Erythema induratum (Bazin's disease).

Four patients with erythema induratum (EI) have been diagnosed at the Dermatology Department within the past two years. All four patients had a history of recurrent painful nodules on their calves for at least three years before diagnosis. Three of the patients, all with positive Mantoux reaction to tuberculin skin tests, had neither a personal or family history of tuberculosis. The other patient who had a six year history of recurrent painful leg nodules developed a tuberculous breast abscess. There was a dramatic response to anti-tuberculous chemotherapy in all four patients but one subsequently had recurrent nodules which spontaneously subsided without further chemotherapy.     

Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue therapy for central precocious puberty. Long-term effect on somatic growth, bone maturation, and predicted height

The long-acting analogue of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone, D-Trp6-Pro9-NEt-LHRH (LHRHa), is effective in the short-term treatment of central precocious puberty. We report the results of two to four years of LHRHa therapy in 27 children with this disorder. Secondary sex characteristics regressed in most patients. Sex steroid levels and basal and LHRH-stimulated gonadotropin levels remained suppressed compared with pretreatment values. Linear growth rates decreased from 11.0 +/- 0.8 (SEM) cm/yr before treatment to 5.7 +/- 0.4 cm/yr at two years of treatment and 3.7 +/- 0.7 cm/yr at four years of treatment. Predicted heights by the Bayley-Pinneau method increased from 156.4 +/- 2.0 cm before treatment to 162.3 +/- 2.3 cm at two years and 163.4 +/- 2.4 cm at three years. Five patients treated for four years had a mean increase in predicted height of 5.5 cm. To date no adverse effects have been observed. However, the ultimate safety of this analogue is not known. We conclude that LHRHa appears to be an effective long-term therapy for central precocious puberty.     

Greenstick intercondylar fracture of the distal humerus. A case report

A greenstick intercondylar fracture of the distal humerus occurred in a 14-year-old boy. The minimal displacement and stability of the injury allowed early range of motion with healing in an anatomic position and restoration of the preinjury arc of motion.     

A novel G protein-coupled receptor kinase gene cloned from 4p16.3.

Within the Huntington's disease (HD) candidate region of 4p16.3, the D4S127 locus displays strong linkage disequilibrium with the defect and anchors a conserved haplotype found on many HD chromosomes. To isolate genes from this region we have applied the exon amplification technique to overlapping cosmids spanning D4S127. Here, we report the discovery of a new gene encoding a novel member of a family of protein kinases that specifically phosphorylate the activated forms of G protein-coupled receptors. Such kinases are thought to participate in desensitization of specific receptors, thereby blocking further signal transduction. This gene must now be carefully scrutinized to determine whether it might be involved in HD.     

Diagnosis of the acute ischaemic heart by ion elution from myocardium.

The post-mortem diagnosis of acute myocardial ischaemia may be difficult to establish in the absence of morphological changes in the myocardium or recent coronary thrombosis. Ischaemic cell injury leads to potassium (K) efflux and sodium (Na) influx and, if the blood is still circulating, the K:Na ratio of the tissue falls. In this study, the K:Na ratio was measured by eluting the ions from samples of myocardium and assaying the eluate. The method yields similar results to those obtained by a previous method, in which myocardial samples were homogenized. The K:Na ratios on samples of horizontal slices through the heart were plotted on maps of the slices. A low K:Na ratio corresponded to, but extended beyond, areas where there was morphological evidence of ischaemia. The method is simple and may be of use in routine practice.