[Psychiatric disorders related to alcohol and associated to general medical clinical diagnoses and/or surgical interventions in patients admitted to a general hospital].

Through an epidemiological examination, the authors searched for co-morbidities and for psychiatric diagnoses related to alcohol. So, patients attended in a Psychiatric ward at an Emergency Service from 1988 to 1991 were investigated. The aim was to identify clinical diseases and another incidents that assault this population.

Magnetic stimulation in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common cause of dementia in which some clinical motor abnormalities have been described. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation in order to test the hypothesis that the change in the motor cortex might cause modifications in motor excitability. Fourteen mildly to moderately affected AD patients were compared with 11 controls matched for age, height and sex.

A new method for reproducible coil positioning in transcranial magnetic stimulation mapping.

A new method is presented for mapping the motor cortex by transcranial magnetic stimulation in which the position of the stimulation coil on the scalp is measured using a 3D digitizer. The reproducibility of the method was tested by mapping 3 times the left abductor digiti minimi of 6 right-handed subjects and calculating the position of the centre of gravity (CoG), the area and volume of the individual maps. For individual maps, the coordinates of the CoG were found to be reproducible within +/-3 mm and the map areas and normalized volumes to within +/-20%, when the induced current flows anteriorly.

Relapsing chronic low-dose corticosteroid-responsive multifocal motor neuropathy with conduction block.

Multifocal Motor Neuropathy (MMN) is a newly described disorder that might mimics the Motor Neuron Disease (MND). MMN is considered by some authors to be an entity distinct from Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), nevertheless because a pure-motor variant of CIDP is well recognized and CIDP can present Partial Motor Conduction Block (PMCB), several authors believe that MMN can be a variant of CIDP. We describe a 27-year old male with a relapsing chronic low-dose corticosteroid-responsive MMN with conduction block.

Fracture of the neck of a femoral component in a total hip arthroplasty: a case report.

Fracture of components of a total hip arthroplasty occur is a recognised complication. We report an unusual case in which the fracture occurred through the neck of a femoral component on a Lord type of total hip arthroplasty.

[Comparative study of high-frequency jet ventilation in 4 types of patients undergoing laryngeal microsurgery].

Objective: To study high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are obese or who have tracheal or laryngeal stenosis, conditions which are often found in patients undergoing microsurgery of the larynx (MSL), comparing the results with those for a group of controls, patients with no stenosis who were also undergoing MSL.

Patients And Method: Eighty patients were distributed in four groups as follows: those meeting the criteria for a diagnosis of COPD (n = 20), those who were overweight (n = 24), those with stenosis over 50% of the laryngeal opening (stenosis group, n = 10) and those with no associated pathology (control group, n = 26). HFJV was administered through a 2.

Motor neuron disease presenting with respiratory failure.

Respiratory failure accounts for the majority of deaths in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but only rarely is ALS diagnosed on the basis of respiratory insufficiency. We report four ALS patients presenting with acute respiratory failure. In three patients we have performed EMG needle examination of both hemidiaphragms which showed severe denervation.

Motor neuropathies mimicking amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease.

We report three patients in whom the initial diagnosis was of possible A myotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/MND) according to the 'El Escorial Criteria'. All of them presented with monomelic paresis, atrophy of the paretic muscles and generalised brisk reflexes. The initial electromyograms showed a neurogenic pattern in the limbs with normal sensory and motor conduction velocities.

[Alcohol-related disorders in a psychiatric emergency service. Ribeirão Preto, Brazil].

This study reports the results of a survey carried out in the psychiatric emergency service of the University Hospital of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil (1988-1990) with the purpose of characterizing psychiatric disorders related to the consumption of alcohol. The sample included data on a total of 1,082 patients diagnosed during this period. A total of 576 cases were diagnosed with "alcohol dependency syndrome", 379 with "alcohol psychosis", and 127 patients with "alcohol without dependency".

[The Miller Fisher syndrome. Review of the cases of the Santa Maria Hospital].

A benign syndrome of acute ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, and areflexia is commonly known as the Miller Fisher syndrome. It is generally believed that Miller Fisher syndrome is a type of Guillain-Barré syndrome, but several authors believe it to be a separate clinical entity caused by a central nervous system lesion. Eight patients with Miller Fisher syndrome diagnosis, admitted to our department in the last 20 years, were reviewed.

Somatosensory evoked potentials in the differential diagnosis between spinal cord compression and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Spinal cord compression (SCC) often presents a similar clinical picture to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). An early differential diagnosis is important because SCC is a potentially treatable clinical disorder. We carried out a longitudinal study of 43 patients with an initial diagnosis of ALS, in order to ascertain the percentage of patients with SCC, and to evaluate the usefulness of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in early diagnosis.

[Evaluation of a computer system by nursing students].

This study was undertaken to investigate the opinion of nursing undergraduate students of the first year about the discipline "Informatic applied to health". Data were collected using a questionnaire with open and closed questions applied through three consecutive years (1989, 1990, 1991). The results showed that undergraduate students considered this course important.

Phrenic nerve conduction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Respiratory failure accounts for the majority of deaths in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The main cause of respiratory failure is probably diaphragmatic weakness. In order to test the correlation between respiratory impairment and diaphragmatic function we studied the phrenic nerve conduction in 31 ALS patients.

[Lumbar spinal stenosis. Significance of neurophysiologic tests].

The authors review Lumbar Spinal Stenosis discussing the diagnostic criteria, the etiopathogenesis, and clinical manifestations. Imaging and neurophysiological investigations are also discussed. EMG, Sensory Evoked Potencials and Motor Stimulation are described stressing their role in differential diagnosis.

[External laryngeal injuries. Study of 12 cases].

Laryngeal trauma can cause severe, life-threatening damage in the upper respiratory tract. Management of trauma presents difficulties with respect to airway control and the procedural decisions are challenging. We studied 12 patients treated at our hospital after laryngeal trauma of various degrees of severity.

[Acute polyradiculoneuritis associated with boutonneuse fever].

We have recorded three cases of Mediterranean fever harboring peripheral nerve involvement. According to the time of occurrence of the neurological symptoms, the cerebrospinal fluid analysis and electromyographic features, we admit that the peripheral nervous system can be involved in two ways in this disease. One due to the direct action of the pathogenic agent, giving place to a vasculitis.

[Comparative study between anesthesia by continuous perfusion with propofol or thiopental-isoflurane in laryngeal surgery].

Objective: To compare two anesthetic protocols for maintenance of anesthesia during laryngectomy (propofol vs thiopental-isoflurane), assessing its effects on intraoperative hemodynamic stability and recovery time after withdrawal of anesthesia.

Patients And Method: Thirty-one patients undergoing laryngectomy. Anesthetic technique was the same except for the maintenance anesthetic used (isoflurane in group I [n = 16]; propofol in group P [n = 15]).

[A sample of scientific production in southeastern Brazil from 1987-1991].

The study's goal was to investigate the scientific production in Brazil's southeast region during 1987 to 1991 period. To do thal, letters were sent to 15 nursing schools that we had the address or through personal contact with someone from the institutions, asking a list of their scientific production during the period above stated. In order to be included in the study, the article had to meet some criteria that were established as important for a quantitative evaluation and classification.