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Photography is lectured on universities since the 20th. century. On the 21st. century, some institutions begin to dismiss chemical processes and analogical equipments. Nevertheless, the experience proves that the maintenance of analogical equipments and processes as a learning method increases interest and results – also on digital technology – during classes. O ensino da fotografia existe nas universidades desde o século XX. Agora, no século XXI, algumas instituições estão abandonando os processos químicos e materiais analógicos. Porém, a experiência mostra que manter os equipamentos e processamento analógico como método de ensino-aprendizagem torna as aulas muito mais interessantes e com resultados melhores, inclusive no uso da tecnologia digital.

La Mesías (Movistar+, 2023) es una serie española de televisión que desarrolla la historia de una familia disfuncional de la que emerge un grupo musical, Stella Maris. En la serie, sus creadores reinterpretan fenómenos virales de origen online, muy especialmente el caso del grupo español Flos Mariae. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es explorar el universo transmedia de la serie, para lo cual se deben localizar, comparar y analizar las acciones del grupo musical ficticio en redes sociales. Se pretende igualmente identificar de qué forma se establece una relación entre el relato de ficción y el relato virtualizado en las redes. Se aplica una metodología exploratoria y descriptiva basada en el estudio de caso. Los resultados confirman que las acciones transmedia alrededor de Stella Maris y de La Mesías expanden la narrativa de la serie, al punto de llevarla a una experiencia performativa. Además, estas acciones proponen un juego sobre las fronteras entre realidad mediatizada y ficción a partir de la narrativa transmedia desarrollada. Los resultados invitan a discutir sobre la entidad “real” de acciones artísticas en el contexto de la producción cultural mediatizada.

This study assessed the functional diversity (FD) of copepod communities along the environmental gradient of two tropical estuaries with different intensities of human impact - the environmentally protected "Mamanguape" and the urbanised "Paraiba". Different trait-based approaches were used: functional groups identification and description, and FD indices estimation. The results showed similar functional groups and functional indices between the two estuaries with some variability attributed to seasonality. Copepods in each estuary seemed to perform similar functions. Overall, biomass was more evenly distributed among groups, and mean total biomass and FD indices were slightly higher in the Mamanguape. Nevertheless, both estuaries presented comparable FD, indicating that environmental filters may be the main driver of species coexistence within systems. Results also pointed towards anthropogenic disturbance, despite the protection status of the Mamanguape., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Our aim was to quantify microplastic ingestion by fish assemblages in two tropical Brazilian estuaries and to evaluate whether biological and ecological factors influence the ingestion of microplastics by fish species. Of 2233 fish from both estuaries (from 69 species) examined in this study, 9% of the individuals (24 species) had microplastics in their gut contents. Microplastic ingestion occurred irrespective of fish size and functional group. The diet of fish species was analyzed based on prey items identified in the fish's full stomach contents and five feeding guilds were defined. Microplastics were common throughout all feeding guilds. Low (average ingestion values 1.06±0.30 items/total fish) but widespread occurrence among estuaries also indicates proliferation of microplastic pollution. Our findings highlight the need to focus on assemblage level studies to understand the real magnitude of the problem and emphasize the urgency of mitigation measures directed at microplastic pollution in estuarine ecosystems., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Parasites are important components of communities and constitute great part of the biological diversity found in ecosystems, providing valuable information about their hosts and the environment in which they live. However, despite its importance, parasitic diversity is still not well known in some regions of Brazil, especially with respect to fish parasites in the Northeast Region. The present study aims to perform the survey of gill parasites of fish from two tropical estuaries located in northeastern Brazil: Paraíba and Mamanguape rivers. Two collections were made in each estuary, one during the dry period (November / 2013) and the other during the rainy season (July / 2014). The fish were caught using a beach seine net, dragged along the main channel margin. After the identification, biometry and necropsy of the fish, their parasites were collected, stored and identified. For each species of parasite, the values ​​of prevalence, mean intensity and mean abundance were calculated. Of the 882 examined fish, belonging to four species, 145 were parasitized by at least one species of parasite. In total, 18 taxa of parasites of the groups Monogenea, Digenea, Nematoda, Copepoda and Isopoda were recorded, being the copepod Acusicola brasiliensis the most abundant species of parasite.

The functional diversity of fish communities was studied along the salinity gradient of two estuaries in Northeast Brazil subjected to different anthropogenic pressures, to gain a better understanding of the response of fish communities to disturbance. We evaluated functional complementarity indices, redundancy and analysed functional composition through functional groups based on combinations of different traits. The fish communities in both estuaries share similar functions performed by few functional groups. The upstream areas had generally lower taxonomic, functional diversity and lower redundancy, suggesting greater vulnerability to impacts caused by human activities. Biomass was slightly more evenly distributed among functional groups in the less disturbed estuary, but total biomass and redundancy were lower in comparison to the urbanized estuary. The present findings lend strength to the notion that the less disturbed estuary may be more susceptible to anthropogenic impacts, underscoring the need for more effective conservation measures directed at this estuary., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Turnover (i.e., species substitution) and nestedness (i.e., subsets of species from more diverse locations), the two main mechanisms used to explain the beta diversity of biological communities, have different implications for biodiversity conservation. To better understand how these mechanisms contribute to beta diversity, we tested the following hypotheses: (i) greater dissimilarity in community composition occurs between estuarine zones than other hierarchical level studied; (ii) beta diversity in these communities develops by turnover in estuaries with a lower degree of anthropogenic impact, but by nestedness in estuaries with a greater degree of anthropogenic impact; and (iii) the structuring mechanism is independent of season. We studied two tropical estuaries (dry and wet seasons) that vary in terms of land-use of the drainage basins. Subtidal benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled along the estuarine gradient in each of the two estuaries. The additive partitioning approach to species diversity was used to determine the hierarchical scale with the greatest dissimilarity in community composition. General beta diversity was measured using the Sorensen dissimilarity index, partitioning the turnover and nestedness components. The greatest dissimilarity in the composition of the communities occurred between the zones along the estuarine gradient in both seasons (dry = 58.6%; wet = 46.3%). In the estuary with a lower degree of anthropogenic influence, benthic macroinvertebrate diversity was generated by turnover regardless of the season. In the estuary with a greater degree of anthropogenic impact, beta diversity was structured by turnover during the dry season and a combination of both mechanisms during the wet season. We conclude that turnover is the principal mechanism responsible for beta diversity in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in tropical estuaries., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The aim of the present study was to test whether different degrees of human activity affect the diet of the Brazilian silverside Atherinella brasiliensis in two tropical estuaries. Fish were collected along the salinity gradient of two Brazilian estuaries, the heavily impacted Paraiba Estuary and the less impacted Mamanguape Estuary, in the dry and wet seasons. The findings confirm that A. brasiliensis has generalist feeding habits and is able to change its diet under different environmental conditions. The results indicate clear spatial (i.e. along the estuarine gradient) changes in diet composition in both estuaries, but diet was also influenced by the degree of anthropogenic disturbance. During the wet season in the nutrient enriched Paraiba Estuary, when human activity was higher, the diet of A. brasiliensis was poorer and dominated by few dietary items, reflecting the potential impoverishment of prey items in this heavily disturbed system. The specimens collected in the most affected estuary also had a greater frequency of micro-plastics and parasites in their stomachs, reflecting the greater degree of human disturbance in the estuary. The present findings suggest that the diet of A. brasiliensis could be a useful indicator of changes in the ecological quality of these and other tropical estuaries of the western Atlantic Ocean., (© 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.)

Superior mesenteric artery syndrome (SMAS) has an incidence of 0.1-0.3%. It is caused by a narrow angle between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery, resulting in the clamping of the third portion of the duodenum. It is more common in females (2:1), with no racial differences. It is also more frequent in patients under 30 years and may have a congenital or acquired aetiology. There is only one case of the familial form described in the medical literature. We present a case of a 20-year-old woman, with recurrent episodes of epigastric discomfort and vomiting since she was 10 years old. After clinical suspicion, diagnosis was achieved after digestive endoscopy, upper gastrointestinal transit and abdominal MR. The patient was kept under parenteral nutrition for 17 days before surgery. She was discharged 8 days after surgery and the postoperative course was uneventful., (2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.)

Trophic interactions are central to ecosystem functioning, but the link between food web structure and ecosystem functioning remains obscure. Regularities (i.e. consistent patterns) in food web structure suggest the possibility of regularities in ecosystem functioning, which might be used to relate structure to function. We introduce a novel, genetic algorithm approach to simulate food webs with maximized throughput (a proxy for ecosystem functioning) and compare the structure of these simulated food webs to real empirical food webs using common metrics of food web structure. We repeat this analysis using robustness to secondary extinctions (a proxy for ecosystem resilience) instead of throughput to determine the relative contributions of ecosystem functioning and ecosystem resilience to food web structure. Simulated food webs that maximized robustness were similar to real food webs when connectance (i.e. levels of interaction across the food web) was high, but this result did not extend to food webs with low connectance. Simulated food webs that maximized throughput or a combination of throughput and robustness were not similar to any real food webs. Simulated maximum-throughput food webs differed markedly from maximum-robustness food webs, which suggests that maximizing different ecological functions can generate distinct food web structures. Based on our results, food web structure would appear to have a stronger relationship with ecosystem resilience than with ecosystem throughput. Our genetic algorithm approach is general and is well suited to large, realistically complex food webs. Genetic algorithms can incorporate constraints on structure and can generate outputs that can be compared directly to empirical data. Our method can be used to explore a range of maximization or minimization hypotheses, providing new perspectives on the links between structure and function in ecological systems., (© 2015 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society.)

The recycling of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is important due to its content of valuable and hazardous compounds. This study investigates the case of the recent technology change within television sets (TVs) and monitors, its impact on the generation of WEEE, and the implications for the recycling industry. In particular, material flow analysis for the time series of 1996-2014 for TVs and monitors by type of technology (CRT, Plasma and LCD) in physical units is combined with empirical data on product lifespans. The number of consumed TVs and monitors has grown exponentially. As a result, despite a 3-fold reduction in the weight of the products, the weight of the corresponding WEEE is also growing exponentially. Out with the old, out with the new - a peak in WEEE from both CRT and flat-screen displays is expected during 2014-2020, due to the simultaneous obsolesce of the last wave of CRT products and the short-lived flat-screen products that substituted the CRTs. The lifespans of LCD and LED TVs were found to be three times shorter than of the CRT TVs, with many TVs discarded while still functional. This is the consequence of two events - replacement of the CRT TVs in combination with lifestyle purchases of TVs, i.e. the premature replacement of flat-screen displays with new sets with extra-large screens and/or new features. The throughput of TVs and monitors consumed has been estimated annually from 2014 until 2040, by quantity and type of device, as well as by component and material type. The annual economic value of the corresponding secondary materials, by material type, has also been estimated. The point in time when the final disposal of CRT products is likely to take place has been identified and should be noted by the recycling industry. Among the important contributions of this study to the accounting and predicting of amounts and types of WEEE are the lifespan distributions, size and weight distributions, and material composition for TVs and monitors of different technology. Directions for method application in other countries are given., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Resource productivity and evidence of economic decoupling were investigated on the basis of the time series in 1996-2011 of material flow analysis for Sweden, Stockholm, and Gothenburg. In the three cases, absolute reductions in CO2 emissions by about 20% were observed, energy consumption per capita decreased, while gross domestic product (GDP) per capita grew. The energy consumption of the residential and public sectors decreased drastically, while the transport energy consumption is still growing steadily. Decoupling of the economy as a whole (i.e., including materials) is not yet happening at any scale. The domestic material consumption (DMC) continues to increase, in parallel with the GDP. The rate of increase for DMC is slower than that for GDP in both Stockholm and Sweden as a whole (i.e., relative decoupling). The metabolism of the cities does not replicate the national metabolism, and the two cities each have their own distinct metabolism profiles. As a consequence, policy implications for each of the case studies were suggested. In general, because of the necessarily different roles of the two cities in the national economy, generic resource productivity benchmarks, such as CO2 per capita, should be avoided in favor of sectorial benchmarks, such as industry, transport, or residential CO2 per capita. In addition, the share of the city impacts caused by the provision of a service for the rest of the country, such as a port, could be allocated to the national economy.

In this article, a new method based on Material Flow Accounting is proposed to study detailed material flows in battery consumption that can be replicated for other countries. The method uses regularly available statistics on import, industrial production and export of batteries and battery-containing electric and electronic equipment (EEE). To promote method use by other scholars with no access to such data, several empirically results and their trends over time, for different types of batteries occurrence among the EEE types are provided. The information provided by the method can be used to: identify drivers of battery consumption; study the dynamic behavior of battery flows - due to technology development, policies, consumers behavior and infrastructures. The method is exemplified by the study of battery flows in Sweden for years 1996-2013. The batteries were accounted, both in units and weight, as primary and secondary batteries; loose and integrated; by electrochemical composition and share of battery use between different types of EEE. Results show that, despite a fivefold increase in the consumption of rechargeable batteries, they account for only about 14% of total use of portable batteries. Recent increase in digital convergence has resulted in a sharp decline in the consumption of primary batteries, which has now stabilized at a fairly low level. Conversely, the consumption of integrated batteries has increased sharply. In 2013, 61% of the total weight of batteries sold in Sweden was collected, and for the particular case of alkaline manganese dioxide batteries, the value achieved 74%., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The freshwater-saltwater-transition-zone was analysed using two different sampling protocols and assessment methodologies, developed for freshwater and estuaries, to compare their agreement level in terms of community composition and quality assessments. The use of different protocols resulted in significant differences in macroinvertebrate communities, in index scores and initially in quality classes. After modifications in the sensitivity scores of the IBMWP and AMBI indices (average scores or the use of a score of the other index when both were present), the differences were largely reduced and quality classes became coincident for the assessments provided by IPtIs and BAT tools. Such harmonisation of quality assessments for adjacent water categories (e.g., large rivers vs. transitional waters), exemplified here as an harmonisation in one of the metrics comprised in the assessment tools, is essential as it has direct implications on the expansion and accomplishment of River Basin Management Plans committed by the Water Framework Directive., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The concept of Ecological Potential was explored using the macrobenthic communities of the Mondego estuary (Portugal). Different scenarios (loss of a primary producer and intertidal habitat, and habitat modification due to hydromorphological changes and continued press perturbation) were tested to predict changes in the biology if hydromorphological pressures could be reversed, assuming that differences with and without the pressure could indicate the potential. Results showed noticeable changes in the system biology in each scenario. The approach followed, indicates that when data sets exist, differences in the measurement of ecological status with and without the hydromorphological change could be a way forward to determine the potential. In the particular case of the Mondego estuary, the South arm (physically unaltered water body) proved to be richer than the North (HMWB). For the Ecological Potential determination, the South arm could thus be used to derive and adjust future reference conditions for the North., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The prognosis for patients with chronic coronary artery disease and severe left ventricular dysfunction is poor, despite advances in different therapies. The assessment of myocardial viability has become an important aspect of the diagnosis, prognosis and management of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. Patients with left ventricular dysfunction, with a substantial amount of severely ischemic myocardium are at highest risk, and are likely to benefit from coronary revascularization. Patients with predominantly scar tissue should be treated medically. Multiple imaging techniques have been developed to assess viable and nonviable myocardium by evaluating perfusion, cell membrane integrity, glucose metabolism, fibrosis and contractile reserve. PET FDG-F18, myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (with (201)Tl and (99m)Tc), dobutamine stress echocardiography and more recently magnetic resonance have been extensively evaluated for assessment of viability and prediction of clinical outcome after coronary revascularization. In general, nuclear imaging techniques have a higher sensitivity for the detection of viability, whereas techniques evaluating contractile reserve have higher specificity (with lower sensitivity). Magnetic resonance has a high diagnostic accuracy for assessment of the transmural extent of myocardial scar tissue. The aim of this article is to review the role of Nuclear Medicine in assessing myocardial viability and risk stratification in patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction, and to compare it with other imaging modalities.

Assessing the health of ecosystems has become a focal point among researchers worldwide. Recently, the European Water Framework Directive intensified the development of approaches to assess ecosystems' ecological quality. The Benthic Assessment Tool (BAT) is a multimetric approach to evaluate condition of subtidal soft bottom macroinvertebrates of coastal and transitional waters. The effects of anthropogenic disturbances on benthic macroinvertebrate communities, from 1990 to 2006, allowed testing BAT performance in Mondego estuary (Portugal). The method was able to detect decrease on ecological quality, induced essentially by eutrophication and physical disturbances, and follow communities' subsequent recovery. It evidenced, nevertheless, some limitations associated with the unstable nature of estuaries. The ecological classification of key species in the community and the balance expected between ecological groups of estuarine communities had great influence in the final ecological assessment. Shortcomings of the method were discussed in the light of its suitability for assessing transitional waters' condition.

Accurate and reliable benthic quality indicators are in great demand following the recent developments and the strict time schedule for implementing the European Water Framework Directive. The Mondego estuary has experienced a progressive deterioration during the 1990s, followed by a partial ecological recovery due to restoration measures in 1997/1998. We have used the estuary as a model system to test the performance and robustness of a set of ecological indicators in highlighting the changes in the ecological state of intertidal areas. Over a period of 17 years (1985-2002), we calculated Margalef, Shannon-Wiener, Berger-Parker, Taxonomic Distinctness measures, AZTI's Marine Biotic Index, Infaunal Trophic Index, and Eco-Exergy based indices and tested differences across periods characterised by different anthropogenic disturbance. We combined temporal data within three periods: before, during and after disturbance, based on progressive information on the changes in the extended type of anthropogenic disturbance. Indices were then compared with biological and abiotic descriptors (macroalgae, macrophytes, benthic macrofauna, nutrients concentration, sediment grain size and total organic carbon). We found great disparity in the indicators ability to capture temporal changes, showing distinct performances at each site. At the Zostera noltii site, only Margalef, Total Taxonomic Distinctness and the thermodynamically based indices captured temporal changes, despite giving higher values during the disturbance period. At the bare sediment site, Taxonomic Distinctness, ITI, Shannon-Wiener, Berger-Parker, AMBI and the TBI were able to distinguish between periods, in agreement with the differences observed analysing the macrobenthic assemblages. Furthermore, Taxonomic Distinctness was not robust enough to detect any temporal or spatial change. We thus suggest further research to understand the behaviour of ecological indicators, in view of their crucial importance for the management and protection of marine coastal areas.

The implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires evaluation of the ecological status (ES) of benthic communities in coastal and transitional water systems, and the intercalibration of assessment methodologies therefore becomes a research challenge. Our aim was to test the suitability of applying the M-AMBI index to assess the status of the Eo estuary (northern coast of Spain). Our results showed that M-AMBI was influenced by the natural variability of benthic communities, and presented an apparent dependence on habitat characteristics. Consequently, the definition of homogeneous areas in transitional water systems should be based on the salinity gradient combined with other factors. To achieve an accurate ES assessment, habitat-specific reference conditions should then be defined prior to the application of M-AMBI; this necessitates dividing an estuary into several sections, which may be classified as different ESs. From this perspective, a novel approach to integrate habitat heterogeneity in a global ES assessment was tested.

Summary: This study aimed to evaluate a rat model of esophageal elongation using traction sutures by the Foker's method. After esophageal division and closure of the distal segment at approximately 4 mm from the cardia, traction sutures were placed for progressive stretching until the 7(th) postoperative day in the experimental group (n = 10), whilst no traction sutures were placed in the esophagus of the control group (n = 10). Clinical outcome as well as macroscopic and microscopic esophageal morphology were evaluated in both groups. All rats survived the surgical procedure and the anesthetic recovery period. Disruption of sutures during the traction period occurred in 20% of the rats, which required reoperation. Integrity of the stretched esophagus was confirmed at autopsy in all animals. In contrast to the control group, the experimental group showed a significantly more elongated (average length 6.10 +/- 1.10 mm versus 3.91 +/- 0.17 mm, (P = 0.0001)) and thicker esophagus (average mass 35.9 +/- 3.31 mg versus 15.6 +/- 1.71 mg in the control group, P = 0.0001). Histopathological examination showed a relatively well preserved morphology of the stretched esophagus. These observations suggest that esophageal stretching by traction sutures can be undertaken reliably in a rat model, resulting in elongation and mass increase of the stretched esophagus without important tissue damage. As this model mimics Foker's method, it may serve as a useful model in further research studies and may be used to train in surgical technique.

Macroalgae communities constitute one of the ecological quality elements for the evaluation of the ecological quality status (EQS) of coastal and transitional waters, required to implement the WFD. While these algae are natural components of estuarine systems and play important roles in several estuarine processes, macroalgal blooms are of ecological concern because they can reduce the habitat quality. Several works are being carried out to set standard methods for monitoring macroalgae blooms, in order to develop tools to derive EQS based upon this biological quality element. The aim of this paper is to apply the methodology described by Scanlan et al. [Scanlan, C.M., Foden, J., Wells, E., Best, M.A., 2007. The monitoring of opportunistic macroalgal blooms for the water framework directive. Marine Pollution Bulletin 55, 162-171] to a series of data assembled in the south arm of the Mondego estuary (Atlantic coast of Portugal) considering two different ecological situations. Additionally, an alternative assessment method intended to be used when no biomass data are available was also tested. In general, both options captured the inter-annual variations in accordance with the system evolution. Option 2, less expensive and time-consuming, allowed an EQS evaluation with accurate results when biomass data were not available. The results suggest that sampling should be carried out from April to June.

Assessing the ecological status, a concept implemented in the European Water Framework Directive [EC, 2000. Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy PE-CONS 3639/1/00, p. 72], requires the application of methods capable of distinguishing different levels of ecological quality. The Average Taxonomic Distinctness has been used as tool in this context, and we tested the robustness of Taxonomic Distinctness measures applying it in different scenarios (estuarine eutrophication, organic pollution, and re-colonisation after physical disturbance), analysing simultaneously its compliance to other types of ecological indicators. Results show that, in most of the case studies, only Total Taxonomic Distinctness was relatively satisfactory in discriminating between disturbed situations. Other Taxonomic Distinctness measures have not proved to be more sensitive than other ecological indicators (Shannon-Wiener, Margalef, and Eco-Exergy indices). Therefore, this approach does not seem to be particularly helpful in assessing systems' ecological status with regard to the WFD implementation.

Porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) is a cell-free collagen matrix that has demonstrated its ability as scaffold material for constructive remodeling of damaged or missing tissue. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphology and function of esophagoplasty in rat using a porcine SIS scaffold for the repair of a semi-circumferential defect in the cervical or in the abdominal esophagus. Sixty-seven rats underwent surgical excision of the anterior wall either of the cervical or of the abdominal esophagus and subsequent repair of the defect with an SIS patch graft. Outcomes of weight gain, signs of dysphagia, hematological and serum chemistry parameters, and barium swallow studies were used to assess the progress of healing and function over a 150-day time period. The grafts were studied for gross changes and histology at predetermined time points. Ninety-four percent of the SIS-treated rats survived, showing no significant differences in survival rate between groups. The grafted animals did well, without signs of dysphagia, and gaining weight. Barium swallow studies showed no evidence of fistula, significant stenosis, or diverticula. No hematological or serum biochemistry abnormalities were found. By 150 days, the SIS graft was replaced with esophageal-derived tissues. Specimens were completely lined by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium and showed complete regeneration of muscle fibers and scarce immunoreactivity for nerve. In the rat model, a patch graft technique using porcine SIS appears to induce esophageal regrowth either in cervical and abdominal esophagus. The repair mechanism occurred through a regenerative healing process.

This study compares the efficacy of porcine intestinal submucosa (SIS) patch graft versus SIS-tube graft in esophageal replacement, using a novel esophageal regeneration model. Clinical function, as well as macroscopic and microscopic morphology were evaluated in both SIS-treated groups. We performed semi-circumferential esophageal excision followed by repair of the defect using either a SIS-patch graft (group I) or segmental esophageal excision followed by a SIS-tube interposition graft (group II) in rats. The 28-day survival rate was significantly different between the SIS-treated groups (100% in group I vs. 0% in group II). Unlike the rats in group II, which died within the first postoperative month due to esophageal dysfunction, all surviving animals in group I resumed a normal solid diet within a few days after surgery, without signs of esophageal dysfunction and gained weight. Barium swallow studies showed no evidence of fistula, significant stenosis or diverticula. No hematological or serum biochemistry abnormalities were found. By day 150 the SIS patch was replaced by esophageal-derived tissues. In the rat model, a patch graft technique using SIS appeared to induce esophageal regrowth and provided an initial and long-term satisfactory function, while a tube-shaped graft technique using SIS was unsuccessful.

Intraoperative hemostatic suture to treat a bleeding duodenal ulcer is sometimes difficult when there is massive hemorrhage. The aims of this paper are: (1) to describe a practical and easy intraoperative procedure which quickly decreases a massively bleeding duodenal ulcer, allowing the surgeon to identify the bleeding site clearly and obtain definitive hemostasis by suturing the involved vessels with a low risk of common bile duct lesion; and (2) to study in cadavers the anatomical basis of this surgical procedure already successfully performed on patients. Fourteen patients with massive duodenal ulcer bleeding, after unsuccessful endoscopic hemostasis, were operated on and included in this study. After surgical anterior gastroduodenotomy, the surgeon introduced a finger in a downward and forward direction in the bursa omentalis vestibule through the omental foramen. This simple and quick procedure decreased hemorrhage by compressing the gastroduodenal artery against the first part of the posterior surface of the duodenum. Twenty-four fresh blocks of normal tissue were removed from cadavers and were injected with silicone rubber through the common hepatic artery. The distance between the gastroduodenal artery and the omental foramen was measured. With this maneuver the surgeon can clearly see the exact bleeding site and perform an adequate suture with a minor risk of common bile duct lesion.

Objectives: The introduction of the colonic J-pouch has markedly improved the functional outcome of restorative rectal cancer surgery. However colonic J-pouch surgery can be problematic and may present some late evacuatory problems. To overcome these limitations a novel pouch has been proposed: the transverse coloplasty pouch. The purpose of our study was to compare the functional outcomes of these two different types of pouches--the transverse coloplasty pouch (TCP) and the colonic J-pouch (CJP)--during the first 12 months postoperatively., Patients and Methods: A prospective randomized trial was conducted in which a total of 30 patients with mid and low rectal cancer were submitted either to a transverse coloplasty pouch or a colonic J-pouch. Clinical defaecatory function was assessed and anorectal physiological assessment was carried out, pre-operatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively, by means of a standard clinical questionnaire and by anorectal manometry., Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups regarding bowel function. The postoperative frequency of daily bowel movements was lower in the TCP group in all the phases of the study (3.9 vs. 4.1 at 3 months; 3.1 vs. 3.4 at 6 months; 2.1 vs. 2.8 at 12 months), the same occurring with fragmentation (33% vs. 40% at 3 months; 26.6%vs. 33.3% at 6 months; 7.1%vs. 14.3% at 12 months). Less urgency was also seen in the TCP group during the first 6 months (20%vs. 26.7%), with identical values at 12 months (14.3% vs. 14.3%). No significant differences were also found concerning incontinence grading and scoring, with TCP patients having less nocturnal leaks. At one year two CJP patients (14.3%) needed the use of enemas to evacuate the pouch and provoke defaecation, a problem never seen in TCP patients. The anorectal manometry data was similar in both types of pouches. The local complication rates were also identical in the two groups (20%); more anastomotic leaks were seen in TCP patients (13.2% vs. 6.6%), without reaching a statistical significance., Conclusion: The transverse coloplasty pouch has similar functional results but fewer evacuation problems than the J-Pouch, making it a safe and reliable alternative to the colonic J-pouch.

This experimental study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of associated naturally occuring antioxidants in the prevention of chemically induced breast cancer using DMBA in virgin female Wistar rats. Rats were randomly allocated to three groups: control group (CG; n = 20), induction group (IG; n = 100), and prevention group (PG; n = 70). A single dose (65 mg/kg) of DMBA was administered in the IG and PG animals at 50 days of age. PG animals also received a single dose of alpha-tocopherol (200 mg/rat) 1 hour after DMBA administration and an association of selenium (p-XSC, 40 ppm/day/rat) and ascorbic acid (540 mg/day/rat) in drinking water, daily, from carcinogenic induction until necropsy. Macroscopic study and pathology revealed a significantly lower development of neoplasms in the PG animals (p < 0.05); the number of rats with mammary tumors, breast cancer incidence, and the number of malignant breast tumors per rat as well as per tumor-bearing rat were significantly decreased in the PG animals. Other types of primary neoplasms existing in the IG animals totally disappeared in the PG animals. Immunostaining to hormone steroid receptors (ER and PR) and cathepsin D was similar in both groups. Overexpression of p53 and metallothioneine was significantly increased in the PG animals (p < 0.05) and immunostaining to bromodeoxiuridin and Ki-67 was also stronger in the remaining tumors in the PG animals. These data thus add to the accumulating evidence that those micronutrients in combination seem to be effective in reducing the incidence of malignant tumors. Nevertheless, remaining tumors seem to present more aggressive behavior and characteristics of drug resistance.

This study pretends to characterize 7, 12-dimetylbenz[a]anthracene-induced benign and malignant tumors. One hundred and twenty female Wistar rats were randomly allocated to two groups: Control Group and Induction Group; IG animals were given a single dose of DMBA and killed 24 weeks after. Other tumors besides breast tumors were diagnosed, mainly tumors of the salivary glands and ovarian benign epithelial tumors. Incidence of breast disorders was about 60%. Macroscopic mammary tumors varied in dimension from 2 mm to 55 mm. Malignant breast tumors (n = 56) were essentially invasive ductal carcinomas (91.1%), G1 (92.2%), presenting histologic characteristics of good prognosis. Predominant benign breast disorders consisted of glandular (68.6%) and atypical (20%) hyperplasias reproducing histologic types of human breast diseases. Different individual susceptibility to DMBA apparently occurs; while some rats never developed neoplasias, others exhibited several tumors.

One of the factors possibly responsible for leakage at a colo-rectal anastomosis is a deficient blood-supply. The rectal circulation was studied in 30 cadavers by injection of colloidal barium sulfate with colored gelatin into the hypogastric and inferior mesenteric arteries. It was noted that there was uniformity of supply to the wall of the organ; the blood-supply derived from the hypogastric arteries in subjects over 50 years of age was minor; the predominant blood-supply was derived from the superior rectal artery. These findings suggest that the hypogastric arteries usually provide only a minor supply in persons over 50 years of age and that obstruction of the inferior mesenteric artery associated with the impaired blood-supply inherent in the rectal dissection must be included in the factors responsible for leakage at the colorectal anastomosis.