Cerebral dysplastic vascular malformation: a developmental arrest.

A cryptic malformation of the brain was found to represent an arrest in vascular development. Microscopy showed plump endothelium of blood vessels, which did not have a normal lumen and consisted of solid cords of cells. The microscopic, angiographic, and computed tomographic appearance of this anomaly are discussed and compared with cavernous angiomas, arteriovenous malformations, and venous angiomas.

Multiple malignant astrocytomas in a patient with spontaneous progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

A 67-year-old man with a four-year history of horizontal and vertical nystagmus and progressive cerebellar dysfunction later developed profound dementia and died of bronchopneumonia. Neuropathological examination revealed numerous active and inactive progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) lesions in the cerebrum and cerebellum. Active lesions showed marked perivascular lymphocytic cuffing.

Hirano-bodies in the distal symmetric polyneuropathy of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat.

Lattice-like cytoplasmic inclusions have been demonstrated in a variety of pathologic conditions of the CNS and PNS in both man and animals. We describe 2 types of such inclusions occurring in association with the distal central-peripheral symmetric polyneuropathy of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat. In the literature, both these lattice-like inclusions have been referred to as Hirano-bodies, but have not been separated on the basis of different measurements, locations or possible origins.

The BB Wistar rat: an experimental model for the study of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy was studied in the spontaneously diabetic BB Wistar rat with respect to qualitative and quantitative structural changes. Trypsin-digested retinal preparations revealed after 8 to 11 months of diabetes a decrease in the pericyte/endothelial cell ratio. Quantitative ultrastructural examinations showed no increase in the vascularity or in basement-membrane thickness in diabetic animals.

Passive transfer of insulitis and lymphopenia in the BB rat.

The BB rat spontaneously develops insulitis followed by impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or an insulin-dependent diabetic (IDDM) syndrome. Passive transfer of insulitis from newly detected diabetic BB rats to nude mice has been achieved by intraperitoneal or intravenous injection(s) of blood and spleen lymphocytes. After a single injection of cells, 37% of the mice (n = 72) showed insulitis with a mean intensity of 1.

Axonal atrophy in sensory nerves of the diabetic BB-Wistar rat: a possible early correlate of human diabetic neuropathy.

Clinical, morphological, and biochemical findings reported in the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat strongly indicate that this animal may be a true model of human insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. As such, it may provide a valuable model in which to study the neuropathic conditions of diabetes. We examined somatic peripheral nerves at five levels in a longitudinal fashion using quantitative morphological techniques.

Intramedullary spinal cord metastases from small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Four patients with intramedullary spinal cord metastases from small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) are described, with emphasis on clinical presentation and treatment. All patients developed the Brown-Séquard syndrome due to intramedullary tumor in the cervical spinal cord, three within 2 mo after combined modality treatment using chemotherapy and radiotherapy. One patient presented with a Brown-Séquard syndrome and an extradural spinal cord compression from tumor.

Steroid receptors in meningiomas. A histochemical and biochemical study.

Meningiomas are more common in females and their course can be affected by changes in the hormonal milieu of the patient. Recently, a few studies have reported the presence of one or more steroid receptors in a small number of meningiomas. We have studied the estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER and PgR) of 11 surgically excised meningiomas.

Proximal motor neuropathy in the BB-Wistar rat.

Proximal motor neuropathy is a well-recognized neuropathic complication in human diabetes mellitus, due to microvasculopathic changes. Spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rats maintained at a moderate severity of diabetes developed structural proximal motor neuropathy after long-standing diabetes. This was caused by multiple infarcts in the spinal ventral roots.

Intraoperative detection of spinal cord ischemia using somatosensory cortical evoked potentials during thoracic aortic occlusion.

Paraplegia remains a devastating and unpredictable complication of surgical procedures requiring temporary occlusion of the thoracic aorta, interruption of important spinal radicular vessels, or both. Intraoperative monitoring of the physiological integrity of the spinal cord should permit the early detection of spinal cord ischemia, the judicious and timely institution of corrective measures, including bypass or shunting, and the preservation of important intercostal arteries in appropriate circumstances. A model of spinal cord ischemia was created by temporary proximal and distal occlusion of the canine thoracic aorta.

Neuroaxonal dystrophy in young adults: a clinicopathological study of two unrelated cases.

The clinical and pathological features of two unrelated sporadic cases of neuroaxonal dystrophy occurring in young adults are described. Initial clinical manifestations in both patients were those of primary psychiatric disorders. They subsequently developed extrapyramidal symptoms, dementia, cerebellar ataxia, and corticospinal dysfunction, but neither demonstrated myoclonic seizures.

The effect of tetraphenylporphinesulfonate (TPPS) on muscle end-plates in mice. An ultrastructural and quantitative study.

Motor end-plates were studied in mice at various intervals after a single injection of a synthetic porphyrin, tetraphenylporphinesulfonate (TPPS). Ultrastructurally, excess accumulation of neurofilaments constituted the earliest abnormality. These were followed by atrophy of many nerve terminals and their separation from the postsynaptic area by interposed Schwann cells.

Amoxicillin and clavulanic acid combination: clinical and laboratory evaluation in pulmonary infections.

Twenty-four patients with pulmonary infections (7 pneumoniae, 17 exacerbations of chronic bronchitis) were treated with a combination of 250 mg of amoxicillin and 125 mg of clavulanic acid supplemented by 500 mg of amoxicillin every eight hours. All patients showed good clinical, roentgenological, and bacteriological response. Bacteria were cleared from sputum by the third day of treatment in half of the patients and by the end of treatment in all but one of the others.

Central and peripheral nervous system complications.

Symptomatic neuropathy is a common manifestation of diabetes mellitus, and sensory, motor, or autonomic symptoms occur in approximately 10% of all diabetic patients. Animal models may be useful to study the metabolic and electrophysiologic abnormalities peculiar to diabetic neuropathy. Genetic animal models, including the Chinese hamster, ob/ob mouse, db/db mouse, BB-wistar rat, and SSDR rat or chemically induced or nutritional models of diabetes mellitus provide the potential to use animals to study human neuropathy; however, to date, few characteristics of human diabetic neuropathy have been clearly demonstrated in any of these animal models.

Changes in nodal function in nerve fibres of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat: potential clamp analysis.

Single myelinated nerve fibres were isolated from the sciatic nerves of the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat after 17-185 days of overt diabetes. Pronounced demyelination and paranodal changes were found in one rat (diabetes duration 185 days), the others had no structural changes that could be detected light-microscopically. Potential clamp analysis of these fibres showed a decreased Na equilibrium potential (UNa), decreased Na currents caused by large inactivation, and a specific increase in the K-permeability.

Passive transfer of insulitis from the "BB" rat to the nude mouse.

The "BB" rat spontaneously develops insulitis, and an insulin-dependent diabetic syndrome like that in man. Lymphocytes were isolated from blood and spleen of newly-detected "BB" diabetic rats and injected intraperitoneally (IP) into athymic nude mice. Of 72 mice receiving single injections 37% showed insulitis, with 13% of islets examined being affected, and mean intensity of 1.

Porphyric neuropathy: an ultrastructural and quantitative case study.

We report a case of acute neuropathy in a 46 year old female with porphyria variegata. Histologic, electron microscopic, and quantitative examinations of peripheral nerves were performed at onset of the neuropathy and at autopsy. The results revealed severe qualitative and quantitative changes in myelinated and unmyelinated fibers showing features indicative of an axonopathy with a distribution in keeping with a dying-back phenomenon.

Functional aspects and pathogenetic considerations of the neuropathy in the spontaneously diabetic BB-Wistar rat.

Electrophysiological features were studied longitudinally in the spontaneously diabetic insulin-dependent, BB-Wistar rat. These were correlated in time with the state of the patency of the protective barriers in peripheral nerves. Motor nerve conduction velocity was significantly slowed only 3 weeks after the onset of the diabetes.

Occult intralabyrinthine schwannoma.

Report of a case of an intralabynrinthine schwannoma discovered unexpectedly during a labyrinthectomy for intractable vertigo, and description of the light and electron microscopic appearances. Although only 18 of these tumors have been previously reported, it is possible that some cases which are categorized as peripheral vertigo of unknown origin, may be due to an occult Schwannoma. All material removed during surgical procedures on the inner ear should therefore be submitted for histopathological examination.