ABSTRACT Background: Snakebite is a neglected global health problem with high morbidity. We describe compartment syndrome (CS) cases related to snakebites by Bothrops spp. Methods: The medical records of patients admitted with snakebites envenomation were reviewed. Results: Of 47 patients with Bothrops spp. envenomation (4 male; mean age: 42 years), 7 (15%) developed CS. The mean time to antivenom administration was 9.5 hours. The time to fasciotomy was variable. Seven patients developed infection and four had acute kidney injury. Conclusions: The incidence of CS is higher than that reported previously. This may be due to the clinical severity and long delay before administering antivenom.

Resumo Estudos sobre a estrutura vegetacional de fragmentos florestais que consideram o uso pretérito do solo podem contribuir para subsidiar ações conservacionistas e de restauração florestal. A partir disso, objetivamos comparar três sítios de um fragmento florestal com distintas histórias de perturbação e verificar se os mesmos diferem entre si com relação ao estágio sucessional analisando atributos estruturais da vegetação arbórea e abundância de lianas. A área estudada localiza-se no município de Alegre-ES, em uma Floresta Estacional Semidecidual constituída por três sítios com diferentes históricos de uso do solo e idades de pousio que recuperaram-se de corte seletivo (CS), lavoura de café (CC) e pastagem (PA). Utilizamos parcelas (19) de área fixa (20 × 20 m) na amostragem, totalizando 0,76 ha. Os indivíduos arbóreos com DAP ≥ 5 cm e as lianas com DAP ≥ 1 cm foram amostrados. A análise da categoria sucessional demonstrou que os sítios CS e PA possuem estágio mais avançado de sucessão em relação à CC. A espécie de maior VI, síndromes de dispersão e lianas apontaram maior avanço sucessional do sítio PA, área com maior proteção aos efeitos de borda e antrópicos por estar localizada no interior do fragmento florestal. As demais análises não demonstraram diferença entre os três sítios.

Abstract To consider past land use on vegetative structure studies of forest fragments can contribute to conservation and forest restoration actions. From this we aim to compare three sites of a forest fragment with distinct anthropogenic disturbances and to verify if they differ on successional stage through analyses of structural traits (trees) and non-trees abundance (lianas) The studied area is located in the Alegre municipality, ES state, in a semideciduous seasonal forest matrix with different land use history composed of selective cutting (CS), coffee crop (CC) and pasture (PA). At each site, randomly plots were sample (19 total plots, 20 × 20 m each), totaling 0.76 ha. All tree individuals with DBH ≥ 5 cm and liana with DBH ≥ 1 cm were sampled. The successional category showed an advanced stage of succession in the CS and PA sites. The specie with higher VI, the dispersion syndromes and the abundance of lianas showed successional advanced stage only in the PA site, because is located inside the forest fragment providing greater protection from edge effects, and anthropogenic disturbances. The others analyses didn´t showed statistical differences between the three sites.

For the last two decades, ultrasound (US) has been considered a surrogate for the gold standard in the evaluation of liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not yet standardised for diagnosing and grading liver schistosomal fibrosis. The aim of this paper was to analyse MRI using an adaptation of World Health Organization (WHO) patterns for US assessment of schistosomiasis-related morbidity. US and MRI were independently performed in 60 patients (42.1 ± 13.4 years old), including 37 men and 23 women with schistosomiasis. Liver involvement appraised by US and MRI was classified according to the WHO protocol from patterns A-F. Agreement between image methods was evaluated by kappa index (k). The correlation between US and MRI was poor using WHO patterns [k = 0.14; confidence interval (CI) 0.02; 0.26]. Even after grouping image patterns as "A-D", "Dc-E" and "Ec-F", the correlation between US and MRI remained weak (k = 0.39; CI 0.21; 0.58). The magnetic resonance adaptation used in our study did not confirm US classification of WHO patterns for liver fibrosis.

Abdominal ultrasound (US) has been widely used in the evaluation of patients with schistosomiasis mansoni. It represents an important indirect method of diagnosis and classification of the disease, and it has also been used as a tool in the evaluation of therapeutic response and regression of fibrosis. We describe the case of a man in whom US showed solid evidence of schistosomal periportal fibrosis and magnetic resonance imaging revealed that periportal signal alteration corresponded to adipose tissue which entered the liver togheter with the portal vein.

Schistosoma mansoni infection is likely to be responsible for a significant proportion of cases of myelopathy occurring in areas where schistosomiasis is endemic. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, laboratory and therapeutic data of 23 patients with schistosomal myeloradiculopathy. The medical records of 23 patients with schistosomal myelopathy admitted to two general hospitals of Belo Horizonte (MG), in Brazil, from 1995 to 1999, were reviewed retrospectively. Seventeen patients were male (74%). The mean age for the whole group was 27 years. Lower limb weakness and associated lumbar and/or lower limb pain were reported by 20 patients (87%), and 16 (70%) were unable to walk. All individuals presented urinary retention and 19 (83%) complained of intestinal dysfunction. The treatment was based on the association of antischistosomal drugs and corticosteroids. Five patients (22%) presented a full response to treatment, 13 (57%) partial response without functional limitations and 4 (17%) partial improvement with limitations or no response. Three out of the 4 patients who stopped steroids before 45 days of treatment developed recurrence of the symptoms and signs of myelopathy. Our cases demonstrate the severe presentation of the disease and the data disclosed here suggest that treatment with steroids should be kept for months after clinical improvement.