Ao longo da História, a importância da utilização de cadáveres humanos para o ensino e investigação não tem sido consensual. No passado, a obtenção dos cadáveres indispensáveis ao ensino passou pelo recurso a cadáveres de reclusos, de não reclamados e ao roubo e/ou compra. Para além da inadmissibilidade ética e jurídica destas soluções, estas revelaram-se insuficientes para as necessidades das escolas médicas. Nas últimas décadas, a consciência global da legitimidade da doação de cadáveres foi-se intensificando, considerando-se, hoje, a forma digna de colmatar essa falta. Neste artigo realizou-se uma revisão da literatura com o objetivo de se fazer uma resenha histórica, jurídica e pedagógica sobre a importância da utilização de cadáveres humanos no ensino da Anatomia Humana nos cursos de Medicina, incluindo em Portugal, nomeadamente pelo recurso à dissecação cadavérica em complementaridade com outras ferramentas pedagógicas.

The main aim of this work was to study the usefulness of human β-defensins 2 (BD-2) and 3 (BD-3), which are part of the innate immune system, in the treatment of infected ischemic skin flaps. We investigated the effect of transducing rat ischemic skin flaps with lentiviral vectors encoding human BD-2, BD-3, or both BD-2 and BD-3, to increase flap survival in the context of a P . aeruginosa infection associated with a foreign body. The secondary endpoints assessed were: bacterial counts, and biofilm formation on the surface of the foreign body. A local ischemic environment was created by producing arterialized venous flaps in the left epigastric region of rats. Flaps were intentionally infected by placing underneath them two catheters with 10 5 CFU of P . aeruginosa before the surgical wounds were hermetically closed. Flap biopsies were performed 3 and 7 days post-operatively, and the specimens submitted to immunohistochemical analysis for BD-2 and BD-3, as well as to bacterial quantification. Subsequently, the catheter segments were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Flaps transduced with BD-2 and BD-3 showed expression of these defensins and presented increased flap survival. Rats transduced with BD-3 presented a net reduction in the number of P . aeruginosa on the surface of the foreign body and lesser biofilm formation.

The medical autopsy (also called hospital or clinical autopsy) is a highly specialised medical procedure, which requires professional expertise and suitably equipped facilities. To ensure high standards of performance, the Working Group of Autopsy Pathology of the European Society of Pathology (ESP) suggests a code of practice as a minimum standard for centres performing medical autopsies. The proposed standards exclusively address autopsies in adults, and not forensic autopsies, perinatal/or paediatric examinations. Minimum standards for organisation, standard of premises, and staffing conditions, as well as minimum requirements for level of expertise of the postmortem performing specialists, documentation, and turnaround times of the medical procedure, are presented. Medical autopsies should be performed by specialists in pathology, or by trainees under the supervision of such specialists. To maintain the required level of expertise, autopsies should be performed regularly and in a number that ensures the maintenance of good practice of all participating physicians. A minimum number of autopsies per dedicated pathologist in a centre should be at least 50, or as an average, at least one autopsy per working week. Forensic autopsies, but not paediatric/perinatal autopsies may be included in this number. Turnaround time for final reports should not exceed 3 weeks (14 working days) for autopsies without fixation of brain/spinal cord or other time-consuming additional examinations, and 6 weeks (30 working days) for those with fixation of brain/spinal cord or additional examinations.

No abstract

We present a unique case involving 2 histologically and genetically identical PAs occurring simultaneously in supratentorial and infratentorial locations. We suggest that an intrinsic predisposition to tumor development in patients with NF1 might have been enhanced by the HIV-related immunosuppression in this case. Strict oncologic surveillance is essential in patients with a tumor predisposition syndrome combined with immunosuppression.