[A critical appraisal of an institutional journal: Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz]. / Análise crítica de uma revista institucional: as Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz.

The journal Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, founded and maintained over the course of many years for the exclusive publication of research results from one single institution, has undergone changes over the last decade which have resulted in an open journal. Conditions leading to the journal's founding and the excellent role it has played in the dissemination of knowledge produced by the Instituto Oswaldo Cruz are examined. The fact that it has differed from journals published by scientific societies does not diminish its importance. The present option to give this journal an international slant, with possibilities for competing on the foreign market, and which would be facilitated by the preference given to papers written in English, raises some questions about the role of Brazilian specialized journals within the framework of our scientific development.

Single-versus multidetector-row CT: comparison of sedation rates, conventional angiograms and motion artefacts in young children following liver transplantation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is associated with decreased sedation, frequency of motion artefacts and conventional angiograms compared with single-detector CT (SDCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT examinations performed in young children between January 1993 and June 2005 were reviewed retrospectively. Prior to September 2000, SDCT was used; after that period, MDCT was used. The examinations obtained during these two periods were compared for the frequency of sedation, motion artefacts, and conventional angiograms. Statistical comparison between the two groups was determined by using the chi(2) test. RESULTS: A total of 126 infants and children younger than 6 years of age underwent 134 CT examinations. Eighty-eight were obtained with a SDCT (65%) (group 1) and 46 with a MDCT (35%) (group 2). Sedation was required in 31/88 (35%) CT examinations in group 1 and in 6/46 (13%) in group 2. Conventional angiography was performed in 20/88 (22%) cases in group 1 and in 6/46 (13%) in group 2. Motion artefacts were present in 8/88 (9%) CT examinations in group 1 and in 4/46 (8%) in group 2. There was significant statistical difference with regard to sedation and angiography rates between the two groups (p<0.001) whereas there was no significant difference with regard to motion artefacts (p>1). CONCLUSIONS: MDCT can reduce the need for sedation and conventional angiography in children after liver transplantation. There is no effect on patient motion artefacts.

Cockroaches as carriers of fungi of medical importance.

The fungal pathogenic flora of the external surface of 103 cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) collected from the intensive care unit of a hospital were investigated. In this study, a high percentage of test cockroaches (93.2%) were found to carry fungi of medical importance. The main fungi isolated were species of Candida, Aspergillus and Penicillium. Information about the carriage of pathogenic fungi by cockroaches in hospital environment is scanty. The results suggest that cockroaches can play a role in dissemination of fungi, which they can carry on their external surface.

[Infrastructure for biomedical literature: considerations on a number of Brazilian health journals]. / Infra-estrutura da literatura biomédica: considerações acerca de um núcleo de revistas brasileiras do setor saúde.

The article considers certain characteristics of 74 Brazilian medical journals listed in the Index Medicus Latino-Americano (IMLA) compiled by the Regional Library of Medicine and Health Science (BIREME). After remarking on the low survival rate of these publications, of which other studies list almost 2,000 titles between 1827 and 1978, the author cites the coverage of too many specialties, a lack of planning and of adherence to publishing schedules, and an overproportion of papers of dubious quality to promote sales of medical products as some of the reasons for the flight of Brazilian scientific articles to foreign publications. He also notes that, despite the disregard in which Brazilian journals are widely supposed to be held in the international scientific community, those that maintain acceptable standards of scientific quality, are published regularly and comply with international standards for the presentation of articles are cited often in collections of abstracts and indexes of international standing. Another aspect considered is the emergence in the structure of biomedical information in Brazil of an alternative medical press for the discussion of problems in the delivery of health services.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in portal vein thrombosis: role of the right gastric vein with anomalous insertion.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) was performed in two patients with portal vein thrombosis. In both patients, hepatopetal flow had been maintained by an anomalous insertion of the right gastric vein (RGV) into the portal vein bifurcation and into the left portal branch respectively. In one patient, the main portal trunk could not be recanalized and the RGV was used as an accessory portal vein to place one stent for TIPS. In the other case, access through the partial portal-vein occlusion was gained and three stents were placed from the hepatic vein to the main portal vein distal to the thrombus. In portal vein thrombosis, the aberrant insertion of the RGV into the left or right portal branches may maintain patency of the intrahepatic portal system and, in case of unsuccessful recanalization of the porta, may represent the sole pathway for placing a TIPS.

[Analysis of scientific information published in Brazil in 5 years on Chagas disease, schistosomiasis, malaria, leishmaniasis and filariasis]. / Análisis de la información científica publicada en el Brasil en cinco años sobre la enfermedad de Chagas, esquistosomiasis, malaria, leishmaniasis y filariasis.

This paper offers a quantitative evaluation of the scientific information produced in Brazil on several endemic diseases: Chagas' disease, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, malaria and filariasis. The source of data was the Index Medicus Latino Americano (IMLA), and the published scientific information was analyzed in general and specifically, by type of disease and year of publication. The indexed production of articles on the material of the Latin American countries as a whole increased from 3,506 articles in 1978 to 5,528 in 1982 (for an increase of 52.7%), whereas that of Brazil alone rose from 1,781 to 2,531 (an increase of 42.1%) during the same period. The output of articles on endemic diseases totaled 703 papers (6.3% of the total indexed production). Of this total, 441 (62.7%) was on applied research and 262 (37.3%) were on basic research, and these proportions held relatively constant. Chagas' disease and schistosomiasis accounted for 75.2% of that total over the period considered. The production of papers on the diseases of interest grew 79.2%, at the same rate as that of all biomedical information published in Brazil over the period. An equilibrium was reached between the numbers of basic and applied papers. The analysis also identified the core of Brazilian periodicals that most frequently publish information on those endemics. It was also found that a large proportion of articles by Brazilian authors are published in journals of international circulation, and the foreign journals that publish papers by researchers in Brazil were identified.

[Brazilian biomedical publications in the international scientific literature. Endemic communicable diseases]. / Publicações biomédicas brasileiras na literatura científica internacional. Doenças endêmicas transmissíveis.

The number of Brazilian periodicals listed in the Index Medicus dropped from 70 in 1964 to 15 in 1983, or 78%, while the total number of listed periodicals from other countries fell only 11%. The total number of articles published in Brazil on Chagas' disease, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, leprosy, malaria, and filariasis, and listed in the Index Medicus did not change significantly between 1965 and 1982, because, with the exception of the journal O Hospital, the Brazilian periodicals that published 74% of all articles on those diseases remained listed throughout the period considered. The predominant subjects in articles on endemic diseases were Chagas' disease and schistosomiasis, and in the later years there was a tendency to index more articles on basic than on applied research. The number of articles on Chagas' disease published by Brazilian authors directly in foreign journals increased considerably during the latter decade. Analysis of all the data together suggests that the developed countries select a specific portion of the Brazilian output of biomedical literature--which is kept listed in secondary and international publications or published directly in foreign journals--while another portion of the same output gradually loses visibility on the international scene.

Infra-estrutura da literatura biomédica: considerações acerca de um núcleo de revistas brasileiras do setor saúde / Infrastructure of biomedical literature: considerations on Brazilian health journals

Sao examinadas neste artigo certas caracteristicas de 74 revistas medicas brasileiras arroladas no Index Medicus Latino-Americano (IMLA) compilado pela Biblioteca Regional de Medicina e Ciencias da Saude (BIREME). Apos assinalar a reduzida taxa de sobrevivencia de tais publicacoes, das quais outros estudos consignam quase 2000 titulos entre 1827 e 1978, o autor aponta a dispersao de especialidades,a falta de planejamento e de obediencia a calendarios de publicacao, e o excesso de trabalhos de qualidade duvidosa para a promocao da venda de medicamentos como alguns dos problemas que levam a evasao de artigos cientificos brasileiros para publicacoes estrangeiras. Assinala tambem que, contrariando o propalado desconhecimento das revistas brasileiras na comunidade cientifica internacional, aquelas que mantem padroes aceitaveis de qualidade cientifica, periodicidade regular e obediencia as normas internacionais de apresentacao de artigos tao frequentemente citadas em publicacoes de resumos e indices de circulacao internacional. Outro aspecto examinado e o aparecimento na estrutura da comunicacao biomedica no Brasil de uma imprensa medica alternativa para o debate de problemas de prestacao de servicos de saude