Total body bone development during early childhood in very low birth weight infants without cerebral palsy and mental retardation.

Total body bone mineral density was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in 52 children who were very low birth weight (VLBW) infants without cerebral palsy and mental retardation (postconceptional age, from 10 mo to 6 y and 6 mo). VLBW infants in this study seemed to show compensatory acceleration of total body bone development, catching up with the control group during early childhood. However, in VLBW infants with at least one of the three factors such as total parenteral nutrition for 1 week or more, assisted ventilation for 1 week or more, or oxygen therapy for 28 d or more in their early stage after birth, adequate mineral supplementation might be especially important for long-term bone development.

An autopsy case of bathtub drowning in epilepsy.

We report an autopsy case of bathtub drowning in epilepsy. A 26-year-old female with mental retardation had been treated for refractory epilepsy. Her younger sister found her floating supine in the bathtub 45 min after starting bathing. Neuropathological examination revealed cerebral cortical dysplasia in the precentral gyrus of the left hemisphere, which had not been detected by MRI, suggesting the etiology of epilepsy. In bathtub submersion injury of an unidentified cause, neuropathological examination should be performed to reveal any lesion underlying epileptic seizures. Additionally, we present statistics on bathtub submersion injury in children aged 5 years or older in Japan based upon nationwide survey data obtained in 1991. Forty-seven percent of them had associated epilepsy or convulsive attacks and 71% died. It is necessary for epileptic patients and their families to understand that the risk of bathtub drowning can be minimized if proper precautions are taken.

Isolation of adenovirus type 11 from the brain of a neonate with pneumonia and encephalitis.

We describe a fatal case of adenovirus pneumonia accompanied by encephalitis in a neonate who showed lethargy on the 6th day and died on the 12th day. Adenoviral particles as well as viral intranuclear inclusions were noted in pulmonary alveolar epithelium cells. Neuropathological examination revealed diffuse oedema, perivascular cuffing and gliosis in the white matter. Adenovirus type 11 was isolated from lung, hilar lymph node, and brain tissue. This is the first instance of adenovirus isolation from brain tissue in a newborn infant. The virological and neuropathological findings suggest the invasion of neural tissue by adenovirus and substantiate the significance of neurological symptoms observed in neonatal adenovirus infection.

Childhood drownings and near-drownings in Japan.

In Japan, the leading cause of death for children over 1 year old is injury, and for children aged 0-14, drowning is the second leading cause of death. The purpose of the present study was to describe the epidemiological factors of drownings and near-drowning among Japanese children and to ascertain whether there are characteristic patterns for different age groups. Epidemiologic data was obtained by questionnaire. A total of 604 cases of submersion injuries were reported from 49 hospitals located in 22 Japanese prefectures. In the present paper, victims of drowning (n = 134) and near-drowning with permanent severe brain damage (n = 51) and those of near-drowning with intact survival or mild impairment (n = 419) were investigated. Preschool-aged children, especially toddlers, are at the greatest risk of drowning and near-drowning, and for children over 2 years of age, boys have three times greater risk than girls. The bathtub is the most common place of submersion injuries in Japan, especially for children under 4 years of age. The important risk factors for the victims who died or were severely impaired were associated with duration of submersion and necessity of emergency cardiopulmonary resuscitation on arrival at hospital.

New model of hemorrhagic hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborn mice.

An easy and inexpensive method is reported for producing hemorrhagic brain damage in newborn mice, involving only exposure to hypoxia. One-day-old mice, Jcl:ICR strain, were subjected to a humidified 5% oxygen, 95% nitrogen mixture for 8 hours. After the hypoxic episode, 34% of newborn mice survived, 59% manifested cerebral parenchymal hemorrhage. Cortical hemorrhage could be detected in live mice; intracranial hemorrhage was observed through the thin skin and skull. Cortical hemorrhage usually affected the bilateral parietal regions symmetrically and neuronal destruction was observed in the deeper structures, as well as in the cerebral cortex. This pattern of damage was comparable to parasagittal cerebral injury in humans. The onset of cortical hemorrhage and neuropathology in these mice suggested that hemorrhage occurred when cerebral blood flow recovered after the hypoxic event.

Administration of human leukocyte interferon to patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Between 1979 and 1982, fifteen patients with SSPE were treated with human leukocyte interferon (HuIFN-alpha). They were administered interferon (IFN) in doses ranging from 25 x 10(6) IU to 126 x 10(6) IU by various routes in regimens that ranged for 20 days to 14 months. In 3 of the 5 cases with rapid deterioration, HuIFN-alpha did not alter the course of the disease; however, 6 cases with mild progression showed various degrees of clinical improvement during the IFN therapy. In 3 of the 4 cases in remission, HuIFN-alpha caused no significant changes in clinical courses. No severe adverse reactions were seen during IFN administration. These results suggest that HuIFN-alpha has a potentially beneficial effect on the course of SSPE.

Further confirmation of serotonin reduction in the neostriatum during hyperthermia-induced convulsions: a quantitative immunohistochemical study.

Changes occurring in serotonin neurons during hyperthermia and hyperthermia-induced convulsions were examined by quantitative immunohistochemistry. A marked increase in serotonin immunoreactivity was observed at the rostral and intermediate levels of the neostriatum of mice kept at high temperatures with no convulsions, and a significant reduction in serotonin immunoreactivity was verified throughout the neostriatum of mice which had hyperthermia-induced seizures. These results suggest that serotonin neurons change significantly during thermal stress and seizures, and that regional analysis is essential for an understanding of the role of serotonin neurons.