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The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 remains a health care concern, despite vaccination programs. Mucormycosis, especially rhino-orbital-mucormycosis, has been described as a severe complication of COVID-19. Although it has been described mostly in India and other developing countries, few cases in the western world have also been described. We present a case of rhino-orbito-mucormycosis after recovery from severe COVID-19 in Portugal. A 75-year-old diabetic and obese man presented with right proptosis associated with right eye pain and low vision one month after recovery from severe COVID-19. Considering the most probable etiology for this clinical picture, anti-fungal therapy with liposomal amphotericin B was promptly initiated, followed by endoscopic sinus debridement. However, due to persistent and progressive infection, and after a multidisciplinary revision of the case, orbital exenteration was performed. One year after surgery, the patient is stable, without clinical or imagological signs of relapse of the disease. Although the evolution of the pandemic, along with vaccination programs, led to a lower incidence of severe COVID-19 disease, there are still patients presenting with severe COVID-19, requiring intensive care and at risk for serious complications. This case illustrates the importance of being aware of the development of post-COVID-19 mucormycosis and the need for close surveillance of patients recovering from severe COVID-19. COVID-19 prompt diagnosis and multidisciplinary approach are essential for a timely intervention achieving better survival while minimizing morbidity.

is part of the normal flora in the oropharynx and upper respiratory tract, which causes invasive bacteremia in rare cases. However, the culture and identification of are challenging, hence easily misdiagnosed or undetected in clinical practice. In this case, a 73-year-old male patient was admitted to the hospital with a fever and right hip pain. Routine blood and C-reactive protein tests showed abnormal inflammatory markers. Positive blood culture revealed the presence of through mass spectrometry. The computed tomography examination further revealed the presence of psoas abscess, pulmonary infection, and pleural effusion, which was relieved by ceftriaxone combined with levofloxacin therapy, the drainage of psoas abscess and pleural effusion. Therefore, since multiple anatomic sites infection, including bloodstream, psoas abscess and pulmonary infection caused by is rare, sufficient attention should be paid to its clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) are at increased risk for major ischemic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. However, the use of preventative antithrombotic therapy can increase the risk of ICH recurrence and worsen ICH-related outcomes. Colchicine, an anti-inflammatory agent, has the potential to mitigate inflammation-related atherothrombosis and reduce the risk of ischemic vascular events. Here we investigated the safety and efficacy of colchicine when used both before and acutely after ICH. We predicted that daily colchicine administration would not impact our safety measures but would reduce brain injury and improve functional outcomes associated with inflammation reduction. To test this, 0.05 mg/kg colchicine was given orally once daily to rats either before or after they were given a collagenase-induced striatal ICH. We assessed neurological impairments, intra-parenchymal bleeding, Perls positive cells, and brain injury to gauge the therapeutic impact of colchicine on brain injury. Colchicine did not significantly affect bleeding (average = 40.7 μL) at 48 hrs, lesion volume (average = 24.5 mm3) at 14 days, or functional outcome (median neurological deficit scale score at 2 days post-ICH = 4, i.e., modest deficits) from 1-14 days after ICH. Colchicine reduced the volume of Perls positive cells in the perihematomal zone, indicating a reduction in inflammation. Safety measures (body weight, food consumption, water consumption, hydration, body temperature, activity, and pain) were not affected by colchicine. Although colchicine did not confer neuroprotection or functional benefit, it was able to reduce perihematomal inflammation after ICH without increasing bleeding. Thus, our findings suggest that colchicine treatment is safe, unlikely to worsen bleeding, and is unlikely but may reduce secondary injury after an ICH if initiated early post ICH to reduce the risk of ischemic vascular events. These results are informative for the ongoing CoVasc-ICH phase II randomized trial (NCT05159219).

The aim of the study is to explore the relationship between the extrusion of the meniscus bearing and postoperative persistent pain of Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Patients undertaking Oxford UKA from January 2019 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Intraoperatively, the displacement and movement trajectory of the meniscus bearing was recorded by the specially designed gridding mold of the tibial component. The k-means clustering analysis was applied based on the incidence of postoperative persistent knee pain and the bearing extrusion distance. The intraoperative meniscus bearing movement trajectories were analyzed between the two groups and the patients' clinical outcomes and radiographic assessments. The k-means clustering analysis indicated that the extrusion of the bearing of 5 mm was the grouping standard. There were 27 patients with 30 knees in the extrusion group and 58 patients with 68 knees in the non-extrusion group. The proportion of optimal bearing movement trajectories in the extrusion group was significantly lower than that in the non-extrusion group ( < 0.05). Postoperative persistent knee pain occurred in six cases (6.1%), with four and two cases in the extrusion and non-extrusion groups, respectively. The incidence of postoperative persistent knee pain in the extrusion group was higher than that of the non-extrusion group ( < 0.05). Radiographic assessment showed that the continuity of the femoral and tibial components in the extrusion group was greater than that in the non-extrusion group ( < 0.05). However, there were no differences in pre- and postoperative HKAA, the varus/valgus degree of both femoral and tibial components, and the flexion/extension angles of the femoral component, and the tibial slope also showed no statistical difference ( > 0.05). For Oxford mobile-bearing UKA, the extrusion of meniscus bearing over 5 mm may increase the incidence of postoperative persistent knee pain, while the improvement of the bearing movement trajectory can effectively reduce this complication.

Craniopharyngiomas are benign tumours mainly confined to the cranial cavity in the suprasellar region.

The tent shape of the tentorium cerebelli helps preserve brain anatomy by providing cerebellum protection against pressure caused by the brain's gravity effect. In the absence of this support structure of the tentorium, herniation occurs in the brain. Isolated tentorial hypoplasia (TH) is extremely rare. In this study, we aimed to calculate the prevalence of this entity, which is reported to be rare in the literature.

Pain-related catastrophising is a maladaptive coping strategy known to have a strong influence on clinical pain outcomes and treatment efficacy. Notwithstanding, little is known about its neurophysiological correlates. There is evidence to suggest catastrophising is associated with resting-state EEG frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) patterns reflective of greater relative right frontal activity, which is known to be linked to withdrawal motivation and avoidance of aversive stimuli. The present study aims to investigate whether such a relationship occurs in the situational context of experimental pain. A placebo intervention was also included to evaluate effects of a potential pain-relieving intervention on FAA. 35 participants, including both chronic pain patients and healthy subjects, completed the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS) questionnaire followed by EEG recordings during cold pressor test (CPT)-induced tonic pain with or without prior application of placebo cream. There was a negative correlation between FAA and PCS-subscale helplessness scores, but not rumination or magnification, during the pre-placebo CPT condition. Moreover, FAA scores were shown to increase significantly in response to pain, indicative of greater relative left frontal activity that relates to approach-oriented behaviours. Placebo treatment elicited a decrease in FAA in low helplessness scorers, but no significant effects in individuals scoring above the mean on PCS-helplessness. These findings suggest that, during painful events, FAA may reflect the motivational drive to obtain reward of pain relief, which may be diminished in individuals who are prone to feel helpless about their pain. This study provides valuable insights into biomarkers of pain-related catastrophising and prospects of identifying promising targets of brain-based therapies for chronic pain management.

The placement of caudal epidural catheters in horses has become more frequent as a multi-modal analgesic strategy. Despite its integration into clinical practice, there are limited reports describing the use of caudal epidural catheterization for prolonged use in horses. The purpose of this study was to characterize the hospitalized caseload undergoing epidural catheterization for long-term epidural analgesic administration, to report the response to epidural therapy and observed complications, and to describe patient outcomes. Medical records of hospitalized equine patients that underwent placement of a caudal epidural catheter for analgesic management between 2017 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. For the 62 catheters placed in the 48 cases, the most frequent diagnosis category prompting epidural analgesia was orthopedic (43/48, 89.6%). Synovial sepsis was the most frequent specific diagnosis prompting epidural catheter placement (11/48, 22.9%). The initial response to epidural therapy was characterized as positive for 37/62 (59.7%) catheters. Complications were documented for 46/62 (74.2%) catheters. However, most of these complications were classified as mild (51.6%) or moderate (14.5%), and exaggerated physiologic responses were observed most frequently. Of the horses studied, 52.1% survived to be discharged from the hospital. With awareness of potential complications and vigilant monitoring, caudal epidural catheters should be considered for equine patients as an analgesic strategy.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is driven by chronic low-grade inflammation and subsequent cartilage degradation. OA is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease worldwide, and its treatment remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to explore the potential effects and mechanism underlying the anti-OA properties of ginkgolide C (GC). Protective effects of GC on hydrogen peroxide (HO)-treated rat chondrocytes were evaluated using ELISA, qPCR, western blot analysis, flow cytometry, ROS detection and immunofluorescence . Ameliorating effects of GC on cartilage degeneration in rats were evaluated through behavioral assays, microcomputed tomography, histopathological analysis, western blot analysis and ELISA . , GC treatment inhibited the release of pro-apoptotic factors induced by HO and promoted the release of the anti-apoptotic proteins. In addition, GC decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP3 and MMP13), thrombospondin motifs 4 (ADAMTS4), and inflammatory mediators inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX-2), and SOX9 thereby inhibiting extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Mechanistically, GC exerts its anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects by upregulating the oxidative stress signaling Nrf2/HO-1 pathway and preventing p65 from binding to DNA. Similarly, In a rat model with post-traumatic OA (PTOA) induced by anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT), GC inhibited joint pain, cartilage destruction, and abnormal bone remodeling of subchondral bone. GC inhibited HO-induced chondrocyte apoptosis through Nrf2/HO-1 and NF-κB axis, exerted anti-inflammatory effects, and inhibited cartilage degeneration in rat OA. Our findings advanced the concept that GC may contribute to cartilage metabolism through anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic effects, and the identified GC is a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of OA.

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare disease that frequently occurs in young women of childbearing age, with variable clinical presentation in regions with limited access to diagnostic imaging or specialized neurological care. In the last decade, there has been an increase in the number of studies on CVT in Latin America, which may contribute to a better epidemiological description of the disease in this region and, consequently, its early diagnosis.