Intrauterine Zika virus infection: review of the current findings with emphasis in the prenatal and postnatal brain imaging diagnostic methods.

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a widespread flavivirus transmitted to humans through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes. The number of ZIKV cases increased significantly between 2015 and 2016, and Brazil was the first to report autochthonous transmission of infection. The main neurological disorder related to ZIKV infection is microcephaly. Fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold standard examination for the analysis of fetal brain infection, followed by obstetric ultrasonography. Cerebral atrophy, intracranial calcifications, ventriculomegaly, cerebellar, and brain gyrus abnormalities are some of the most common findings. Postnatal MRI shows high sensitivity and specificity. Corpus callosum abnormalities, cerebellar hypoplasia, and choroid plexus dilation can be also observed. We present a review of congenital ZIKV infection with emphasis on pre and postnatal brain findings using ultrasonography, MRI, computed tomography, and three-dimensional reconstruction models.

The use of drugs in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery.

According to the World Health Organization, obesity has become an epidemic in the 21st century affecting around 300 million people of all ages worldwide. Clinical treatment modalities for this disease are limited and ineffective when it comes to morbidly obese patients (body mass index - the weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared - surpasses 40 kg/m(2)). Therefore, the alternative, surgical treatment, is the best option for these patients, namely gastric restrictive procedures or an intestinal bypass culminating in a malabsorptive syndrome. In the past 20 years, there has been a 70% increase in the number of bariatric procedures all over the world. The main pharmacokinetic consequence observed in the postoperative period of these individuals is a higher or lower absorption of orally administered drugs.