Dystonia: A disorder of motor programming or motor execution?

For some time, dystonia has been seen as purely a motor disorder. Relatively novel concepts published approximately 10 years ago also presumed that in the development of dystonic dyskinesias, only motor behaviour was abnormal. Neurophysiological observations of various types of dystonic disorders, which were performed using sophisticated electromyography, polymyography, H-reflex examination, long-latency reflex, etc., as well as new insights into the behaviour of dystonia, have urged the inclusion of sensory (particularly somatosensory) mechanisms into the pathophysiological background of dystonia. The major role has been considered to be played by abnormal proprioceptive input by means of the Ia proprioceptive afferents, with the source of this abnormality found in the abnormal processing of muscle spindle afferent information. However, neurophysiological investigations have also provided evidence that the abnormality in the central nervous system is located not only at the spinal and subcortical level, but also at the cortical level; specifically, the cortical excitability and intracortical inhibition have been revealed as abnormal. This evidence was revealed by SEP recordings, paired transcranial magnetic stimulation recordings, and BP and CNV recordings. The current concept of dystonic movement connects the abnormal function of somatosensory pathways and somatosensory analysers with the dystonic performance of motor action, which is based on the abnormality of sensorimotor integration.     

Cardioplegia for Severe Coronary Artery Disease: An Improved Technique Using Direct Coronary Artery Infusion

Conventional techniques of cardioplegic solution administration result in regional disparities in the level of myocardial protection in patients with severe coronary artery disease. This report describes a simple adjunct to conventional transaortic administration of cardioplegic solution, in which additional solution is introduced directly through the coronary arteriotomy used for the vein graft anastomosis. The supplemental infusate is delivered through a small-caliber flexible catheter. This technique permits effective perfusion of the coronary vascular bed distal to severely stenotic and occlusive lesions. Using an experimental model of physiologically significant coronary arterial stenosis, we compared the effectiveness of this technique with that of conventional techniques of cardioplegia.     

The impact of daily work load during pregnancy on lipid metabolism in the liver of the offspring

Summary Changes of selected indicators of lipid metabolism in the liver of the offspring of rat mothers exercised during pregnancy and of control mothers were followed up. Male offspring of exercised mothers were heavier at the age of 35 days and lighter at the age of 90, 100, and 108 days. The concentration of total lipids and fatty acids was raised in female offspring at the age of 35 and 90 days, and did not differ or was reverse (i.e., lower) in male offspring of exercised mothers compared to controls. The cholesterol concentration in the liver was increased in both female and male offspring of exercised mothers. The liposynthesis (studied in vivo after injection of Na-acetate-1-¹⁴C) tended to be lower in female offspring, and varied in male offspring of exercised mothers. In a subsequent in vitro study (incubation of liver slices with Na-acetate-1-¹⁴C) a lower total lipid and fatty acid concentration in the liver of male offspring of exercised mothers (108 days old) was found together with higher level of serum free fatty acids and unchanged liposynthesis. Finally, a higher concentration of cholesterol, higher synthesis of fatty acids and lower cholesterogenesis in small intestine in male offspring of exercised mothers 100 days old compared to those of control mothers was shown. As follows, daily work load during pregnancy results in significant changes of lipid metabolism in the liver and small intestine of the offspring.     

In vitro effect of immune complex positive human sera on antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity

The effect of immune complex positive and negative (control) sera on the antibody dependent cytotoxicity of normal human lymphocytes was studied in a xenogeneic assay in vitro. Significant inhibitions were obtained with the sera of immune complex positive patients as compared with age and sex matched controls. The possible significance of these findings in autoimmune diseases and malignancies is discussed.     

Effect of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine on the in vitro DNA synthesizing activity of polyoma virus-infected cells.

The in vitro synthesizing activity of uninfected and polyoma virus-infected mouse embryo (ME) cells was investigated by measuring the incorporation of 3H-thymidine (dTR) into acidinsoluble material in cell-free extracts. The character of the enzyme reaction was described in uninfected cells and an activating effect of 0.01 M dithiothreitol (DTT) was observed. A variation of the enzyme activity in the course of cultivation of ME cells in primary culture was demonstrated. The induction of the DNA synthesizing activity due to polyoma virus infection was markedly increased in the presence of 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BUDR), what emphasizes the importance of the de novo synthesized viral and/or cellular DNA in the regulation of induction enzymes participating in DNA synthesis.     

Ventral porencephaly: A cerebral defect associated with multiple congenital anomalies

Summary An infant with multiple congenital anomalies was found at autopsy to have a porencencephalic defect on the ventral surface of the left frontal lobe. The intracranial defect was seen in association with an anomalous configuration of the circle of Willis. The zone of tissue destruction corresponded to the vascular territory of the anterior choroidal and lenticulo-striate branches of the proximal middle cerebral arteries, which were absent on the left. The developmental anomaly of the circle of Willis may have predisposed to tissue destruction by compromising cerebral perfusion at midgestation, a stage of rapid brain growth.Supported in part by USPS grants. M 16674, MH 25515 and MH 01215