BiomedGrid

  Biomechanical Principles of Multipoint Suture Fixation for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction Introduction In the United States, approximately 400,000 ventral hernias are repaired every year with an estimated cost of about 3 billion dollars [ 1 ] . Ventral hernias are a relatively morbid condition given that an intact abdominal wall is necessary for dynamic activities such as rotation of the torso, respiration, defecation/urination, emesis, and childbirth. The management of ventral hernias has evolved over the past several decades with advances in technology and knowledge. The first significant improvement was the use of prosthetic mesh reinforcement to simple suture repair alone [ 2 ] . As reported by Luijendijk, randomized controlled trials demonstrated a decrease in hernia recurrence rates from 43 percent to 24 percent [ 3 ,  4 ]. Another major advancement was the popularization of the component separation technique as escribed by Ramirez [ 5 ] . This technique was found to be particul

  Precocious Puberty as a Result of Congenital Hypothyroidism Abstract Precocious puberty accepted when secondary sexual characteristics developed before the age of 8 in girls and 9 in boys. One of its causes is severe hypothyroidism. Severe hypothyroidism may rarely result in precocious puberty and the pathophysiology of it is uncertain yet. Fortunately, the puberty is reversible with the thyroid hormone administration. The aim of this presentation is to report an interesting case of precocious puberty and hypothyroidism, which is benign and easily treatable. Keywords:  Hypothyroidism, Precocious puberty, Ovarian cyst Introduction Precocious Puberty (PP) is widely accepted when secondary sexual characteristics developed before the age of 8 in girls and before the age of 9 in boys [ 1 ,  2 ]. Severe hypothyroidism is a rare cause of precocious puberty. Congenital hypothyroidism, which is one of the causes of PP, occurs in approximately 1:2,000 to 1:4,000 newborns [ 3 ,  4 ]. With the a

  Hind-limb Ischemia, Stroke, Vascular Dementia and Erectile Dysfunction: Four Preclinical Models in Rodents for Testing Vasoactive Drugs Background Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a form of peripheral vascular diseases (PVD), in which there is partial or total blockage of blood supply to a limb, usually the leg, leading to impaired blood flow and ischemia in the tissue. When PAD advances, such as in diabetic patients, it may reach the stage of critical limb ischemia (CLI) with skin ulcerations, gangrene and unavoidable amputations. Erectile dysfunction occurs when a deficit of the blood supply ensues in the penile tissue. Stroke and Vascular Dementia are also a result of damaged vascularization and ischemia in the brain. Vasoactive drugs that enhance angiogenesis are highly required in these cases, as much as in cancer treatment reduction of blood vessels is an essential goal. The preclinical models described below, which we have used frequently, are meant to present researchers wi

  Prehospital Use of Ketamine: A Systematic Review Background Acute pain and agitation are common presentations that must be addressed in the prehospital setting by paramedics. Opioids are most frequently used to control acute pain but are highly addictive and patients can develop dependence even from short term use. For sedation, many different medications such as benzodiazepines and haloperidol are used, but their delayed onset of action is not desirable and side effects at effective doses (e.g. CNS depression) can be potentially harmful to the patients. In recent years, ketamine has been used as a safer alternative for prehospital analgesia and sedation in the military setting, but has not been studied sufficiently in the civilian setting to be a part of standard protocol nationwide [ 1 ] . Ketamine’s primary action is to block glutamate from acting on the n-Methyl-d-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor resulting in a “dissociative anesthesia” state. It also works on other cellular processes s

  New Perspectives in the Treatment of Neurocritical Patient Opinion The vision of the Neurocritical patient has certainly changed in recent decades. This has allowed us better results in our patients from survival to the quality-quantity of sequelae. What have been the reasons for this change, from our perspective? 1. We have managed to better categorize the risk from the diagnosis of neurological injury with more and better images (CT Scan, PET Scan, MRI, DSA, Tractography, etc.) 2. Our knowledge of pathophysiology has improved beyond primary damage. We know better the mechanisms that are triggered in each acute neurological injury causing secondary damage. From the different inflammatory mechanisms; alterations in Cerebral Blood Flow (FSC) due to loss of selfregulation, and its particular temporal behavior in each particular pathology [ 1 ,  2 ] ; to the intricate mechanisms of apoptosis. Thus, we have also generated new knowledge about the interrelationships that produce systemic i