Epidural analgesia in an obstetric patient with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome.

We describe the use of epidural analgesia for vaginal delivery of a parturient with Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome in whom the use of repeated magnetic resonance imaging during her obstetric care allowed us to see deep haemangiomata. This also allowed the safe sitting of an epidural catheter at L1-2 to provide analgesia for labour and delivery. Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome and the anaesthetic implications of the congenital vascular abnormalities and potential coagulopathy are discussed.

A simplified method for measurement of desquamation using dansyl chloride fluorescence.

A fluorescence comparator has been used to assess quantitatively the skin fluorescence due to applied dansyl chloride. Experiments were performed demonstrating that measurements with the device had a low intra- and inter-observer error, with coefficients of variation of between 4% and 6%. Another experiment in which fluorescence photographic photometry was simultaneously performed showed that the comparator provided estimates of stratum corneum renewal similar to the more complex photographic technique.

The serological relationship of varicella-zoster virus to other primate herpesviruses.

The serological relationship between viruses producing varicella-like exanthems in several subhuman primates, varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and herpes simplex viruses (HSV) types 1 and 2, was investigated. All the primate viruses were related to VZV and some to HSV also. These results show that there is a group of varicella viruses, comprising four distinct entities, some of which may be useful for the establishment of an animal model for varicella.

Infection of guinea-pig embryo cells with varicella-zoster virus.

Varicella-zoster (VZ) virus has been shown to replicate in guinea-pig embryo (GPE) cells. When cell-free virus inocula were used, no infectious virus was liberated from these cells, either by freezing-thawing or ultrasonic disruption. However, cell-free virus was separated from GPE cells inoculated with infected human embryonic lung (HEL) cells.