Sudden cervical pain: spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma

Three cases of cervical epidural hematoma are reported. Acute neck pain usually associated with a mild effort, closely followed by radicular pain and a neurologic deficit below the lesion is the typical presentation of this extremely rare and difficult diagnosis. As prognosis depends on preoperative neurologic state, the authors emphasize the importance of prompt identification of this lesion. The diagnosis is confirmed by computed tomography, and emergency neurosurgical laminectomy is mandatory.     

Double-blind, placebo-controlled comparison of clonazepam and alprazolam for panic disorder

To test the reported antipanic efficacy of clonazepam, the authors randomized 72 subjects with panic disorder to 6 weeks of treatment with either alprazolam, clonazepam, or placebo. Endpoint analysis demonstrated a significant beneficial effect of both active treatments, but not placebo treatment, on the frequency of panic attacks, overall phobia ratings, and the extent of disability. Comparison of the two active treatments revealed no significant differences and no consistent tendency for one agent to be favored over another, although power to detect small differences was limited. Sedation and ataxia were the most common side effects reported, but these effects were mild and transient and did not interfere with treatment outcome. The results of this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial are consistent with previous reports of clonazepam's antipanic efficacy.     

Lithium treatment of chronic hair pulling

Ten patients with chronic hair pulling received trials of lithium carbonate of 2 to 14 months' duration. Eight patients demonstrated decreased hair pulling and mild to marked hair regrowth. Three responders experienced increased hair pulling subsequent to discontinuation of lithium treatment. Lithium's effect on hair pulling may be related to its observed benefits in treating aggressivity, impulsivity, and mood instability.     

X chromosome instability associated with familial Turner syndrome

A family with two members (two generations) exhibiting Turner syndrome is described. Cytogenetic studies on these individuals showed the presence of multiple X chromosome changes. Evidence is presented to show that the maternally inherited X chromosome is the chromosome involved in the structural alterations observed. The effect of a tendency of the maternal X chromosome to break at specific sites on the development of the Turner phenotype and abnormal karyology is discussed.     

Restriction fragment length polymorphism of human mitochondrial DNA in a sample population from Apulia (Southern Italy)

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of human mitochondrial DNA was analysed in a sample of 87 subjects from Apulia (South Italy) by the restriction enzymes Hpa I, Bam HI, Hae II, Msp I, Ava II, and Hinc II using total blood cell DNA probed by human mtDNA from placenta. Five BamHI morphs were observed, two of which are new ( Bam HI-4 and -5), as well as one new Ava II morph ( Ava II-28). The association Bam HI-4/ Ava II-28 enables us to demonstrate for the first time two polymorphic Bam HI sites present together in the same mtDNA molecule. In agreement with historical data the Apulian sample has been shown to be the most heterogeneous Italian population so far tested.     

Effect of desympathization on repair of the resected thyroid gland in adult rats

Department of Biology, Izhevsk Medical Institute. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR D. S. Sarkisov.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 107, No. 3, pp. 353–356, March, 1989.     

Ultrastructural investigation of substance P-, leucine-enkephalin- and 5-hydroxytryptamine-like immunoreactive terminals in the area of cremaster motoneurons of the male rat

Studies were made on whether substance P-, leucine-enkephalin- and 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin)-like immunoreactive fibers exert a direct influence on the cremaster motoneurons of the male rat by immunocytochemistry combined with retrograde tracing at the light- and electron-microscopic levels. Horseradish peroxidase was used as a retrograde tracer. Two days after injection of horseradish peroxidase into the genitofemoral nerves, its accumulation in the cremaster motoneurons was demonstrated by the diaminobenzidine-nickel method. On immunocytochemical examination of the same sections immunoreactive end-products were detected by the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. Two different kinds of reaction products were distinguishable at both the light- and electron-microscopical levels. The horseradish peroxidase-labeled cremaster motoneurons at the L1 and L2 levels of the spinal cord were surrounded by abundant immunoreactive terminals. Examination at the ultrastructural level showed that substance P-like immunoreactive terminals formed synaptic contacts almost exclusively with the proximal dendrites of these horseradish peroxidase-labeled cremaster motoneurons. On the other hand, in the leucine-enkephalin- and serotonin-like boutons, significant numbers of axosomatic contacts with horseradish peroxidase-labeled cells were seen although axodendritic contacts with horseradish peroxidase-labeled cells were predominant. Occasionally, leucine-enkephalin-like immunoreactive fibers with synapses on horseradish peroxidase-labeled neurons formed axoaxonic contacts with other leucine-enkephalin-like axonal terminals. Thus, substance P-, leucine-enkephalin- and serotonin-like fibers clearly regulate the function of cremaster motoneurons monosynaptically. The varied synaptic contacts of these fibers according to the neuroactive substances involved suggest different actions of these substances on the cremaster motoneurons.     

Effect of estrogen on calcium homeostasis and pituitary hormones in the growing chick

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of a range of estradiol (E2) doses (0.1-6.5 micrograms/g body wt/day) on vitamin D metabolism and the plasma levels of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) in the growing chick. Doses of 0.5-0.7 microgram/g E2, which are insufficient to raise the plasma calcium level, did induce an increase in growth rate, an increase in 25-hydroxyvitamin D 1 alpha-hydroxylase (1-hydroxylase) and 24-hydroxylase activities, and an increase in plasma GH level. These parameters leveled off or fell over the dose range 1-2 micrograms/g E2 but there was evidence of a second peak in 1-hydroxylase activity at 6 micrograms/g E2. At this high dose rate, the plasma Ca level rose to 8 mM, as it does in the laying hen; 24-hydroxylase activity, growth rate, and plasma GH and plasma PRL levels all decreased. It was concluded that the dose response to estrogen in the growing chick is not linear and, in the case of 1-hydroxylase activity, may even be biphasic.