Ischemic stroke and epilepsy in a patient with Tourette's syndrome: association with the antiphospholipid syndrome and good response to levetiracetam.

The role played by different humoral factors, including antiphospholipid antibodies, in the pathogenesis of Tourette syndrome (TS) is still presently unclear. We present a patient with chronic and severe TS who, at the age of 16 years, presented an ischemic stroke in the left posterior cerebral artery and/or postero-inferior temporal branch of the left medial cerebral artery. A complete study was negative with the exception of a positive lupus anticoagulant. The stroke was related with the primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The stroke manifested visual abnormalities and thereafter by secondary generalized complex partial seizures. The epileptic syndrome was initially difficult to control but responded dramatically to levetiracetam. With this therapy, the manifestations of TS, especially the tics, improved. We conclude that some TS cases may present APS. In addition, levetiracetam may be useful in the management of TS. Further investigations should pursue both these facts.

[Inhibition of expontaneous cytotoxicity and antibody dependency by rheumatoid synovial fluid]. / Inhibición de la citotoxicidad espontánea y anticuerpo-dependiente por líquido sinovial reumatoide.

A number of authors have pointed out a diminution of ADCC (Antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity) in lymphocytes from peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It has also been found that the addition of rheumatoid serum inhibits ADCC and also spontaneous cellular cytotoxicity (SCC). This effect could be the result of blocking of effector cell receptors for the Fc fragment of IgG by anti-immunoglobulins and/or immune complexes, present in great quantities in rheumatoid serum. We investigated the effect of synovial fluid on the ADCC and SCC shown by purified suspensions of lymphocytes from healthy donors and RA patients towards chicken erythrocytes tagged with 51 Cr. The samples of synovial fluid from patients with RA or arthrosis did not influence per se the spontaneous release of 51 Cr, once their complement had been removed. Seven-eight of the rheumatoid synovial fluid (RSF) produced a significant decline (p less than 0.01) of SCC. Lymphocytes from the peripheral blood of RA patients showed a greater decline in SCC after the addition of RSF than those from healthy subjects (p less than 0.02). In 14/16 RSF and 5/7 samples of arthrosis synovial fluid (ASF) the ability to diminish ADCC significantly (P less than 0.01) was shown. RSF maintained this inhibitory effect in 1:40 and 1:80 dilutions, whereas in these conditions ASF had no effect on ADCC. RSF and ASF, before their complement was removed, showed an opposite effect, provoking an increase in cytotoxic activity, both SCC and ADCC, though in different proportions. These experiments show that RSF, like rheumatoid serum, inhibits ADCC and SCC, possibly by the same mechanism which blocks the Fc receptors by means of immune complexes, and coincides in its general lines with the recent findings of Díaz Jouanen et al. The pathogenetic implications of this phenomenon are difficult to clarify at present. Its occurrence in vivo would represent the establishment of a local block of cytotoxic effector cells (protector effect), which, on the other hand, would no longer be able to exercise their destructive action against cells responsible for the initiation and/or maintenance of articular damage (pathogenic effect). The non-participation of T cells, in these types of cytotoxicity, previously shown by other authors, accentuates the importance of thymus-independent regulatory systems in the mechanisms which maintain articular damage in RA.

[Australia antigen in rheumatoid arthritis]. / Antígeno Australia en artritis reumatoide

Australian antigen (Au Ag) was first described by Blumberg in the serum of an Australian aborigen. Its main clinical significance is based on the fact of its association with the presence of hepatitis B (Okochi, Nurakami, 1968; Prince, 1968) (9). Almeida (1969) outlines the intervention of immune complexes on the production of the referred illness. Later works show the importance of the type of immunologic response created by Au Ag (2). Alpert et al. (1) (1970) state the possibility that immune complexes developed by Au Ag and anti Au Ag antibodies may produce in patients with hepatitis B other allied manifestations including arthritis. On the basis of similar immunopathological findings (illnesses including immunocomplexes on their production), Au Ag investigation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been the object of several works, whose results reveal certain discrepancies. We have investigated the presence of Au Ag on 70 patients whose diagnostic was RA "classical (according to the judgement of the American Rheumatism Association). We used immunoelectrophoresis (counter immunoelectrophoresis-CIEP-) and radioimmunoassay (RIA) techniques. We prepared individual records including clinical, epidemic, biochemical and personal data. Au Ag investigation both through different techniques gave negative results in 70 cases, of which only four referred a possible previous hepatitis B clinic history, not showing during the investigation suggestive clinical data of hepatitis or biochemical alterations. Panus et al. (1970) (5), Desche-Labarte et al. (1972), Trempo (1972), Burrel (1973) (6), Serré et al. (1973) (8), obtained negative results in the matter, with similar or lower casuistics than ours. Notwithstanding Roqués et al. (1975) (7), in 300 cases of RA showed the presence of Au Ag in a significant number of cases (5%) as compared to Au Ag incidence in the French population (estimated in about 0.22%) (6). However, Roqués did not find in their Au Ag positive cases any evidence which enables to think that this antigen has played an important role on the origin and development of the rheumatic illness. These important discrepancies may be due to different reasons: a) Use of different techniques for Au Ag detection. b) The transitory character of the presence of Au Ag in the serum. c) Important differences in the antigen geographic distribution. d) Previous hepatitis B. There are som other factors which have attained importance recently, as a consequence of the broad epidemiological studies carried out. So, Au Ag increased incidence has been found--statistically significant--on groups of persons who have been submitted to several surgical interventions and/or have needed repeated hospitalizations or reiterated blood transfusions (6). These three conditions--especially the first two--are accomplished in an illness with chronic and invalidating characteristics as RA...