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Biomedical subjects

H vander Eecken

Publications and source records attributed to H vander Eecken.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Ischemic lesions of the hippocampus and their relation to Ammon's horn sclerosis. A neuropathological study of two cases and a comparison to the vascular anatomy.

Two adult brains with small ischemic lesions in the hippocampus, due to impairment of the supply from the posterior cerebral artery, are presented. The first case corresponds to what is described in the literature as "incisural sclerosis" and shows no difference in vulnerability between the Sommer and the Spielmeyer sector. In the second case the hippocampal lesion is due to an embolic occlusion of the posterior cerebral artery and consists of selective necrosis of the subiculum, the Sommer sector and part of the endfolium of the pyramidal layer, the Spielmeyer sector remaining noninfarcted. The postmortem angiograms of 12l hippocampi of adults, as well as full term born and premature infants, show that the h1 and h2 sectors and part of the h3 sector of the hippocampus are supplied by the same "sulcus" arteries. Although there is a selective vulnerability to ischemia in some sectors of the hippocampus, which is typical for Ammon's horn sclerosis, this cannot be explained by a difference of arterial supply or by compression of arteries during the process of birth.

Blood Vessels

Vertebrobasilar insufficiency due to Tumoural emboli.

A case, which is clinically characterized by a subacute vertebrobasilar syndrome, is presented. The necropsy reveals multiple infarcts in brainstem, cerebellum and left cerebral hemisphere, due to tumoural emboli of a non-detected primary tumour. It is postulated that the latter has to originate in the lungs in order to produce this unique type of cerebral arterial embolism.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms

Communicating hydrocephalus in treated leukemic patients.

7 brains out of a series of 124 necropsies of treated leukemic patients show a communicating hydrocephalus, without invasion of the central nervous system by the malignant blood cells. In 4 cases it is proven that the hydrocephalus is due to obstruction of the liquor drainage at the level of the arachnoidal villi and dural sinuses, by the leukemic invasion of these structures. It is shown that, even in case of preventive brain irradiation and intrathecal-administered cytotoxic drugs, these structures remain areas, in which the leukemic cells are difficult to destroy.

Adult

Nemaline bodies in a progressive infantile neuromuscular disorder.

Nemaline bodies are described in a case of a progressive neuromuscular disorder, which is difficult to classify. The clinical syndrome is not characteristic of a nemaline myopathy. It is argued that the finding of nemaline bodies is in itself not specific of any neuromuscular disease.

Child

Morphological properties of experimentally produced target fibres in tenotomized rat gastrocnemius muscle.

The gastrocnemius muscles of 3 groups of 10 rats, sacrified 5, 7, and 12 days respectively, following tenotomy, were submitted to different types of fixation, fixative and embedding. The occurrence of target fibres is shown not to be an artefact due to the histological procedures. Further examination demonstrates that the target phenomenon occurs in the shortest fibres on the medial side of both heads of the gastrocnemius muscle and that it consists mainly of a disarrangement of the contractile elements of the muscle fibres. This study argues that this phenomenon represents some kind of myotonic state of a pathological muscle.

Animals

Development and inhibition of the target phenomenon in tenotomized rat muscle.

The sequence of development of the target phenomenon in tenotomized gastrocnemius muscle was studied: the presence of target fibres was preceded by the occurrence of contraction bands and of "moth eaten" appearance of the fibres. This phenomenon was far more pronounced and occurred earlier in type II than in type I fibres. This target phenomenon and the contraction artefacts could be inhibited in the tenotomized muscles by simultaneous neurotomy or immobilization of the muscle with a plaster cast. Delayed denervation inhibited also the target phenomenon, if performed less than 5 days after the tenotomy. These series of experiments seem to indicate that the target phenomenon occurs in more irritable muscle fibres and that muscular activity is needed for its development.

Animals

Ultrastructural study of a muscle biopsy from a patient with subacute myelo-optic neuropathy.

A man, aged 46, who had been taking Clioquinol in high doses for a long period, developed a characteristic neurological syndrome of subacute myelo-optic neuropathy rather abruptly. Electron microscopical examination of the muscle biopsy, obtained five months after the onset of the disease, revealed severe degenerative changes of the presynaptic nerve endings and some unique paracrystalline inclusions in the sole plate region. The latter may represent the morphological expression of the toxic agent which is held responsible for the subacute myelo-optic neuropathy.

Clioquinol

The target phenomenon in rat muscle following tenotomy and neurotomy. A comparative light microscopic and histochemical study.

Target fibers were checked at regular intervals in two groups of rat gastrocnemius muscle namely after tenotomy and neurotomy. The highest amount of target fibres was observed during the first week following tenotomy and around the seventh week, when the muscle became again functional by spontaneous union of the tendon. The target phenomenon was restricted to the type II fibres. It appeared also in the early stage of re-innervation, 5 weeks following neurotomy and remained present subsequently in a transitional zone between denervated and re-innervated muscle fibres and was restricted to the type I muscle fibres. The target phenomenon was not the only histochemical alteration observed following tenotomy and neurotomy. This experimental study allowed to determinate more precisely the causal factors of the target phenomenon.

Adenosine Triphosphatases

Altered synaptic organization in facial nucleus following facial nerve regeneration: an electrophysiological study in man.

Seven patients with postfacial palsy contracture and mass contractions were investigated electrophysiologically. In 3 patients the early blink reflex showed an unusually high amplitude, which can be attributed to enhanced excitability of facial motor neurons. In 5 patients the early blink reflex had acquired a crossed character. It is assumed that changes in organization of the facial nucleus contribute to the altered function of reinnervated facial muscles.

Action Potentials

Medullary actions of tetanus toxin. An electrophysiological study in man.

Brain-stem reflexes have been studied in four patients with generalized tetanus. Inhibitory cutaneous reflexes were abolished or severely depressed. The same held true, to a lesser degree, for excitatory cutaneous reflexes with long polysynaptic pathways. Proprioceptive reflexes behaved variably. The observations are discussed in regard to the possible sources of enhanced motoneuronal activity in tetanus. It is concluded that, besides depression of inhibitory synapses on motoneurons, interneuronal damage may contribute to the tetanus symptomatology.

Adult

Papova virus-like particles in a nigral type of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

In this case of Cruetzfeldt-Jakob disease cortical biopsy demonstrated a large number of papova virus-like particles in the axons, dendrites, astroyctic processes and blood-vessel walls, while necropsy findings disclosed a striking status spongiosus and neuronal degeneration in the substantia nigra. The patient also suffered from a testicular feminization syndrome and was treated with immunosuppressive drugs for pemphigus vulgaris. The ready demonstration of viral particles, the rapid course of the disease and the unusual necropsy findings are discussed and related to the pre-existing diseases of the patient.

Cerebral Cortex

Transitional forms of Arnold-Chiari and Dandy-Walker malformations.

The morphological findings in 12 cases of Arnold-Chiari and 3 cases of Dandy-Walker malformations are described and compared to those in 2 cases of congenital hydrocephalus of unknown origin, 1 case of isolated meningo-myelocele and 2 cases of normal newborn brains. Lesions common to both types of malformation indicate a same time-related embryogenetic defect of the roofplate of the rhombencephalon, that does not allow the inferior vermis and the choroid plexus to turn inward into the fourth ventricle.

Arnold-Chiari Malformation

The angioarchitecture of the astroblastoma.

The angioarchitecture of an astroblastoma of the corpus collosum is studied on serial carotid angiograms, made during life, and on post mortem angiograms, performed by filling of the cerebral arterial system with a colloidal bariumsulphate solution and by using the translucidation technique. The results of these investigations are compared to the histological aspect of the tumour. This study reveals the close relationship between the astroblasts and the bloodvessels. The angioarchitectural pattern of this tumour is characterized by new formation of capillaries. It is considered as an additional support to classify the astroblastoma as a separate type of glioma.

Astrocytoma