CT scan in psychiatry. A review of the literature.

Since its advent, CT scan has been used extensively as an investigatory tool for many psychiatric illnesses. This paper reviews the main literature data concerned with CT scan studies in five different diagnostic groups: schizophrenia, affective disorders, alcoholism, dementia and Huntington's chorea. Measurements of central atrophy, cortical atrophy, cerebellar atrophy and density will be particularly emphasized. Factors that may be responsible for such pathological findings will be discussed.

Intravenous fat tolerance in hepatic schistosomiasis.

The elimination rate of lipid after a single intravenous dose of an artificial fat emulsion was studied in 13 schistosomal patients and 13 controls. A strikingly significant lower level was found in the mean incremental values of TG ten minutes after injection in the schistosomal patients than the controls. The shape of the curve up to 120 minutes after injection was of zero order in the controls but exponential in the schistosomal patients. The possible factors responsible for these differences are discussed.

Thyroid function in hepatic schistosomiasis.

Serum thyroxine (T4), serum tri-iodothyronine (T3-uptake) and the free thyroxine index in 17 men suffering from hepatosplenic schistosomiasis did not differ significantly from those of ten healthy male controls. There was no correlation between these values and serum protein levels or liver function tests.

Comparative study of the hypoglycaemic and antilipolytic effects of four antidiabetic agents administered i.v.

The effects of i.v. administration of equipotent doses of glycodiazine, glibenclamide, desaglybuzol and glydiazinamide on the level of blood sugar and plasma free fatty acids (FFA) have been assessed in 30 diabetic patients and 24 healthy controls. Glibenclamide proved to have the most potent hypoglycaemic effect in diabetics. The decrease in blood sugar level was less sustained after glycodiazine as compared with the other three drugs. This is due mostly to differences in dynamics of insulin secretion. Glibenclamide also proved to have pronounced and most sustained antilipolytic action. In contrast, desaglybuzol, like phenformin (a biguanide), failed to cause a drop in the level of plasma FFA and hence can be recommended in obese diabetic patients.

Cell mediated immune (CMI) responsiveness to soluble egg antigen (SEA) and its relation to the occurrence of schistosomal hepatosplenic disease in patients with schistosomiasis mansoni.

The delayed intradermal test and migration inhibition tests were used to assess the delayed hypersensitivity in patients with BHF and simple intestinal bilharziasis using SEA. All bilharzial patients gave a positive intradermal test. The specificity of the intradermal test using SEA is demonstrated clearly by the negative response in all control groups.