Meningioma presenting as an intraoral mass in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1

A 77-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 presented with ill-fitting dentures due to intraoral extension of a right temporal fossa mass. Computed tomographic scanning demonstrated that the masticator space mass bowed the zygomatic arch and remodeled the lateral orbit and maxillary sinus walls, findings that were consistent with the clinical diagnosis of a neurofibroma with possible malignant transformation. However, light microscopic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural examination of tissue from an incisional biopsy specimen were diagnostic of meningioma. This case illustrates that the clinicopathologic differential diagnosis of an enlarging mass in patient with neurofibromatosis should include sporadic, unrelated neoplasms as well as tumors known to be associated with the syndrome.     

Iopamidol and meglumine diatrizoate: comparison of effects on patient discomfort during aortofemoral arteriography

Iopamidol was compared with Renografin-60 (meglumine diatrizoate, Squibb) in a controlled, randomized double-blind study of 40 patients undergoing peripheral arteriography for arteriosclerotic occlusive disease to determine which agent caused less discomfort. Each patient was evaluated for objective signs of discomfort and subjective feelings of pain and heat. Monitoring was achieved by multiple physical examinations, chemical tests, electrocardiograms, and intra-arterial pressure recordings. It is concluded that iopamidol is safe and causes significantly less patient discomfort than Renografin-60.     

The cardiovascular and autonomic properties of N-phenylpiperazine (NPP) in several animal models

A number of isolated tissue and intact animal models were utilized to investigate in more detail the cardiovascular actions of N-phenylpiperazine (NPP), a known compound having adrenergic blocking properties. In isolated tissues its autonomic profile is characterized by alpha and beta adrenergic blocking activity. Compared to other beta receptor antagonists, NPP displays moderate in vitro beta-1 blockade in guinea-pig atria. Cumulative administration of NPP (0.1--0.3 mg/kg i.v.) in the intact dog also produces dose-dependent inhibition of myocardial contractility following isoproterenol administration. The oral antihypertensive potency of NPP in the deoxycorticosterone acetate hypertensive rat is compared with phenoxybenzamine and labetalol. Its profile is similar to labetalol but differs from phenoxybenzamine, causing a fall in blood pressure and a decrease in heart rate. Hemodynamic data obtained with NPP in the anesthetized animal reveal a complex cardiovascular profile involving the interactions of the sympathetic nervous system. Canine hind limb perfusion studies using cumulative doses (0.1--0.3 mg/kg i.v.) appear to preclude a direct vasodilator mechanism in the reserpinized-pretreated animal. In other studies, nonselective vasoconstrictor responses induced by exogenous administration of norepinephrine and lumbar sympathetic nerve stimulation are inhibited to the same degree by NPP (0.1--10 mg/kg i.v.) autonomic interactions with NPP in the nictitating membrane provide evidence for inhibition of neuronal catecholamine uptake and catecholamine release. From the data obtained in the present study, it is suggested that NPP has a predominant influence on the response of the sympathetic nervous system to provide a unique cardiovascular profile. The manner in which blood pressure is regulated by either direct or nonselective mechanisms will be discussed.