment prevents potassium dichromate-induced hepatotoxicity, oxidative stress, decreased respiratory complex I activity, and membrane permeability transition pore opening.

Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from turmeric with recognized antioxidant properties. Hexavalent chromium is an environmental toxic and carcinogen compound that induces oxidative stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential protective effect of curcumin on the hepatic damage generated by potassium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) in rats.

Pastoral wildfires in the Mediterranean: understanding their linkages to land cover patterns in managed landscapes.

The pastoral use of fire to regenerate rangelands is a major cause of wildfires in many Mediterranean countries. Despite producing important environmental impacts, this phenomenon has hardly ever been studied separately from other wildfire ignition causes. As extensive livestock breeding relies on the available pasture resources, we hypothesised that a higher rate of pastoral wildfire ignitions could be associated with land cover patterns, as these reflect the spatial arrangement of human activities in managed landscapes.