Another example of haemopoietic (twin) chimaerism in a subject unaware of being a twin.

A fourth human blood group chimaera studies in Birmingham is an example of haemopoietic (twin) chimaerism in which the subject was unaware of being a twin. Chimaerism was discovered during routine antenatal serological investigation in which it was shown that the proposita has two red cell populations, one of the rhesus genotype rr, and the other R1r. Further studies showed that she has two populations of lymphocytes, one with the female karyotype, 46XX, and the other with the male karyotype, 46XY. Skin fibroblasts were all 46XX.

Sarcoidosis presenting with diabetes insipidus followed by acute cranial nerve syndrome. A case report.

Diabetes insipidus in a previously healthy 16-year-old girl led to surgical exploration of a pituitary stalk intumescence detected by oxygen cisternography with the use of tomography. Biopsy of the pituitary stalk contained chronically inflamed brain tissue. Subsequent liver and bone biopsies showed characteristic granulomata, confirming the diagnosis of sarcoidosis. Subfrontal craniotomy was followed by a rapidly progressive basal meningoencephalitis with multiple cranial nerve involvement. The need to establish a causal diagnosis in diabetes insipidus is stressed. The rarity of the disorder and the presumed role of subfrontal craniotomy with regard to the flare-up of the sarcoidosis of the brain are discussed.