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Biomedical subjects

P G Procopis

Publications and source records attributed to P G Procopis.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

ACTH treatment in intractable seizures of childhood.

Between 1980 and 1989, 21 children suffering from intractable seizures other than infantile spasms were treated with intramuscular ACTH at the Children's Hospital Camperdown. Five patients had two courses of ACTH therapy, 24% of patients had a good response (group A), 56% responded transiently (group B) and 20% did not respond (group C). Group A had normal development and no neurological deficits prior to seizures. A favourable response was not observed in patients with partial seizures, 90% of the patients who responded had a recurrence of seizures. Mean time to recurrence was 9.0 +/- 7.3 months in group A and 1.6 +/- 2.0 months in group B. Hypokalaemia, hypertension and infection were found in 42.9%, 33.3% and 19.1% respectively. ACTH also had effects on concurrent anti-epileptic drug levels.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Bulbar and pseudobulbar palsy complicating therapy with high-dose cytosine arabinoside in children with leukemia.

Three of 38 children given high-dose cytosine arabinoside therapy developed a previously undescribed complication. Neurological problems are a frequent occurrence in patients given this therapy, particularly cerebellar ataxia, but the development of bulbar and pseudobulbar palsy has not been reported. In two of these cases, it was sufficiently marked for the course of treatment to be curtailed and occurred at a relatively low cumulative dose of the drug. Neurotoxicity can occur at any time using high-dose cytosine therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Benign acute childhood myositis.

Four school children, aged 6 to 9 years, had acute postinfectious myositis. The prodromal illness usually involved the upper respiratory tract, but gastrointestinal symptoms were also seen. Fever and nonspecific malaise were characteristic. After cessation of the illness, myalgia involved the calves and thighs. Arm and neck muscles were less frequently affected. Weakness was less marked than muscle pain. Serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was markedly increased in all cases. Myalgia and CPK levels subsided in less than a week, although one child was not back to normal for 4 weeks. Two children had electromyography, and patchy myopathic changes were found. Viral studies were not helpful in any of the cases.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1979

Computerised tomography in the leucodystrophies.

11 patients with a diagnosis of leucodystrophy are reported. In 9 the CAT scan was abnormal and showed areas of markedly decreased density in the white matter. 3 of these patients had adrenoleucodystrophy. In 2, contrast enhancement at the anterior borders of the low density areas was present. The 2 negative scans were from children with metachromatic leucodystrophy; one had an atypical form of the disease and the other had the biochemical defect, but was still presymptomatic and had no neurological deficit.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Adrenoleucodystrophy: a study of four patients.

4 unrelated boys suffering from adrenoleucodystrophy (ALD) are reported. All presented with a cerebral degenerative disorder manifested by behaviour change, dementia, progressive visual loss and spasticity. 1 child showed an excess of skin pigmenation but no other clinical features of adrenal insufficiency were present. An ACTH stimulation test indicated adrenal insufficiency in 1 patient. In the 3 patients with a normal response to ACTH stimulation, 2 had elevated resting plasma ACTH levels, and the other showed typical inclusins in the cells of the adrenal cortex when examined by electron microscopy. Nuclear brain scans were abnormal in all 4 patients. 3 patients had a CAT scan and in all a diffuse decrease in density was shown throughout the cenebral white matter. 2 patients had a zone of contrast enhancement adjacent to the low density areas. In boys under the age of 10 years ALD is the commonest cerebral degenerative disease after subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Adrenal Cortex↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cystinuria and its relationship to mental retardation.

Urine specimens from 2,073 mentally retarded children have been analysed for their amino acid content, with the aim of determing the relationship of cystinuria and mental retardation. No children homozygous for cystinuria were identified, but 50 heterozygous children were found. This heterozygote incidence is 13 times that expected in our general population.

Adolescent↗