Subacute measles encephalitis in an immunocompetent adult.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and subacute measles encephalitis (SME) are both rare complications of measles virus infection. SSPE typically affects immunocompetent children, has an insidious onset and follows a steadily progressive course. SME mainly occurs in immunosuppressed children and has a rapidly progressive course. We describe a 43 year old immunocompetent man who presented with a rapidly progressive fatal encephalopathy. Histological examination of the brain showed a meningoencephalitis with inclusion bodies. Complement fixing antibody to measles virus was present in his serum and CSF. Measles virus RNA was found in the brain, spinal cord and eye, but not in the CSF. Analysis of the nucleoprotein gene isolated from this patient did not show similarity to SSPE strains of the measles virus. This patient demonstrates that subacute encephalitis secondary to measles virus infection can develop in an immunocompetent adult host.

Simple regression model using an optode for the simultaneous determination of zinc and cadmium mixtures in aqueous samples.

An optical-fiber chemical sensor (optode) is described for the simultaneous determination of Zn2+ and Cd2+ mixtures using 2-(5-bromo-2-pyridylazo)-5-(diethylamino)phenol immobilized onto XAD-4 (Br-PADAP/XAD-4). A simultaneous analysis was achieved by using a single-wavelength kinetic approach coupled with a regression model. Here, the regression model was derived for the slope response of Br-PADAP/XAD-4 to binary mixtures of the metal ions, Zn2+ and Cd2+, at pH 8. The model was used then to predict the concentration of one metal ion while the other was kept constant. This was found to be reasonably successful for Zn2+ and Cd2+, with deviations of 3% and 10%, respectively. The sensor was also found to provide excellent sensitivity for both metal ions with excellent LODs (< 0.1 ppm) and very short analysis times (< 30 s).