Motivated behavior and the estrous cycle in rats

(1) The estrous cycle in the rat may be used to study recurrent changes in motor behaviors and motivation which are strongly related to cyclic hormonal and CNS changes. (2) The peak in motivated behaviors occurs during a sharply defined period on the night between proestrus and estrus and is evident in facilitated wheel-running, lordosis, and intracranial self-stimulation. (3) Behaviors without a clearly motivated character do not show an estrous cyclicity. (4) The estrous cyclic variation in intracranial self-stimulation was observed at a specific locus — the pars campacta of the substantia nigra. (5) A neurochemical link between sexually motivated behavior, wheel running and intracranial self-stimulation is suggested. This link is in part dopaminergic but is probably also activated by many other systems.     

A Chinese adolescent girl with Fechtner-like syndrome

We describe a 15-y-old girl with Fechtner-like syndrome, who is the first Chinese reported to have this rare syndrome. She presented with left homonymous hemianopia and neuroimaging revealed haemorrhage in both parietal and occipital lobes. Peripheral blood smear showed macrothrombocytopenia and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies inside leucocytes. Thrombocytopenia and proteinuria responded to intravenous immunoglobulin and pulsed methylprednisolone. This case illustrates that life-threatening haemorrhage can occur in patients with Fechtner syndrome. Although there was no effective treatment reported in the literature, high dose steroid and immunoglobulin seemed to be useful in our patient. Our patient also had nephritic-nephrotic syndrome with renal insufficiency, which is unusual in adolescent female patients.     

Benign intracranial hypertension and recombinant growth hormone therapy in Australia and New Zealand

Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) is reported in three children from Australia and one from New Zealand, who were being treated with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH). Three males and one female, aged between 10.5 and 14.2 y, developed intracranial hypertension within 2 weeks to 3 months of starting treatment. A national database, OZGROW, has been prospectively collecting data on all 3332 children treated with rhGH in Australia and New Zealand from January 1986 to 1996. The incidence of BIH in children treated with growth hormone (GH) is small, 1.2 per 1000 cases overall, but appears to be greater with biochemical GHD (<10IUml ^-1), i.e. 6.5/1000 (3 in 465 cases), relative risk 18.4, 95% confidence interval 1.9-176.1, than in all other children on the database. The incidence in patients with Turner's syndrome was 2.3/1000 (1 in 428 cases). No cases in patients with partial GHD (10–20 IUml ^-1) or chronic renal failure were identified. Possible causative mechanisms are discussed. The authors'practice is now to start GH replacement at less than the usual recommended dose of 14IUm-² week^-1 in those children considered to be at high risk of developing BIH. Ophthalmological evaluation is recommended for children before and during the first few months following commencement of rhGH therapy and is mandatory in the event of peripheral or facial oedema, persistent headaches, vomiting or visual symptoms. The absence of papilledema does not exclude the diagnosis.     

Benefits and risks of antifibrinolytic therapy in the management of ruptured intracranial aneurysms

Summary One hundred patients with a verified subarachnoid haemorrhage were studied in a double blind, placebo-controlled trial at a single centre to determine the value and relative risks of tranexamic acid (TXA) in the management of ruptured intracranial aneurysms. The incidence of recurrent haemorrhage between active and placebo groups was identical (12%) and the mortality from recurrent haemorrhage was 7% and 5%, respectively. The overall incidence of cerebral infarction before surgery, at discharge and at 6 months follow-up was greater in the TXA group (27%) than in the control group (11%). Post-operative cerebral ischaemia was significantly more frequent in the active, 18 of 29 as compared to 6 of 32 patients, in the placebo group. In a fifth of the patients in whom cerebral blood flow was estimated there was a significant reduction of cerebral blood flow (CBF) on the side of the ruptured aneurysm in the TXA treated group. It is suggested that this may be the cause of the increased incidence of cerebral ischaemia in this group. There was no significant difference in the incidence of cerebral vasospasm, hydrocephalus, visual disturbances and gastrointestinal disturbances.More fatalities were encountered from ischaemia and recurrent haemorrhage in the TXA group but these differences did not reach statistical significance at the 5% level. Given that disability was due to either vasospasm or recurrent haemorrhage then a patient under TXA treatment was significantly more likely to have disability due to vasospasm (p<0.04); the reverse was true for the placebo patient (p<0.05).     

新生儿颅内出血的临床分析

目的 为探讨各种类型新生儿颅内出血的早期诊断方法，明确其临床特点与CT的关系。方法 对176例经CT证实有颅内出血新生儿的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果 176例患儿中缺氧所致123例(72．6％)，产伤21例(11．9％)，新生儿出血症22例(12．5％)，早产儿10例。患儿有意识障碍者156例(88．6％)，惊厥98例(55．68％)，肌张力改变113例(64．2％)，原始反射减弱或消失104例(59％)，贫血16例。CT示：SAH121例。占68．75％，为NICH最常见类型；SDH17例，IPH13例，IVH5例，混合性出血20例。结论 根据临床表现考虑NICH者应做头颅CT或头颅B超检查。Cr是确诊的最佳手段，能正确显示出血部位、范围、程度及区分各种类型，头颅B超对早产儿、低出生体重儿的IVH、IPH检出率高。     

Intracranial Extramedullary Hematopoiesis in β-thalassemia Major

A case of β-thalassemia major with a huge mass of hernatopoictic tissuc firmly attached tothe dura mater was reported This is the first case reported in China.     

经颅多普勒频谱参数与急性颅脑损伤患者颅内压的关系

目的探讨急性颅脑损伤患者的经颅多普勒频谱参数与颅内压的关系。方法应用TCD检测20例急性中、重型颅脑损伤患者双侧大脑中动脉,同时行颅内压监测。结果经颅多普勒频谱参数cf、PI、af、RI、ae均和ICP正相关,Vd、ac和ICP负相关,其中cf与ICP的相关系数最大。建立TCD相关参数与ICP的多元线性回归方程:ICP=0.312MAP-1.531Vd+21.437PI-15.059ac+38.722cf(P<0.001,R2=0.920估计值的标准差=4.0972mmHg)。结论经颅多谱勒频谱参数可以反应颅脑损伤患者的颅内压的改变。综合研究经颅多谱勒频谱参数、血压与颅内压的关系是应用经颅多普勒无创监测颅内压的方向。     

The forgotten lumbar puncture

Lumbar puncture is crucial in two distinct clinical situations in the diagnosis of the headache patient. The first is the patient who is suspected of having a symptomatic headache; the second is the patient with a chronic intractable or atypical headache disorder. This review discusses the usefulness of the lumbar puncture in the diagnosis of headache secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage, meningitis, and intracranial hypotension and hypertension. The value of lumbar puncture in the presence of a normal CT/MRI scan is discussed.     

Intracranial plasmacytoma: a case report

Multiple myeloma may have extraosseous manifestations in the cranial region. It may be a solitary intracranial tumour without any other signs of multiple myeloma, or intracranial disease may be a part of generalised disease, as in the present case. Our patient had received chemotherapy for multiple myeloma for 9 months, with good response. However, her condition suddenly deteriorated, with signs of increased intracranial pressure and a 5-cm-diameter tumour infiltrating the meninges and brain was found in the left temporal fossa. The radiological diagnosis, based on contrast-enhanced CT and angiography, was not straightforward or specific for plasmacytoma, as chemotherapy for the extracranial disease had been successful. Diseases such as meningioma, metastasis, lymphoma, chondrosarcoma or haemangioma had to be considered. Received: 1 November 1994 Accepted: 31 August 1995     

甘露醇治疗颅内高压症36例临床分析

本文收集36例各种病因引起的颅内高压病例，依据脑CT提示脑出血量及脑积水程度，脑脊液压力及患者生命体征的特征，分为经、中、重三种类型进行脱水治疗。治愈率86％，病死率13．8％。治疗中应注意防止肾衰、糖尿病以及低颅内压综合征的出现。