Plasmodium vivax and P. chabaudi: inter-species cross-reacting antigens

A monoclonal antibody raised by immunization of BALB/c mice with erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium vivax was shown to react with asexual erythrocytic stages of P. chabaudi. The cross-reactivity molecules are antigens of 200 and 148 kDa in P. vivax and of 190 and 70 kDa in P. chabaudi. Immunofluorescence studies of the erythrocytic stages of P. vivax and P. chabaudi indicated that expression of these antigens increased as the parasites' developed from the ring stage to the schizont stage. In the mature trophozoites of P. chabaudi, immunoelectron microscopy revealed clusters of antigen distributed in the cytoplasm of the parasitized erythrocyte. In the schizont, packets of antigen were found associated with the parasitophorous vacuole and the cytoplasm of the infected host cell. Received: 19 March 1996 / Accepted: 28 August 1996     

Tire explosion injuries to the upper extremity.

Several articles have been published that bring attention to the destructive potential of tire explosions. Although the severity of tire explosion injuries to the head and neck region is well established, only one previous article has reported injuries to the upper extremity. Fourteen patients with upper extremity tire explosion injuries have been treated by us from 1980 to 1988. Each injury was caused by single-piece wheel assemblies, as opposed to multipiece wheel assemblies, which have traditionally been associated with the injury. Three representative patient reports are discussed. Prevention of this injury can be achieved by increased public awareness, formal industrial safety training, tire servicing with dedicated equipment including restraining devices or barriers, complete evaluation of wheel/tire serviceability before tire mounting, separation of servicing of single and multipiece wheels, and complete tire deflation before servicing.     

Taylor-type focal cortical dysplasia: is the epilepsy always resistant to medical treatment?

Patients with Taylor-type focal cortical dysplasia (TTFCD) generally present with medically intractable epilepsy and impaired neurological and/or intellectual functioning. Surgery usually proves to be the only treatment approach leading to control of seizures. We describe a 17-year-old girl with TTFCD who exhibited a very long period of seizure remission. Combined clinical and neuroimaging findings were compatible with a diagnosis of a balloon cell-subtype TTFCD. As for the clinical course, partial motor seizures began at one year of age and ceased at five: our patient has had no seizure recurrence over a 12-year-follow-up. Moreover, throughout the 15-year follow-up, neurological examinations and cognitive abilities always remained within normal limits. Neuropsychological assessment clearly showed no impairments in executive functions: planning abilities, working memory, attention and impulse control, or constructive aspects of motor coordination. The predominant deficits pertained to verbal abilities in the context of borderline intellectual performances. To our knowledge, this case report documents the longest duration of seizure remission in a patient with TTFCD, thus emphasizing the possible benign course of such dysplastic lesions which usually have a poor prognosis, leading to early surgical treatment.