A Disseminated Cryptococcus gattii VGIIa Infection in a Citron-Crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea citrinocristata) in Québec, Canada.

Cryptococcus gattii infection in mammals and birds has been confined historically to tropical and subtropical regions in Australia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. Since the early 2000s, numerous reports describe the emergence of C. gattii on the Pacific Coast of North America.

Congenital urethral stenosis in a male miniature piglet.

A 2-month-old male miniature pig showed progressive abdominal pain, pollakiuria, and stranguria that progressed to complete urinary obstruction. Postmortem examination revealed idiopathic urethral stenosis at the level of the recess, of probable congenital origin. Urinary tract malformations should be included in the differential diagnosis of miniature piglets with urinary disorders.

Retinal pigment epithelium function in alopecia areata.

Electroretinography (ERG) and electro-oculography (EOG) were performed in 98 patients affected by alopecia areata (AA) free from ophthalmologic disorders, and in 40 healthy subjects, in order to evaluate whether or not the retinal pigment epithelium of AA patients shows bioelectrical changes. ERG was normal. EOG, on the contrary, showed a significantly depressed mean value in the AA patient group.

Transient optic neuropathy secondary to MOPP chemotherapy in Hodgkin's disease: report of a case.

The authors describe a case of optic neuropathy in a child undergoing MOPP chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease stage IIISA. Visual acuity improved after substitution of the aforementioned regimen with ABVD chemotherapy, and reached 1 during maintenance therapy with vinblastine. Various neurologic deficits have been ascribed to vincristine, a well-known neurotoxin.

Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in early and late CNS changes due to antileukemia treatment in children. Preliminary report.

VEPs were examined in ALL patients in order to test their usefulness in the detection of early and late CNS changes due to combined cranial X-irradiation and chemotherapy. The results suggest that: a)in patients free from self limited somnolence syndrome and visual symptoms, the VEP latency may be increased, probably because of early subclinical CNS changes due to cranial irradiation. b)late CNS changes (detected by routine neurological examination, EEG and CAT) seem to be correlated with increased VEP latency, even in the absence of visual symptoms.

Multivariate analysis of visual evoked response.

The visual potentials evoked by flash are analyzed in healthy subjects in cases of retinal detachment, of optic nerve lesions, and of amblyopia by means of different statistical methods: 1. Analysis of the various features of the response, evaluated separately 2. Analysis of the interdependence between the measures of the various features The first method supplies information on the differences in 'size' of the curves in the various samples, the second method reveals differences of 'shape'.