Coupling of anodic and cathodic reactions for phenol electro-oxidation using three-dimensional electrodes.

We studied the electrochemical oxidation of phenol by the coupling of anodic and cathodic reactions. The experiments were done in an electrochemical filter press cell equipped with an Sb-doped SnO2-coated titanium foam and a RVC cathode. The oxidation occurs by a direct oxidation on the anodic side, while on the cathodic side oxidation occurs via an electro-Fenton mechanism. We studied the influence of the working parameters. The electrical yield increases when pH decreases and is strongly dependent on an optimum between current density, iron and dissolved oxygen concentration. This method may be applicable to refractory compounds.

Epilepsy or paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis?

Epileptic seizures induced by sudden movement and paroxysmal kinesigenic choreoathetosis (PKC) have often been confused in the past, owing to the close similarity of the attacks, the equally good response to anticonvulsants, and the frequent occurrence of epilepsy and PKC in the same family, or even in the same patient. The pathophysiology of PKC is still unclear and its relationship with epilepsy open to discussion. The sparing of consciousness and the lack of postictal phenomena are constant features of PKC, thus differentiating this syndrome from epilepsy. We report the case of an 8-year-old boy with frequent brief tonic attacks, without loss of consciousness, triggered by sudden movement. The neurologic examination, EEG and MRI did not help to differentiate between epilepsy and PKC. Only the occurrence of a longer seizure with clouding of consciousness and the recording of the postictal abnormalities on the EEG supported a diagnosis of reflex epilepsy induced by movement.

Angelman's syndrome in the first year of life.

Angelman syndrome usually has been considered to be rare and sporadic. However, recent reports suggest a sibling recurrence risk of just under 25 per cent, so early diagnosis is very important. The authors report Angelman syndrome in a child of seven months. The early features of this syndrome (jerky movements, EEG characteristics, chromosomal abnormalities in half the cases) should make it possible to diagnose or suspect the syndrome in the first year of life.

Antiviral drug sensitivity in ocular herpes simplex virus infection.

Thirty-nine herpes simplex virus (HSV) isolates were assayed for their sensitivity to 10 different antiviral agents. Of these 39 HSV isolates 10 were cultured from recipient buttons obtained at penetrating keratoplasty in patients with inactive stromal scarring due to recurrent herpetic keratitis, 25 were cultured from patients with conjunctival and ulcerative ocular infections, and the remaining four were laboratory strains with known drug sensitivity patterns, thus providing controls for the experiment. All but one of the 35 clinical isolates of HSV were type 1 and all were sensitive to the 10 antiviral agents. A single type 2 isolate from a young man with recurrent conjunctivitis proved to be resistant to a number of the antiviral agents. Since many of the clinical isolates had been exposed to multiple and protracted antiviral drug treatment, it is suggested that antiviral drug resistance in type 1 HSV ocular infection is not a significant problem.

Infantile febrile status epilepticus: risk factors and outcome.

The medical records of 68 children who had had infantile febrile status epilepticus (FSE) were examined. Follow-up periods ranged from three to 28 years (mean 8 years 10 months). Details were abstracted of relevant medical events prior to FSE, diagnosis of the febrile illness, age at onset and main characteristics of FSE, and outcome (subsequent febrile convulsions and/or epilepsy, neurological and psychiatric disorders). Neither medical events prior to FSE nor aetiology of fever were associated with subsequent febrile convulsions, epilepsy, or neurological or psychiatric abnormalities. There was a significant association between age at onset of FSE and both subsequent epilepsy and CNS disorders. 12 of the 13 children who had had transient or persistent post-ictal hemiparesis subsequently developed epilepsy. Of the 46 children who later developed epilepsy, 34 had partial seizures and 12 had generalized seizures. The latter were more common among children who had had FSE before the age of one year. Likewise, all those who developed severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy had their first FSE before age one. These findings suggest that age at onset of FSE is the most important feature determining long-term outcome.