[Paroxysmal tonic seizures in 2 female black patients with multiple sclerosis]. / Crises tónicas paroxísticas em duas doentes de raça negra com esclerose múltipla.

We present the clinical cases of two black patients from the Cabo Verde Islands, in whom Painful Tonic Seizures have been witnessed. In both cases the diagnosis of multiple would be certainly established and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) disclosed the cervical spinal cord lesions that, hypothetically, were responsible for the paroxysmal attacks.

Decrease in blood histamine in drug-treated parkinsonian patients.

Blood histamine and serum histaminase activity were determined in a group of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and in a group of healthy controls. Untreated PD patients present significantly higher blood histamine than normal controls. Therapy with L-dopa + cardidopa results in a significant decrease in blood histamine. This decrease becomes more accentuated when anticholinergics are added to this therapy. No significant changes were detected in plasma histaminase. The authors suggest, as a hypothesis, that the CNS contributes to blood histamine concentration and that its rise is the result of increased neuronal destruction.

[Involvement of the basal ganglia and brain stem in infection by Listeria monocytogenes. Anatomo-clinical study]. / Atteinte des noyaux gris et du tronc cérébral au cours d'une infection à listeria monocytogènes. Etude anatomo-clinique.

A case of a patient with haematogeneous infection by listeria monocytogenes, involving the basal and brainstem is reported. Clinically the disease manifested by fever and brainstem syndrome of acute onset. The microscopic examination revealed foci of suppurative encephalitis in the brainstem and basal ganglia. The possible pathogenic mechanisms are discussed. It is emphasized that the association of a febrile syndrome with brainstem dysfunction should raise the possibility of infection of the nervous system by listeria monocytogenes.

Cardiopatia e gravidez.Revisao de 150 casos. / Cardiopathy and pregnancy.Review of 150 cases

No presente trabalho foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo de 150 gestantes cardiopatas, cujos partos ocorreram no Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirao Preto, no periodo de marco de 1979 a julho de 1981. Foram analisados principalmente os seguintes parametros: prevalencia, tipo de cardiopatia, afeccoes intercorrentes, periodo gestacional em que ocorreu descompensacao cardiaca, exames complementares para a avaliacao da vitalidade e maturidade fetais, tipo de parto e analgotocia e morbimortalidade materna e fetal. Os resultados permitiram a importancia do pre-natal, bem como os cuidados com o trabalho de parto, pois ficou claro que a cardiopatia na gravidez piora a morbimortalidade materna e fetal