Clinical course and treatment of herpetic trigeminal ganglionic neuropathy

45 patients were observed in the periods of both acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In most of the patients herpetic eruptions were located in the areas of innervation of the first branch of the trigeminal nerve. In acute period of the disease there were used aciclovir, helepin or alpisarinum, antiherpetic immunoglobulin, deoxyribonuclease, non-narcotic analgetics were used. Of 28 patients residual PHN was observed in 6 cases, delayed PHN (during 3 months)--in 2 patients. The PHN development was characteristic for elderly patients, delayed request for medical care, concomitant diseases, eruptions with hemorrhagic component and secondary pyodermia and considerable residual sensory deficit. In therapy of PHN the most effective drugs were amitriptylin, non-narcotic analgetics, anticonvulsants as well as acupuncture and electroacupuncture. Relief of a typical deafferentation of pain syndrome was achieved by means of ultrasonic destruction of the trigeminal nucleus (one case). Early therapy of acute herpes zoster does not prevent completely PHN development, but it decreased considerably probability of its forming as well as the severity of its course.     

Residency training in child sexual abuse evaluation

Insertin is an actin-binding protein that has been isolated from chicken gizzard smooth muscle that has been shown to be highly homologous to amino acids 962-1292 of tensin [Weigt et al., 1992]. Because of the high homology, we investigated the question whether the mRNAs of insertin and of tensin are derived from the same gene by alternative splicing, whether insertin and tensin are encoded by two different genes, or whether insertin is a proteolytic fragment of tensin. In a Northern blot analysis, mRNA from chicken gizzard was hybridized with oligonucleotides specific for tensin and for the insertin domain of tensin. The tensin-specific oligonucleotide hybridized only with the previously reported 8- and 10-kbp RNAs. However, the insertin domain-specific oligonucleotide hybridized with a 1.2 and a 1.6 kbp RNA in addition to the 8 and 10 kbp RNA. The 1.2- and 1.6-kbp RNA occurred in small amounts, as compared with the 8- and 10-kbp RNA. Southern blot analysis of DNA cleaved by the restriction endonucleases BamH1 and HindIII demonstrated that only one gene for the insertin and tensin exists. Insertin isolated from chicken gizzard smooth muscle was investigated by mass spectrometry. The N-termini of three isolated peptides were found to begin at adjacent amino acids and were likely to be formed from tensin by proteolysis. The results suggest that, for insertin, an mRNA exists that is derived from one gene common for insertin and tensin. However, the insertin-specific mRNA contributes relatively little to expression of insertin domains in cells. Insertin preparations from chicken gizzard contain mainly insertin domains formed from tensin by proteolysis.     

Localisation of a gene for non-specific X linked mental retardation (MRX46) to Xq25-q26

Feeding difficulty and malnutrition are common in disabled children. Intake may be reduced because of anorexia, chewing and swallowing difficulties, or vomiting. Feeding is often time consuming, unpleasant, and may result in aspiration. Malnutrition may result in impaired growth and neurodevelopment, and impaired cardiorespiratory, gastrointestinal, and immune functions. Multidisciplinary assessment is recommended and should include a feeding history, oral-motor examination, and nutritional assessment. The energy requirements of most disabled children are less than those for a normal child of the same age but may be increased by spasticity, athetosis, convulsions, and recurrent infections. Micronutrient deficiencies may occur even in children receiving nutritionally complete feeds if the volume is reduced because of low energy requirements. Oral intake may be improved by a change of posture, special seating, feeding equipment, oral desensitization, mashing or pureeing of lumpy food, thickening of liquids, use of calorie supplements, and treatment of reflux/esophagitis. Non-oral feeding should be considered when oral feeding is unsafe, not enjoyable, inadequate, or very time consuming. Long-term support requires a gastrostomy. This is less obtrusive than a nasogastric tube, less likely to become displaced, less traumatic, and is associated with improved quality of life, but is also associated with significant morbidity. If there is symptomatic reflux a fundoplication may be required, but this is associated with significant mortality and substantial morbidity.     

Overshadowing and latent inhibition counteract each other: support for the comparator hypothesis

In 4 conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats, the combined effects of latent inhibition treatment followed by overshadowing treatment were assessed as a test of the comparator hypothesis's (R.R. Miller & L.D. Matzel, 1988) explanations of overshadowing and latent inhibition. Experiments 1 and 2 confirmed the prediction of the comparator hypothesis that combined latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments attenuate the response deficit produced by either treatment alone. Furthermore, consistent with the comparator hypothesis, posttraining changes in the associative status of the putative comparator stimulus altered responding to the target conditioned stimulus (Experiment 3), and switching contexts between latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments (Experiment 4) eliminated the interaction between the latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments.     

Imaging and pathological features of primary malignant rhabdoid tumours of the brain and spine

In this article two cases of primary malignant extrarenal rhabdoid tumour are described. In the affected children the brain and the spinal cord were the primary sites of origin of the tumour. The imaging findings are presented and the pathology discussed. Although the imaging features are non-specific, rhabdoid tumour should be included in the differential diagnosis of childhood intracranial and spinal neoplasms.     

Construction of a pseudolarynx after laryngectomy and radical neck dissection. A preliminary report

Oxytocin analogues which combine high oxytocic activities with negligible antidiuretic and pressor activities have been studied. [4-Threonine,7-glycine]oxytocin, [1-(L-2-hydroxy-3-mercaptopropionic acid),4-threonine,7-glycine]oxytocin, and [1-(L-2-hydroxy-3-mercaptopropionic acid)]oxytocin were found to possess the following specific biological activities respectively: rat uterotonic, 270 +/- 10, 337 +/- 23, 1542 +/- 0.4; rat antidiuretic, 0.002 +/- 0.0008, 0.048 +/- 0.005, 40.3 +/- 2.4. The results are analyzed from a conformation-activity viewpoint in a continued attempt to evaluate the scope and limitations of this approach in comparison to structure-activity studies.     

Effect of charcoal-broiled beef on phenacetin metabolism in man

When charcoal-broiled beef was fed to human volunteers, who were then given phenacetin orally, the concentration of phenacetin in the plasma was lowered, but its half-life in the plasma was not changed. The data suggest that feeding charcoal-broiled beef enhances the metabolism of orally administered phenacetin in the intestine or during its first pass through the liver, or both.