[The neurological thought of Professor Guillermo Brinck P. (1898-1992)]. / Pensamiento neurológico del Profesor Guillermo Brinck MD (1898-1992).

A central part of Dr Guillermo Brinck thoughts, professor of Neurology, was his conception that nervous activity was centered in motor and intellectual acts, composed by sensorial-sensitive factors, arranged and linked by a power. These could decay or alternate as a consequence of factors such as distraction, weakness in the integration of factors or perseverance.

[Indirect calorimetry and nitrogen balance in patients with elective craniotomy]. / Calorimetría indirecta y balance nitrogenado en pacientes con craneotomía electiva.

The aim of this study was to assess resting energy expenditure and nitrogen excretion in patients with cranial injury. In 25 patients subjected to elective craniotomy and 23 healthy volunteers, energy expenditure was measured using indirect calorimetry and compared with estimations according to Harris-Benedict equations. During the second postoperative day, measured energy expenditure in patients was 100 +/- 19% (range 66-185) of estimation and 115 +/- 22% (range 76-159%) of measured values in control subjects. In sedated patients with flaccid muscular paralysis, measured energy expenditure was 82 +/- 12% of estimation and 94 +/- 15% of measured values in control subjects. Urinary urea nitrogen excretion in patients was 10.2 +/- 5.4 g/day and catabolic index was 6.8 +/- 5.1. Patients receiving corticoids had increased urinary urea nitrogen excretion and no differences in measured energy expenditure, compared to patients not receiving this medication. It is concluded that the great variability in measured energy expenditure and its lack of correlation with the degree of catabolism, set forth the need to perform an indirect calorimetry in these patients to plan an adequate nutritional support.

[Thallium poisoning: Prussian blue treatment in 4 cases]. / Intoxicación por talio: tratamiento con azul de prusia en 4 casos.

Four patients with thallium toxicity were treated with Prussian blue, 125 mg/kg/day. The diagnosis was made on clinical grounds and confirmed by detection of thallium in the urine. Electromyographic, evoked potentials and electroencephalographic studies confirmed quick clinical and electrophysiologic improvement of the patients.

[Conduction system disease and Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome]. / Enfermedad del sistema de exito conducción y síndrome de Charcot-Marie-Tooth.

A 57 year old patient with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome developed complete A-V block due to trifascicular disease. The syndrome was present in 3 generations and the patient's mother had also complete A-V block. It is not known whether this interesting association is genetically determined or fortuitous.