The relationship of pineal calcification and melatonin secretion to the pathophysiology of tardive dyskinesia and Tourette's syndrome.

Despite current intensive research, the pathophysiology of tardive dyskinesia (TD), a serious neurological side effect of neuroleptic treatment, is poorly understood. Prompted by the observation of an increased incidence and severity of abnormal perioral movements in neuroleptic-treated pinealectomized, as compared to intact rats, we suggested that the pineal gland exerts a protective effect which mitigates against the development of TD and, by inference, that reduced melatonin secretion may be related to the pathophysiology of TD. To investigate this proposition further, we studied the association of TD with pineal calcification (PC) on CT scan in chronic schizophrenic patients. Our findings revealed a significant association between TD and PC and suggest, furthermore, that PC may be a neuroradiological marker of TD. Since PC may reflect diminished secretory activity of the gland, these findings support the hypothesis that the pathophysiology of TD is linked to disturbances of melatonin secretion. The clinical and therapeutic implications of these novel findings are discussed. In the following communication, in which we introduce the hypothesis that disturbances of 5-HT and melatonin secretion are related to the pathophysiology of TD. Subsequently, we present a series of studies which relate to the association of TD with PC. We conclude by presenting the hypothesis that disturbances in melatonin secretion may also be relevant to the pathophysiology of Tourette's syndrome.     

The abdomen, thigh, and arm as sites for subcutaneous sodium heparin injections.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three subcutaneous injection sites for low-dose heparin therapy (5,000 units). One hundred and one subjects were randomly placed in one of three groups. Group A received injections in the abdomen, Group B, in the thigh, and Group C in the arm. Each subject received three injections at the one site. Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was measured prior to initiation of heparin and again four hours after the first injection. Bruising was measured at 48, 60, and 72 hours postinjection. There were no statistically significant differences among groups for either changes in APTT or bruising at 60 and 72 hours postinjection. Thus the clinical practice of utilizing the abdomen as the only or preferred site for subcutaneous heparin injections was not supported.     

Computed tomography in CNS tuberculosis

Computed tomography (CT) was performed in 14 cases of tuberculous meningitis (TBM), 12 of which were examined during the acute phase of the disease. CT findings in these cases included internal hydrocephalus (6/12), internal combined with external hydrocephalus (2/12), focal lesions consistent with localized encephalitis (3/12), diffuse brain edema (1/12), and middle cerebral artery infarction (1/12). In comparison to 32 cases of nonspecific bacterial meningitis, internal hydrocephalus was found significantly more often in TBM than in nonspecific meningitis (p less than 0.01) making CT an additional tool for the differentiation of these conditions in doubtful cases. In addition, CT features of 2 cases of cerebral tuberculoma are presented.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Bcl11b</Emphasis>mutations identified in murine lymphomas increase the proliferation rate of hematopoietic progenitor cells

Background  

The telomeric region of mouse chromosome 12 has previously shown frequent allelic loss in murine lymphoma. The Bcl11b gene has been identified and suggested as a candidate tumor suppressor gene within this region. In this study, we aimed to elucidate whether Bcl11b is mutated in lymphomas with allelic loss, and whether the mutations we detected conferred any effect on cell proliferation and apoptosis.     

Tissue Doppler gated (TDOG) dynamic three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of the fetal heart.

Dynamic three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging of the fetal heart is difficult due to the absence of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal for synchronization between loops. In this study we introduce tissue Doppler gating (TDOG), a technique in which tissue Doppler data are used to calculate a gating signal. We have applied this cardiac gating method to dynamic 3D reconstructions of the heart of eight fetuses aged 20-24 weeks.The gating signal was derived from the amplitude and frequency contents of the tissue Doppler signal. We used this signal as a replacement for ECG in a 3D-volume reconstruction and visualization, utilizing techniques established in ECG-gated 3D echocardiography.The reliability of the TDOG signal for fetal cardiac cycle detection was experimentally investigated. Simultaneous recordings of tissue Doppler of the heart and continuous wave (CW) spectral Doppler of the umbilical artery (UA) were performed using two independent ultrasound systems, and the TDOG signal from one system was compared to the Doppler spectrum data from the other system. Each recording consisted of a two-dimensional (2D) sector scan, transabdominally and slowly tilted by the operator, covering the fetal heart over approximately 40 cardiac cycles. The total angle of the sweep was estimated by recording a separate loop through the center of the heart, in the elevation direction of the sweep.3D reconstruction and visualization were performed with the EchoPAC-3D software (GE Medical Systems). The 3D data were visualized by showing simultaneous cineloops of three 2D slices, as well as by volume projections running in cineloop.Synchronization of B-mode cineloops with the TDOG signal proved to be sufficiently accurate for reconstruction of high-quality dynamic 3D data. We show one example of a B-mode recording with a frame rate of 96 frames/s over 20 seconds. The reconstruction consists of 31 volumes, each with 49 tilted frames. With the fetal heart positioned 5-8 cm from the transducer, the sampling distances were approximately 0.15 mm in the beam direction, 0.33 degrees approximately 0.37 mm azimuth and 0.45 degrees approximately 0.51 mm elevation. From this single dataset we were able to generate a complete set of classical 2D views (such as four-chamber, three-vessel and short-axis views as well as those of the ascending aorta, aortic and ductal arches and inferior and superior venae cavae) with high image quality adequate for clinical use.