Neuroradiological features of intracranial and intraorbital meningeal haemangiopericytomas

The neuroradiological features of six intracranial and one intraorbital haemangiopericytomas (HP) are reviewed. CT was performed before and after IV contrast medium in 5 patients. In 2 patients MRI was performed before and after contrast medium; in another, only unenhanced images were obtained. Five patients were studied by selective external and internal carotid artery angiography. Women constituted 5 of the 7 patients, and the mean age was 50.5 years, thus the sex and age distribution did not differ from that of typical meningiomas. Contrary to previous reports, calcification was present in two of the intracranial HP, and bone erosion was clearly seen in one intracranial HP and the orbital lesion. On MRI the tumours showed no differences from angioblastic meningiomas. All 6 intracranial HP were aggressive; all recurred following treatment and extracerebral metastasis occurred in one case.     

Helical computed tomographic angiography in penetrating neck trauma

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of helical computed tomographic angiography (HCTA) to detect vascular injury in penetrating neck trauma. Thirty-five patients (30 gunshot wounds and 5 stab wounds) were studied prospectively with HCTA. Scans were performed with a 5-mm slice thickness at a 1:1 pitch after injection of 90 ml of nonionic contrast medium (30-second delay) at 3 ml/sec. Results were compared with those for angiography (29), surgery (3), ultrasound (2), and local inspection (1). HCTA correctly revealed 19 normal and 10 abnormal studies. In 8 cases, HCTA revealed irregular vessel margins (3), contrast extravasation (2), lack of vascular enhancement (1), and caliber changes (2). In 2 patients, HCTA revealed indirect signs of injury only. In 6 cases, HCTA findings did not correlate with angiography. HCTA detects both direct and indirect signs of vascular injury. Although indirect findings are more sensitive, the direct evaluation of vessels increases the specificity and has a high negative predictive value.     

Labyrinth Exploration, Emotional Reactivity, and Conditioned Fear in Young Roman/Verh Inbred Rats

An inbreeding program has been carried out with the Swiss sublines of Roman high- and low-avoidance rats since 1993. The present study reports the first experiments conducted with young animals of those inbred strains (RHA-I/Verh and RLA-I/Verh, respectively) from the sixth and seventh inbreeding generations. The results confirmed expected behavioral profiles. Compared to the RHA-I/Verh strain, RLA-I/Verh rats showed decreased entries into the illuminated central arena of an hexagonal tunnel maze, as well as decreased spontaneous locomotor activity and increased defecations, in two independent experiments. Young RLA-I/Verh females explored less than did their RHA-I/Verh counterparts during session 1 of a conditioned-fear experiment preceding shock administration, and in session 2 (conducted 24 h after the application of three footshocks), they showed greater conditioned behavioral inhibition (i.e., reduced amount of rearing), as well as higher defecation scores, than did RHA-I/Verh females.Karl Bättig tragically and unexpectedly died on December 27, 1996     

Cerebrospinal fluid purine metabolites after complex febrile convulsions

Adenosine monophosphate, inosine monophosphate, inosine, adenosine, guanosine, adenine, guanine, hypoxanthine, xanthine and uric acid were determined in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 15 children after complex febrile seizures (CFS) and in 27 after simple febrile seizures (SFS), and compared with those in a control group of 63 children. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for any of these metabolites, suggesting that CFS and SFS neither significantly disturb the metabolism of nucleotides, nucleosides or bases nor significantly deplete neuron adenosine triphosphate levels.     

Continuous epidural infusion of racemic methadone results in effective postoperative analgesia and low plasma concentrations

PURPOSE: To compare two protocols of epidural administration of racemic methadone for postoperative analgesia (continuous infusion and intermittent bolus), focussing on plasma concentration, analgesic efficacy and side effects. METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing abdominal or lower-limb surgery were randomly assigned to two groups in a prospective double-blind design. The continuous infusion patients (n=60) received initial doses of 3 to 6 mg followed by 6 to 12 mg by continuous infusion over 24 hr. The bolus administration patients (n=30) received repeated boluses of 3 to 6 mg of racemic methadone every eight hours. Pain intensity was assessed on a visual analog scale. Amount of supplementary analgesia was recorded, as was the incidence of side effects. Plasma methadone concentrations were determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Treatment was continued for 72 hr. RESULTS: Pain relief was good and comparable in both groups throughout the three days of treatment. No accumulation of plasma racemic methadone was observed in either group, although the concentrations were significantly higher in the bolus group. Miosis was significantly more frequent in the bolus group. CONCLUSION: Plasma methadone concentrations were significantly lower with continuous infusion. Plasma methadone accumulation, which is considered the main disadvantage for its purported influence on the incidence of side effects, did not occur at the doses used over the three days of treatment that we report.     

Pineal response after pyridoxine test in children

Summary To characterize the pineal response to pyridoxine, plasma melatonin was measured in one hundred and twenty children 3 hours after vitamin B₆ administration. The children, aged between 1.5 and 8 years, were divided in four groups as follows: a) control day group, grouping 27 children sampled at 9:00 and at 12:00; b) control night group, grouping 29 children sampled at 21:00 and at 24:00; c) pyridoxine day group, grouping 30 children sampled at 9:00, then intravenously (i.v.) injected with 3mg/kg of pyridoxine, and sampled at 12:00; and d) pyridoxine night group, grouping 34 children sampled at 21:00, i.v. injected with 3mg/kg of pyridoxine, and sampled at 24:00. Melatonin concentration was measured by radioimmuno assay. The data obtained showed a significant increase in melatonin levels after pyridoxine administration in the pyridoxine night group (39.87 ± 8.02pg/ml basal vs 88.45 ± 9.21 pg/ml after pyridoxine, p < 0.001). The other groups did not showed significant differences in melatonin concentrations. Statistical analysis shows that the administration of pyridoxine during the nocturnal hours represents a stimulating factor to increase the pineal production of melatonin in children.     

Patterns of calcifications and cholangiographic findings in hepatobiliary tuberculosis

The radiologic findings on conventional examinations (plain films and cholangiograms) in a large group of patients with proven hepatobiliary tuberculosis are reviewed. The plain film findings of large chalky and confluent hepatic calcifications or nodal-type calcifications along the course of the common bile duct are suggestive of hepatobiliary tuberculosis. Small, discrete, scattered calcifications may be mimicked by histoplasmosis but can be differentiated from hepatobiliary tuberculosis. Obstructing defects seen on cholangiography are indicative of tuberculosis when adjacent calcifications are present. The patterns of liver calcifications could provide a clue to the diagnosis of hepatobiliary tuberculosis and its differentiation from liver calcifications of various other etiologies.     

Colonization of America by Drosophila subobscura: Experiment in natural populations that supports the adaptive role of chromosomal-inversion polymorphism

North America and South America have recently been colonized by the Palearctic species Drosophila subobscura. This double colonization offers a rare opportunity for evolutionary studies. Correlations between chromosomal arrangement frequencies and latitude were calculated for the colonizing populations. Signs of these correlations are highly coincident with those found in the Old World. These results provide experimental support for the adaptive value of the chromosomal-inversion polymorphism; historical and other nonadaptive explanations are thus excluded or relegated to a secondary role.