Spitz nevus of the tongue with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia: report of three cases of a pseudomalignant condition.

Three cases of Spitz nevus of the tongue associated with pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia are reported: two occurring in children and one in an adult. The location at an unusual site and the complex pattern resulting from the intimate admixture of the neoplastic melanocytic component and the hyperplastic keratinocytic component led in each case to consider diagnoses such as malignant melanoma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Staining for S-100 protein and keratin was useful to identify and separate the two components.

Equine muscular dystrophy with myotonia.

Objectives: To describe a case of equine muscular dystrophy with myotonia.

Methods: A 5-year-old horse presented with hypertrophy and delayed relaxation of the muscles of the hindlimbs from age 2 months. Testicular atrophy developed from 2 years of age.

The motor tinel sign: a useful sign in entrapment neuropathy?

The motor Tinel sign (MTS) refers to electromyographic activity, sometimes associated with a visible muscle jerk, evoked by percussion or manipulation of a peripheral nerve. The MTS is found in entrapment neuropathies (such as carpal tunnel syndrome or entrapment of the ulnar nerve at the elbow and peroneal nerve at the fibular head) but occasionally also in normal subjects. The MTS may be useful in evaluating patients with entrapment neuropathy, but it does not always indicate nerve dysfunction.

Molecular genetics of migraine headaches: a review.

Following the recent discovery of neural calcium channel mutations in familial hemiplegic migraine, genetic linkage and association studies have been performed world-wide in an effort to unveil the genetic basis of the more common types of migraine too. Mutations in neural calcium channels, mitochondrial DNA, serotonin receptors and transporter, dopamine receptors and genetic prothrombotic risk factors have been especially investigated and are discussed here. No unambiguous conclusions have, however, been reached.

Effect of antibody to HIV-1 Tat protein on viral replication in vitro and progression of HIV-1 disease in vivo.

In HIV-1-infected cell cultures, a relatively low concentration (5 micrograms/ml) of monoclonal antibody (mAb) against HIV-1-transactivating Tat protein was an efficient inhibitor of HIV-1 replication both in HIV-1(IIIB)-infected Jurkat cell and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) cultures and significantly reduced the expression of a Tat-responsive CAT-reporter construct in HIV-1(IIIB)-infected Jurkat cells. Anti-Tat mAb also caused a significant reduction and a consistent delay in HIV-1 replication when added to PBMCs from HIV-1-infected patients cocultivated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated normal PBMCs. These data indicate that an autocrine-paracrine loop sustained by extracellular Tat protein, which is actively released by HIV-1-infected cells, may affect HIV-1 replication in cell cultures in vitro.

Quantification of human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected mononuclear cells in peripheral blood of seropositive subjects by newly developed flow cytometry analysis of the product of an in situ PCR assay.

The presence of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) proviral DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of three groups (group 1, more than 500 CD4+ T cells per microliter; group 2, between 200 and 499 CD4+ T cells per microliter; group 3, fewer than 200 CD4+ T cells per microliter) of HIV-1-infected patients, in different stages of the disease, was determined by using a newly developed flow cytometry analysis of the product of in situ PCR assay and compared with other markers of viral replication (HIV-1 p24 antigenemia and viral isolation). Results showed varied percentages of HIV-1-infected PBMC, ranging from 0.6 to 20%.

Estradiol and progesterone during exercise in healthy untrained women.

Ten eumenorrheic nonathletic women, aged 21-25, were studied on the 8th day following the LH peak in three consecutive cycles. Plasma level and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) were measured before and during a 2-h continuous treadmill test at a speed corresponding to 70% of their running speed at anaerobic threshold on three separate occasions. A significant decrease of plasma level of the hormones (-30% and -40%, respectively, P less than 0.

Autonomic nervous system function in migraine without aura.

Autonomic nervous system functions were studied in 13 females with migraine without aura during headache-free intervals, using physiological, pharmacological and biochemical methods. Heart-rate in the resting condition and blood pressure rises in the cold-face and isometric handgrip tests were higher than in controls. Normal cardiovascular responses to the Valsalva manoeuvre and to noradrenaline infusion suggest that the baroreflex arc is intact.

Cardiovascular dysautonomia in fatal familial insomnia.

Autonomic control of the cardiovascular system was assessed in two patients with Fatal Familial Insomnia. The diagnosis was confirmed at autopsy in patient 1. In the resting state blood pressure and heart rate were higher than controls in patient 1; plasma noradrenaline levels were elevated in both patients.

Diagnostic value of silver-stained interphasic nucleolar organizer regions in breast tumors.

Seventy-six specimens of normal breast tissue and benign and malignant breast lesions were studied to assess the mean area occupied by silver-stained proteins of the nucleolar organizer regions (MNORA) of the nucleolus. The assessment was performed with a computer-assisted image analyzer. The results indicate that only 30% of malignant lesions have a MNORA value greater than that of normal breast tissue or benign lesions.

Surgical treatment of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery in infancy.

Two cases of anomalous origin of the left coronary artery (LCA) from the pulmonary artery (PA) are reported in which early surgical correction was achieved by an end-to-end anastomosis of the left subclavian artery (LSA) to the LCA, with cardiopulmonary bypass and deep hypothermia. The clinical improvement was rapid and the left ventricular function recovered almost completely. We recommend this type of surgical correction, early in life, for infants in severe cardiac failure and anomalous origin of the LCA.

Epilepsy with bilateral occipital calcifications: a benign onset with progressive severity.

We studied four patients with a focal epilepsy and bilateral occipital corticosubcortical calcifications without any sign of phakomatosis. The clinical course of the disease was similar in all the patients and evolved from a benign onset to a severe encephalopathy with progressive mental impairment. The question of whether these patients have an incomplete and atypical form of Sturge-Weber syndrome or a previously undescribed disorder is addressed.

Monoclonal antibody to HSV2 protein as an immunodiagnostic marker in cervical cancer.

The present study was designed to evaluate the possible use of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) as diagnostic adjuncts to exfoliative cytology and tissue sections in intraepithelial (CIN) and invasive cervical cancer. Specimens were collected from 42 patients with various degrees of CIN, 15 patients with invasive cancer and two patients with condylomatous changes only. mAb H17, that recognizes a herpes simplex virus protein (ICP) representing a component of the viral ribonucleotide reductase, stained atypical exfoliated cells from 55% of patients with mild dysplasia and 100% of those with more severe lesions.