EPIDURAL BLOOD PATCH IN SPONTANEOUS INTRACRANIAL HYPOTENSION

Background: Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH) is a rare condition caused by a spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak. It is usually described as an orthostatic headache, frequently associated with neck pain, nausea, vomiting, diplopia, blurred vision and distorted hearing. Initial treatment consists of bed rest, fluid supplementation, caffeine and analgesics. If conservative treatment fails, an epidural blood patch (EBP) therapy should be considered. Methods: A healthy 31-year-old female patient presented with a spontaneous occipital headache during the expulsive period of a miscarriage. Six days later, she was referred to Neurology due to worsening symptoms (orthostatic headache, vertigo and diplopia). CAT scan, lumbar puncture and carotid ecodoppler were normal. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed an epidural CSF collection suggesting a CSF fistula. After 21 days of conservative treatment and no clinical improvement, she was referred to Anaesthesiology to perform a lumbar EBP. Hospital discharged occurred five days later with no symptoms. The follow-up MRI was normal. Discussion: Treatment of SIH aims to maintain CSF volume. The effect of EBP is twofold: an early effect related to volume replacement and a latent effect that results from sealing the leak. Symptomatic relief is usually obtained in few days but EBP may be repeated if symptoms recur. Complications such as transient paraesthesia, radicular pain, repeated inadvertent dural puncture and epidural infection are possible but rare. Conclusions: The high success rate and the low incidence of complications have established the EBP as the best available treatment of SIH refractory to conservative measures

Tentativa preliminar para desenvolver um modelo de análise (path-flow) da performance em jovens nadadoras

O objectivo do presente trabalho foi desenvolver um modelo de análise da performance (path flow) em jovens nadadoras, com base em parâmetros antropométricos, hidrodinâmicos, biomecânicos e bioenergéticos

A path-flow analysis model for active drag force determinant variables in age-group swimmers

The goal of competitive swimming is to travel the event distance as fast as possible. The identification of the parameters that predict swimming performances is one of the main aims of the swimming “science” community. Indeed, it is consensual that biomechanical and energetic variables are determinant for enhance performance (Barbosa et al, 2010)

How informative are the vertical buoyancy and the prone gliding tests to assess young swimmers hydrostatic and hydrodynamic profiles?

The aim of this research was to develop a path-flow analysis model to highlight the relationships between buoyancy and prone gliding tests and some selected anthropometrical and biomechanical variables. Thirty-eight young male swimmers (12.97 ± 1.05 years old) with several competitive levels were evaluated. It were assessed the body mass, height, fat mass, body surface area, vertical buoyancy, prone gliding after wall push-off, stroke length, stroke frequency and velocity after a maximal 25 [m] swim. The confirmatory model included the body mass, height, fat mass, prone gliding test, stroke length, stroke frequency and velocity. All theoretical paths were verified except for the vertical buoyancy test that did not present any relationship with anthropometrical and biomechanical variables nor with the prone gliding test. The good-of-fit from the confirmatory path-flow model, assessed with the standardized root mean square residuals (SRMR), is considered as being close to the cut-off value, but even so not suitable of the theory (SRMR = 0.11). As a conclusion, vertical buoyancy and prone gliding tests are not the best techniques to assess the swimmer’s hydrostatic and hydrodynamic profile, respectively

Young swimmers’ kinematic and hydrodynamic detraining between a two seasons’ break

Young swimmers usually have sever-al weeks of school break in the sum-mer. During such period no swim training is conducted until the begin-ning of the next season. According to training principles, the prolonged absence of a regular ex-ternal load may decrease the form status built up in a previous training period. Since the major focus of swim training in children is their technical enhancement, it is ex-pected that some adaptations will occur namely in kinematics and hy-drodynamic outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of the particle size range of construction and demolition waste on the fresh and hardened-state properties of fly ash-based geopolymer mortars with total replacement of sand

This study seeks the valorization of industrial residues (fly ash and construction and demolition waste (CDW)) through the production of geopolymer mortars. The effect of the sand substitution by CDW and the influence of the particle size range of CDW fine aggregates on the fresh and hardened properties of the mortars were evaluated. Geopolymer mortars were produced using biomass fly ash waste and metakaolin as a binder, CDW as fine aggregates, and an alkali solution of sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide as activator. The geopolymer mortars were characterized in fresh state by the flow table test and in the hardened state through chemical, physical/microstructural analyzes. The mortars produced with CDW showed lower flowability when compared to the ones prepared with sand. The compressive and flexural strength of hardened mortars, respectively, obtained with residues were higher when compared to sand: 40 MPa and 8.5 MPa with CDW, against 23 MPa and 3.1 MPa for sand-based samples. It was observed that mortars developed with recycled aggregate and natural aggregate present similar chemical and mineralogical compositions. The superior results obtained in the mechanical properties of mortars produced with CDW are related to the recycled aggregate-geopolymer paste interface.publishe

Familial amyloid polyneuropathy associated with TTRSer50Arg mutation in two Iberian families presenting a novel single base change in the mutant gene

Amyloid. 2007 Jun;14(2):147-52. Familial amyloid polyneuropathy associated with TTRSer50Arg mutation in two Iberian families presenting a novel single base change in the mutant gene. Munar-Qués M, Masjuan J, Coelho T, Moreira P, Viader-Farré C, Saraiva MJ. Grupo de Estudio de la PAF, Plaza Olivar 5, 07002 Palma de Mallorca, Majorca, Spain. [email protected] Abstract We present two families, from Spain and Portugal, with familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) associated with the mutation TTRSer50Arg. This mutation was first described in two Japanese patients from independent families and later in a French-Italian patient and a Vietnamese family. The two families presented here, are the first to be diagnosed with this mutation in the Iberian Peninsula. In the patients of both families, FAP was very aggressive as they rapidly developed multiple symptoms with progressive deterioration; we emphasize the presence of severe orthostatic hypotension in the Spanish proband which confined him to a wheelchair. This proband was the first patient with this mutation to have undergone liver transplantation and results were encouraging. The mutation was detected in four patients and one disease-free relative by DNA sequencing of exon 3 and induced mutation restriction analysis. The most outstanding feature was the single base transversion A to C in codon 50 (CGT instead of AGT), whereas in both Japanese patients and the French-Italian patient it was T to G (AGG instead of AGT). To our knowledge only six FAP mutations with more than one single nucleotide mutation for the same codon have been reported to date. PMID: 17577688 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE

Variability in young swimmer’ performance and its determinant factors: a two-year follow-up

Predicting sports performance and identifying talented athletes at early ages seems to be a challenging task for practioners and researchers. Based on this, the follow-up of individual pathway to exper?se should be a regular procedure among sports practioners.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Path-flow analysis model for anthropometric, hydrodynamic and biomechanical variables in age-group swimmers

The goal of competitive swimming is to travel the event distance as fast as possible. The identification of the parameters that predict swimming performances is one of the main aims of the swimming “science” community

Path-flow analysis model for anthropometric, hydrodynamic and biomechanical variables in age-group swimmers

The aim of this research was to develop a path-flow analysis model for age-group swimmer’s speed based on anthropomeric, hydrodynamic and biomechanical determinants