Migrainous phenomenon precipitated by lumbar puncture headache

This case report describes a patient without personal or family history of migraine or other recurrent headaches who developed a typical lumbar puncture headache leading to a characteristic migrainous visual field deficit. There was no history of analgesic or other medication use or other precipitant, and neither symptom recurred in years of follow-up. The sequence of symptoms suggests that mechanical distortion or irritation of cranial pain-sensitive structures can precede and precipitate the migrainous cortical dysfunction.     

Molecular cloning and characterization of feline cellular genetic sequences homologous to the oncogene of the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus

The organization within the cat genome of cellular genetic sequences homologous to the viral oncogene v-fms of the McDonough strain of feline sarcoma virus (SM-FeSV) was determined. Four cosmid clones containing overlapping v-fms homologous cellular DNA inserts representing a contiguous region of cellular DNA of approximately 80 kbp in length have been isolated from a feline cosmid gene library. Within this region of the cat genome, the c-fms genetic sequences are dispersed over a region of around 30 kbp and are interspersed with at least three intervening sequences.     

Use of MR imaging for quantitative evaluation of resection for temporal lobe epilepsy

The postoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies of 40 patients who underwent surgery for medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy were reviewed. A method for quantifying the resection of four specific medial temporal lobe structures--amygdala, uncus, hippocampal formation, and parahippocampal gyrus--was used to correlate postoperative seizure control with the degree to which those structures had been resected. Satisfactory postoperative seizure control was found to be strongly dependent (P less than .01) on the performance of at least partial resection of all four medial temporal lobe structures. The total amount of tissue removed did not necessarily correlate with the clinical outcome in individual cases, however, as long as some portion of all four medial structures had been resected. Two complicating factors--the presence of posterior or bilateral independent electroencephalographic foci and a history of meningoencephalitis--each negatively influenced surgical outcome (P less than .01). In cases with a complicating factor and inadequate medial resection, the outcome was invariably poor.     

Expression of tissue-type transglutaminase correlates positively with metastatic properties of human melanoma cell lines

In this study the relationship between tissue-type transglutaminase (TGase2) activity and the propensity to metastasize was investigated in human melanoma cell lines with different metastatic behavior. TGase2 catalyzes an acyl-transfer reaction between peptide-bound glutamine residues and primary amines, including the ε-amino group of lysine residues. Northern-blot analysis demonstrated that TGase2 RNA-expression (3.7 kb) was elevated in highly metastatic cell lines (MV3 and BLM) as compared to weakly metastatic ones (I F6 and 530). Immunopre-cipitation and enzyme assays of TGase2 showed that the differential expression at the mRNA level was also reflected at the protein level. These findings reveal a positive relation between the expression of TGase2 and the metastatic properties of the human melanoma cell lines. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NIFEDIPINE SENSITIVITY OF AORTAE AND BLOOD PRESSURE OF STROKE-PRONE SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

1. We have previously described an increased sensitivity to inhibition by nifedipine of noradrenaline-induced contractures of blood vessels in hypertension. In this study we have investigated whether changes in blood pressure (BP) change the sensitivity to nifedipine and K⁺ of aortic rings from normotensive (Wistar-Kyoto rats, WKY) and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). 2. SHRSP were treated with: hydralazine plus hydrochloro-thiazide; captopril plus hydrochlorothiazide; hydralazine plus guanethidine; or captopril alone. WKY rats were treated with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) and NaCl. Treatment commenced from 5 weeks of age and continued until 13–15 weeks. 3. The SHRSP treatments produced similar reductions in BP, and the BP of all the treated groups were significantly lower than the mean BP of untreated SHRSP (201.0 ± 7.7 mmHg). The mean BP of the treated WKY rats (134.2 ± 7.6 mmHg) was significantly higher than the mean BP of the untreated WKY rats (86.8 ± 7.4 mmHg). 4. An area-under-curve (AUC) analysis of the inhibitory effects of nifedipine on responses of aortae to noradrenaline showed no differences between treated and untreated SHRSP groups (overall mean 40.6 ± 1.9% and 43.4 ± 3.4% inhibition of control AUC, respectively), or between DOCA-salt treated WKY and untreated WKY groups (58.8 ± 5.9 and 64.8 ± 2.3, respectively). Noradrenaline-induced contractures of aortae from all SHRSP groups were significantly more sensitive to inhibition by nifedipine than aortae from both WKY groups. 5. The molar concentration of agonist required to evoke 50% of the maximum response (EC₅₀) values for potassium chloride (KCI) were significantly increased in the aortae of all treated SHRSP groups in comparison to those from untreated SHRSP (treated SHRSP groups, 15.53 ± 0.68 mmol/L vs untreated SHRSP group, 11.36 ± 1.10 mmol/L). The EC₅₀ values for KC1 for the aortae from the DOCA-treated WKY rats were significantly less than those from aortae of the untreated WKY (11.80 ± 0.80 and 17.08 ± 1.50 mmol/L, respectively). 6. We conclude that reduction (in SHRSP) or increase (in WKY) of the BP has no effect on the sensitivity of aortic smooth muscle to the inhibitory effects of nifedipine on responses to noradrenaline, suggesting that alterations in voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ mechanisms may be a primary phenomenon in the SHRSP. In contrast, the fact that sensitivity to KC1 changes in the treated SHRSP and WKY aortae suggests such sensitivity is secondary to the BP and thus a separate phenomenon from voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ mechanisms.     

Selective posterior cerebral artery Amytal test for evaluating memory function before surgery for temporal lobe seizure

Selective testing for memory function with Amytal (amobarbital) in the posterior cerebral artery (PCA) is a promising modification of that test in the internal carotid artery (ICA). This new technique, performed with a Tracker catheter system, was completed successfully in 17 of 20 patients being examined before planned surgery for refractory temporal lobe seizure. The PCA test overcomes three major problems with the ICA technique. First, with the PCA technique, memory testing is begun immediately after injection, when the drug has its peak effect. Second, when the speech-dominant hemisphere is being tested with the PCA test, patients do not become aphasic. Third, injection into the PCA delivers the drug more effectively to the target, the ipsilateral hippocampal formation.     

A hereditary abnormal c-fms proto-oncogene in a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia and congenital hypothyroidism

A patient with congenital hypothyroidism and acute lymphocytic leukaemia was found to be homozygous for a 0.4 kbp deletion in the c-fms proto-oncogene. This was established by studying DNA from the patient's leukaemic cells, from cultured skin fibroblasts of the patient and from normal white blood cells of both parents. The uncertain relevance of this finding to the condition of the patient is discussed.     

ORIGINAL RESEARCH—ANATOMY/PHYSIOLOGY: Childhood Sexual Abuse,Selective Attention for Sexual Cues and the Effects of Testosterone with or without Vardenafil on Physiological Sexual Arousal in Women with Sexual Dysfunction: A Pilot Study

IntroductionFemale sexual dysfunction (FSD) may be associated with reduced central sensitivity for sexual cues. A single dose of testosterone might induce an increase in sensitivity for sexual stimuli, which in turn allows a PDE5 inhibitor to be effective in boosting the physiological sexual response. Negative sexual experience—like childhood sexual abuse (CSA)—might be an important intervening factor in these drugs-induced alterations.AimTo investigate if the combination of testosterone and vardenafil causes an increase in sensitivity for sexual cues and an increase in physiological sexual responding in women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).MethodsThirteen women with HSDD underwent four different drug treatments: (i) placebo; (ii) vardenafil; (iii) testosterone; and (iv) combination of testosterone and vardenafil. During each treatment, they performed an emotional Stroop task and watched neutral and erotic film clips.Main Outcome MeasuresA masked version of the emotional Stroop task, and the vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA).ResultsWe found different effects in women who had reported CSA (N = 5) compared with those who had not (N = 8). In women without CSA, testosterone induced an increase in their originally low levels of preconscious attention for sexual cues, while women with CSA showed a decrease in their originally high levels of attention. In these groups, we also found different effects of the combination of testosterone and vardenafil on the VPA: women without CSA revealed a statistically significant increase in their VPA during treatment with the combination of testosterone and vardenafil as compared with placebo. Women with CSA, however, showed no alterations in their physiological sexual responding during this combined drug treatment.ConclusionIn women without CSA, testosterone appears to activate central sexual mechanisms resulting in higher VPA under the combination of testosterone and vardenafil. This effect did not occur in women with CSA. van der Made F, Bloemers J, van Ham D, El Yassem W, Kleiverda G, Everaerd W, Olivier B, and Tuiten A. Childhood sexual abuse, selective attention for sexual cues and the effects of testosterone with or without vardenafil on physiological sexual arousal in women with sexual dysfunction: A pilot study. J Sex Med 2009;6:429–439.