[Knowledge, practice and attitude about breast self-exam from women of a Northeastern municipality, Brazil].

Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) of women from the municipality of São Luís (MA), Brazil, and associated socio-demographic variables.

Methods: Prospective and cross-sectional study, with conglomerate sampling, in which 552 women from 14 census sections of São Luís were included during the period from January to September 2003. The knowledge, attitude and practice (dependent variables) were evaluated by means of analysis of the responses of the women as "adequate" or "inadequate".

Reconstruction of the chest wall with external metal brace: alternative technique in poststernotomy mediastinitis.

Objective: To demonstrate the experience with the reconstruction of the chest wall utilizing metal brace to reduce the tension in the suture lines of myocutaneous flap in cases of mediastinitis.

Methods: From July 2001 to February 2006, 1389 heart surgeries were performed in our institution of which eight (0.6%) developed mediastinitis.