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The aim of this study was to determine the demographic and clinical characteristics in patients diagnosed with Behçet's disease (BD) in Brazil. We performed a retrospective review of all the patients' records with BD diagnosed from 1988 to 2010 in the Rheumatology Department at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). All patients had to fulfill the International Study Group for Behçet's disease diagnostic criteria. Eighty-seven patients were included in the study. The female/male ratio was 1.18:1, and the mean age at the onset of the disease onset was 28.03 ± 7.57 years. Oral aphthosis was the most frequent manifestation (100%). Genital aphthosis was also frequent (77%), followed by pseudofolliculitis (47.67%). Ocular symptoms were present in 80% and neurological manifestations in 31.03% of the patients. Arthralgia was reported in 31.03% and arthritis in 13.79% of the cases. Vascular involvement was seen in 13.95% of the patients. Only 1.14% had gastrointestinal involvement. This series, from a South American country, showed a similar general pattern of the BD to those found in different endemic areas in the world, with a high frequency of ocular and neurological manifestations.

Low-molecular-weight heparin-induced skin necrosis can occur as a clinical feature of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia syndrome. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and antiphospholipid syndromes have some clinical features in common, including thrombocytopenia and thrombotic events. We describe a 46-year-old woman who developed extensive necrosis in the breast and other sites secondary to the use of enoxaparin after an elective hysterectomy. During the postoperative period, diagnoses of systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome were made because of some clinical and laboratory features (seizure, nephritis, bicytopenia, positive nuclear antibody, and positive antiphospholipid antibodies with a previous thrombotic event). The patient's clinical course improved only after corticosteroid therapy and the suspension of enoxaparin. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and antiphospholipid syndromes can have platelet factor 4 as a common denominator in their pathogenesis because platelet factor 4 tetramers can bind β2-glycoprotein molecules. This case suggests that use of low-molecular-weight heparins could be more risky in patients with an underlying immune disease and/or could trigger immune reactions that must be analyzed in larger studies.

Determinados fatores ambientais inadequados podem provocar lesões na coluna vertebral. Este trabalho discute certos aspectos ergonômicos e posturais específicos em Centro de Material com o objetivo de desenvolver uma consciência crítica a respeito dos efeitos do local de trabalho sobre a saúde. Unsutable environmental factors can lead to back injuries. In order to develop a critical thinking about the workplace effects on human health, this paper discuss ergonomic and postural aspects in a Central Supply Unit.