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Background: Homeless men are highly vulnerable to acquisition of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared to the general population. In Brazil, a country of continental dimensions, the extent of HCV infection in this population remains unknown. The objective of this study is to investigate the epidemiological profile of exposure to HCV in homeless men in Central Brazil., Methods: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in 481 men aged over 18 years attending therapeutic communities specialized in the recovery and reintegration of homeless people. Participants were tested for anti-HCV markers using rapid tests. Poisson regression analysis was used to verify the risk factors associated with exposure to HCV., Results: The prevalence of HCV exposure was 2.5% (95.0% CI: 1.4 to 4.3%) and was associated with age, absence of family life, injection drug use, number of sexual partners, and history of sexually transmitted infections (STI). Participants reported multiple risk behaviors, such as alcohol (78.9%), cocaine (37.1%) and/or crack use (53.1%), and inconsistent condom use (82.6%). Injection drug use was reported by 8.7% of participants., Conclusions: The prevalence of HCV infection among homeless men was relatively high. Several risk behaviors were commonly reported, which shows the high vulnerability of this population. These findings emphasize the need for the development of specific strategies to reduce the risk of HCV among homeless men.

Objectives: To describe clinical, radiological findings, and outcome in a multiethnic population of stroke survivors with basilar artery occlusive disease (BAOC)., Methods: Forty patients with infarcts in the basilar artery (BA) territory, alive 30 days after the ictus, participated in the study. BA stenosis (>50%) or occlusion was shown by magnetic resonance or digital subtraction angiography in all patients. Demographical, clinical and radiological characteristics were described. Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) scores at 30 days and 6 months after the ischemic event were evaluated. Association between demographical, clinical, radiological features and outcome were analyzed with Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests. MRS scores at 30 days and 6 months were compared with the Wilcoxon test., Results: Sixty percent of the patients were men, and 33% were Afro-Brazilian. Mean age was 55.8+/-12.9 years. Most (90%) had multiple vascular risk factors. Stroke was preceded by TIA in 48% of the patients, and 80% had a history of arterial hypertension. The most common neurological symptom was vertigo/dizziness (60%) and the sign, hemiparesis (60%). Most of the infarcts were located in the pons (85%) and the BA middle third was the most frequently affected segment (33%). BA occlusion occurred in 58% of the patients. More severe vascular occlusive lesions were present in Whites (p=0.002) and in patients with involvement of the middle third of the BA (p=0.021). Large-artery atherosclerosis was the most common stroke etiology (88%) and was more frequent in older patients (p<0.001). Most patients were treated with anticoagulation. MRS scores improved significantly at 6 months (p<0.001); at this time, 78% of the patients had MRS scores between 0 and 2., Conclusions: We observed different results compared with other series: greater proportion of Afro-descendents, higher frequency of atherosclerosis and BA occlusion. Rates of preceding TIAs and good outcome at 6 months were similar to previously published data. These results represent a step forward towards understanding BAOC in a multiethnic context.

Objective: To present the magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of 78 patients with meningiomas diagnosed in a single institution., Method: 78 patients with histological proven intracranial meningioma were studied. There were 52 female and 26 male patients (median=56 years). All MR imaging examinations were performed with 1.5-T MR imaging unit with standard protocol. The images were studied by two neuroradiologists, who reached the decisions regarding the findings by consensus., Results: Most of the tumors showed low signal on T1- (60%) and high signal on T2- (68%) and FLAIR (69%) weighted images. Also, the lesions showed heterogeneous signal on T1 (60%), T2 (68%) and FLAIR (64%) sequences. After contrast administration, 83% (n=65) of the tumors presented accentuated and 17% (n=13) showed moderate enhancement. The tumors were located in the frontal lobe in 44% of the cases, in the parietal lobe in 35%, the occipital lobe in 19% and the temporal lobe in 12% of the patients. Areas of vasogenic edema around the tumors were seen in 90% of the cases. Twenty six per cent of the cases showed bone infiltration, and the dural tail sign was seen in 59% of the tumors., Conclusion: Intracranial meningiomas usually show heterogeneous low signal on T1- and high signal on T2-weighted and FLAIR images, with intense enhancement after contrast administration. The frontal and parietal lobes are commonly affected. In addition, brain edema, dural tail sign and bone infiltration are the most frequent associated findings.