Activities of enzymes concerned with pyruvate and oxaloacetate metabolism in the heart and liver of developing sheep.

1. In order to assess whether the potential ability of heart ventricular muscle and liver to metabolise substrates such as alanine, aspartate and lactate varies as the sheep matures and its nutrition changes, the activities of the following enzymes were determined in tissues of lambs obtained at varying intervals between 50 days after conception to 16 weeks after birth and in livers from adult pregnant ewes: lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27), alanine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.2), pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40), pyruvate carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.1), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP)(EC 4.1.1.32), malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37), aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1) and citrate (si)-synthase (EC 4.1.3.7). 2. In the heart a most marked increase in alanine aminotransferase activity was found throughout development. During this period the activities of citrate (si)-synthase, lactate dehydrogenase and pyruvate carboxylase also increased. There were no substantial changes in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase, malate dehydrogenase or pyruvate kinase. Pyruvate kinase activities were five times greater in the heart compared with those found in the liver. No significant activity of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) was detected in heart muscle. 3. In the liver the activities of both alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase increased immediately following birth although the activity of alanine aminotransferase was lower in livers of pregnant ewes than in any of the lambs. As with alanine aminotransferase the highest activities of lactate dehydrogenase were found during the period of postnatal growth. No marked changes were observed in malate dehydrogenase or citrate (si)-synthase activities during development. A small decline in pyruvate kinase activity occurred whilst the activities of pyruvate carboxylase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (GTP) tended to rise during development.

Enzyme activities in the sheep placenta during the last three months of pregnancy.

In order to assess the extent to which metabolism within the sheep placenta may influence the transfer of metabolites between mother and foetus at different stages of gestation the activities of enzymes concerned with some aspects of carbohydrate, amino acid and keton body metabolism were determined in placental cotyledons resected from ewes during the last three months of pregnancy. The activities of pyruvate kinase (EC 2.7.1.40), lactate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.27), malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37), ATP citrate (pro-3S)-lyase (EC 4.1.3.8), citrate (si)-synthase (EC 4.1.3.7), acetyl-CoA synthetase (EC 6.2.1.1), acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.9) and 3-keto acid CoA-transferase (EC 2.8.3.5) per gram wet weight cotyledon do not change during the period studied. The activities of alanine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.2), aspartate aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.1), isocitrate dehydrogenase (NADP+) (EC 1.1.1.42), ornithine-oxoacid aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.13) and 3-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.30) show an increase in activity between the third and fourth months of pregnancy whilst the activities of arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) and possibly pyruvate carboxylase (EC 6.4.1.1) show an increase in activity between the fourth and final months of pregnancy. Ornithine decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.17) activity declines to one tenth of its activity during this later period. The absence of detectable activities of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (EC 4.1.1.32) and ornithine carbamoyltransferase (EC 2.1.3.3) indicate that gluconeogenesis and urea synthesis from ammonia do not occur in the sheep placenta. It appears that the ability of the placenta to metabolise several substrates is achieved by the time the placenta reaches its maximum size at approximately 90 days.

Phrenic neuropathy in arsenic poisoning.

A patient presented with acute arsenic neuropathy with asymmetric bilateral phrenic nerve involvement. The clinical and roentgenographic observations of phrenic nerve dysfunction were confirmed by prolonged phrenic nerve conduction time. The patient made a significant recovery with d-penicillamine therapy.

Neurological complications of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis.

Forty four cases of the neurological complications of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) seen in India during 1981 epidemic are reported. The disease predominantly affected adult males. The preceding attack of AHC, a latent period, prodromal symptoms of fever, myalgia and root pains followed by acute onset of lower motor neurone paralysis of limbs and/or cranial nerves formed the classical picture of neurological involvement. The recovery was poor and nearly half of the patients remained severely handicapped. Electrophysiological studies showed early appearance of widespread fibrillations and fasciculations, large polyphasic potentials of increased amplitude and reduced interference pattern. Nerve conduction studies were normal in most of the cases. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examination revealed lymphocytic pleocytosis and rise in protein content. Significant antibody titres against enterovirus type 70 (EV 70) were demonstrated in the serum and the CSF. HLA studies showed low occurrence of A2 and B15 HLA antigens. Muscle biopsies revealed neurogenic atrophy and sural nerve biopsies were histologically unremarkable. The similarities of this disease with poliomyelitis and its pathogenesis are discussed.

Vanishing CT lesions in epilepsy.

Experience with computed tomography (CT) in patients with epilepsy has drawn attention to specific type of cerebral lesions widely prevalent in this part of the world. The lesions disappear spontaneously while patients receive only anticonvulsant therapy. The exact nature of these lesions is not yet understood. One-hundred and twenty-two such patients (M 77; F 45) were studied. Their age ranged from 3 to 57 (mean 21.8 +/- 12.7) years. Seizures were partial motor in 86 (70.5%), generalised tonic clonic in 31 (25.4%), complex partial in 4 and atonic in one case. Postictal hemiparesis was seen in 6 patients who completely recovered within 5 min to 7 days. One hundred patients underwent EEG examination. It was abnormal in 84 cases; 40 patients showed localisation which correlated with CT findings. Plain CT showed low attenuation lesions in all cases. Morphology on contrast enhancement was ring lesion in 50 (40.9%), disc lesion in 47 (38.5%), target lesion in 3 (2.5%), mixed lesion in 2 (0.8%), no enhancement in 18 (14.8%) and a speck with oedema in 2 (0.8%) cases. All lesions were cerebral, present at cortical-subcortical junction. The first follow-up scan was performed in 78 (63.9%) patients within 6-12 weeks. It showed complete disappearance of the lesion in 47 (60.3%) cases. Reduction in size of the lesion and surrounding oedema was observed in 24 (30.8%) cases. The follow-up scans in these 24 cases revealed disappearance of lesion in 11 cases and almost complete resolution of the lesion with a remaining speck in 13 cases. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was normal in 95 out of 100 cases in which it was performed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acute cerebellar ataxia in enteric fever.

Acute cerebellar ataxia as an isolated neurological manifestation of enteric fever is very rare. Three cases of acute cerebellar ataxia associated with enteric fever are reported. The diagnosis of enteric fever was confirmed by positive blood culture, strongly positive Widal test and rising antibody titres. The major clinical features were rapid development of gait ataxia, limb ataxia and dysarthria. None of the patients had altered sensorium. The cerebellar involvement was noticed on the second or third day of fever which progressed for one to two days. The symptoms remained static for one to two weeks and thereafter all the patients showed gradual recovery in a few weeks. Acute onset of cerebellar lesion, self limiting course and cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis suggest par- or post-infectious demyelinating pathology in these patients, who were not related to each other.

Balint's syndrome following eclampsia.

A young female patient sustained bilateral parieto-occipital infarcts and presented with Balint's syndrome following treatment of eclampsia and caesarean section. Altered cerebral blood flow autoregulation and raised intracranial pressure due to eclampsia probably resulted in impaired cerebral perfusion and borderzone cerebral ischaemia in this patient. Careful reduction of blood pressure in patients with eclampsia is emphasized.

Cyclic esotropia with central nervous system disease: report of two cases.

Two cases of cyclic esotropia with associated central nervous system lesions are presented. One had a 48-hour cycle and the other a 24-hour cycle. In the first child, the condition developed after a third ventricular astrocytoma removal and in the second with the advent of an epileptiform disorder. Both were non-accommodative, non-paralytic in nature, and not associated with fusion disrupting factors. These patterns persisted uninterruptedly in one child for 22 months and in the other for more than 8 months until lost for follow-up.

Patterns of H-reflex abnormality in patients with low back pain.

H-reflex was studied in 43 patients with low back pain (including 20 patients with neurological deficit corresponding to S1 radix and 23 patients without deficit) and 20 control subjects. Among patients with neurological deficit the abnormality consisted of absent H-reflex (7 patients), increased H-latency (3 patients), reduced H/M maximal amplitude ratio (5 patients) or a combination of the latter two (2 patients). The H/M ratio was significantly reduced in this group as compared to control subjects and between affected and unaffected sides. Abnormal H-reflex correlated well with ankle jerk hypo- or areflexia, S1 sensory deficit and lumbar myelographic/CT abnormality. In 23 patients without deficit, increased H-latency and/or reduced H/M ratio was observed in 4 cases. Enhanced H/M ratio was noted in only 2 patients of this group. Use of H/M ratio seems to increase the sensitivity of H-reflex in the diagnosis of S1 radiculopathy.

Serum vitamin E estimation in patients of spinocerebellar degeneration.

Serum Vitamin E was estimated in twenty two consecutive patients of spinocerebellar degeneration. Serum vitamin levels were found to be normal in all these patients. Role of Vitamin E in spinocerebellar syndrome is discussed.

Painless electrodiagnostic current perception threshold and pain tolerance threshold values in CRPS subjects and healthy controls: a multicenter study.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate both painless and painful sensory transmission in patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) using the automated electrodiagnostic sensory Nerve Conduction Threshold (sNCT) test. This test generates reliable, painless Current Perception Threshold (CPT) and atraumatic Pain Tolerance Threshold (PTT) measures. Standardized CPT and PTT measures using constant alternating current sinusoid waveform stimulus at 3 different frequencies 5 Hz, 250 Hz, and 2 kHz (Neurometer CPT/C Neurotron, Inc. Baltimore, MD) were obtained from CRPS subjects at a distal phalange of the affected extremity and at an ipsilateral asymptomatic control site. Matched sites were tested on healthy subjects. Detection sensitivities for an abnormal PTT and CPT test were calculated based on specificity of 90% as determined from data obtained from healthy controls. A Spearman rank correlation was used to test for a significant association between presence of allodynia and an abnormal PTT or CPT at any frequency tested. Thirty-six CRPS subjects and 57 healthy controls were tested. The highest detection sensitivity of the PTT test from symptomatic test sites was 63% for the finger and 71% for the toe. PTT abnormalities were also detected, to a lesser degree, at the asymptomatic control site (41% finger control site, 16% toe control site). The highest CPT detection sensitivity at the symptomatic site was 37% for the finger site and 53% for the toe site. CPT abnormalities were also detected at the asymptomatic control site (29% finger control site, 37% toe control site). Eighty-six percent of the CRPS subjects had either a PTT or CPT abnormality at any frequency at the symptomatic site. There was a significant correlation between presence of allodynia and presence of an abnormal CPT and PTT, respectively (P < .01). The correlation coefficient was lower for CPT than for PTT, ie, 0.34 versus 0.6 for the finger and 0.48 versus 0.67 for the toe, respectively. In studied CRPS patients an abnormal PTT was detected with higher sensitivity than an abnormal CPT. Assessing PTT may become a useful electrodiagnostic quantitative sensory test for diagnosing and following the course of neuropathic pain conditions.

A new approach to motor unit estimation with surface EMG triggered averaging technique.

A new method for estimating the number of motor units using a surface EMG triggered averaging technique is described. This method provides an estimation of mean motor unit potential (MUP) amplitude at different levels of contraction, which can be utilized to estimate the number of motor units in a given muscle. Motor unit count estimated in abductor pollicis brevis (APB) muscle of 11 normal healthy subjects ranged from 131 to 371 with a mean of 246 +/- 68. In our preliminary study of patients with lower motor neuron lesions, there was a significant reduction in the number of motor units. We believe our new noninvasive method of motor unit counting is a relatively simple and reproducible physiological technique.

Cervical perineurial cyst, a red herring (case report).

Leprous mononeuropathy may present without demonstrable maculoanesthetical patches. A case is described in whom wasting of the right hand was initially attributed to C8 T1 entrapment radiculopathy caused by cervical perineurial cysts. On the basis of the benign nature of the perineurial cysts and questionable right ulnar nerve thickening, the patient was given a trial of anti-leprosy drugs. A follow-up clinico-electrophysiological evaluation favored the diagnosis of leprotic ulnar mononeuropathy.

C-reactive proteins, immunoglobulin profile and mycobacterial antigens in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with pyogenic and tuberculous meningitis.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 12 patients with pyogenic meningitis (PM), 19 with tuberculous meningitis (TBM), 20 with clinically suspected but not definitely proved cases of tuberculous meningitis (STBM) and 12 normal controls. C-reactive proteins, immunoglobulins G, A, M and mycobacterial antigens were estimated in the CSF samples. Seven out of 51 (13.7%) samples obtained from the patient groups were positive for CRP. Immunoglobulins M and A were significantly raised in the PM group. When the TBM and STBM groups were compared with the controls a highly significant increase was obtained for all immunoglobulins. Mycobacterial antigens/epitopes were identified in 36.8% samples with TBAGB1 and TB68-H monoclonals and in 26.3% with WTB72-A2. In case of patients with suspected TBM, 6.6% were positive with TBAGB1 and WTB72-A2 and 13.3% with TB68-H. However, non-tuberculous patients also reacted with WTB72-A2 (10.5%) and TB68-H (21.0%). This is, to the authors' knowledge, the first report on the presence of CRP in the CSF. Technique for immunoglobulins in CSF is also updated in this paper. We infer that the monoclonal antibody TBAGB1 and immunoglobulins G and A may be safely considered as diagnostic markers of TBM. Estimation of CRP in CSF samples may be made to give a preliminary or additional diagnosis of meningitis regardless of its aetiology.

Acquired aphasia with epilepsy--Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

Landau-Kleffner syndrome is characterized by long-lasting acquired aphasia associated with seizures and EEG abnormalities. Three new cases of this rare syndrome are reported from India.

Phrenic nerve conduction in leprosy.

Phrenic nerve conduction was performed bilaterally in 22 multibacillary (BL-LL) and 18 paucibacillary (BT-TT) leprosy patients and 25 control subjects. Prolonged phrenic nerve conduction time and/or reduced amplitude of diaphragm muscle action potential beyond 2.5 standard deviations of control mean values was observed in 9 BL-LL patients (4 bilateral) and 6 BT-TT patients (all unilateral). Out of the nine BL-LL patients with phrenic nerve involvement, median motor and/or sensory nerve conduction was also abnormal in seven patients. On fluoroscopy, diaphragm movements were normal in all patients. The study documents subclinical phrenic nerve involvement in leprosy--a fact not previously recognized.