Organization of the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei in the hagfish, Eptatretus burgeri: a retrograde HRP study

We studied the trigeminal and facial motor nuclei of the hagfish by the retrograde HRP method. We distinguished 4 components in a single column of the motor nuclei of the trigeminal nerve and the facial nerve, viz., the pars magnocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVm), the anterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp1), the posterior part of the pars parvocellularis of the trigeminal motor nucleus (mVp2) and the facial motor nucleus (mVII). Although in Nissl preparations only the mVm could be distinguished from the rest of the nucleus, the boundaries of the other 3 components were clearly demarcated in HRP preparations. Intramuscular injections into two representative antagonistic jaw muscles revealed that there was no apparent topological organization of the neurons pertaining to the opening and closing muscles in the mVm and mVp1, but both antagonistic muscles were innervated bilaterally. Although the hagfish does possess a cartilaginous jaw, the organization pattern of the motor nuclei of the jaw muscles seems to be the most primitive of all living vertebrates.     

Invasion of the intracranial space by a malignant odontogenic mixed tumor: Report of a case

A case of an odontogenic tumor which invaded the intracranial space from the mandible is reported. Judging from the radiographic images it was similar to a malignant tumor. The patient died 17 years after the first visit. According to the final pathological diagnosis, it was malignant odontogenic mixed tumor of low grade which did not belong to any of the WHO classification.     

Anti-gal-C antibody in autoimmune neuropathies subsequent to mycoplasma infection

Four of 82 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and 1 of 12 with multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN), who previously had had Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections, had serum antibody to galactocerebroside (Gal-C). Two patients with GBS without mycoplasma infection also had anti-Gal-C antibody, whereas none of the normal or the disease controls had it. As Gal-C is a major glycolipid antigen in myelin, anti-Gal-C antibody may function in the pathogenesis of autoimmune demyelinative neuropathies. Mycoplasma pneumoniae appears to be an important preceding infectious agent in autoimmune neuropathies with anti-Gal-C antibody. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The use of frame fixation in the management of open distal extensor mechanism avulsion fracture in a dislocated knee

An avulsion fracture of the tibial tubercle is a common injury in traffic accident. If the fracture is closed, then a comparatively good prognosis can be expected through reinforcement of the bone via osteosynthesis and the use of artificial ligaments. In this case, an open wound was observed in the tibial tubercle, and the wound was so polluted that the healing process was significantly delayed. It was therefore difficult to provide simultaneous surgical treatment and so three operations were required to perform the reconstruction of the extensor mechanism. The reconstruction of extensor mechanism and the frame fixation between the patella and tibia was performed. Six months after the injury, the patient was able to walk without aid, had a range of movement from 5°to 130°, and did not show any indications of ADL disorder. Using this method of frame fixation between the patella and tibia proved to be an effective technique for the reconstruction of the open knee extension mechanism injury.     

Bleeding from foveolar hyperplasia developing on a gastrointestinal stromal tumor of the stomach

A 52‐year‐old Japanese woman who presented with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding underwent a proximal gastrectomy for a gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) with a foveolar hyperplasia at the apex of the tumor, 4.5 cm in size, located in the upper body of the stomach. Although GIST are often asymptomatic and are found only incidentally, clinical symptoms such as bleeding, abdominal pain, or obstruction, occasionally lead to a premorbid diagnosis. When submucosal tumors present GI bleeding, the source of the bleeding usually is an ulceration of the mucosa over the tumor. However, in the present study, it was thought that the bleeding originated from the region of foveolar hyperplasia.     

Neurons in monkey parietal association cortex sensitive to depth movement

We recorded neurons sensitive to depth movement from the inferior parietal lobule (area 7a) of alert behaving monkeys, and studied their response to changing sizes of retinal images and to changing binocular disparity. The size of the stimulus was changed by changing both the height and width of a slit in the same way, and the disparity change was produced by varying distances between a pair of polarized stimuli on a screen. Of 227 purely visual neurons recorded from 11 hemispheres of 7 monkeys, 32 neurons responded to the change of either the size or disparity, or both. Some of the neurons sensitive to size change could be activated by changing length on only one axis, but the optimal stimulus for most of them was a uniform change of size in all directions. The neurons sensitive to disparity change responded weakly to monocular stimuli, but showed clear selectivity in the direction of change of disparity when binocular stimuli were applied. We also found a group of depth movement sensitive neurons that responded maximally to the simultaneous change of size and disparity. This type of neurons may signal real depth movement by integrating the signals of size change and disparity change.     

The significance of CA-50, SLX and ST-439 in lung cancer]

Serum levels of CA-50, SLX and ST-439 were measured in 213 patients with lung cancer (92 adenocarcinomas, 63 squamous cell carcinomas, 37 small cell carcinomas and 21 large cell carcinomas) and 87 patients with benign lung disease. The overall positive rates in patients with lung cancer were 12.8% for CA-50, 29.7% for SLX and 25.3% for ST-439. The positive rates for CA-50, SLX and ST-439 in adenocarcinoma patients were 22.8%, 42.4% and 38.0%, respectively. Of the patients with benign lung disease, 4.8% were false positive for CA-50, 15.3% for SLX and 3.6% for ST-439. In the patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, the combination assay of CEA and ST-439 had a highly accurate rate (61.9%).     

Early seizures after acute ischemic stroke]

In order to determine predictive factors of early seizures (ES) after acute stroke and to estimate prognosis, we retrospectively examined clinical data of 1,743 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke. The subjects were divided into two groups; an ES group (19 patients) and a non-ES group (1,724 patients). Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the NIH-Stroke Scale score on admission (/10, OR, 1.1: 95% CI 1.04 to 1.13) and positive past history of cerebrovascular disease or brain injury (OR, 3.85: 95% CI 1.49 to 9.95) are significant factors to predict ES. There was no significant difference in the outcome between the two groups. A recurrence of seizures, after follow up for 4 to 40 months, was observed only in one patient with a history of ES.     

gamma-Aminobutyric acid enhances the tone of human internal anal sphincter.

The effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the human internal anal sphincter was investigated. Cumulative applications of GABA produced concentration-dependent contractions (10(-8)-10(-5) M) of the isolated human sphincter. Pretreatment with bicuculline (GABAA antagonist) turned them to relaxation. Muscimol, a GABAA agonist, induced concentration-dependent contractions (10(-8)-10(-5) M); however, baclofen (GABAB agonist, 10(-8)-10(-5) M) promoted concentration-dependent relaxation of the strips. These results suggested that both excitatory GABAA receptors and inhibitory GABAB receptors exist in the internal anal sphincter. Oral administration of sodium valproate (1600 mg/day), a GABA transaminase inhibitor, enhanced the anal canal resting pressure in 10 normal volunteers. Anal manometry showed a significant elevation in tonus without affecting amplitudes or frequencies. These results indicated that endogenous GABA, which was increased by sodium valproate, produced elevations in the anal canal resting pressure through its specific receptors in the human internal anal sphincter.