Spinal dysraphism and cavovarus foot deformity: a case report

Neurological impairment secondary to spinal dysraphism most commonly presents as unilateral cavovarus foot in children. The deformity usually develops in the growing child around the age of five or six. The presence of a cavovarus foot of unknown origin in a child should lead to a complete neurological examination, including an assessment of the spine for spinal dysraphism. The early recognition of pathology may prevent severe neurological sequelae. A case of lipomyelomeningocele is presented to illustrate that cord damage in children with spinal dysraphism can present initially as a cavovarus foot.     

"Triple incision plasty". A convenient procedure for preputial relief.

Circumcision is the accepted operation to treat phimosis. However, when the purpose is to achieve retractility of a narrow foreskin to avoid further scarring and phimotic development after recurrent balanitis, a preputial plasty might be sufficient. Several methods with single or multiple incisions have been introduced throughout the years. None of them seems to have gained general acceptance. Single plasties tend to give cosmetically unsatisfactory results with an apparent cleft or deformity, while the multiple ones, where the deformity is more or less spread around the circumference, are not always easily done, at least not in children. Still, circumcision seems to remain the standard procedure for preputial relief. A simple technique, where three longitudinal incisions are transversely sutured, is described. It has been used in a series of 63 consecutive patients with good results, and seems to offer a good compromise between simplicity and cosmetical demands.     

Exfoliation syndrome and extracapsular cataract extraction with implantation of posterior chamber lens.

Extracapsular cataract extraction followed by implantation of a one-piece posterior chamber polymethylmethacrylate intraocular lens (IOL) into the capsular bag was performed in 25 eyes with exfoliation syndrome and 20 control eyes. The patients were investigated preoperatively and then 1 day, 1 week, 3, 6 and 12 months after surgery. Preoperatively, maximal pupil dilatation was significantly smaller in eyes with exfoliation syndrome compared to controls. During surgery the incidence of complications such as ruptures of the zonule or posterior lens capsule, were higher in eyes with exfoliation syndrome. Furthermore, postoperative complications, such as fibrinoid reaction anterior to the IOL followed by posterior synechias and cell deposits, were more common in eyes with exfoliation syndrome compared to control eyes. The results imply that compared to control eyes, eyes with exfoliation syndrome are likely to present more complications both during extracapsular cataract extraction with implantation of intraocular lenses and postoperatively.     

Stimulation of insulin release is uncoupled from insulin biosynthesis in tumoral RINm5F cells.

RINm5F cells, an insulin-secreting subclone of a rat insulinoma cell line, were incubated in serum-free medium up to 24 hours in the presence or absence of glucagonlike peptide-1(7-36)amide in various concentrations, 3-isobutyl-1 methylxanthine (1 mM), choleratoxin (10 nM), carbachol (1 mM), and potassium (40 mM). Insulin release and biosynthesis were measured by the immunoreactive insulin content of the cells and the medium. Steady-state levels of insulin-specific mRNA were determined by Northern and slot blot analysis. Short-term insulin release is significantly stimulated by all secretagogues tested. A significant increase of insulin biosynthesis by any of the various secretagogues was not detectable on the peptide and mRNA level. Sodium butyrate (1 mM), a differentiating agent, increased insulin-specific mRNA levels in RINm5F cells after 72 hours. In conclusion, substances known to stimulate short-term insulin release in RINm5F cells do not stimulate insulin biosynthesis, indicating an uncoupling of insulin secretion and biosynthesis in these transformed beta cells.     

Epilepsy due to neurocysticercosis: analysis of 203 patients.

We reviewed clinical, EEG, and CT findings of 203 patients with epilepsy due to neurocysticercosis. Seizures were generalized in 121 patients and partial in 82. Thirty-two patients had focal signs and eight had papilledema. Eighty-one had generalized and 16 had focal EEG abnormalities. CT showed parenchymal brain calcifications in 53 patients and cysts in 150. There was an increased rate of focal signs in patients with single cysts as compared with patients with multiple cysts, and focal EEG abnormalities were present only in patients with single cysts. Fifty patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining 153 patients were followed for 28 +/- 6 months; of these, 31 had calcifications and 122 had cysts. Anticonvulsants were started after the first visit in every patient. The 31 patients with calcifications remained free of seizures. Ninety-five of the 122 patients with cysts were also treated with anticysticercal drugs; of these, 79 (83%) had control of seizures. In contrast, only seven (26%) of 27 patients who did not receive anticysticercal drugs had control of seizures, indicating a strong correlation between the use of anticysticercal drugs and seizure control. Finally, of the 21 patients in whom anticonvulsants were withdrawn, 16 had relapses.     

Early growth delay in diabetic pregnancy: relation to psychomotor development at age 4

Ninety nine consecutive insulin dependent and 101 non-diabetic pregnant women were examined by ultrasonograph to assess early fetal growth. In 42 of the diabetic mothers and three of the non-diabetic mothers the scan showed early intrauterine growth delay. At 4-5 years of age all children available for study were evaluated by the Denver developmental screening test. Only 23 of the 34 children of diabetic mothers with early intrauterine growth delay had normal test scores compared with 46 of the 50 children of diabetic mothers with normal intrauterine growth. The children failed in personal-social development, gross motor development, and particularly in language and speech development. Children of diabetic mothers with normal early fetal growth had scores very similar to those of the children of non-diabetic mothers, of whom 76 of the 86 tested had normal scores. This study suggests that children with a history of growth delay in early diabetic pregnancy should be screened for possible developmental impairment.