Abnormal visual activation in Parkinson's disease patients.

Among nonmotor symptoms observed in Parkinson's disease (PD) dysfunction in the visual system, including hallucinations, has a significant impact in their quality of life. To further explore the visual system in PD patients we designed two fMRI experiments comparing 18 healthy volunteers with 16 PD patients without visual complaints in two visual fMRI paradigms: the flickering checkerboard task and a facial perception paradigm. PD patients displayed a decreased activity in the primary visual cortex (Broadmann area 17) bilaterally as compared to healthy volunteers during flickering checkerboard task and increased activity in fusiform gyrus (Broadmann area 37) during facial perception paradigm. Our findings confirm the notion that PD patients show significant changes in the visual cortex system even before the visual symptoms are clinically evident. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the contribution of these abnormalities to the development visual symptoms in PD.

Decompressive craniectomy versus conservative treatment: limits and possibilities in malignant stroke.

BACKGROUND: Malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) occurs in a subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke and early decompressive craniectomy (DC) is one of its treatments. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the functional outcome of patients with malignant ischemic stroke treated with decompressive craniectomy at a neurological emergency center in Northeastern Brazil. METHODS: Prospective cohort study, in which 25 patients were divided into two groups: those undergoing surgical treatment with DC and those who continued to receive standard conservative treatment (CT). Functionality was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at follow-up after six months. RESULTS: A favorable outcome (mRS≤3) was observed in 37.5% of the DC patients and 29.4% of CT patients (p=0.42). Fewer patients who underwent surgical treatment died (25%), compared to those treated conservatively (52.8%); however, with no statistical significance. Nonetheless, the proportion of patients with moderate to severe disability (mRS 4‒5) was higher in the surgical group (37.5%) than in the non-surgical group (17.7%). CONCLUSION: In absolute values, superiority in the effectiveness of DC over CT was perceived, showing that the reduction in mortality was at the expense of increased disability.

Depression in Parkinson's disease: convergence from voxel-based morphometry and functional magnetic resonance imaging in the limbic thalamus.

Depression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although evidence suggests that depression in PD is related to the degenerative process that underlies the disease, further studies are necessary to better understand the neural basis of depression in this population of patients. In order to investigate neuronal alterations underlying the depression in PD, we studied thirty-six patients with idiopathic PD. Twenty of these patients had the diagnosis of major depression disorder and sixteen did not. The two groups were matched for PD motor severity according to Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). First we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using an event-related parametric emotional perception paradigm with test retest design. Our results showed decreased activation in the left mediodorsal (MD) thalamus and in medial prefrontal cortex in PD patients with depression compared to those without depression. Based upon these results and the increased neuron count in MD thalamus found in previous studies, we conducted a region of interest (ROI) guided voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study comparing the thalamic volume. Our results showed an increased volume in mediodorsal thalamic nuclei bilaterally. Converging morphological changes and functional emotional processing in mediodorsal thalamus highlight the importance of limbic thalamus in PD depression. In addition this data supports the link between neurodegenerative alterations and mood regulation.

Clinical Features and Inflammatory Markers in Autoimmune Encephalitis Associated With Antibodies Against Neuronal Surface in Brazilian Patients.

Acute encephalitis is a debilitating neurological disorder associated with brain inflammation and rapidly progressive encephalopathy. Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is increasingly recognized as one of the most frequent causes of encephalitis, however signs of inflammation are not always present at the onset which may delay the diagnosis. We retrospectively assessed patients with AE associated with antibodies against neuronal surface diagnosed in reference centers in Northeast of Brazil between 2014 to 2017. CNS inflammatory markers were defined as altered CSF (pleocytosis >5 cells/mm3) and/or any brain parenchymal MRI signal abnormality. Thirteen patients were evaluated, anti-NMDAR was the most common antibody found (10/13, 77%), followed by anti-LGI1 (2/13, 15%), and anti-AMPAR (1/13, 7%). Median time to diagnosis was 4 months (range 2-9 months). Among these 13 patients, 6 (46.1%) had inflammatory markers and when compared to those who did not present signs of inflammation, there were no significant differences regarding the age of onset, time to diagnosis and modified Rankin scale score at the last visit. Most of the patients presented partial or complete response to immunotherapy during follow-up. Our findings suggest that the presence of inflammatory markers may not correlate with clinical presentation or prognosis in patients with AE associated with antibodies against neuronal surface. Neurologists should be aware to recognize clinical features of AE and promptly request antibody testing even without evidence of inflammation in CSF or MRI studies.

THE OLD ONE TECHNIQUE IN A NEW STYLE: DEVELOPING PROCEDURAL SKILLS IN PARACENTESIS IN A LOW COST SIMULATOR MODEL.

BACKGROUND: Paracentesis is a routine medical procedure quite relevant in clinical practice. There are risks of complications related to paracentesis, so it is essential a proper trainee for the younger practicer. OBJECTIVE: The article describes the construction and the application of a low cost paracentesis simulator for undergraduate medical students and it also describes the perception of students about the simulator as well. METHODS: A low-cost model was developed by the Program of Tutorial Education for training medical students during three editions of an undergraduate theoretical-practical course of bedside invasive procedures. The authors constructed a model from very low-cost and easily accessible materials, such as commercial dummy plus wooden and plastic supports to represent the abdomen, synthetic leather fabric for the skin, upholstered sponge coated with plastic film to represent the abdominal wall and procedure gloves with water mixed with paint to simulate the ascitic fluid and other abdominal structures. One semi-structured form with quantitative and qualitative questions was applied for medical specialists and students in order to evaluate the paracentesis simulator. RESULTS: The paracentesis model has an initial cost of US$22.00 / R$70.00 for 30 simulations and US$16.00 / R$50.00 for every 30 additional simulations. It was tested by eight medical doctors, including clinical medicine, general surgeons and gastroenterologists, and all of them fully agreed that the procedure should be performed on the manikin before in the actual patient, and they all approved the model for undergraduate education. A total of 87 undergraduate medical students (56% male) individually performed the procedure in our simulator. Regarding the steps of the procedure, 80.5% identified the appropriate place for needle puncture and 75.9% proceeded with the Z or traction technique. An amount of 80.5% of the students were able to aspire the fluid and another 80.5% of students correctly performed the bandage at the end of the procedure. All the students fully agreed that simulated paracentesis training should be performed prior to performing the procedure on a real patient. CONCLUSION: The elaboration of a teaching model in paracentesis provided unique experience to authors and participants, allowing a visible correlation of the human anatomy with synthetic materials, deepening knowledge of this basic science and developing creative skills, which enhances clinical practice. There are no data on the use of paracentesis simulation models in Brazilian universities. However, the procedure is quite accomplished in health services and needs to be trained. The model described above was presented as qualified with low cost and easily reproducible.

[Subjective visual vertical evaluation in normal Brazilian subjects]. / Avaliação da vertical visual subjetiva em indivíduos brasileiros normais.

Otolith function can be evaluated by subjective visual vertical (SVV) that determine the capacity of a subject to judge if the objects are on vertical position with absence of any visual reference. The aim of this study was to evaluate the SVV in a sample of normal Brazilian subjects using a portable device. Measurements of SVV were performed in 160 normal subjects (aged from 16 to 85). SVV mean value was obtained after ten adjustments. SVV mean values ranged from -2.0 degrees to +2.4 degrees (mean=0.18 degrees, and SD=0.77). Considering all age groups, there was no difference of SVV mean values (Kruskal-Wallis test; p=0.40), but older groups had a greater variance (Levene test; p=0.016). SVV values observed in this study are comparable to those described in previous studies. Although there was no difference in mean SVV-inclination according to age, there was a greater variance in older subjects.

Decompressive craniectomy versus conservative treatment: limits and possibilities in malignant stroke / Craniectomia descompressiva versus tratamento conservador: limites e possibilidades no AVC maligno

ABSTRACT Background: Malignant infarction of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) occurs in a subgroup of patients with ischemic stroke and early decompressive craniectomy (DC) is one of its treatments. Objective: To investigate the functional outcome of patients with malignant ischemic stroke treated with decompressive craniectomy at a neurological emergency center in Northeastern Brazil. Methods: Prospective cohort study, in which 25 patients were divided into two groups: those undergoing surgical treatment with DC and those who continued to receive standard conservative treatment (CT). Functionality was assessed using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), at follow-up after six months. Results: A favorable outcome (mRS≤3) was observed in 37.5% of the DC patients and 29.4% of CT patients (p=0.42). Fewer patients who underwent surgical treatment died (25%), compared to those treated conservatively (52.8%); however, with no statistical significance. Nonetheless, the proportion of patients with moderate to severe disability (mRS 4‒5) was higher in the surgical group (37.5%) than in the non-surgical group (17.7%). Conclusion: In absolute values, superiority in the effectiveness of DC over CT was perceived, showing that the reduction in mortality was at the expense of increased disability.

RESUMO Introdução: O infarto maligno da artéria cerebral média (ACM) ocorre em um subgrupo de pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) isquêmico e a craniectomia descompressiva (CD) precoce é um de seus tratamentos. Objetivo: Investigar o desfecho funcional de pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral isquêmico maligno submetidos à craniectomia descompressiva em um centro de emergência neurológica do nordeste do Brasil. Métodos: Nesta coorte prospectiva, os pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos: aqueles submetidos a tratamento cirúrgico com craniectomia descompressiva (CD) e aqueles que mantiveram tratamento conservador (TC) padrão. A funcionalidade foi avaliada por meio da Escala de Rankin modificada (ERm) ao final de seis meses de seguimento. Resultados: Evidenciou-se desfecho favorável (ERm≤3) em 37,5% dos pacientes craniectomizados e em 29,4% dos pacientes não craniectomizados (p=0,42). A mortalidade foi menor no grupo de pacientes que se submeteram a tratamento cirúrgico (25%) do que entre aqueles tratados conservadoramente (52,8%), porém sem significância estatística. Por outro lado, a proporção de pacientes com incapacidade moderada a grave (ERm 4‒5) foi maior no grupo cirúrgico (37,5%) do que no grupo não cirúrgico (17,7%). Conclusão: Em valores absolutos, percebeu-se superioridade na eficácia do tratamento cirúrgico sobre o conservador, mostrando que a redução de mortalidade se dá à custa de aumento da incapacidade funcional.

Correlation of impaired subjective visual vertical and postural instability in Parkinson's disease.

Perception of verticality is essential for postural control. On the other hand, postural instability is one of the cardinal features in Parkinson's disease (PD). Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the vertical perception using the subjective visual vertical test in PD patients with different degrees of postural instability and in different stages of disease. Forty five idiopathic PD patients were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Hoehn and Yahr Scale, the clinical test for postural instability, and the subjective visual vertical test. Forty-five healthy individuals were evaluated in the control group. PD patients had a compromised perception of verticality and a disturbed processing of graviceptive pathways. Good correlation was also found between subjective visual vertical and postural instability. Patients with the worst postural instability had greater deviations of subjective visual vertical. There was also a positive correlation between subjective visual vertical and scores on the UPDRS and Hoehn and Yahr Scale, with good and reasonable degree of intensity, respectively. These findings suggest that the perception of verticality is affected in PD patients and this abnormal vertical perception and disturbed processing of graviceptive pathways are associated with postural instability and to a lesser degree with disease severity.

Anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus: A novel location for transient global amnesia?

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by abrupt transient loss of anterograde memory, lasting up to 24 hours, and no other focal neurological signs. We report the case of a right-handed 71-year-old female patient who presented temporal-spatial disorientation 5 minutes after ingestion of 1000 ml of iodinated contrast. The patient had mild temporal-spatial disorientation, with significant deficit in anterograde memory. After 12 hours under observation, the patient progressed to gradual improvement and was discharged. A reevaluation after 15 days showed normal cortical functions, score on mini-mental state exam of 30, and unaffected working and recall memory. MRI performed 48 hours after the event showed hypersignal in the diffusion sequence in the anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus, with hypointense signal in MAP/ADC, confirming a finding consistent with TGA. No previous reports in the literature have described the location affected in this patient, rendering it a novel site consistent with this diagnosis.

Amnésia global transitória (TGA) é caracterizada por perda transitória abrupta de memória anterógrada, com duração de até 24 horas e sem outros sinais neurológicos focais. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente de 71 anos de idade, destra, que apresentou desorientação temporal e espacial depois de 5 minutos após a ingestão de 1.000 ml de contraste iodado. A paciente teve desorientação temporoespacial moderada, com déficit significativo de memória anterógrada. Depois de permanecer 12 horas sob observação, progrediu para melhoria gradual e recebeu alta. A nova avaliação após 15 dias mostrou funções corticais normais, com mini-exame mental de 30, com memória executiva e de evocação preservadas. A ressonância magnética realizada 48 horas após o evento mostrou hipersinal na sequência difusão na porção anterior do giro do cíngulo, com hipossinal em MAPA/ADC, confirmando achado compatível com TGA. Não há relato na literatura descrevendo alteração no mesmo local que esta paciente, tornando-se, portanto, um possível novo local compatível com diagnóstico de TGA.

Limbic encephalitis as the presenting symptom of oesophageal adenocarcinoma: another cancer to search?

Limbic encephalitis is a syndrome characterised by irritability, depression, sleeping disturbance, convulsion, hallucination and short-period memory loss that is commonly associated with a malignancy even if there is no evidence of it by the time of presentation. Most reported cases of limbic encephalitis as a paraneoplastic syndrome are associated with small-cell lung cancer and lymphoma. This article is a case report of a patient with limbic encephalitis associated with an oesophageal adenocarcinoma. The patient is a middle-aged man who presented apathy and unstable mood. After months, developed diplopia, reduced visual acuity and involuntary movements. Later, gait disability, disorientation, memory loss and aggressive behaviour were detected, associated with seizures. After investigation, limbic encephalitis was diagnosed and, as the patient developed dysphagia, oesophageal adenocarcinoma was detected. Oesophageal carcinoma usually does not have neurological symptoms associated.

A antiga técnica em um novo estilo: desenvolvendo habilidades procedimentais em paracentese em simulador de baixo custo / The old one technique in a new style: developing procedural skills in paracentesis in a low cost simulator model

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Paracentesis is a routine medical procedure quite relevant in clinical practice. There are risks of complications related to paracentesis, so it is essential a proper trainee for the younger practicer. OBJECTIVE: The article describes the construction and the application of a low cost paracentesis simulator for undergraduate medical students and it also describes the perception of students about the simulator as well. METHODS: A low-cost model was developed by the Program of Tutorial Education for training medical students during three editions of an undergraduate theoretical-practical course of bedside invasive procedures. The authors constructed a model from very low-cost and easily accessible materials, such as commercial dummy plus wooden and plastic supports to represent the abdomen, synthetic leather fabric for the skin, upholstered sponge coated with plastic film to represent the abdominal wall and procedure gloves with water mixed with paint to simulate the ascitic fluid and other abdominal structures. One semi-structured form with quantitative and qualitative questions was applied for medical specialists and students in order to evaluate the paracentesis simulator. RESULTS: The paracentesis model has an initial cost of US$22.00 / R$70.00 for 30 simulations and US$16.00 / R$50.00 for every 30 additional simulations. It was tested by eight medical doctors, including clinical medicine, general surgeons and gastroenterologists, and all of them fully agreed that the procedure should be performed on the manikin before in the actual patient, and they all approved the model for undergraduate education. A total of 87 undergraduate medical students (56% male) individually performed the procedure in our simulator. Regarding the steps of the procedure, 80.5% identified the appropriate place for needle puncture and 75.9% proceeded with the Z or traction technique. An amount of 80.5% of the students were able to aspire the fluid and another 80.5% of students correctly performed the bandage at the end of the procedure. All the students fully agreed that simulated paracentesis training should be performed prior to performing the procedure on a real patient. CONCLUSION: The elaboration of a teaching model in paracentesis provided unique experience to authors and participants, allowing a visible correlation of the human anatomy with synthetic materials, deepening knowledge of this basic science and developing creative skills, which enhances clinical practice. There are no data on the use of paracentesis simulation models in Brazilian universities. However, the procedure is quite accomplished in health services and needs to be trained. The model described above was presented as qualified with low cost and easily reproducible.

RESUMO CONTEXTO: A paracentese é um procedimento médico de rotina bastante relevante na prática clínica. Devido à sua importância na assistência médica diária e seus riscos de complicações, o treino do procedimento é essencial em currículos médicos reconhecidos. OBJETIVO: Descrever a construção de um simulador de paracentese de baixo custo, destacando a percepção de estudantes sobre o seu uso para treinamento na graduação em Medicina. MÉTODOS: Um modelo de baixo custo foi desenvolvido pelo Programa de Educação Tutorial para treinamento de estudantes de Medicina durante três edições de um curso teórico-prático de procedimentos invasivos à beira do leito. Os autores construíram um modelo a partir de materiais comuns e de fácil acesso, como manequim comercial e suportes de madeira e plástico para representar o abdômen, tecido de couro sintético para a pele, esponja revestida com filme plástico para representar a parede abdominal e luvas de procedimento com água misturada com tinta para simular o líquido ascítico e outras estruturas abdominais. Para avaliar o modelo, aplicou-se um questionário semiestruturado com aspectos quantitativos e qualitativos para médicos especialistas e estudantes. RESULTADOS: O modelo para paracentese tem orçamento inicial de US$22.00 / R$70,00 para 30 simulações e US$16.00 / R$50,00 para cada 30 simulações adicionais. Foi testado por oito especialistas (clínico geral, cirurgião geral e gastroenterologista), dos quais quatro são gastroenterologistas, e todos concordaram plenamente que o procedimento deve ser realizado no manequim antes de ser feito no paciente real, e todos eles aprovaram o modelo para o ensino de graduação. Durante as edições do curso, um total de 87 estudantes de graduação em Medicina (56% homens) realizaram individualmente o procedimento. Em relação às etapas do procedimento, do total de alunos avaliados, 80,5% identificaram o local apropriado para a punção e 75,9% procederam com a técnica Z ou tração. Ao final, 80,5% dos alunos conseguiram aspirar ao conteúdo ascítico, com 80,5% realizando o curativo e finalizando o procedimento. Todos os alunos concordaram plenamente que o treinamento com paracentese simulada deve ser feito antes de se realizar o procedimento em um paciente real. CONCLUSÃO: A elaboração de um modelo de ensino em paracentese proporcionou experiência única a autores e participantes, permitindo uma visível correlação da anatomia humana com materiais sintéticos, aprofundando o conhecimento desta ciência básica e desenvolvendo habilidades criativas, o que potencializa a prática clínica. Não há dados sobre o uso de modelos de simulação de paracentese em universidades brasileiras. No entanto, o procedimento é bastante realizado nos serviços de saúde e precisa ser treinado. O modelo descrito acima foi apresentado como de qualidade, baixo custo e de fácil reprodutibilidade, sendo inédito no cenário da educação médica nacional, mostrando-se uma ferramenta complementar de ensino na graduação e preparando os alunos para o procedimento in vivo.

Belas artes para estudantes de medicina: motivando debates transformadores / Fine arts for medical students: driving transformative debates

Introdução: Debater artes durante a graduação pode ser uma forma criativa de desenvolver novas percepções e perspectivas para estudantes de medicina. Promover atividades que visem criar momentos envolvendo temáticas humanísticas, simultaneamente ao conhecimento técnico médico, como artes e atividades físicas em um ambiente lúdico, continua sendo um desafio. Nesse contexto, foi criado um Programa Extracurricular de Aperfeiçoamento Global de Estudantes de Medicina (GIPMS) da Universidade de Fortaleza, que incluiu encontros envolvendo diversos estímulos artísticos. Objetivo: O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar se o contato com a arte durante a graduação no contexto do GIPMS pode gerar percepções, sentimentos e reflexões para proporcionar importantes debates. Métodos: Foi realizado um estudo qualitativo prospectivo com um total de 42 sessões de grupo focal, que foram gravadas e transcritas na íntegra. Cada grupo foi conduzido por 2 mentores, e todos os 6 grupos focais utilizaram questionários qualitativos padronizados nas sessões, que foram realizadas a cada 45 dias. Foi realizada uma análise temática das transcrições, confirmada com o software QSR NVIVO (versão 11). Resultados: Um total de 40 alunos (15 homens e 25 mulheres) participaram deste estudo de um ano. As categorias encontradas foram: Os estímulos artísticos foram capazes de fazer os participantes pensarem (124 citações), sentirem (78, 65 sobre sentimentos positivos e 13 sobre sentimentos negativos) e lembrarem (41). Destacaram-se: a influência da carga horária de estudos no tempo dedicado às artes e às reflexões (61); relação entre arte e vida e produtividade acadêmica (75); mudanças de atitudes proporcionadas pelos estímulos artísticos propostos (38 citações). Conclusões: O programa foi capaz de gerar, de forma inovadora, novas percepções de sentimentos, sensações e reflexões, bem como evocar memórias que proporcionaram debates importantes, que, segundo os próprios alunos, serviram de inspiração para mudar perspectivas e atitudes e proporcionou benefícios subjetivos na vida acadêmica. [au]

Introduction: Debating arts during graduation can be a creative way to develop new perceptions and perspectives for medical students. To promote activities that aim to create moments involving humanistic themes, simultaneously to technical medical knowledge, such as arts and physical activities in a playful setting, remains a challenge. A extracurricular Global Improvement Programme of Medical Students (GIPMS) of the University of Fortaleza was created on this context, and included meetings involving various artistic stimuli. Purpose: The objective of this paper is to evaluate if the contact with art during graduation in the context of GIPMS can generate perceptions, feelings and reflections to provide important debates. Methods: A prospective qualitative study was conducted including a total of 42 focal group sessions, which were recorded and fully transcribed. Each group was conducted by 2 mentors, and all 6 focal groups used standardized qualitative questionnaires each session, which were performed every 45 days. A thematic analysis of the transcripts was performed, confirmed with the QSR NVIVO software (version 11). Results: A total of 40 students (15 men and 25 women) participated in this one-year study. The categories found were: Artistic stimuli were able to make participants think (124 quotes), feel (78, 65 about positive feelings and 13 about negative ones) and remember (41). The following stood out: the influence of the time load of studies in the time dedicated to the arts and the reflections. (61); relationship between the arts and life and academic productivity (75); changes in attitudes provided by the proposed artistic stimuli (38 citations). Conclusions: The program was able to generate, in an innovative way, new perceptions of feelings, sensations and reflections, as well as to evoke memories that provided important debates, which, according to the students themselves, served as inspiration to change perspectives and attitudes and provided subjective benefits in academic life. [au]

Clinical changes of cervical dystonia pattern in long-term botulinum toxin treated patients.

Cervical dystonia (CD) is a complex disorder but the response to long-term botulinum toxin (BTX) therapy is satisfactory in most cases. Bad results are attributed by some authors to changes in muscle activation. Our purpose is to verify if the change in head deviation affects negatively the response to BTX therapy in a long-term follow-up, and if there are any differences in clinical parameters of these patients in comparison to those with stable pattern. From a total of 88 patients evaluated at the Movement Disorders Clinics of Hospital das Clinicas - University of São Paulo School of Medicine between January 1993 and December 2005, 67 were included. In 24 (35.8%) change in pattern of CD was observed, in a medium follow-up period of 80 months. The time between onset of dystonia and the diagnosis of pattern change was 9.7 years. Comparing with patients with no changes in CD pattern, there were no significant statistical differences. Improvement of symptoms around 60% was reported in both groups. In conclusion, the change in head deviation observed in CD was not responsible for bad response to therapy with BTX and there were no significant differences between both groups.

Anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus: A novel location for transient global amnesia? / Porção anterior do giro do cíngulo: Uma nova localização para amnésia global transitória?

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by abrupt transient loss of anterograde memory, lasting up to 24 hours, and no other focal neurological signs. We report the case of a right-handed 71-year-old female patient who presented temporal-spatial disorientation 5 minutes after ingestion of 1000 ml of iodinated contrast. The patient had mild temporal-spatial disorientation, with significant deficit in anterograde memory. After 12 hours under observation, the patient progressed to gradual improvement and was discharged. A reevaluation after 15 days showed normal cortical functions, score on mini-mental state exam of 30, and unaffected working and recall memory. MRI performed 48 hours after the event showed hypersignal in the diffusion sequence in the anterior portion of the cingulate gyrus, with hypointense signal in MAP/ ADC, confirming a finding consistent with TGA. No previous reports in the literature have described the location affected in this patient, rendering it a novel site consistent with this diagnosis.

Amnésia global transitória (TGA) é caracterizada por perda transitória abrupta de memória anterógrada, com duração de até 24 horas e sem outros sinais neurológicos focais. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente de 71 anos de idade, destra, que apresentou desorientação temporal e espacial depois de 5 minutos após a ingestão de 1.000 ml de contraste iodado. A paciente teve desorientação temporoespacial moderada, com déficit significativo de memória anterógrada. Depois de permanecer 12 horas sob observação, progrediu para melhoria gradual e recebeu alta. A nova avaliação após 15 dias mostrou funções corticais normais, com mini-exame mental de 30, com memória executiva e de evocação preservadas. A ressonância magnética realizada 48 horas após o evento mostrou hipersinal na sequência difusão na porção anterior do giro do cíngulo, com hipossinal em MAPA/ADC, confirmando achado compatível com TGA. Não há relato na literatura descrevendo alteração no mesmo local que esta paciente, tornando-se, portanto, um possível novo local compatível com diagnóstico de TGA.

Pseudoathetosis: report of three patients.

We report on 3 patients with pseudoathetosis, which are involuntary, slow, writhing movements due to loss of proprioception.

Avaliação da vertical visual subjetiva em indivíduos brasileiros normais / Subjective visual vertical evaluation in normal Brazilian subjects

A função otolítica pode ser avaliada pela Vertical Visual Subjetiva (VVS) que determina a capacidade de um indivíduo julgar se objetos estão na posição vertical na ausência de outras referências visuais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a VVS em indivíduos brasileiros normais usando um aparelho portátil. As medidas da VVS foram realizadas em 160 indivíduos (16 a 85 anos). O valor médio da VVS foi obtido após dez ajustes. A VVS teve valores médios entre -2,0° e +2,4° (média=0,18°, e DP=0,77°). Não houve diferença entre as médias da VVS em relação à idade (teste de Kruskal-Wallis; p=0,40), mas as faixas etárias maiores tiveram variância maior (teste de Levene; p=0,016). Os valores da VVS encontrados neste estudo foram semelhantes aos registrados na literatura. Não houve diferença nas médias das inclinações da VVS de acordo com a idade, mas foi encontrada maior variância entre indivíduos mais idosos.

Otolith function can be evaluated by subjective visual vertical (SVV) that determine the capacity of a subject to judge if the objects are on vertical position with absence of any visual reference. The aim of this study was to evaluate the SVV in a sample of normal Brazilian subjects using a portable device. Measurements of SVV were performed in 160 normal subjects (aged from 16 to 85). SVV mean value was obtained after ten adjustments. SVV mean values ranged from -2.0° to +2.4° (mean=0.18°, and SD=0.77). Considering all age groups, there was no difference of SVV mean values (Kruskal-Wallis test; p=0.40), but older groups had a greater variance (Levene test; p=0.016). SVV values observed in this study are comparable to those described in previous studies. Although there was no difference in mean SVV-inclination according to age, there was a greater variance in older subjects.

Avaliação da geração de palavras, em indivíduos com doença de parkinson, através de ressonância magnética funcional / Word generation in parkinson's disease a functional magnetic resonance study

As alterações cognitivas na doença de Parkinson (DP) têm sido mais estudadas nos últimos anos, porém alterações de linguagem, embora detectadas clinicamente, permanecem pouco exploradas. Neste estudo, avalia-se a capacidade de pacientes com DP de gerar palavras, durante paradigma de ressonância magnética funcional (RMf), comparandose com voluntários sadios. MÉTODOS: Neste estudo, foram incluídos 17 pacientes com doença de Parkinson, em seguimento no ambulatório de Distúrbios do Movimento do Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo e 20 voluntários normais, pareados quanto à idade e escolaridade. Todos foram submetidos à avaliação neurológica e neuropsicológica. Cada indivíduo realizou dois exames de RMf, sendo utilizado o paradigma de geração de palavras, constando de 70 letras cada, durante os quais dados comportamentais foram coletados. As imagens foram analisadas com testes não paramétricos e mapas de correlação entre os resultados de RMf e dados comportamentais (percentagem de acertos) foram construídos. RESULTADOS: Os grupos apresentavam perfis neuropsicológicos semelhantes, com diferenças somente em testes que envolviam velocidade motora. Nos indivíduos com DP, observou-se ativação das regiões frontal dorsolateral esquerda, giro do cíngulo anterior, área motora suplementar esquerda e do cerebelo à direita durante a geração de palavras, à semelhança do grupo controle. Na comparação entre grupos, notou-se maior resposta hemodinâmica nos pacientes com DP, em relação aos controles, em áreas do córtex frontal dorsolateral esquerdo. Observouse, ainda, no grupo com DP, menor atividade na porção anterior do cíngulo e área motora suplementar esquerda. Na análise comportamental, incluindo a classificação dos erros, não houve diferenças entre os grupos. Para explicar esses resultados, especula-se que as diferenças nas áreas subcorticais possam estar relacionadas com o aumento da atividade no córtex frontal...

Cognitive disturbances have been studied in patients with Parkinson´s disease (PD) in the last years but language dysfunction, although observed in clinical practice, are just now being explored. In this study, we investigate PD patients ability to generate words using a functional magnetic resonance (fRMI) paradigm and compare these areas with healthy volunteers. We selected 17 PD patients from the Movement Disorders Clinics of Hospital das Clinicas, Universidade de São Paulo and 20 healthy volunteers, matched for age and years of formal education. Both groups were evaluated from neurological and neurophsychological perspective and showed similar profiles, with differences only in tests that involved motor speed. Each subject was scanned twice using an overt-speech block design fRMI paradigm with visual presentation of 70 stimuli during which behavioral data were collected. Images were analyzed using a non-parametric approach, and correlation maps between fRMI results and behavioral data (percentage of correct responses) were produced. PD patients showed activity on the left dorsolateral frontal cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus, motor supplementary areas and right cerebellum during the word generation paradigm, similar to the healthy volunteers group. PD patients had increased hemodynamic response in the left dorsolateral frontal cortex and a reduction was found at anterior cingulated gyrus and motor supplementary area compared to healthy volunteers. Behavioral analyses (including error classification) did not show any differences between groups. We speculate that the difference found in subcortical areas may be related to the increment observed in the frontal dorsolateral cortex, since degeneration of mesolimbic dopaminergic pathways is described in PD associated with dysfunction on basal ganglia circuitry, especially involving the cingulated and dorsolateral loop...

Clinical evaluation of the efficacy and tolerability of ritonavir in combination with two reverse transcriptase inhibitors

A retrospective study of 76 patients was carried out using ritonavir in an antiretroviral regimen combined with two reverse transcriptase inhibitors to treat outpatients from July, 1996, to April, 1998, with the objective of evaluating clinical efficacy and tolerability,. Seventy-six percent of the patients had been diagnosed with AIDS, an average number of CD4 cells =233.7 cells/mmü and viral load = 144,084 RNA copies/mmü. The majority of patients (76.3 percent) were antiretroviral treatment-experienced, 21.4 percent having taken protease inhibitors. A positive clinical response was found in 86.7 percent (including an average weight gain of 4.41kg in 58.5 percent), an average CD4 count increase of 169.5 cells/mmü in 83.3 percent and an average viral load decrease of approximately 2.28 log in 75 percent of patients. A high percentage of adverse effects (76.3 percent) was detected, with most slight or moderate, but they significantly impacted adherence to treatment as 31.6 percent stopped taking the drug as a result. We conclude that this antiretroviral regimen has good clinical efficacy, but relatively poor tolerability.