Abnormal auditory evoked potentials in early infancy malnutrition.

Computer-averaged auditory evoked potentials were found to be abnormal in infants hospitalized because of severe malnutrition (marasmus). They improved as the infants' somatic growth improved during the course of treatment, but were still deviant at the time of discharge from the hospital and at subsequent outpatient follow-up. Abnormalities in evoked potentials may reflect a long-lasting effect of malnutrition on brain function.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in patients with myotonic dystrophy.

Gonadal function was studied in three post-pubertal siblings (two male and one female) and one unrelated male patient with myotonic dystrophy. The diagnosis was confirmed in all cases by electromyography and muscle biopsy. Basal levels of plasma immunoreactive LH, FSH, testosterone, and estradiol were measured. Hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal reserve and responsiveness were evaluated by clomiphene, LHRH, and HCG tests. Histologic examination of gonadal biopsies was also performed. The results showed that gonadal failure present in the four patients had different characteristics. In the same family, hypothalamic amenorrhea was observed in the female patient, and hypothalamic eunuchoidism and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism with marked tubular and leydig cells failure in the male patients. The non-related male patient had hypergonadotropic hypogonadism with tubular failure but with a compensatory leydig-cell hyperplasia. These data are interpreted as demonstrating different expressivity of the hypogonadism associated with the same inherited muscle disease.

Morphine-theophylline interaction: antagonism or facilitation?

1 Morphine-theophylline interactions were investigated in both acute and narcotic-dependent preparations, in vitro and in vivo, using four different experimental models: LD50 doses of morphine and naloxone in the mouse; naloxone-induced contractions in the electrically-stimulated and opiate-dependent isolated ileum of the guinea-pig; naloxone-induced jumps in the mouse; an calcium uptake in synaptosomal preparations. 2 The LD50 of morphine was significantly increased by theophylline. 3 The lethal effect of theophylline was potentiated by pretreatment of the animals with naloxone. 4 Theophylline displayed protective effects in the inhibitory response to morphine and antagonism to the withdrawal response induced by naloxone in the electrically-stimulated isolated ileum of the guinea-pig. 5 The number of jumps induced by naloxone in morphine-dependent mice was significantly diminished by theophylline. 6 The inhibitory effect of morphine on the synaptosomal uptake of calcium was decreased by theophylline. 7 The effects of both morphine and theophylline on the cyclic nucleotides and the possible role of calcium in these actions are discussed.

Hypothalamic hypogonadism in myotonic dystrophy.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis function was assessed in a postpubertal female patient with myotonic dystrophy and secondary amenorrhea. The results suggested a hypothalamic basis for the amenorrhea, confirming previous reports regarding the nature of gonadal failure in women with this multisystemic disorder.

[Sudden infant death syndrome]. / Síndrome de muerte súbita en la infancia

This report is based on a review of the present situation of the sudden infant death syndrome through the presentation of four cases studied at the Unidad de Pediatría, Hospital General de México, S.S.A. All cases were in apparent good health before death. All babies were less than ten months of age. In three cases, necropsy was not performed, and the other one did not show significant abnormalities at the post-mortem examination. A complete review of the literature was made including: historical, epidemiological, genetic, clinical and pathological aspects. Special emphasis is made on the pathophysiology of the syndrome during MOR phase of sleep and muscular hypertrophy of the lungs arteriolae suggesting chronic hypoxia which are the most relevant theories in the sudden infant death syndrome. Psychological aspects and the family management by the physician and detection of possible future victims of the syndrome are finally discussed.

Swine cysticercosis treated with praziquantel, a short report.

Swines with cysticercosis are a useful model to study human disease. A multidisciplinary approach was undertaken to study in detail the effect of praziquantel treatment on hosts and parasites. Computerised tomographic scans showed changes in the number and size of parasites in treated pigs. These changes were more apparent in muscle than in brain cysticerci. Neurophysiologic data were normal in cysticercotic pigs before and after drug treatment. An increase in antibody response was seen immediately after treatment regarding the amount of antibodies and number of antigens recognised. A lower number of polyploid lymphocytes was seen after treatment in cysticercotic pigs as compared to untreated pigs. At different times after treatment pigs were humanely euthanised. Oxygen consumption rate of cysticerci decreased after treatment and evagination was abolished. The inflammatory reaction that surrounded parasites increased in number and type of cells. This was more apparent around cysticerci obtained from muscle than from the brain.

Praziquantel treatment of porcine brain and muscle Taenia solium cysticercosis. 1. Radiological, physiological and histopathological studies.

Porcine Taenia solium cysticercosis, recognized as a model of the human disease, was used to analyze the effect of the anthelminthic drug praziquantel on hosts and parasites. The drug (50 mg/kg daily) was given over 15 days in the feed of 13 cysticercotic and 9 control pigs. Changes in the number, size and appearance of brain parasites were seen by computerized tomography immediately after the last dose of praziquantel, although not all cysticerci had disappeared by day 47 following the end of the treatment. Muscle parasites became small and hyperdense shortly after treatment and disappeared from tomographic images afterwards. No alterations were found in EEGs or in brain-stem auditory and somatosensory evoked potentials. Muscle cysticerci showed increasing degrees of degeneration with time after treatment, and an augmented inflammatory reaction was concomitantly observed. In contrast, more heterogeneous results were obtained in parasites lodged in the brain, since viable cysts and less intense inflammatory reactions were found in the brain at different times after treatment. Physiological evaluation of the parasites showed that evagination was inhibited immediately after treatment and that oxygen consumption decreased with time. The results of this investigation suggest that praziquantel damages cysticerci and that the inflammatory reaction destroys and eliminates them.

Apnea en el prematuro. / Apnea in the premature

Se revisaron los expedientes de 1.444 ninos recien nacidos de alto riesgo ingresados al Servicio de Neonatologia de 1975 a 1979 del Instituto Nacional de Pediatria.De ellos 425 presentaron apneas mayores de 15 segundos. Se seleccionaron 104 por reunir las variables propuestas, tanto con "apneas centrales" (no asociadas a patologias demostrables) como "apneas perifericas" con patologia cardiaca (CIV, PCA y otros) pulmonar (membranas hialinas, neumonias), hemorragia central, anemia, hipoglicemia, septicemia, hipocalcemia, hipo o hipertermia, crisis convulsivas, etc. A treinta de ellos se les hizo registro poligrafico durante el sueno y en 20 se dosificaron niveles de teofilina a las 2, 8, 12, 24 h y cada 24 h despues de la administracion del farmaco durante 10 dias. Se detectaron y trataron las causas de apnea periferica y en caso de persistencia se administro teofilina oral a 4 mg/kg/dosis cada 6 h durante 48 h primero, seguido de 2 mg/kg/dosis cada 6 h por 6 dias como sosten, con lo cual se mantuvieron niveles terapeuticos sin signos de toxicidad. El 51% requirieron tratamiento por 8 dias y 49% entre 9 y 180 dias; se retiro el medicamento hasta corroborar la desaparicion de apneas con estudio poligrafico. El grupo que requirio tratamiento a largo plazo tuvo en su mayoria patologia severa

Epilepsia con espigas y ondas continuas durante el sueño lento asociada a esquizencefalia de labio cerrado / Epilepsy with continuous spikes and waves during slow sleep

La actividad epiléptica (AE) está relacionada con el ciclo sueño vigilia. Se ha demostrado que la AE se incrementa durante las etapas II y III del sueño y disminuye o desaparece durante el sueño REM. En 1971 Patry y colaboradores describieron en niños el estado epiléptico eléctrico y subclínico inducido por el sueño, nombre que posteriormente fue cambiado por el de epilepsia con espigas y ondas continuas durante el sueño lento. Para confirmar el diagnóstico, el índice de espiga-onda debe ser mayor del 85/100