The Brazilian Ministry of Health created the National Neonatal Screening Program under ruling no. 822/2001, including

Objectives:To present and analyze the results of the National Neonatal Cystic Fibrosis Screening Program in Paraná, 30 months after its implementation.Methods: This is a descriptive study, with an analysis of the data from the screening of around 98% of all neonates in the period from September 2001 to April 2004, undertaken at the Neonatal Screening Program laboratory of the Fundação Ecumênica de Proteção ao Excepcional do Paraná. Blood samples for the Guthrie test were collected on hospital discharge, ideally between the second and sixth days postpartum, and filter papers were sent for immunoreactive trypsin assay by the immunofluorometric method. Children whose immunoreactive trypsin assay results were > 70 ng/ml for two distinct samples during the first 30 days of life, were referred for sweat conductivity testing by the Wescor method. In cases when the result was greater than 50 mMol/l quantitative chlorine and/or sodium in sweat was assayed (iontophoresis with pilocarpine).Results: From a total of 456,982 tests, 4,028 (0.9%) children presented a first immunoreactive trypsin assay above the cutoff point set. Four hundred and seventy-eight of these (12.5%) also had a second blood sample assayed with immunoreactive trypsin above 70 ng/ml and 56 (11.7%) of these were referred to specialized clinics after their sweat conductivity test results were above 50 mMol/l and 48 (0.01% of the total number of children screened) had a diagnosis of cystic fibrosis confirmed. The incidence for the state of Paraná was 1:9,520, although some children have not yet been fully investigated.Conclusions: Neonatal screening for cystic fibrosis in the State of Paraná, in accordance with Health Ministry directives, was a pioneering initiative for Brazil. Many patients were diagnosed early, even asymptomatic ones, which is a challenge to improving prognosis with this fatal disease.

We report on two brothers (in a sibship of three) with partial aniridia, cerebellar ataxia, and moderate mental retardation, with normal G-banded chromosomes. Both present cerebellum hypoplasia; the younger also has congenital pulmonic stenosis. A review of the literature is presented. Cause is unknown, although the possibility of an autosomal recessive gene cannot be ruled out.

The objetive of the research was to verify the incidence of the ocular form of cysticercosis among the patients who consulted professionals of the field, during the first statistic inventory accomplished in the State of Paraná, Brazil. The 1996 research was performed through a questionnaire sent to all 220 members of Paraná Ophthalmology Association and to the 17 members of Pathology and Cytology Department of the Paraná Medical Association. A pre-stamped envelop for the return of the answers was included in the package. We received 99 answers from ophthalmologists and 10 answers from pathologists. Retrospective and epidemiological research about the incidences of the ocular cysticercosis in the State of Paraná, added to national related published reports, rendered 95 cases probably adquired in Paraná, 71 of the cases were referred in this research and 24 in prior publication. The most frequent localization was vitreous and subretinal, as literature had already pointed out.KEY WORDS: ocular cysticercosis, Paraná State Brazil, incidence.Cisticercose ocular: um estudo epidemiológico RESUMO O objetivo da pesquisa foi o de verificar a incidência da forma ocular de cisticercose entre os pacientes que consultam profissionais da área, no primeiro levantamento estatístico realizado no Estado do Paraná. A pesquisa retrospectiva e epidemiológica foi realizada em 1996 através de encaminhamento por correio, de um questionário com envelope com porte pago para resposta aos 220 membros da Associação Paranaense de Oftalmologia e aos 17 membros do Departamento de Patologia e Citologia da Associação Médica do Paraná, dos quais obtivemos 99 cartas-respostas dos oftalmologistas e 10 dos patologistas. A pesquisa retrospectiva, associada aos relatos de outros casos já referidos na literatura nacional, permitiu-nos reunir 95 casos de cisticercose ocular, provavelmente adquiridos no Paraná, sendo 71 casos referidos nesta pesquisa e 24 em publicação anterior. A localização ocular mais frequente foi a vítrea e subretiniana, fato já salientado na literatura. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: cisticercose ocular, Estado do Paraná, incidência.

É relatado o caso de um paciente do sexo masculino, de 15 anos de idade, que apresentava dificuldade para movimentar os braços e para abrir a bôca, além de dispnéia, evoluindo lentamente há dois anos. O exame neurológico revelou hipertonia em todo o corpo, predominando em alguns grupos musculares que se achavam fortemente contraturados, obrigando o paciente a assumir atitudes anormais, impossibilitando-o, ainda, de abrir a bôca e de respirar livremente, dada a grande diminuição da expansibilidade torácica. O exame eletromiográfico revelou a presença de atividade muscular contínua, mesmo durante o repouso, caracterizada por descargas de alta freqüência, as quais persistiram após bloqueio anestésico de nervo periférico e após anestesia geral, sõmente sendo eliminados pelo curare. Com o diagnóstico de esclerodermia e de miosite, embora só a primeira dessas moléstias pudesse ser comprovada anátomo-patològicamente, o paciente foi tratado com corti-costeróides, tendo havido discreta melhora do quadro clínico, sobretudo em relação aos movimentos respiratórios e à abertura da bôca. Tendo, então, o conhecimento de dois casos semelhantes estudados por Isaacs em 1961, com o nome de síndrome da atividade contínua da fibra muscular, os quais haviam sido curados com o uso de hidantoinato de sódio, os autores empregaram esta mesma medicação, tendo verificado, após alguns dias, a diminuição acentuada da atividade anormal pelo exame eletromiográfico.