Intracranial calcification, retinopathy, and osteopenia: a new syndrome?

We describe two brothers with bilateral exudative retinopathy, intracranial calcifications, a sclerotic bony disorder, and normal intelligence. The younger brother also has osteopenia, mild splenomegaly, and pancytopenia. We review the literature with emphasis on the unique features of these patients.

The effects of a continuing medical education programme in interpersonal communication skills on doctor practice and patient satisfaction in Trinidad and Tobago.

This study investigates the effects of a brief training programme on the communication skills of doctors in ambulatory care settings in Trinidad and Tobago. Evaluation of doctor performance is based on analysis of audiotapes of doctors with their patients during routine clinic visits and on patient satisfaction ratings. A pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental study design was used to evaluate the effects of exposure to the training programme.

Advisory Committee: A Powerful Tool for Helping Decision Makers inEnvironmental Issues.

/ It has been suggested that the general public should be moreinvolved in environmental policy and decision making. It is important forthem to realize that they will have to live with the consequences ofenvironmental policies and decisions. Consequently, policy makers shouldconsider the concerns and opinions of the general public before makingdecisions on environmental issues.

[Current status of poisoning by ingestion of caustics: apropos of a series of 49 cases].

The authors report the history of 49 patients, admitted to an intensive care unit after a caustic or corrosive ingestion. This series follows a similar one, related in 1979. An update is made for early evaluation and management, based on patients classification in three groups: severe cases, moderate cases, mild cases.

[Current treatment of poisoning by ingestion of caustic substances].

Lesions by ingestion of corrosive substances had so far been treated at the time of sequelae. In the seventies several events modified deeply the epidemiology and the early care of these poisonings. At that time household products like highly concentrated basic and acid substances and oxidizing agents were distributed and led to an increase of the number and the severity of these intoxications.

In vitro regulation of the innervation pattern of quail muscle fibers by quail and mouse neurons.

Myoblasts from rudiments of slow and fast muscle, anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) respectively, of 9-day-old quail embryos were cultured in vitro for a period of up to 60 days in order to give rise to well-differentiated muscle fibres. These fibres were innervated by neurons from either quail or mouse embryo spinal cord and their innervation pattern was examined by the visualization of acetylcholine receptors (ACh-R) and of acetylcholinesterase (ACh-E) activity at the neuromuscular contacts. In the culture system used, quail neurons always innervated muscle fibres at several sites and only when a fast-type activity was imposed on these neurons did a reduction in the number of the previously established neuromuscular contacts take place.

The visualization of apoferritin in the secretory pathway of vertebrate liver cells.

Electron microscopy has shown that normal mouse liver cells contain abundant cytosolic and lysosomal holoferritin but none in cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). This does not mean that ferritin is absent from the secretory pathway, since the low contrast of apoferritin and ferritin containing little iron makes it difficult to resolve using standard transmission electron microscopy. We hypothesized that treatment of permeabilized cells and cell fractions with iron should make apoferritin visible by converting it to holoferritin.

[Acute diltiazem (DTZ) poisoning. Survey of french poison control centers].

Unlabelled: The end-points of this study upon 134 cases reports by the french Poison Centers from 1979 to 1988 (10 years) were to specify the acute toxicity of diltiazem (DTZ). There were 83 self-poisonings in adults, with diltiazem alone (36 cases) or associated with other non cardiotoxic drugs (47), the doses of DTZ ranging from 300 to 5400 mg, and 51 acute accidental overdose in children, the doses of DTZ ranging from 60 to 420 mg. One case of hypotension was observed in a child, without rhythmic disorder, occurring twelve hours post-ingestion of 180 mg of DTZ.

Effects of electrical stimulation on molecular forms of butyrylcholinesterase in denervated fast and slow latissimus dorsi muscles of newly hatched chicken.

The effects of denervation and direct electrical stimulation upon the activity and the molecular form distribution of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) were studied in fast-twitch posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) and in slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) muscles of newly hatched chicken. In PLD muscle, denervation performed at day 2 substantially reduced the rate of rapid decrease of BuChE specific activity which takes place during normal development, whereas in the case of ALD muscle little change was observed. Moreover, the asymmetric forms which were dramatically reduced in denervated PLD muscle were virtually absent in denervated ALD muscle at day 14.

Role of nerve and tension in maturation of posthatching slow-tonic muscle in chicken.

The role of motor innervation and muscle tension in the posthatching maturation of the slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) muscle of the chicken has been investigated. Modification of the muscle tension was obtained either by maintaining ALD in a shortened state or by stretching, after or without denervation. In denervated as well as in innervated ALD, shortening resulted in atrophy and inhibition of developmental change in muscle fiber population.

Acetylcholinesterase in chick embryo latissimus dorsii muscles: effects of curarization and electrical stimulation.

The accumulation of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), the changes in AChE-specific activity and in AChE molecular form distribution were studied in slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and in fast-twitch posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscles of the chick embryo. From stage 36 (day 11) to stage 42 (day 17) of Hamburger and Hamilton, the AChE-specific activity decreased, while the relative proportion of asymmetric A 12 and A 8 forms increased. Repetitive injection of curare resulted at stage 42 (day 17) in a decrease in AChE-specific activity, in the accumulation of the synaptic AChE and in the expression of AChE asymmetric forms.

Change in motor neurone activity modifies the differentiation of a slow muscle in chick embryo.

Slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) muscle properties were studied following chronic spinal cord stimulation in chick embryo. Stimulation at a fast rhythm was applied from day 7, 8 or 10 of development until the end of embryonic life. When stimulation was applied from day 7 up to day 18 of development, ALD muscle exhibited at day 18 a large decrease in half time to peak of tetanic contraction, a large proportion of fast type II fibres and an increase in fast myosin light chain content as compared to control muscle.

Posthatching changes in levels and molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase in slow and fast muscles of the chicken: effects of denervation and direct electrical stimulation.

The evolution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and AChE molecular form distribution were studied in slow-tonic anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and in fast-twitch posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscles of chickens 2-18 days of age. In ALD as well as in PLD muscles, the AChE-specific activity increased transiently from day 2 to day 4; the activity then decreased more rapidly in PLD muscle. During this period asymmetric AChE forms decreased dramatically in ALD muscle and the globular forms increased.

Nicotinic and muscarinic responses of embryonic chick ventricular myocardium to acetylcholine: chronotropic and electrophysiological effects.

Sensitivity of 7-day-old chick embryo ventricular heart fragments to acetylcholine was investigated. Low doses mainly produced a positive chronotropic effect, whereas high doses of acetylcholine provoked a decrease in the heart beat rhythm. The positive chronotropic effect of acetylcholine was related to the presence of nicotinic receptors that were evidenced within ventricular myocardium by autoradiography.

[Innervation, activity rhythm and accumulation of myosin light chains in a fast muscle of chickens].

The fast posterior latissimus dorsi muscle (PLD) of the chick ceases to accumulate slow myosin light chains (MLC) during neonatal development. On day 18 of embryonic life slow MLC represented only 2% of total MLC, and LC3F was first detected. In chick embryo, spinal cord stimulation at a slow rhythm modifies PLD differentiation toward the slow type: LC3F did not accumulate and slow MLC increased.

Developmental changes in myosin isoforms from slow and fast latissimus dorsi muscles in the chicken.

In the course of muscle differentiation, changes in fibre-type population and in myosin composition occur. In this work, the expression of native myosin isoforms in developing fast-twitch (posterior latissimus dorsi; PLD) and slow-tonic (anterior latissimus dorsi; ALD) muscles of the chick was examined using electrophoresis under nondissociating conditions. The major isomyosin of 11-day-old embryonic PLD comigrated with the adult fast myosin FM3.

Effects of low and high frequency patterns of stimulation on contractile properties, enzyme activities and myosin light chain accumulation in slow and fast denervated muscles of the chicken.

The effects of denervation and direct stimulation in fast and slow latissimus dorsii muscles were investigated in chicken. In slow ALD muscle, denervation resulted in an incompleteness of the relaxation, a decrease in MDH and CPK activities and an increase in fast myosin light chains (MLC) accumulation. Direct stimulation at either fast or slow rhythm prevented the effects of denervation on relaxation and CPK activity but was ineffective on MDH activity and fast MLC accumulation.

Effects of electrical stimulation upon post-hatching development of fibre types in normally innervated fast and slow latissimus dorsii muscles of the chicken.

In chicken, the main characteristic properties of muscle fibre types in slow anterior (ALD) and fast posterior (PLD) latissimus dorsii are acquired during post-hatching development. At day 4 it becomes possible to distinguish between alpha' and beta' fibre types in ALD muscle. At the same time, mATPase staining and NADH-TR activity permit recognition of alpha w and alpha R fibres within PLD muscle.

Effect of spinal cord stimulation on the metabolism of developing latissimus dorsii muscles in chick embryo.

Influence of chronic spinal cord stimulation upon some characteristic enzyme activities of energy metabolism was investigated in slow anterior (ALD) and fast posterior (PLD) latissimus dorsii muscles of the chick embryo. During embryonic life, oxidative metabolism (as evaluated by the activity of malate dehydrogenase (MDH] represents the main energetic pathway in both slow and fast muscles. At the end of embryonic life, an increase in anaerobic (as evaluated by the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH] and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activities occurs in PLD muscle.

Effects of denervation and direct electrical stimulation upon the post-hatching differentiation of posterior latissimus dorsi muscle in chicken.

The influences of denervation and of direct electrical stimulation of denervated muscle upon the post-hatching differentiation of fibre types in the fast avian muscle posterior latissimus dorsi have been investigated. Denervation inhibits the normal decrease in number of muscle fibres exhibiting acid-stable myofibrillar ATPase activity and leads to weak oxidative activity in all the fibres. Direct stimulation at a low rhythm of denervated muscle induces the normal decrease of fibres exhibiting acid-stable myofibrillar ATPase but does not allow the occurrence of normal oxidative activity pattern.

Influence of spinal cord stimulation upon myosin light chain and tropomyosin subunit expression in a fast muscle (posterior latissimus dorsi) of the chick embryo.

Latissimus dorsi muscles of the chick consist of a slow (ALD) and a fast (PLD) muscle. The influence of chronic spinal cord stimulation in the chick embryo upon the expression of myosin light chains and tropomyosin subunits was investigated. Early in development the two muscles exhibited the same ratio of alpha- and beta-tropomyosin subunits.

Influence of neurons on the occurrence of fibre types and myosin light chains in cultured presumptive slow and fast myoblasts.

Myoblasts from 9-day-old quail embryo slow anterior latissimus dorsi (ALD) and fast posterior and latissimus dorsi (PLD) muscles were co-cultured with neurons. The presence of neurons allowed ALD-derived muscle fibres to express characteristic features of a slow muscle (occurrence of alpha' and of beta' fibres and predominance of slow myosin light chains). On the contrary, PLD-derived fibres did not differentiate into normal fast fibres (occurrence of alpha'-like fibres and absence of LC3f).

Developmental change in choline acetyltransferase activity in nerve endings of latissimus dorsii muscles in the chick embryo: influence of chronic spinal cord stimulation.

Choline acetyltransferase (CAT) activity of chick latissimus dorsii muscles was studied during embryonic development and at post-hatching states. CAT activity was always higher in anterior (ALD) than in posterior (PLD) muscles. At embryonic stages, chronic spinal cord stimulation at a low rhythm did not modify CAT activity in ALD nerve endings but caused a transient increase in PLD terminals.

Influence of chronic spinal cord stimulation upon differentiation of beta muscle fibers in a fast muscle (posterior latissimus dorsi) of the chick embryo.

The aim of this work was to study the influence upon differentiation of muscle fiber types of the multiple innervation induced in a fast muscle by chronic spinal cord stimulation. In previous work, we showed that low-frequency stimulation applied to the spinal cord of the chick embryo caused a distributed innervation of muscle fibers in the posterior latissimus dorsi (PLD). In normal development, some beta fibers differentiate within this muscle, the maximal number being attained by 14 to 15 days of embryonic development.