Mixed germ cell tumor of the pituitary-hypothalamic region presenting as craniopharyngioma: case report and review of the literature.

Craniopharyngiomas and germ cell tumors (GCT) may affect the pituitary-hypothalamic region during childhood. Although different in origin, their clinical and radiological features may be similar. In this article we present a 5-year-old girl with clinical and radiological findings (computer tomography calcification) that were initially considered as craniopharyngioma.

[Echocardiographic criteria for the definition of ventricular dysfunction severity in aortic banded rats].

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify echocardiographic parameters that allow distinguishing different levels of cardiac dysfunction in aortic banded rats.

Methods: Wistar male rats (90-100 g) were subjected to aortic banding (n=23) or a sham operation (n=12). The following echocardiographic parameters were evaluated and used to group rats into groups with similar characteristics using cluster analysis: absolute values and after normalization to body weight of left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVDD) and left atrial systolic diameter; left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVSD); LV weight to body weight ratio (LVW/BW); three indexes of left ventricular shortening (endocardial fractional shortening, EFS; midwall FS, MFS; and posterior wall shortening velocity, (PWSV).

Cardiovascular assessment of patients with Ullrich-Turner's Syndrome on Doppler echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: To assess the cardiovascular features of Ullrich-Turner's syndrome using echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging, and to correlate them with the phenotype and karyotype of the patients. The diagnostic concordance between the 2 methods was also assessed.

Methods: Fifteen patients with the syndrome were assessed by echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac chambers, valves, and aorta).