Bilateral lesions of the globus pallidus in a young woman.

We report a case of stroke due to cocaine abuse in a 30-year-old woman. The initial examinations pointing to this diagnosis were CT and MRI. Magnetic Resonance Imaging revealed bilateral globus pallidus infarction characterized by restricted Diffusion with low ADC values. There was also a partial hemorrhagic component confirmed on T2* sequence. After gadolinium injection there was a ring enhancement consistent with a blood brain barrier leakage. Similar lesions have been described in post hypoxic-anoxic injuries such as following cardiac arrest, severe blood loss and CO intoxication.

Measurements of postcoital sympathetic activity in females by means of vanillylmandelic acid.

Urinary vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), the final metabolite of epinephrine and norepinephrine, and creatinine (Cr) were measured 1 hr before, within an hour after intercourse, and in a 23-hr pooled sample after intercourse in 11 females. The results were compared to a group of 8 normal females who abstained from intercourse. The control VMA/creatinine ratios were significantly lower than the preintercourse values (P less than 0.01) as well as the postintercourse and 23-hr pooled postintercourse sample. This ratio, 1 hr postintercourse increased significantly (P less than 0.01) over the preintercourse values. The pooled 23-hr postintercourse sample remained high and was significantly different from preintercourse but not from the postintercourse sample. The absolute values of VMA showed relatively similar significance. This study provides objective evidence in the female for the considerable involvement of the sympathetic system during sexual intercourse. In addition, it shows that the group that was planning to have sexual intercourse, 1 hr prior to intercourse, already had VMA/creatinine ratios double over the control group. Such objective information has hitherto not been available.

Inhibition of epidemic isolates of coxsackievirus type A 24 by recombinant and natural interferon alpha and interferon beta.

Natural human interferons (IFN) and recombinant human IFNs (rIFN-alpha and rIFN-beta) inhibited the production of virus in Chang's human conjunctival cell cultures infected with epidemic isolates of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis virus, Coxsackievirus type A 24 (CA24). Generally, natural and rIFN-alpha and rIFN-beta were equally effective in inhibiting CA24 infection. However, rIFN-alpha A was more effective than rIFN-alpha C, D, I, J, and K in reducing virus infection, cytopathogenesis, and virus production. Recombinant IFN-alpha J was least effective in inhibiting CA24 in human conjunctival cell cultures. Also, the IFN titer was reduced 10- to 1,000-fold when cells were infected with greater than or equal to 0.3-0.5 CA24/cell, suggesting a dose-dependent IFN resistance by CA24. These results suggest that the antiviral activity of IFN against acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in vivo may vary with the CA24 isolates, the MOI, the type of IFN, and the time of infection with respect to beginning IFN treatment.