Robotic liver transplantation represents a cutting-edge technique that may surpass traditional open surgery. Nonetheless, it introduces unique anesthetic challenges, including extended pneumoperitoneum, restricted patient access, and a risk of undetected blood loss. This article describes an anesthetic approach and patient outcomes for the first four total robotic liver transplants performed at a tertiary university hospital in Portugal, along with inaugural procedures of their kind in Europe. We retrospectively analyzed surgical and anesthetic data from four patients who underwent total robotic liver transplantation from February to April 2024. Data encompassed clinical profile, preoperative assessment, surgical and anesthesia details, postoperative course, and outcomes. Patients’ age ranged from 51 to 69 years. Their cirrhosis was primarily due to alcohol use, hepatitis C virus infection, hepatocellular carcinoma, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. General anesthesia was administered. Hemodynamic monitoring and goal-directed fluid therapy were conducted using a PiCCO system. Blood loss varied from 1,000 to 5,000 mL. Blood products were transfused as needed. All donor livers underwent hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion before transplantation. After surgery, two patients were immediately extubated, while two required extended ventilation. Hospital stays ranged from 10 to 40 days. The 30-day survival rate was 100%. This initial case series affirmed the feasibility and safety of total robotic liver transplantation for carefully selected patients, yielding favorable short-term results. Anesthetic management can rely on proactive strategies, acute situational awareness, and effective multidisciplinary collaboration.

Robotic liver transplantation represents a cutting-edge technique that may surpass traditional open surgery. Nonetheless, it introduces unique anesthetic challenges, including extended pneumoperitoneum, restricted patient access, and a risk of undetected blood loss. This article describes an anesthetic approach and patient outcomes for the first four total robotic liver transplants performed at a tertiary university hospital in Portugal, along with inaugural procedures of their kind in Europe. We retrospectively analyzed surgical and anesthetic data from four patients who underwent total robotic liver transplantation from February to April 2024. Data encompassed clinical profile, preoperative assessment, surgical and anesthesia details, postoperative course, and outcomes. Patients’ age ranged from 51 to 69 years. Their cirrhosis was primarily due to alcohol use, hepatitis C virus infection, hepatocellular carcinoma, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. General anesthesia was administered. Hemodynamic monitoring and goal-directed fluid therapy were conducted using a PiCCO system. Blood loss varied from 1,000 to 5,000 mL. Blood products were transfused as needed. All donor livers underwent hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion before transplantation. After surgery, two patients were immediately extubated, while two required extended ventilation. Hospital stays ranged from 10 to 40 days. The 30-day survival rate was 100%. This initial case series affirmed the feasibility and safety of total robotic liver transplantation for carefully selected patients, yielding favorable short-term results. Anesthetic management can rely on proactive strategies, acute situational awareness, and effective multidisciplinary collaboration.

Robotic liver transplantation represents a cutting-edge technique that may surpass traditional open surgery. Nonetheless, it introduces unique anesthetic challenges, including extended pneumoperitoneum, restricted patient access, and a risk of undetected blood loss. This article describes an anesthetic approach and patient outcomes for the first four total robotic liver transplants performed at a tertiary university hospital in Portugal, along with inaugural procedures of their kind in Europe. We retrospectively analyzed surgical and anesthetic data from four patients who underwent total robotic liver transplantation from February to April 2024. Data encompassed clinical profile, preoperative assessment, surgical and anesthesia details, postoperative course, and outcomes. Patients’ age ranged from 51 to 69 years. Their cirrhosis was primarily due to alcohol use, hepatitis C virus infection, hepatocellular carcinoma, or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. General anesthesia was administered. Hemodynamic monitoring and goal-directed fluid therapy were conducted using a PiCCO system. Blood loss varied from 1,000 to 5,000 mL. Blood products were transfused as needed. All donor livers underwent hypothermic oxygenated machine perfusion before transplantation. After surgery, two patients were immediately extubated, while two required extended ventilation. Hospital stays ranged from 10 to 40 days. The 30-day survival rate was 100%. This initial case series affirmed the feasibility and safety of total robotic liver transplantation for carefully selected patients, yielding favorable short-term results. Anesthetic management can rely on proactive strategies, acute situational awareness, and effective multidisciplinary collaboration.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the ability of ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) to diagnose the initial stages of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a rat model. Methods: Eighteen male Wistar rats were allocated to control or experimental groups. A high-fat diet (HFD) with 20% fructose and 2% cholesterol, resembling a common Western diet, was fed to animals in the experimental groups for up to 16 weeks; those in the control group received a regular diet. A 21 MHz UBM system was used to acquire B-mode images at specific times: baseline (T0), 10 weeks (T10), and 16 weeks (T16). The sonographic hepatorenal index (SHRI), based on the average ultrasound image gray-level intensities from the liver parenchyma and right renal cortex, was determined at T0, T10, and T16. The liver specimen histology was classified using the modified Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network NAFLD activity scoring system. Results: The livers in the animals in the experimental groups progressed from sinusoidal congestion and moderate macro- and micro-vesicular steatosis to moderate steatosis and frequent hepatocyte ballooning. The SHRI obtained in the experimental group animals at T10 and T16 was significantly different from the SHRI of pooled control group. No significant difference existed between the SHRI in animals receiving HFD between T10 and T16. Conclusion SHRI measurement using UBM may be a promising noninvasive tool to characterize early-stage NAFLD in rat models.

Objective: To investigate the effect of administration of Passiflora glandulosa (P. glandulosa) fruit rinds flour on streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Methods: The preliminary phytochemical screening and parameters such as centesimal composition and brine shrimp toxicity were evaluated. For in vivo study Swiss female mice were divided into four groups: NC-normal control; DC-diabetic control animals receiving saline; MET-diabetic animals receiving metformin (200 mg/kg); PFRF-diabetic animals receiving P. glandulosa fruit rinds flour (200 mg/kg). All of them were treated for 28 d. STZ was used in a single dose of 120 mg/kg to establish diabetic models. Body weight, water and food intake, fasting blood glucose were measured. Histopathological analysis of pancreas and liver were performed to evaluate STZ-induced tissue injuries. Results: Phytochemical screening showed the presence of flavanones and triterpenoids. The P. glandulosa fruit rinds flour was non-toxic by the brine shrimp test. The fruit rinds flour also reduced the loss of body weight and significantly decreased food intake in the diabetic mice. Additionally, a significant reduction in blood glucose was observed for 15 d and this was maintained on 21 d and 28 d when compared with diabetic mice. Furthermore, the P. glandulosa fruit rinds flour has a favourable effect on the histopathological changes of the pancreas in STZ induced diabetes. Conclusions: It is concluded that P. glandulosa fruit rinds flour is a natural product that contains potent antioxidant compounds and presents good prospects for the improvement of diabetic mellitus by reducing serum glucose levels.

Leishmaniasis, a neglected disease caused by Leishmania protozoans, primarily affects people in tropical and subtropical areas. Chemotherapy based on the use of pentavalent antimonials, amphotericin B, paromomycin, miltefosine and liposomal amphotericin B is currently the only effective treatment. However, adverse effects, long-term treatment and the emergence of parasite resistance have led to the search for alternative treatments. Natural products used in traditional medicine provide an unlimited source of molecules for the identification of new drugs, and the Amazon region has abundant biodiversity that includes several species of plants and animals, providing a rich source of new products and compounds. Although the literature describes numerous promising compounds and extracts for combating Leishmania protozoans, the results of such research have not been embraced by the pharmaceutical industry for the development of new drugs. Therefore, this review focused on the antileishmanial activity of extracts, isolated compounds and essential oils commonly used by the local population in the Brazilian Amazonian region to treat several illnesses and described in the literature as promising compounds for combating leishmaniasis.
Animals ; Antiprotozoal Agents ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Brazil ; Humans ; Leishmania ; drug effects ; genetics ; growth & development ; Leishmaniasis ; drug therapy ; parasitology ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Objective To evaluate the acaricidal activity of the essential oil obtained from roots of Derris floribunda (D. floribunda) (Miq.) Benth, and its main constituent nerolidol against the Mexican mite Tetranychus mexicanus (T. mexicanus) (McGregor). Methods The essential oil from the roots of D. floribunda collected in the Amazon region (Brazil) was obtained by hydrodistillation. Its chemical composition was determined by GC–MS analysis. The acaricidal activities of this essential oil and nerolidol, were evaluated by recording the number of dead females (mortality) and eggs (fertility). Results The essential oil showed sesquiterpenes as major volatile components. Nerolidol, the main component, represented 68.5% of the total composition of the essential oil. D. floribunda essential oil and nerolidol showed acaricidal activity, with LC

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease disseminated through the centuries in the whole world which causes symptoms that go from self-limited diseases to hemorrhagic manifestations and organ failure, including acute kidney injury (AKI), composing the severe disease known as the Weil's syndrome. Mortality rates varies according to the clinical presentation and usually increases when kidney injury is present, and is even higher in the setting of pulmonary hemorrhage. There are recent advances in the search for novel biomarkers of renal involvement and early detection of AKI in leptospirosis, as well as in its pathophysiology. We review in this article the clinical aspects of leptospirosis-associated AKI and the perspectives for future research.