Porcine circovirus-2 (PCV-2) infection is currently considered an important disease of swine. The pathogenic agent was first described in Brazil in 2000. This study detected the PCV-2 DNA in four Brazilian pig tissues collected between 1978 and 1979. This observation is the oldest description of this virus in Brazil.

BACKGROUND The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) recommends triple therapy (long-acting muscarinic receptor antagonists, long-acting beta-2 agonists, and inhaled corticosteroids) for patients with only the most severe COPD. Data on the proportion of COPD patients on triple therapy and their characteristics are sparse and dated. Objective 1 of this study was to estima...

BACKGROUND Urgent referral for suspected central nervous system (CNS) cancer is recommended, but little analysis of the referral criteria diagnostic performance has been conducted. New 2015 NICE guidance recommends direct brain imaging for patients with symptoms with positive predictive values (PPV) of 3 %, but further guidance is needed. METHODS A 12-month retrospective evaluation of 393 pat...

BACKGROUND Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is an inherited hemolytic anemia that is caused by deficiency or dysfunction of erythrocyte cytoskeletal proteins. AIM The aim of this study was to describe the clinical course of hereditary spherocytosis in patients treated in the Pediatric Hematology Unit, Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. METHODS Sixty-three under 16-yea...

Room-scale virtual reality (VR) holds great potential as a medium for communication and collaboration in remote and same-time, same-place settings. Related work has established that movement realism can create a strong sense of social presence, even in the absence of photorealism. Here, we explore the noteworthy attributes of communicative interaction using embodied minimal avatars in room-scal...

BACKGROUND The aim of this paper is to describe clinical aspects of the torsion of the omentum. METHODS In this observational, retrospective study, the study group consisted of patients surgically managed for torsion of the omentum, between 1998 and 2008, in a second level medical facility in Mexico. Variables in the study included age, sex, signs and symptoms, body mass index (BMI), treatmen...

INTRODUCTION To compare health services utilization and payments for cancer patients who received an implantable intrathecal drug delivery (IDD) system, consisting of a pump and catheter, vs. conventional medical management (CMM) for the treatment of cancer-related pain. METHODS This retrospective claims-data analysis compared health services utilization and payments in a population of patien...

The main purpose of this study was to compare the strategies used by Chinesespeaking students when confronted with familiar versus unfamiliar topics in a multiplechoice format reading comprehension test. The focus was on describing what students do when they are taking reading comprehension tests by asking students to verbalize their thoughts. The strategies were further compared with participa...

AIM To evaluate the results of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) in eyes with a failed trabeculectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study evaluated 61 eyes with a failed trabeculectomy that underwent implantation of an AGV due to uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) on maximal medical therapy. Success was defined as IOP ≤ 21 mm Hg (criterion 1) or 20% reduction in IOP (criterion 2) wi...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate outcomes in uterine cancer patients undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy and prognostic factors associated with survival after the procedure. METHODS A retrospective study was performed in 29 uterine cancer patients who underwent surgical resection of pulmonary metastatic lesions at Samsung Medical Center between June 1995 and December 2011. ...