We report the results of a retrospective study on the frequency of intestinal nematodes among 198 alcoholic and 440 nonalcoholic patients at the University Hospital Cassiano Antonio Moraes in Vitória, ES, Brazil. The control sample included 194 nonalcoholic patients matched according to age, sex and neighborhood and a random sample of 296 adults admitted at the same hospital. Stool examination by sedimentation method (three samples) was performed in all patients. There was a significantly higher frequency of intestinal nematodes in alcoholics than in controls (35.3% and 19.2%, respectively), due to a higher frequency of Strongyloides stercoralis (21.7% and 4.1%, respectively). Disregarding this parasite, the frequency of the other nematodes was similar in both groups. The higher frequency of S. stercoralis infection in alcoholics could be explained by immune modulation and/or by some alteration in corticosteroid metabolism induced by chronic ethanol ingestion. Corticosteroid metabolites would mimic the worm ecdisteroids, that would in turn increase the fecundity of females in duodenum and survival of larvae. Consequently, the higher frequency of Strongyloides larvae in stool of alcoholics does not necessarily reflect an increased frequency of infection rate, but only an increased chance to present a positive stool examination using sedimentation methods. Key-words: Alcoholism. Strongyloidiasis. Strongyloides stercoralis. Intestinal nematodes.Resumo Foi feito um estudo retrospectivo da freqüência de nematóides intestinais em 198 alcoolistas e em 440 controles, não alcoólatras, atendidos no Hospital Universitário C.A. Morais, em Vitória, ES. O grupo controle foi formado por 194 pacientes não alcoólatras, pareados por idade, sexo e procedência, e por 296 pacientes adultos, internados no mesmo hospital, escolhidos aleatoriamente. Fez-se exame parasitológico pelo método de sedimentação em todos os casos. Houve uma freqüência signifcativamente maior de nematóides intestinais no grupo de alcoólatras do que nos controles (35,3% e 18,7%, respectivamente), devido a freqüência maior de Strongyloides stercoralis (21,7% e 4,1%, respectivamente). A freqüência dos outros nematóides foi semelhante nos dois grupos. A maior freqüência de S. sterocralis nos alcoólatras poderia ser explicada pela imunomodulação induzida pela ingestão abusiva de etanol e/ou por alteração do metabolismo dos corticosteróides induzidas pelo etanol, aumentando a quantidade de metabólitos que podem mimetizar os ecdisteróides do verme, aumentando a fecundidade das fêmeas no duodeno e a sobrevivência das larvas. Desse modo, a maior freqüência de S. stercoralis nos alcoólatras não refletiria um real aumento na prevalência, mas sim um aumento na positividade do exame parasitólogico devido ao aumento do número de larvas rabdtóides eliminadas pelas fêmeas no duodeno.

We have concluded that volumetric measurements of left rostral middle frontal and cerebellar cortices seem to be able to predict the frontal executive performance but not the cognitive mental status in alcoholic subjects.

This report describes the prevalence of anti-HAV antibodies in children from elementary school in the Municipality of Vila

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AIMTo apply the Frontal Assessment Battery to cirrhotic patients with or without overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) and controls.METHODSThe frontal assessment battery (FAB) was applied to 87 patients with liver cirrhosis (16 with and 71 without OHE) and 40 control subjects without cirrhosis treated at the alcohol and liver outpatient clinics and the gastroenterology ward of the Cassiano Antônio de Moraes University Hospital (Hospital Universitário Cassiano Antônio de Moraes - HUCAM), Espírito Santo, Brazil.RESULTSThe average FAB score was lower for the cirrhotic than for the non-cirrhotic patients (10.6 ± 3.67 vs 12.25 ± 2.72, P = 0.015). The FAB score was lower for the cirrhotic patients with OHE than for the patients without OHE (8.25 ± 4.55 vs 11.14 ± 3.25, P = 0.027). The total FAB score was lower for the cirrhotic patients without OHE than for the non-cirrhotic patients, although this difference was not significant (11.14 ± 3.25 vs 12.25 ± 2.72, P = 0.067). Nevertheless, the difference in the scores on the subtest that assessed the ability to inhibit a response previously conditioned to a stimulus was significant (1.72 ± 0.93 vs 2.2 ± 0.85, P = 0.011).CONCLUSIONThe present study indicates that the FAB is a promising tool for outpatient minimal HE screening and the assessment of HE severity.