Community-acquired pneumonia by Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1-6 in Brazil.

A prospective cohort study of adult patients hospitalized due to community-acquired pneumonia was carried out for 1 year in a Brazilian university general hospital to detect the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia by Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1-6. During a whole year, a total of 645 consecutive patients who were hospitalized due to a initial presumptive diagnosis of respiratory disease by ICD-10 (J00-J99), excluding upper respiratory diseases, were screened to detect the patients with community-acquired pneumonia. Fifty-nine consecutive patients hospitalized due to community-acquired pneumonia between July 19, 2000 and July 18, 2001, were included in the study.

Transjugular liver biopsy: histological diagnosis success comparing the trucut to the modified aspiration Ross needle.

Background: Transjugular liver biopsy is an alternative procedure for patients who present contraindications to standard percutaneous procedure.

Aim: To compare the rate of histological diagnosis obtained on transjugular liver biopsy with an automated trucut needle and with a modified Ross needle. PATIENTS / METHOD: Eighty-five patients with suspicion of chronic liver diseases and presenting contraindications for percutaneous liver biopsy (coagulopathy, massive ascites, morbid obesity, or chronic renal problems) were submitted to 89 transjugular liver biopsies between March 1994 and April 2001 at "Hospital São José, Irmandade da Santa Casa de Misercórdia", Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.