Mielografia em ouriço-cacheiro (Sphiggurus villosus) / Myelography in orange-spined-hairy-dwarf-porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus)

Relata-se o procedimento de mielografia em um ouriço-cacheiro Sphiggurus villosus, adulto, procedente de vida livre. Após o exame e com o animal sob anestesia geral, evidenciou-se um desvio dorsal do contraste na altura da sétima vértebra torácica (T7), causado por compressão em região ventral dessa vértebra, sugestivo de edema ocasionado pela hemorragia intramedular secundária ao trauma sofrido pelo animal em vida livre. Assim sendo, a mielografia em ouriço-cacheiro mostrou ser bastante válida e eficiente ao apresentar como vantagens a maior precisão para delimitar e localizar a lesão presente na coluna vertebral.

The myelography procedure is reported in an adult of the Sphiggurus villosus (hairy-tree-porcupine) species coming from the wild, in the region of Curitiba/PR. After proceeding with the examination, while the animal was under general anesthesia, there was a dorsal deviation of the contrast in the height of the seventh thoracic vertebra (T7) caused by compression in the ventral region of the vertebra. This is suggestive of edema caused by intramedullary hemorrhage secondary to trauma suffered by the animal in the wild. Therefore, the use of myelography in Sphiggurus villosus (hairy-tree-porcupine) proved to be quite valid and efficient, presenting the advantages of greater precision to delimit and locate the lesion present in the vertebral column.

Serum and cerebral spinal fluid levels of chemokines and Th2 cytokines in Schistosoma mansoni myeloradiculopathy.

Schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) is the most common neurological form of Schistosoma mansoni infection. In this study we investigated the expression of chemokines and Th2 cytokines in serum and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) of SMR patients. SMR patients presented increased serum levels of CCL11/eotaxin and CCL24/eotaxin-2 when compared to controls. SMR patients also had higher levels of IL-13 in CSF. Thus, SMR patients present enhancement of both IL-13 and CCR3 acting chemokines, both of which may facilitate the expression of a Th2 response and Th2-dependent damage to the spinal cord. As this cytokine is responsible for promoting Th2 responses, this finding is in accordance to the view that Th2 cells are important in the immunological process against the S. mansoni.

Clinical and biochemical study of 28 patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI.

This paper presents data collected by a Brazilian center in a multinational multicenter observational study of patients with mucopolysaccharidosis type VI (MPS VI), aiming at determining the epidemiological, clinical, and biochemical profile of these patients. Twenty-eight south-American patients with MPS VI were evaluated through medical interview, physical exam, echocardiogram, electrocardiogram, ophthalmologic evaluation, quantification of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in urine, and measurement of the activity of N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (ARSB) in leukocytes. 92.9% of patients were Brazilian. Mean age at diagnosis and at evaluation was 48.4 months and 97.1 months, respectively. 88% of patients had onset of symptomatology before the age of 36 months. Consanguinity was reported by 27% of the families. Mean weight and height at birth were 3.481 kg and 51.3 cm, respectively. The most frequently reported clinical manifestations were short stature, corneal clouding, coarse facial features, joint contractures, and claw hands. All patients presented with echocardiogram changes as well as corneal clouding. Mean ARSB activity in leukocytes was 5.4 nmoles/h/mg protein (reference values: 72-174), and urinary excretion of GAGs was on average 7.9 times higher than normal. The number of clinical manifestations did not show a significant correlation with the levels of urinary GAGs nor with the ARSB activity. Also, no significant correlation was found between the levels of urinary GAGs and the ARSB activity. It was concluded that MPS VI has high morbidity and that, when compared with data published in the literature, patients in our study were diagnosed later and presented with a higher frequency of cardiological findings.

Cromatografia camada delgada para a detecçao neonatal de fenilcetonuria e outras aminoacidopatias / Thin-layer chromatography for the detection of neonatal phenylketonuria and others amino acid disorders

A crescente demanda de solicitaçao de testes para identificaçao de desordens no metabolismo dos aminoacidos traz ao mercado diferentes alternativas metodologicas para a identificaçao, basicamente, da fenilalanina. Os autores apresentam sua experiencia com 130.000 amostras de sangue em papel filtro submetidas a testes de triagem neonatal, utilizando um metodo cromatografico abrangente, de facil execuçao e sem a necessidade de equipamentos