The main viruses involved in acute respiratory diseases among children are: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenzavirus (FLU), parainfluenzavirus (PIV), adenovirus (AdV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and the human metapneumovirus (hMPV). The purpose of the present study was to identify respiratory viruses that affected children younger than five years old in Uberlândia, Midwestern Brazil. Nasopharyngeal aspirates from 379 children attended at Hospital de Clínicas (HC/UFU), from 2001 to 2004, with acute respiratory disease, were collected and tested by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) to detect RSV, FLU A and B, PIV 1, 2, and 3 and AdV, FLU A and B in 9.5% (36/379), PIV 1, 2 and 3 in 6.3% (24/ 379) and AdV in 3.7% (14/379). HRV were detected in 29. 6% (112/379) Viruses are the most frequent agents that cause acute respiratory infections (ARIs) and are responsible for a considerable percentage of childhood mortality (Williams et al. 2002). In Brazil, some reports from different geographical areas has revealed the viruses as the main cause of respiratory infections, as related in the cities of Fortaleza (Arruda et al. 1991), Rio de Janeiro (Nascimento et al. 1991), São Paulo (Miyao et al. 1999, Vieira et al. 2001), and Curitiba (Tsuchiya et al. 2005.The most important viruses involved in ARI are: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenzaviruses types A and B (FLU A/B), parainfluenzavirus (PIV), adenovirus (AdV), human rhinovirus (HRV), and the human metapneumovirus (hMPV) (Miyao et al. 1999, Kuiken et al. 2003, Tsuchiya et al. 2005). The last one was recently identified by Hoogen et al. (2001).RSV is the main cause of viral lower respiratory tract illness in children (Miyao et al. 1999), particularly in those younger than six months old (mo.) (Queiróz et al. 2002. In addition, RSV infections are responsible for most cases of severe symptoms such as bronchiolitis with recurrent wheezing and pneumonia (Calegari et FLU is a serious public health problem worldwide, were children constitute the age group most affected (Neuzil et al. 2002). Although many infections caused by FLU could be prevented by effective vaccination program, it has been predicted that a pandemic is likely to emerge in a near future (Cox et al. 2003), caused by a virus variant not covered by the current vaccine, requiring, thus, a constant epidemiological surveillance.PIV seems to have pattern of seasonal occurrence and is considered an important cause of respiratory illnesses, particularly among young children (Monto 2002).AdV infections are common in all age groups, causing both hospital-and community-acquired epidemics. Moreover, AdV has been associated with hospitalizations of near-fatal asthma patients (Tan et al. 2003) and with cases of acute otitis media in children younger than two years old (Monobe et al. 2003).HRV is responsible for the majority of common colds during winter, causing upper respiratory infections (Arruda et al. 1991, Savolainen et al. 2003 and is considered a risk factor for acute otitis media (Monobe at al. 2003). ...

A perda do controle motor é uma das mais debilitantes consequências da lesão medular espinhal. A interrupção parcial ou completa das vias ascendentes sensoriais e vias descendentes motoras tornam o indivíduo incapaz de caminhar e realizar atividades de maneira funcional. A ocorrência da reorganização cortical sensório-motora espontânea imediatamente após a lesão e continuamente ao longo do tempo pode ocorrer em áreas específicas, bem como em todo córtex cerebral, evidenciado em estudos prévios com uso de exames de imagem. Entender a complexa interação entre alterações anatômicas, funcionalidade e reorganização cortical induzidas pela lesão medular, bem como definir seus efeitos, é crucial para avaliação das terapias de reabilitação e consequente melhora na qualidade de vida do sujeito. Neste estudo, imagens de Ressonância Magnética foram obtidas para explorar alterações morfológicas na Substância Cinzenta (SC) e Substância Branca (SB) no córtex cerebral de indivíduos com lesão medular torácica. Dois grupos de voluntários foram recrutados para esta pesquisa (portadores de lesão medular - Grupo Experimental; e não-lesionados – Grupo Controle). A comparação intergrupos foi realizada considerando ainda o tempo pós-lesão. A avaliação global do encéfalo não detectou alteração no volume da SC total. Diferenças volumétricas na SC cortical foram verificadas no giro pré-central e no sulco pré-central inferior. A alteração observada no giro pré-central ocorreu no hemisfério esquerdo, responsável pelo controle motor do membro inferior direito, compatível com a dominância dos voluntários de ambos os grupos (destros). Os achados fornecem evidências de que o tempo pós-lesão não influenciou em maior perda volumétrica global significativa. No entanto, alterações em regiões específicas, associadas ao controle motor de regiões abaixo da lesão, foram evidenciadas neste estudo.

The loss of motor control is one of the most debilitating consequences of the spinal cord injury. Partial or complete disruption of the sensory and motor pathways render the individual unable to walk and perform various other activities. The occurrence of spontaneous sensorimotor cortical reorganization immediately after injury and continuously over time may occur in specific areas, as well as in the entire cerebral cortex. Understanding the complex interaction between anatomical, functional, and cortical reorganization induced by spinal cord injury, as well as defining its effects, is crucial to establish proper rehabilitation protocols. Structural magnetic resonance images were obtained to explore morphological changes in the Gray Matter (GM) and White Matter (WM) in the cerebral cortex of individuals with thoracic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) and compared with images obtained from a group of volunteers without injury (NSCI)). Intergroup comparison was performed considering the time after the injury. Global evaluation of the brain did not detect changes in the total volume of GM. Volumetric differences in cortical GM were found in the pre-central gyrus and lower pre-central sulcus. The variation observed in the pre-central gyrus occurred in the left hemisphere, responsible for motor control of the right lower limb, which is compatible with the dominance of the volunteers of both groups (right-handed). The findings provide evidence that post-injury time did not have a considerable influence on the overall volumetric encephalic GM. However, changes in specific regions associated with motor control of areas below the lesion were evidenced in this study.

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