Herpes simplex virus type 2 encephalitis in two homosexual men with persistent lymphadenopathy

Within a 5-month period, 2 homosexual men with persistent lymphadenopathy developed clinical findings consistent with herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis. These signs included abrupt change in mental status, seizures, cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis, and localized electroencephalographic abnormalities showing temporal lobe involvement. Intial computed tomographic scans were unremarkable. Treatment with adenine arabinoside was instituted and temporal lobe biopsies were performed. Although virus-specific antigens were detectable in only 1 patient, cultures of biopsy tissue from both patients yielded HSV type 2 organisms. Spiking fevers persisted and the patients failed to improve, prompting administration of acyclovir. Both patients recovered gradually after their second course of antiviral therapy and survived with severe neurological deficits. These patients should raise concerns about an increased incidence of type 2 encephalitic illness among homosexual men with persistent lymphadenopathy or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. In addition, the importance of using HSV type 2 antibody in the immunofluorescence test of brain biopsy tissue for rapid diagnosis of the disease is emphasized.     

Effects of temperature on identified central neurons that control jumping in the grasshopper

Grasshoppers, like many poikilotherms, are generally more active at warmer body temperatures. In particular, they jump more frequently when warm. To determine the neuronal basis of this increase in jumping activity, we investigated the effects of temperature on the properties of identified central neurons known to be involved in the control of the jump; these included the fast extensor tibiae (FETi) motoneuron and the C, G, and M interneurons. Heating did not result in a reduction in the current or voltage threshold for action potentials; in most cases, there was an increase in the current threshold with heating. At higher temperatures, the frequency-current relations of interneurons and motoneurons had steeper slopes. With strong current pulses, increasing the temperature resulted in an increase in the initial peak firing frequencies of central neurons and usually also in their steady state firing frequencies. A second temperature effect favoring increased CNS activity in warm grasshoppers was increased afferent input from the periphery. In a broad variety of sensory receptors, there was a dramatic increase in their sensitivity to sensory stimuli at both threshold and suprathreshold intensities. Various identified central neurons differed in the way in which some of their properties were influenced by temperature. The C and G interneurons showed a striking similarity in the unusual way in which their repetitive firing properties were influenced by heating. Since these neurons are sibling progeny of a single neuroblast, this shared physiological property is correlated with their developmental history.     

Serum beta2-microglobulin in the assessment of renal function.

This study was undertaken to compare the serum beta2-microglobulin (beta2-m) as a test of renal function with the plasm creatinine and the glomerular filtration rate as estimated by the 24 hour endogenous creatinine clearance and the single injection 51Cr EDTA clearance method. Of the 33 patients with a variety of renal diseases and the four healthy volunteers studied, an excellent correlation was found between the serum beta2-m concentration (measured by radioimmunoassay) and the plasma creatinine, the creatinine clearance and the 51Cr EDTA clearance. When a more simple and less expensive method becomes available for the measurement of serum beta2-m it could prove a useful test of renal function. The assay of beta2-m in the urine could prove valuable for assessing whether proteinuria is glomerular or tubular in origin.     

WHO collaborative study on the sero-epidemiology of rubella in Caribbean and Middle and South American populations in 1968

Knowledge of the rubella antibody profiles of female populations of various ages and in various geographical areas is essential for an intelligent and effective administration of rubella vaccine. The investigation reported was undertaken to extend a previous WHO collaborative study to include additional areas of the Americas. As in the other mainland areas included in the earlier study, the presence of rubella haemagglutination-inhibiting antibody was found to be a likely event in over 80% of the females of child-bearing age in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, urban Peru (Lima) and Uruguay. Antibody rates were significantly lower in Jamaica, Panama, rural Peru and Trinidad. These data confirm and extend earlier findings of low levels of rubella immunity in certain island or isolated populations.     

"Big" insulin and the treatment of an islet cell carcinoma with streptozotocin

Total plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and percentage “big” insulin (proinsulinlike material) were measured in a patient with an inoperable islet cell carcinoma who did not improve clinically after streptozotocin administration. Prior to the streptozotocin, the total IRI rose with administration of tolbutamide, and the percentage of “big” insulin remained constant. After intravenous glucose there was little change in plasma IRI, but a substantial rise in the percentage of “big” insulin occurred. The administration of streptozotocin was acutely associated with hypoglycemia, a slight increase in total IRI, and no change in the percentage “big” insulin. With chronic administration and extension of the disease, the total IRI and percentage “big” insulin rose progressively. It is concluded that the percentage “big” insulin rises as loss of tumor differentiation occurs and that changes in the percentage of “big” insulin after streptozotocin may give an early indication of likely response to streptozotocin.