[Kaposi's sarcoma arising in a patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia].

We present the case of a 84 year-old man from north Portugal with chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (diagnosed 2 years ago), treated with erythropoietin and hydroxyurea. The patient was referred to our department due to brown macules, papules and patches with a smooth surface and whitish scaling, located in the lower limbs that had appeared two months ago. The diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma was histologically confirmed.

[Neuropsychological evaluation in children with epilepsy: attention and executive functions in temporal lobe epilepsy].

Introduction: Attention and executive functions correspond to important areas of cognitive functioning associated with the frontal cortex. The study of attention and executive functions in children with epilepsy has focused on characterizing the group with frontal lobe epilepsy. Still, recent studies have identified deficits in these areas also in children with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Williams syndrome and memory: a neuroanatomic and cognitive approach.

Williams Syndrome (WS) is described as displaying a dissociation within memory systems. As the integrity of hippocampal formation (HF) is determinant for memory performance, we examined HF volumes and its association with memory measures in a group of WS and in a typically development group. A significantly reduced intracranial content was found in WS, despite no differences were observed for HF absolute volumes between groups.

Identification of transcriptional signals in Encephalitozoon cuniculi widespread among Microsporidia phylum: support for accurate structural genome annotation.

Background: Microsporidia are obligate intracellular eukaryotic parasites with genomes ranging in size from 2.3 Mbp to more than 20 Mbp. The extremely small (2.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder as a visual processing impairment.

OCD has been hypothesized to involve the failures in both cognitive and behavioral inhibitory processes. There is evidence that the hyperactivation of cortical-subcortical pathways may be involved in the failure of these inhibitory systems associated with OCD. Despite this consensus on the role of frontal-subcortical pathways in OCD, recent studies have been showing that brain regions other than the frontal-subcortical loops may be needed to understand the different cognitive and emotional deficits in OCD.

Behçet's disease--a contemporary review.

Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic vasculitis disorder of unknown etiology, characterized by relapsing episodes of oral aphthous ulcers, genital ulcers, skin lesions and ocular lesions. It can affect other systems including vascular, gastrointestinal and neurological systems. It occurs most frequently in an area that coincides with the Old Silk Route (between latitudes 30 degrees and 45 degrees north in Asia and Europe).

Evaluation of scatter-to-primary ratio in radiological conditions.

In this work, a Monte Carlo code was constructed taking into account all the relevant photon interactions, including the multiple scattering and interference due to the liquid structure to calculate the secondary to primary ratio for large water samples in radiological conditions. The simulation results were compared to former results and some discrepancies were found mainly for low energies where the elastic scattering plays a major role.

Environmental microarray analyses of Antarctic soil microbial communities.

Antarctic ecosystems are fascinating in their limited trophic complexity, with decomposition and nutrient cycling functions being dominated by microbial activities. Not only are Antarctic habitats exposed to extreme environmental conditions, the Antarctic Peninsula is also experiencing unequalled effects of global warming. Owing to their uniqueness and the potential impact of global warming on these pristine systems, there is considerable interest in determining the structure and function of microbial communities in the Antarctic.

MRI assessment of superior temporal gyrus in Williams syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate volumes and asymmetry of superior temporal gyrus (STG) and correlate these measures with a neurocognitive evaluation of verbal performance in Williams syndrome (WS) and in a typically developing age-matched and sex-matched group.

Background: Despite initial claims of language strength in WS, recent studies suggest delayed language milestones. The STG is implicated in linguistic processing and is a highly lateralized brain region.

Narrative change in psychotherapy: differences between good and bad outcome cases in cognitive, narrative, and prescriptive therapies.

This study aimed to clarify the relationship between changes in the patients' narratives and therapeutic outcomes. Two patients were selected from three psychotherapeutic models (cognitive, narrative, and prescriptive therapies), one with good therapeutic outcome and the other with bad therapeutic outcome. Sessions from the initial, middle, and final phases for each patient were evaluated in terms of narrative structural coherence, process complexity, and content diversity.

Cognitive functioning in Williams syndrome: a study in Portuguese and Spanish patients.

Williams Syndrome (WS) is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a submicroscopic deletion on chromosome 7 q11.23. This is a systemic disorder in which cardiac problems and mental retardation are the key phenotypic symptoms.

Selection of biologically relevant genes with a wrapper stochastic algorithm.

We investigate an important issue of a meta-algorithm for selecting variables in the framework of microarray data. This wrapper method starts from any classification algorithm and weights each variable (i.e.

Memory abilities in Williams syndrome: dissociation or developmental delay hypothesis?

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental genetic disorder often described as being characterized by a dissociative cognitive architecture, in which profound impairments of visuo-spatial cognition contrast with relative preservation of linguistic, face recognition and auditory short-memory abilities. This asymmetric and dissociative cognition has been also proposed to characterize WS memory ability, with sparing of auditory short-term memory and impairment of spatial and long-term memory abilities. In this study, we explored the possibility of a double memory dissociation in WS (short- versus long-term memory; verbal versus visual memory).

[Cross-linguistic assessment of verbal production from a narrative task in Williams Syndrome].

Williams Syndrome (WS) is a disorder caused by a delection in chromosome 7, with a cognitive profile characterised by mild to moderate mental deficiency and difficulties in visual-spatial processing, which contrasts with a relative preservation of linguistic functions and narrative production. In this study, verbal performance was analysed in two groups of participants (N = 3), Portuguese and Spanish, genetically diagnosed with WS. Scores were low in Verbal IQ, as in Performance IQ.

[Comparative analysis of attributional style and self-esteem in a sample of depressed patients and normal control subjects].

Introduction: The present study assesses the role of attributions and self-esteem in depressive states. In depression, attributions can become central biased coping mechanisms that guide individual behavior.

Methods: Self-esteem and attribution bias was assessed in 40 depressed and 80 normal controls.

First experiments on diffraction-enhanced imaging at LNLS.

Diffraction-enhanced images have been obtained using two silicon crystals in a non-dispersive set-up at the XRD2 beamline at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS). A first asymmetrically cut silicon crystal using the (333) reflection vertically expanded the monochromated beam from 1 mm to 20 mm allowing the imaging of the whole sample without movements. A symmetrically cut Si(333) second crystal was used as a Bragg analyzer.

Three-dimensional image construction by curved surface scratches.

Scratches on the surface of transparent or nontransparent media reflect, refract, or diffract incident light. Under parallel illumination each length element of a scratch produces a fan beam (in the absence of diffuse scattering). Looking at a curved scratch, the right and left eyes are hit by different fan beams.

Modelling the elastic scattering in diagnostic radiology: the importance of structure form factors.

The importance of structure form factors in describing elastic scattering in diagnostic radiology was studied through a Monte Carlo code built to reproduce scattering in large water samples. The code, developed by us, considers all relevant interactions, including multiple scattering and interference due to scattering by the liquid structure. Geometrical conditions and energies similar to those found in radiology were used.

Functional mimicry between anti-Tendamistat antibodies and alpha-amylase.

A proteinaceous inhibitor of alpha-amylase, Tendamistat, was evaluated as an immunogen to induce antibodies that mimic the enzyme activity and to investigate a new strategy to produce catalytic antibodies. Anti-Tendamistat polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) were shown to cross-react with acarbose, a strong carbohydrate inhibitor of alpha-amylases, and the alpha-amylase carbohydrate substrates, maltotetraose and maltoheptaose. Catalytic features of pAbs were characterized after denaturing natural serum alpha-amylase by treatment at pH 10 and in the presence of EDTA.

[Caudal regression syndrome. Lumbo-sacral agenesis].

Retrospective analysis of six cases of caudal regression syndrome, classified in accordance with vertebral envolvement. The degree of vertebral agenesis, morphology and topography of the conus medularis, neurologic implications (motor, sensitive and autonomous) and associated malformations, of particular importance in some situations of little significant vertebral agenesis are analyzed. Associations with eventual predisponent factors are sought.

Cognitive narrative psychotherapy: research foundations.

There has been an increased interest in the study of language processes in psychotherapy. More recently, research and theoretical formulations of the therapeutic process suggested that we must move from the microscopic study of verbal modes to a macroscopic approach in which these modes are organized into narratives. Narratives are conceived, in this perspective, as the basic instruments for meaning making.

Angle-dispersive diffraction with synchrotron radiation at Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (Brazil): potential for use in biomedical imaging.

At low angles the scattering of X-rays in the diagnostic energy range (low-momentum transfer), it is probable that the scattering interaction will be coherent. This coherence gives rise to interference effects resulting in X-ray diffraction patterns that are characteristic of the scattering material. The usefulness of coherent scattering is not limited to crystallography.