A prospective comparison study of premenstrual symptoms

A study in which two groups of women were compared prospectively has been carried out. One group (n = 31) complained of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) whereas the other group (n = 12) denied suffering from PMS. It was found that premenstrual symptoms increased significantly in women who complained of PMS although some symptoms (irritability, abdominal swelling) increased significantly in the other group as well. The group that complained of PMS showed significantly greater premenstrual increases in some symptoms than did the comparison group, but not in anxiety, irritability, tension or breast tenderness. In the late follicular phase statistically significant baseline differences occurred between the two groups in depression, anxiety, tension and irritability. Significant correlations between baseline and premenstrual scores in the PMS group were found for most of the symptoms that were studied, particularly for tension, anxiety, sleeplessness and depression. These results suggest that women who complain of premenstrual syndrome may require therapy for their generally higher levels of anxiety and depression throughout the entire menstrual cycle rather than for the premenstrual exacerbation alone.     

Metastasizing meningioma

A very unusual case of metastatic spread of a meningioma is described. The clinical presentation was of extradural spinal cord compression, without evidence of a primary tumor. Computed tomography did not reveal any intracranial meningioma; the histopathology of the extradural spinal tumor was identical with that of two intracranial meningiomas previously excised.     

The topography of amphetamine and scopolamine-induced hyperactivity: toward an activity print

The increased locomotor activity induced by systemic injections of d-amphetamine or scopolamine in rats was studied in Digiscan Animal Activity Monitors. This multifactorial analysis of locomotion demonstrated that activity measures of horizontal (ambulatory), vertical (rearing), stereotypic, and rotational behaviors differed depending on dose and drug. The topographies of these activity variables may be unique for the dopaminergic and cholinergic systems underlying hyperactivity. These results are a first step toward a needed increase in the sophistication of behavioral pharmacological techniques, allowing for the development of specific activity prints for different classes of psychoactive agents.     

Prospective study of factors predicting uptake of smoking in adolescents.

Risk factors for the uptake of cigarette smoking were examined prospectively in 2159 non-smoking secondary schoolchildren aged 11-13 who participated in a survey in 1983 and were followed up 30 months later, by which time 35 per cent had taken up smoking. In a multivariate logistic model, the strongest predictors to emerge were prior experimentation with cigarettes and sex, with more girls (41%) than boys (30%) starting to smoke. Other predictors of taking up smoking were being uncertain about smoking in the future, reporting having been drunk, having a boy or girl friend, believing teachers and friends would not mind if they took up smoking, and giving lower estimates of prevalence of smoking among teachers. Parental smoking behaviour and attitudes, beliefs about the effects of smoking on health, opinions about smoking and perceived strictness of parents did not predict take up of smoking when other variables were controlled for. The odds of taking up smoking varied from 0.24 (risk = 0.19) for a child with the most favourable combination of risk factors to 3.49 (risk = 0.78) for a child with the worst prognosis. These results differ from those of many cross sectional studies and hence indicate the importance of a prospective approach to this type of research.     

Terminal acute myelogenous leukemia in a patient with congenital agranulocytosis

Congenital agranulocytosis terminating in acute myelogenous leukemia has been previously reported in only two cases of adolescent males. We describe the clinical and laboratory features of a 13-year-old male with congenital agranulocytosis, treated with G-CSF with initial good neutrophil response, who subsequently developed acute myeloid leukemia. This rare complication may define a preleukemic subset of patients for whom G-CSF therapy is ineffective. The diagnostic challenges of this case are presented.     

Clinical and histologic heterogeneity of psoriatic plaques. Therapeutic relevance

Twenty-three patients with resistant psoriasis vulgaris were evaluated clinically and histologically before and after treatment with potent topically administered steroids. It was shown that psoriatic plaques are comprised of clinically and histologically distinct acute and chronic areas, each responding differently to treatment. Chronic areas, characterized by chronic inflammation, respond well to therapy; acute areas, characterized by acute inflammation, are resistant to therapy. It is suggested that the psoriagenic stimulus is greater within the therapy-resistant "hot spots." Future therapy aimed at hot spots may aid in the better control of psoriasis.     

Cellular blue nevus ("melanocytoma") of the spinal meninges: electron microscopic and immunohistochemical features

A primary cellular blue nevus (melanocytoma) of the spinal canal in a 21-year-old woman is reported. Light microscopic examination revealed a melanotic neoplasm with histological patterns resembling schwannoma, dermal nevi, and neuroblastic-like tumor. The ultrastructural features of the neoplastic cells were similar to those in dermal blue nevi and melanomas. There was no evidence of arachnoidal cell differentiation. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive reactions for S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase in many cells and no reactions for glial fibrillary acidic protein, cytokeratins, epithelial membrane antigen, 70-kD neurofilament protein, or Leu-7. Vimentin was strongly positive in the melanocytic cells as well as in the arachnoidal cells of involved meninges. The ultrastructural and immunohistochemical features support the nevoid nature of this tumor, which is frequently mislabeled as "melanotic meningioma."