Severe aquaporin 4-IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica with disseminated herpes zoster in a pregnant woman successfully treated with intravenous immunoglobulin.

A 26-year-old, 17-week pregnant woman developed aquaporin-4-IgG-positive severe longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis during the course of disseminated herpes zoster and became quadriparetic. She was unresponsive to high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone but became able to walk without assistance after intravenous immunoglobulin. One and a half months later, left optic neuritis developed but her vision improved with intravenous immunoglobulin. The only sequela was left T5 girdle sensation, and she delivered a healthy baby. Intravenous immunoglobulin may be a rescue therapy in aquaporin-4-IgG-positive neuromyelitis optica attacks in pregnant women, especially those with severe infections.

T2-weighted IDEAL fast spin echo imaging of the brachial plexus: comparison with STIR.

BACKGROUND: Short TI inversion-recovery (STIR) imaging is widely used, but its signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) is relatively low. Iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetric and least-squares estimation (IDEAL) imaging has demonstrated promising results in several areas. PURPOSE: To compare T2-weighted fast spin-echo IDEAL (T2W IDEAL-FSE) with STIR to determine which sequence is superior to image the brachial plexus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The brachial plexus was imaged in 18 patients and six volunteers. The patients' diseases comprised of: suspected chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), brachial plexus palsy of unknown origin, and suspected amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Frontal partial MIP images were acquired. Image quality was qualitatively and independently scored by two radiologists on a three-point grading scale for noise, visibility of the nerve roots, and overall image quality. Inter-observer agreement of the rating by two readers was assessed. The SNR and contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) were quantitatively calculated, and differences between T2W IDEAL-FSE and STIR were compared. RESULTS: Qualitatively, each score for T2W IDEAL-FSE was significantly higher (P < 0.01) than that for STIR. Quantitatively, both SNR and CNR for T2W IDEAL-FSE (45.3 ± 12.6 and 27.1 ± 12.1, respectively) were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those for STIR (17.4 ± 6.1 and 8.2 ± 4.7, respectively). CONCLUSION: T2W IDEAL-FSE could be used to replace STIR for visualization of the brachial plexus.

Human identification through the analysis of dental records registered in the context of a Dental Institution / Identificação humana pela análise do prontuário elaborado em uma Instituição de Ensino Odontológico

Forensic Dentistry is a dental science with a broad of activities, one of the most important is human identification. One of the mainmethodological resources to identify carbonized human remains is the comparative analysis of the dental records - antemortem data - withthe postmortem data found in the remains. Specifically in this case it was possible to unveil the person's identity with the aid of a detailedradiographic image obtained in the emergency sector of a dental institution. It must be stressed however, that the dental records of thispatient (with the dental treatment planning and anamnesis) were carelessly registered or even incomplete. It is important to note that theemergency services have the duty of not neglecting the process of obtaining information to fill the dental files of their patients, as thiswould turn the human identification process almost impossible, with dire personal, social, juridical and humanitarian consequences.

A odontologia legal é uma especialidade odontológica que possui uma ampla gama de atuação com destaque para a identificação humana.No contexto da identificação humana um dos principais recursos metodológicos para chegar-se a identidade de corpos carbonizados é aanalise comparativa do prontuário odontológico - dados antemortem - com as informações encontradas no exame necroscópico - dadospostmortem. No caso em tela a afirmação da identidade do indivíduo foi possível principalmente pela presença de documento radiográficoconstante do prontuário clínico elaborado no setor de urgência de uma Instituição de Ensino Odontológico, radiografia esta com riquezade detalhes e particularidades. Entretanto, ressalta-se que as fichas clínicas (anamnese e planejamento) constantes do referido prontuáriomostraram-se sucintas ou mesmo incompletas. Não sendo escusa a serviços de urgência negligenciar o protocolo de elaboração do prontuárioclínico odontológico, uma vez que tal prerrogativa poderia inviabilizar o processo de identificação humana, com conseqüências pessoais,sociais, jurídicas e humanitárias.

Atendimento integrado às vítimas de crime sexual: programa bem-me-quer / Integrated assistance to sexual abuse victims

O Presente trabalho apresenta um serviço médico-legal oficial inédito em nosso país, que vem oferecendo, desde janeiro de 2001, total assistência às pessoas que sofreram violência sexual na Capital do Estado de São Paulo, por meio da ação conjunta de vários órgãos públicos. O objetivo do Programa Bem-Me-Quer é promover adequado e completo amparo à vítima de abuso sexual, integrando os atendimentos médico, policial, pericial, psicológico e social num mesmo ambiente físico, bem como fazendo o agendamento da assistência jurídica. Os autores mostram as etapas desse atendimento e frisam a necessidade do esclarecimento da classe médica sobre esse tipo de assistência, apontando algumas condutas inadequadas e às vezes totalmente inoportunas, no atendimento hospitalar, ou em consultórios particulares, das vítimas de crime sexual