Arterial graft reconstruction in an aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery.

A case of a large aneurysm of the middle cerebral artery that was treated by resection of the aneurysm sac and reconstruction of the vessel is presented. The middle cerebral artery was reconstructed using a graft from the superficial temporal artery (STA). Cerebral vessel reconstructions are usually carried out with veins as grafts. This paper shows the possibility of using the STA as a graft. When a vessel reconstruction is contemplated, the skin flap should be planned in order to save the STA.

Severe optochiasmatic arachnoiditis after rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm.

The case of a 24-year-old man with progressive visual loss due to optochiasmatic arachnoiditis is presented. The cause of the arachnoiditis was subarachnoidal bleeding due to rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm. The aneurysm was clipped 5 years after the first episode of bleeding. The diagnosis of optochiasmatic arachnoiditis was confirmed during the operation. This case is presented in order to discuss the causes, the symptoms and the therapeutical possibilities of this rare condition.

Invasion success and development of benthic assemblages: effect of timing, duration of submersion and substrate type.

Several studies have suggested that communities associated with artificial substrata support more non-indigenous species (NIS) than natural habitats, and may function as corridors for their expansion. Our study focused on the role of substrate type, timing and duration of submersion as determinants of fouling assemblage. We used plates made of basalt, concrete or fibreglass, to assess early, i.e., 3 months, and late, i.e., 12 months, succession in benthic communities. To assess spatial and temporal variability of the results, sampling was performed at 2 locations and the experiment was repeated in two seasons of the year. Our results showed that the timing and duration of submersion affected the number and percent cover of natives and NIS, as well as assemblage composition. Moreover, the present study showed no support for the hypothesis that marine NIS are more abundant on artificial substrata, as neither of the two artificial substrata tested supported a greater number of NIS compared to basalt (the natural substratum). Overall, fibreglass presented the most different benthic assemblage composition, supporting the fact that the extent and nature of the observed differences varied not only between natural and artificial substrata, but also according to the type of artificial habitat considered. Thus, our results are in agreement with previous studies that stated that appropriate strategies for environmental management should integrate ecological assessment in order to maintain natural patterns of distribution and abundance of organisms, scales of variability and relevant ecological processes.

Sifilis congenita. Incidencia, morbidade e mortalidade no Hospital Universitario Antonio Pedro(HUAP). / Congenital syphilis. Incidence, morbidity and mortality in the Hospital Universitario Antonio Pedro (HUAP)

Os autores apresentam dados especificos que comprovam a alta incidencia da sifilis nas gestantes que frequentam a maternidade do Hospital Universitario Antonio Pedro (Niteroi - RJ), onde obtiveram cerca de 5% de reacoes sorologicas positivas (VDRL) num total de 17.639 amostras do sangue do cordao umbilical examinadas, concentrando-se a positividade, na grande maioria dos casos, nas diluicoes 1:16 e 1:32, enquanto que a mortalidade incluiu mais fortemente nas diluicoes mais elevadas (1:32 e 1:64).Baseados nos dados estatisticos obtidos, procuram tracar o "perfil da gestante sifilitica" como o de "uma mulher gravida,de baixa condicao social, geralmente de cor preta, solteira, com idade entre 15 e 20 anos, que nao frequentou o ambulatorio pre -natal". Finalmente, sugerem maior propaganda do exame pre-natal para combater a morbidade e a mortalidade da sifilis neonatal