Neuropsychiatric manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus: Iranian experience

<b>Aims:</b> To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of different neurological and psychiatric presentations in patients admitted to hospital with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). <b> Materials and Methods:</b> In this retrospective hospital-based study, we examined the medical records of patients with SLE who were referred to the hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences from 1995 to 2005. All patients of SLE who had clinical neurological or psychiatric features were included in this study. The patients&#x2032; demographic data, findings on general examination, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and the results of laboratory investigations and imaging studies were recorded. Clinical manifestations were classified according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) case definitions. <b> Results:</b> Of the 407 study patients, 11.3&#x0025; had neuropsychiatric complications. The most frequent findings were seizure (63&#x0025;), headache (60&#x0025;), and decreased level of consciousness (50&#x0025;). Cerebrovascular disease (28.3&#x0025;), seizure disorder (26.5&#x0025;), and acute confusional state (19.6&#x0025;) were the most prevalent syndromes. <b> Conclusion:</b> The prevalence and nature of different neurological presentations of SLE in Iranian patients has some similarities to that seen in other populations, as well as some differences. Ethnic and environmental factors may contribute to these differences

Acidente vascular cerebral ou doença encéfalo vascular ?: Revendo a designação e respeitando a anatomia

Desde que a doença vascular que acomete o sistema nervoso central de localização intracraniana pode comprometer estruturas supra ou/e infratentoriais, propomos a mudança de "Acidente vascular cerebral" para "Doença encéfalo vascular"

Neogene sharks and rays from the Brazilian ‘Blue Amazon’

The lower Miocene Pirabas Formation in the North of Brazil was deposited under influence of the proto-Amazon River and is characterized by large changes in the ecological niches from the early Miocene onwards. To evaluate these ecological changes, the elasmobranch fauna of the fully marine, carbonate-rich beds was investigated. A diverse fauna with 24 taxa of sharks and rays was identified with the dominant groups being carcharhiniforms and myliobatiforms. This faunal composition is similar to other early Miocene assemblages from the proto-Carribbean bioprovince. However, the Pirabas Formation has unique features compared to the other localities; being the only Neogene fossil fish assemblage described from the Atlantic coast of Tropical Americas. Phosphate oxygen isotope composition of elasmobranch teeth served as proxies for paleotemperatures and paleoecology. The data are compatible with a predominantly tropical marine setting with recognized inshore and offshore habitats with some probable depth preferences (e.g., Aetomylaeus groups). Paleohabitat of taxa particularly found in the Neogene of the Americas (†Carcharhinus ackermannii, †Aetomylaeus cubensis) are estimated to have been principally coastal and shallow waters. Larger variation among the few analyzed modern selachians reflects a larger range for the isotopic composition of recent seawater compared to the early Miocene. This probably links to an increased influence of the Amazon River in the coastal regions during the Holocene