The Biomolecular Interaction Network Database and related tools 2005 update.

The Biomolecular Interaction Network Database (BIND) (http://bind.ca) archives biomolecular interaction, reaction, complex and pathway information. Our aim is to curate the details about molecular interactions that arise from published experimental research and to provide this information, as well as tools to enable data analysis, freely to researchers worldwide. BIND data are curated into a comprehensive machine-readable archive of computable information and provides users with methods to discover interactions and molecular mechanisms. BIND has worked to develop new methods for visualization that amplify the underlying annotation of genes and proteins to facilitate the study of molecular interaction networks. BIND has maintained an open database policy since its inception in 1999. Data growth has proceeded at a tremendous rate, approaching over 100 000 records. New services provided include a new BIND Query and Submission interface, a Standard Object Access Protocol service and the Small Molecule Interaction Database (http://smid.blueprint.org) that allows users to determine probable small molecule binding sites of new sequences and examine conserved binding residues.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome: an increased risk of neoplasia.

A family with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is reported, colonic involvement having been demonstrated on several affected members. Of the 50 members of the family about whom we could get informations, 21 had the characteristic cutaneous lesions (and usually had had some manifestation of the intestinal disease). Our first patient had a colonic carcinoma, and we could detect at least another colonic carcinoma in the family. A third attained member of the family was known to have died from "throat cancer". The most frequent clinical manifestations of this family patients are intussusception related abdominal crisis of colicky pain and rectorrhagy. In Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, there is a slight increase in the risk of malignancy, and digestive cancer can arise from coexistent adenomas, from cancerous changes of hamartomas, or "de novo", i.e., appear on previously normal mucosa.

Gastric duplication presenting rectal bleeding. A clinical case supporting McLedtchie's theory.

This is a case of a 5-month-old girl with massive rectal bleeding caused by a gastric duplication. Cyst heterotopic pancreas and pancreatic duplication, an association not previously reported were present. The peculiar clinical presentation was due to cyst perforation that had subsequently eroded the transverse colon. Coexistent gastric containing heterotopic pancreas and pancreatic duplications were probably produced as traction diverticular by an embryonic entoectodermal adhesions.

[Intercostal schwannoma simulating pulmonary neoplasms]. / Schwannoma intercostal simulando neoplasia pulmonar.

PURPOSE: Describe the case of a man, tabagist, with a nodule in right lung that showed malignant characteristics detected by routine chest radiographs, whose histopathological diagnosis was benign intercostal schwannoma. METHOD: The authors reviewed the clinical features, chest radiographs and computer tomographies of the case, and the histological and immunohistochemical aspects of the surgical specimen. RESULTS: The patient was submitted to diagnostic right thoracotomy with resection of the tumor. The conventional histopathological exam showed spindle shaped cells in a--palisading fashion, forming the Verocay's bodies, characteristics of schwannomas. The immunohistochemical was positive to S-100 protein, vimentin and enolases, and negative to neurofilament proteins. CONCLUSION: The definitive diagnosis of schwannoma is possible only after histopathological and immunohistochemical examination of the tumor. Its cellularity associated with mitotic count and pleomorphism may lead to a mistaken diagnosis of malignant neoplasm. The immunohistochemistry by S-100 protein can characterize the benignity of the lesion, so that this protein is not found in the malignant cells. The intercostal schwannomas of the thoracic wall can mimic pulmonary neoplasm in chest radiographs and computer tomographies.

[The home caregiver in Betim/MG]. / O ser cuidador na Internação Domiciliar em Betim/MG.

This is a qualitative study about the care provided by "caregivers" enrolled in the Home Care Program in Betim, Minas Gerais. Interviews were held during home visits in order to identify characteristics of home care providers, analyze their perception about health care, verify factors which interfere in home care and relationships which are established between caregiver/person cared for/other family members. Discourse analysis (Fiorin, 1993) was used to build the empirical categories which revealed that most of the caregivers are family members, women, average age of 42 years, limited schooling, mostly housewives. The subjects sampled reported that the act of caring involves technique, duty and dedication. They referred to financial difficulties, physical and emotional stress. The relationships established during care involved feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and helplessness in the face of the needs and sufferings of the person cared for. The authors concluded that home care fosters more humane care, but requires technical guidance and emotional training for the caregivers and support from the health institution.

Reconhecimento de emoções em expressões faciais: estudo exploratório envolvendo adultos / Emotion Recognition in Facial Expressions:An Exploratory Study Involving Adults

O presente trabalho relata a realização de um estudo exploratório sobre o reconhecimento de emoções em expressões faciais (REEF) em uma amostra de adultos brasileiros. Participaram do estudo 118 estudantes universitários. Foram utilizados dois instrumentos para a avaliação do reconhecimento de emoções: O DANVA2, um instrumento amplamente utilizado na literatura internacional e um segundo instrumento desenvolvido pelos autores (EREEF). Os participantes completaram ainda escalas para avaliação sintomatologia para depressão e de bem-estar subjetivo e qualidade de interação com os pais. Corroborando estudos anteriores, participantes do sexo feminino apresentaram maior capacidade de reconhecimento de emoções em expressões faciais quando comparados a participantes do sexo masculino. Esses dois grupos não diferiram significativamente em nenhuma das outras medidas estudadas. Não foram identificadas correlações significativas entre as medidas de reconhecimento de emoções e as medidas de sintomatologia para depressão e de bem-estar subjetivo e qualidade de interação com os pais.

The present work describes an exploratory study on in facial expressions in a sample of Brazilian adults. Participants were 118 college students. Two instruments were used for the assessment of emotion recognition: the DANVA2, an instrument largely employed in the international literature and a second instrument developed by the authors (EREEF). Participants also completed scales to assess symptoms of depression, subjective well-being, and quality of interaction with parents. Corroborating previous investigations, female participants presented higher competence on emotions’recognition in facial expressions when compared to male participants. These two groups did not differ significantly in any of the other measures studied. No significant correlations were identified between measures of emotion recognition and symptoms for depression, subjective well-being, and quality of interaction with parents.

Human lymphocyte responsiveness is not enhanced by relief of biliary obstruction: an in-vitro study.

Imparied cell-mediated immunity has been described in obstructive jaundice and has been attributed to depressant serum factors or to depressed intrinsic T-cell function. The authors studied lymphocyte responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin stimulation, the in-vitro correlate of T-cell function, in 11 patients with biliary obstruction. Peripheral-blood mononuclear cells and serum were obtained before (mean serum bilirubin level 302 mumol/L) and after (mean serum bilirubin level 23 mumol/L) treatment of the biliary obstruction. Simultaneous cell culture of all samples disclosed no evidence of a serum depressant factor in patients with obstructive jaundice, and crossover incubation studies failed to suggest that there is a depression of intrinsic T-cell responsiveness that can be reversed by biliary drainage.

Transverse testicular ectopia corrected by a modified Ombrédanne operation.

We report a case of transverse testicular ectopia. The patient previously had undergone an operation for a left inguinal hernia and the right testis was absent. Each testis was placed in its respective side but the right vas deferens traversed the left inguinal canal (a modified Ombrédanne operation).

[Hepatic fascioliasis: a diagnosis problem?]. / Faciolasis hepática: Un problema diagnóstico?

Human fasciolasis is an infection caused by the liver fluke Fasciola hepatica that predominantly affects cattle and sheep, man being an accidental host. The epidemiological situation has changed in the last few years, reporting an increase in the number of new cases in different countries around the world. In the majority of cases, diagnosis of infection in the acute or invasive phase or in chronic or state phase, is difficult because the symptoms of both phases overlap or due to the lack of symptoms or the intermittent elimination of eggs by the adult worm. Determining the phase will depend on clinical suspicion and on the selection of adequate serological and coprological methods in the acute or chronic stages, respectively, as well as determining whether the patient comes from an endemic area. In this study, we reported six cases of patients that were hospitalized at the Arzobispo Loayza Hospital in Lima, Peru, from 1990 to 1999, whose diagnoses were different from the final ones and which evidenced diagnosing problems. The important correlation between the place of origin, the physical and laboratory findings to diagnose this parasitic disease were emphasized.

Schwannoma intercostal simulando neoplasia pulmonar / Intercostal schwannoma simulating pulmonary neoplasms

Schwannoma é uma neoplasia mesenquimal, usualmente solitária, encontrada no mediastino, retroperitônio ou pelve, sendo rara sua apresentaçao na parede torácica. Objetivo. Relatar o caso de um paciente masculino, tabagista, com um nódulo pulmonar direito com características de malignidade, detectado em radiografia de tórax de rotina, cujo diagnóstico anatomopatológico foi de schwannoma benigno de nervo intercostal. Métodos. Revisaram-se os dados referentes ao quadro clínico, exames laboratoriais de imagem (radiografia e tomografia computadorizada de tórax) do caso em estudo, assim como os exames anatomopatológico e imuno-histoquímico do espécime cirúrgico. Resultados. O paciente foi submetido à toracotomia direita diagnóstica com ressecçao da tumoraçao. O exame anatomopatológico convencional mostrou células tumorais de aspecto fusiforme, dispostas em pacientes, formando os corpos de Verocay, compatível com schwannoma intercostal. A imuno-histoquímica foi positiva para proteína S-100, vimentina e enolase, e negativa para neurofilamentos. Conclusao. O diagnóstico definitivo de schwannoma só é imuno-histoquímica da lesao. Seu aspecto celular, associado à atividade mitótica e a áreas de pleomorfismo, pode levar ao diagnóstico incorreto de malignidade. A imuno-histoquímica, por meio da proteína S-100, é útil na caracterizaçao da benegnidade da lesao, já que nao é detectada nas lesoes malignas. Os schwannomas de parte torácica podem simular neoplasias pulmonares na radiografia e tomografia computadorizada de tórax.