R E S U M O -EscalasReliability of neurological assessment scales in patients with stroke ABSTRACT -Scales for the assessment of neurological impairment are employed in clinical trials, outcome evaluation and in therapeutic decisions. We evaluated the reliability of the Portuguese version of the Rankin Scale (RS), Barthel Index (BI) and the NIHSS (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale) in 51 stroke patients, estimating the agreement of the results for examiners. The interrater reliability was measure d using the Kappa Coefficient and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient. The RS showed moderate, substantial and excellent coefficients of agreement. The BI showed from substantial to excellent coefficients of a g reement as a whole and also for its constituents. This scale was stratified in prognostic and functional g roups, both presenting coefficients of agreement from substantial to excellent. The NIHSS pre s e n t e d excellent agreement on its total and substantial agreements on its individual items. The NIHSS was also stratified in groups of points, which presented moderate or excellent coefficient, and in groups of congru o u s items, wich showed a moderate to excellent agreement. These results suggest that the Portuguese version of the RS, BI and the NIHSS present adequate reliability.

The carcinofauna from marine and coastal environments from the southeast and southern Bahia, Brazil, is so far poorly known. The objective of this study was to survey decapod crustaceans occurring along the estuarine environments of Ilhéus, located on the southeast coast of Bahia (14 o 47'55"S, 39 o 02'01"W). Samplings were carried out from February 2001 to February 2005, covering supratidal, intertidal and subtidal habitats. Voucher specimens were fixed in ethanol 70% and deposited in the collection of Crustacea of the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Ilhéus (MZUESC). We report a total of 51 species, belonging to 14 families. The most representative family concerning the number of species was Ocypodidae, represented in our samples by 8 species. Geographic range known for the species Alpheus heterochaelis (Caridea: Alpheidae), Merguia rhizophorae (Caridea: Hippolytidae) and Sesarma curacaoense (Brachyura: Sesarmidae) was enlarged. The IndoPacific portunid crab Charybdis hellerii was recorded for the Cachoeira river estuary. The results indicate a high species richness of decapod crustaceans in the estuarine environments of Ilhéus.

A total of 272 species of brachyuran crabs are reported from marine and estuarine environments in northern and northeast Brazil. The checklist is derived from the literature published from 1847 to 2008, and includes all species that have been reported at least once from the study area. It is also partially supported by material deposited in the crustacean collection of the Departamento de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, city of Recife, Brazil (DOUFPE). The families containing the highest number of species in northern and northeastern Brazil are Majidae (31), Portunidae (22), Epialtidae (20), Panopeidae (20), and Xanthidae (18). The remaining species are distributed in 39 families. The analysis of the distribution of the species in the region, allows for identification of four patterns of longitudinal distribution (western Atlantic, Amphi-Atlantic, Amphi-American, and circumtropical species) and, in the western Atlantic, six patterns of latitudinal distribution (Virginian, Carolinian, Antillean, Central-South American, Boreal, and Endemic). Two non-indigenous species have also been reported. Most of the species represented in northern and northeastern Brazil have Antillean (94 species; 34.5%) and Carolinian (75 species; 27.6%) pattern of distribution.