Functional electric stimulation is a new method for dynamic rehabilitation of paralyzed muscles. The output of such prosthetic devices needs to be modulated by some index of the muscle movement. In facial paralysis a measure of the muscle contractions of the normal contralateral side seems to be an appropriate input. In the rabbit, we simultaneously measured the compound action potential of the...

OBJECTIVE To report the cases of 6 patients with fungus ball caused by Aspergillus fumigatus (aspergilloma) in the pleural cavity. METHODS Between 1980 and 2009, 391 patients were diagnosed with aspergilloma at the Santa Casa Hospital Complex in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The diagnosis of aspergilloma in the pleural cavity was made through imaging tests revealing effusion and pleural thickening wi...

Filamentous fungal infections are associated with a high morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplants. Species of the Aspergillus family account for the majority of these infections, and Aspergillus fumigatus, in particular, may be regarded as the most important airborne saprophytic fungus [1,2]. There are numerous conidia of this fungus inhaled constantly by humans, which are normally el...

A 58-year-old woman presented with recent history of fever. She had history of prosthetic aortic and mitral valve implanted four years ago. Blood cultures were negative and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) detected a large mass within the mitral prosthesis (Fig. 1a, Video 1). After seven days under antibiotherapy, repeated TEE revealed rapidly growing giant vegetation within the valve lea...

Background: Clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment, and outcome of pulmonary Fungus ball have been known to depend on the underlying lung disease. We described clinical findings, diagnosis and results of surgical treatment of Fungus ball. Methods: From 1992 to 2005, we operated 31 patients with aspergilloma. Among them, 18 were male with a median age of 52 (30 to 70 years). 11 were affl...

*Study carried out in the Mycology Laboratory of the Santa Casa-Medical Complex and in the Hospital Sanatório Partenon, Secretaria de Saúde e Meio Ambiente(HSP-SSMA, Partenon Sanatorium Hospital, Department of Health and Environment), Porto Alegre, RS.. Correspondence to: Luiz Carlos Severo. Laboratório de Micologia, Hospital Santa Rita, Santa Casa-Complexo Hospitalar. Rua Annes Dias 285, CEP: ...