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Objective: To compare the ways of evaluating arithmetic skills in Brazilian children with ADHD by combining three validated neuropsychological tests and determining whether they are sensitive to the methylphenidate treatment. Methods: Forty-two children (9‒12 years old) participated in the present study: 20 were children with ADHD (DSM-IV) and 22 were age-matched controls. A classification criterion was used for each test separately and one, for their combination to detect the presence of arithmetic difficulties at two time points: baseline (time 1); and when children with ADHD were taking 0.3‒0.5 mg/kg of methylphenidate (time 2). The study also assessed children’s subtraction performance, combining parts of these tests. Results: Separately, the tests were only sensitive to differences between groups without medication. However, by combining the three neuropsychological tests, we observed a difference and detected a reduction in arithmetic difficulties associated with the methylphenidate treatment. The same effects were found in subtraction exercises, which require a borrowing procedure. Conclusions: The present study detected arithmetic difficulties in Brazilian children with ADHD and the effects of methylphenidate. Given this improvement in sensitivity, combining tests could be a promising alternative when working with limited samples.

Primary malignant melanoma of the meninges is an exceedingly rare neoplasm. Usually its symptoms include raised intracraneal pressure resulting from hydrocephalus seconday to tumoral obliteration of cisternal basal cisterns, but the passage of time from initial symptomalogy to diagnosis is frequently delayed. A 12-year-old male with primary letomeningeal melanoma is reported. At the beginning, he presented with vomiting, headache, complex seizures, fever four months before the admission in the hospital where progressive loss of consciouness after admission. Lumbar puncture reveled high protein level, normal glucose level and 50 leucocytes/mm3 with 86% polymorphic cells. Magnetic ressonance imaging of the brain was referred and in T1-weighted images revealed a diffuse enhancement of the leptomeninges on right frontal cortical. An open brain biopsy trough was performed, after exclusion of the infectious nervous system disease. Histological examination revealed massive infiltration of meninges with brown tumor cells. These cells stained positive for HMB-45, S-100 protein and vimentin. The patient received post operative radiation therapy, but died after three months of the diagnosis with septic shock and epileptical status