Biotic and abiotic factors affecting Brevicoryne brassicae (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and the associated hyperparasitoid Alloxysta fuscicornis Hartig (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) morphologies.

This study investigates the influence of biotic and abiotic factors associated with the morphological development of Brevicoryne brassicae (Linnaeus) and the associated hyperparasitoid Alloxysta fuscicornis (Hartig). The experiment involved the examination of whether aphid size was influenced by their vertical distribution and density on the host plant, as well as whether variations in hyperparasitoid size and symmetry were correlated with those of their aphid hosts. An aphid multivariate size index was obtained using principal component analysis, while symmetry was evaluated in terms of fluctuating asymmetry (FA). Samples were collected in 2007 on cabbage plants cultivated at an experimental farm located in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil (18°56'54"S; 48°12'46"W). The results demonstrated that the size of B. brassicae was negatively associated with temperature, but not with its vertical distribution on the host plant. Temperature was also negatively correlated with hyperparasitoid size. During warmer periods, females produced large quantities of small-sized offspring, whereas an opposite pattern, i.e. the production of fewer offspring of larger size took place during colder periods. This type of adjustment involving trade-offs between physiological and morphological mechanisms, as well as individual interaction with abiotic environmental factors, such as temperature, can be considered an adaptive plastic response in order to increase the chances of survival at a given locality. The encountered relationship between aphid and hyperparasitoid sizes may be an after effect of their indirectly biotic interaction. Hyperparasitoid FA was dependent on the width of the mummified aphids. However, the hypothesis that temperature and vertical distribution on the host plant might influence FA was not confirmed.

[Transient neutropenia in previously healthy children]. / Neutropénia transitória na criança previamente saudável.

Transient neutropenia in otherwise healthy children is not unusual, the main causes being infections and drugs. The risk of developing an infectious complication in previously healthy children with transient neutropenia is low. These infections are usually superficial and caused by common bacteria. We present two cases of previously healthy children with Pseudomonas sepsis who presented with severe neutropenia, not submitted to recent hospitalization or invasive therapeutic or monitoring proceedings. We discuss the etiology of transitory neutropenia and the reasons for this severe community-acquired infection, caused by an unusual agent. The authors also mention their therapeutic attitudes for previously healthy children with transient neutropenia. They should be guided by clinical presentation and neutropenia severity.

[Extra-lobar pulmonary sequestration with broncho-esophageal fistula]. / Sequestro pulmonar extra-lobar com fístula bronco-esofágica.

We describe a case of extra-lobar pulmonary sequestration with broncho-esophageal fistula in a newborn male who presented respiratory distress, cyanosis and feeding difficulties. The diagnosis was made with a swallowed contrast examination, nuclear magnetic resonance, digital subtraction angiography and confirmed by gross and histologic examination. The work of a multidisciplinary team was essential for an early diagnosis and the correct and effective treatment of this Cuncommon condition.