DNA sequence profile of TP53 gene mutations in childhood B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas: prognostic implications.

Objectives: The TP53 gene encodes a nuclear protein implicated in the regulation of the cell cycle, DNA repair, and apoptosis. TP53 mutations and other alterations have been described in numerous types of tumors, and some of these have been associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to characterize TP53 mutations in childhood B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, their correlation with clinical prognostic factors and response to therapy.

Burkitt-like lymphoma in an infant: a case report.

Childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, including Burkitt and Burkitt-like, are rarely diagnosed in infants. A case of B-cell lymphoma in a 13-month-old girl with extensive abdominal disease, ascites, pleural effusion, and tumor lysis syndrome is reported. Phenotypic analysis showed a germinal center B-cell phenotype, and a B-cell clonality was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction.

Blink reflex: comparison of latency measurements in different human races.

The blink reflex latencies and cephalometric indexes were analysed in 30 male volunteers from three different races, 10 white, 10 black, and 10 Oriental. Ages ranged from 15 to 59 years, height from 1,60 to 1,80 m, and weight from 60 to 80 kg. Blink reflexes were obtained after unilateral electric stimulation of the supraorbital nerve for quantitative analysis of 3 responses, early ipsilateral (R1), late ipsilateral (R2i) and late contralateral (R2c), obtained from the orbicularis oculi muscle.

The silent period in patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis.

Silent period was evaluated in 20 adult male patients with chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Readings were obtained by supramaximal stimulus to the median nerve, during maximum isometric effort of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle against resistance. Two types of abnormalities were observed, motor neuron hypoexcitability with elongated silent period, and motor neuron hyperexcitability with reduction or absence of silent period.

Blink reflex in end-stage-renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis.

This study analyses the blink reflex in 20 adult male patients with terminal chronic renal failure undergoing hemodialysis. Abnormalities were found in ten patients (50%), eight of them with conduction studies showing axonal peripheral neuropathy. Dialysis time was longer for patients with blink reflex alterations (median 55.

p53 gene analysis in childhood B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Context: Mutations or deletions in the tumor-suppressor gene p53 are among the commonest genetic changes found in human neoplasms including breast, lung and bowel cancers. In hematological malignancies, p53 is most often mutated in Burkitt's lymphoma, with p53 mutations present in 30 to 40% of tumor samples and in 70% of cell lines.

Objective: To analyze the p53 gene alterations in child patients with B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Effects of ethanol on human visual evoked potentials.

Studies of the effect of ethanol on human visual evoked potentials are rare and usually involve chronic alcoholic patients. The effect of acute ethanol ingestion has seldom been investigated. We have studied the effect of acute alcoholic poisoning on pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PR-VEP) and flash light visual evoked potentials (F-VEP) in 20 normal volunteers.

Morphological aspects of rabbit masseter muscle after cervical sympathectomy.

The objective of this paper was to study the effect of sympathetic innervation on morphological and histochemical aspects of skeletal muscle tissue. Rabbit masseter muscle was studied using histochemical and immunohistochemical methods for periods of up to 18 months post-sympathectomy. The morphological and enzymatic characteristics of control masseter muscles were similar on both the left and right sides.

Sudden bilateral deafness from hyperleukocytosis in chronic myeloid leukemia.

Sudden-onset bilateral deafness as a clinical manifestation of hyperleukocytosis in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a rare occurrence. We found only 27 clinical descriptions in 16 published papers. In this work, the authors present a review on deafness in CML and describe a new case with prominent hyperleukocytosis, where the neurological findings suggest slowing of the circulation through small blood vessels in the brainstem as the cause of deafness.

Multimodal evoked potentials and the ovarian cycle in young ovulating women.

There is controversy over how hormonal conditions influence cerebral physiology. We studied pattern-shift visual evoked potentials (PS-VEP), brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEV) in 20 female volunteers at different phases of the menstrual cycle (estrogen phase, ovulatory day and progesterone phase). Statistical analysis showed decreased latencies for P100 (PS-VEP), N19 and P22 (SSEV) waves in the progesterone phase compared with the estrogen phase.

Ulnar-to-median nerve anastomosis in the forearm. Review and report of 2 new cases.

The ulnar-to-median nerve anastomosis in the forearm is a very rare occurrence, not mentioned in many anatomical text books. We found only 4 cases cited in medical literature. Here we describe 2 new cases, for which diagnosis was suspected when the compound muscle action potential of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle (APB), obtained by maximal stimulation of the median nerve at the elbow, was lower than that obtained at the wrist.

Silent period in carpal tunnel syndrome.

The silent period is a misunderstood electrophysiological phenomenon leading to several different hypotheses explaining its electrogenesis. It has been studied by different authors and different methodologies giving a wide variability of results, therefore an exact pattern of its normal values does not exist. This work was undertaken to define the normal morphology and duration of the silent period obtained by supramaximal stimulus of the median nerve, during maximum isometric effort of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle against resistance, using 20 adult volunteers without neurological alterations.

Test of a new technique for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome.

Several new techniques for carpal tunnel syndrome diagnosis have been developed in the last few years. This work tests a technique that compares the distal motor latency of the median nerve to the second lumbrical muscle (2L) with the distal motor latency of the ulnar nerve to the interossei muscle (INT). Results from 40 normal hands give the superior limit of the normal difference (2L-INT) as 0.

Electromyographic analysis of the superior belly of the omohyoid muscle and anterior belly of the digastric muscle in tongue and head movements.

The participation of the superior belly of the omohyoid muscle and anterior belly of the digastric muscle in tongue and head movements was studied eletromyographically in 20 normal young volunteers. A pair of monopolar electrodes was used in each muscle for simultaneous recording of their actions. The muscles act in the following tongue movements: protrusion, right and left lateral movements, placement of the tip of the tongue on soft and hard palates and on the floor of the mouth.

Electromyographic analysis of superior belly of the omohyoid muscle and anterior belly of the digastric muscle in mandibular movements.

The superior belly of the omohyoid muscle and the anterior belly of the digastric muscle, were studied electromyographically in 20 young volunteers. For each muscle, 1 pair of monopolar electrodes was employed. One was a surface electrode and the other a needle electrode, which was inserted in the belly of the muscle.

Reconsiderations about the clinical importance of the sympathetic skin response.

Over the last few years, neurologists have been showing increasing interest in the study of the sympathetic skin response (SSR). In the present report we describe a simple method that permitted us to determine a wide variation of SSR in response to different stimuli such as respiration, deglutition, blinking, skeletal movements, biting, auditory or light stimuli, vocalization, and sphincter contraction. These results raise doubts about the role of SSR as a complementary diagnostic method.

[Evoked potentials in neurocysticercosis].

In 25 patients with cysticercosis of central nervous system, classified in two clinical forms, benign and malign, evoked potentials were obtained. Normal exam was found in 9 cases with the benign form. From 4 patients with malign clinical presentations, 2 had multiple abnormalities of the evoked potentials, and F wave alterations (mixed pattern).

Compression of the peripheral branches of the sciatic nerve by lipoma.

The authors report two female patients with chronic sensitive and motor findings in lower limbs caused by compression of distal branches of sciatic nerve by lipoma. Similar cases were not described on literature. Nerve conduction studies allowed to localize the exact site of compression.

[Neuromuscular action of crotalid venoms: preliminary data].

We studied 6 patients and 2 dogs that have been bitten by South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus and one rabbit inoculated with crotalid venom. We analyzed sensory and motor peripheral nerve conduction, repetitive stimulation for studying neuromuscular transmission and electromyographies. Muscle biopsies were processed by histochemistry.

Histology of the mucosa of gastric antrum and body before and after eradication of Helicobacter pylori.

1. Helicobacter pylori status and the histology of the antral and oxyntic mucosa were evaluated in 25 patients with duodenal ulcer treated with a triple schedule of furazolidone, metronidazole and amoxicillin, and in 16 patients treated only with cimetidine. 2.

Effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication on antral gastrin- and somatostatin-immunoreactive cell density and gastrin and somatostatin concentrations.

The density of antral gastrin (G)- and somatostatin (D)-immunoreactive cells and the contents of antral gastrin and somatostatin were investigated in endoscopic antral biopsy specimens from patients with duodenal ulcer before and after eradication of Helicobacter pylori. After H. pylori eradication both antral somatostatin concentration (p = 0.

Histamine content of the oxyntic mucosa from duodenal ulcer patients: effect of Helicobacter pylori eradication.

The histamine concentration of the oxyntic mucosa was determined in Helicobacter pylori-positive patients with duodenal ulcer before and after antimicrobial therapy and in H. pylori-negative subjects. Determination of serum gastrin was also performed in duodenal ulcer patients before and after H.

Comparison of the urease test and of direct smear examination in the control of treatment of Helicobacter pylori-induced infection.

The sensitivity and specificity of the preformed urease test and of carbolfuchsin-stained smears for the diagnosis of the presence of Helicobacter pylori in gastric mucosa were evaluated before and after antimicrobial treatment. The results obtained by culture were used as the reference point. We studied 41 patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer.

Chronic motor neuron disease possibly related to intoxication with organochlorine insecticides.

We report on two patients with a history of chronic exposure to organochlorine insecticides who developed clinical and electromyographic signs and symptoms of chronic motor neuron disease. Measurements of aldrin, lindane and heptachlor confirmed the intoxication. We emphasize the importance of searching for toxic and environmental factors in cases of motor neuron disease especially in Third World countries, where workers usually wear no adequate protective equipment.