Mesenteric panniculitis

A 68 years old male patient presented with recurrent abdominal pain and with a palpable mas

Sonographic and Computed tomographic demonstration of hepatic hydatid cyst communicating with the biliary tree

A 30 years old male patient presented to the emergency room with a three day history of right upper quadrant pain and jaundice

Gastric carcinoma: CT and US findings

A 59 years old patient presented to the emergency room with a two month history of a vague postprandial abdominal heaviness. In the past week vomiting and abdominal pain appeared suddenly. Anorexia developed and there was an average weight loss of about 5 Kg

Sigmoid colon perforation at CT colonography secondary to a possible obstructive mechanism: report of a case

We report a case of colonic perforation in CT colonography, which was observed in a sigmoid colon segment contained within an inguinal hernia. At surgery, apart from the perforation, a normal large-bowel wall was found. Although rare, perforation may occur in patients with normal bowel wall, possibly resulting from a mechanical strain caused by gaseous overdistention. Radiologists performing the procedure must be aware of this possibilit

Prevalence, behavioural and social factors associated with Schistosoma intercalatum and geohelminth infections in São Tomé and Principe

Copyright: Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.A pilot study was conducted in schoolchildren from three main districts of São Tomé to assess the relationship between the prevalence of infections caused by Schistosoma intercalatum or intestinal helminths and individual behaviour and social conditions. Coprological examination revealed an increase of schistosome infections and a persisting high endemicity for ascariasis and trichuriasis. Infection rates were 36.2% for S. intercalatum and 70.8%, 68.5% and 4.6% for Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Ancylostomidae, respectively. Out of the 47 children positive for S. intercalatum, 35 (74.5%) were coinfected with one or more geohelminths. Logistic regression analysis of data collected through questionnaire demonstrate that behaviour and/or social conditions in the house were positively associated with S. intercalatum or T. trichiura. Neither sex nor age groups were associated with infections, suggesting that low personal hygiene and sanitation practices were similar for all groups of children. These data are in accordance to those of other studies and highlight the importance of assessing multivariate factors that may contribute to the transmission of these diseases, in order to design integrated control approaches for schistosomiasis and geohelminthiasis which could have more rapid effects on reduction of infections as well as greater cost-effectiveness.publishersversionpublishe

Estratégias terapêuticas para a obesidade pediátrica e sua influência nos marcadores de risco cardiovascular

Pediatric obesity is an important public health problem nowadays. Portugal is no exception, being one third of children and adolescent either overweight or obese. The behavioral approach is the basilar stone of obese treatment nowadays. It focuses in change lifestyle, substituting unhealthy habits by new, healthier, ones.A great number of strategies have been studied to try to respond to this growing problem, with varying results. The heterogeneity present in the scientific literature is likely to be explained by different study designs and targeted populations. Nevertheless, the results, in general, support that improvements in diet and increase in physical exercise pattern are associated with improvements in risk factors for cardiovascular disease, namely an atherogenic lipid profile, insulin resistance and inflammation, besides the reduction in adiposity itself.The combination of diet and exercise in the same intervention appear to be beneficial and complementary. However, different types of diet and exercise might lead to different results.The use of pharmacological adjuvants in pediatric obesity treatment is very limited in clinical practice due, mainly, to the lack of adequate studies; however some options have demonstrated to contribute to a small, but consistent, improvement in adiposity. Surgery, on the other hand, is the last therapeutic option and should be considered only in the more severe cases.Pediatric obesity tends to track until adulthood, and is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the future. Acting as early as possible in an individual life, when health habits are easier to acquire, and likelier to be kept, is crucial.Governments, including the Portuguese, have been paying more attention to this issue in the last years. However, much more can be made in general policies to create a less obesogenic environment and make the healthy choices the easier ones.A obesidade pediátrica é actualmente um problema de saúde pública crescente. Portugal não é excepção sendo que um terço da população pediátrica e adolescente apresenta excesso de peso ou mesmo obesidade. A abordagem comportamental é a pedra basilar dos tratamentos da obesidade, focando-se em alterações do estilo de vida e substituição de hábitos nefastos por outros  saudáveis.Um elevado número de estratégias foram estudadas para responder a este problema crescente apresentando, contudo, resultados variáveis. A heterogeneidade de resultados apresentada na literatura cientifica pode ser explicada por diferentes desenhos de estudo e de populações alvo. Não obstante, os resultados apontam no sentido de que melhorias na dieta e no padrão de actividade fisica estão associados com melhorias no factor de risco cardiovascular, nomeadamente do perfil aterogénico lipidico, resistência à insulina, inflamação, para além da redução da própria adiposidade.A combinação de dieta e exercício na mesma intervenção parece ser benéfica e complementar. No entanto, diferentes tipos de actividade fisica e de dieta podem levar a resultados diferentes. O uso de adjuvantes farmacológicos no tratamento da obesidade pediátrica é altamente limitado na prática clinica, especialmente devido à falta de estudos adequeados; contudo algumas opções demonstraram contribuir para uma pequena mas consistente melhoria da adiposidade. A cirurgia é uma solução de ultimo recurso e para casos extremos.A obesidade pediátrica tende a manter-se até à idade adulta e está associada a um aumento do risco cardiovascular futuro. Uma actuação tão precoce quanto possível, quando é mais fácil a aquisição de habitos adequados, é crucialOs governos estão a prestar cada vez mais atenção a este assunto. Contudo, muito mais pode ser feito em termos de politicas globais, no sentido de criar um ambiente menos propicio à obesidade e favorável à escolha de opções mais saudáveis

Section efficace de la réaction 16O(t, n) 18F application au dosage de l'oxygène

Des échantillons de tantale oxydés anodiquement ont été irradiés avec des tritons de 1,6 à 3,7 MeV. La section efficace a été déterminée par mesure de la radioactivité du 18F. La valeur trouvée à 2 MeV est de 220 mb. Nos résultats sont en désaccord avec les valeurs publiées par Jarmie jusqu'à 2,2 MeV et avec la forme de la courbe obtenue par Barrandon et Albert entre 2 et 3 MeV. La réaction 16O(t, n) 18F a été utilisée pour doser l'oxygène à la surface d'échantillons d'acier inoxydable. Une limite de détection de 0,004 μg.cm-2 a été obtenue à 2 MeV, après 10 min. d'irradiation avec un faisceau de 0,2 μA de tritons. Les possibilités d'application aux dosages dans la masse sont discutées

Seed germination of six Iberian endemic species – a contribution to enhance plant conservation

Biodiversity has been degraded all around the world due to anthropogenic factors. To counteract this worldwide tendency, ecological restoration programs are expanding. In these programs, the use of native herbaceous species, particularly those endemic or threatened, can be promoted by seeding them but germination requirements for most of these species are unknown. Our research meant to fill this gap of information for six Iberian endemic species suitable to use in restoration actions - Digitalis thapsi, Ferula communis subsp. catalaunica, Linaria amethystea subsp. amethystea, Pterocephalidium diandrum, Sanguisorba hybrida, and Silene scabriflora subsp. scabriflora. Their seed germination behaviour was analysed to establish germination protocols for conservation actions. Three germination conditions were used to simulate different sown seasons. Seeds of all species were tested without pretreatment and subjected to a cold stratification. Seeds of S. hybrida and P. diandrum were additionally tested with a scarification treatment. All species reached their better germination performance under autumn conditions (15/10 C; 8/16 hours). In conclusion, for all the six Iberian endemic species tested, germination speed and percentage were suitable for their use in native plants reinforcement