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Biomedical subjects

S Hilal

Publications and source records attributed to S Hilal.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

A prospective controlled study of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in gay men and parenteral drug users with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

To detect the earliest structural changes in the brain in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, 118 gay men and 115 parenteral drug users enrolled in a study of the natural history of HIV infection underwent magnetic resonance imaging evaluations. Routine T2-weighted and heavily T2-weighted scans for quantification of brain water were obtained, blinded to HIV serostatus. Atrophy and foci of increased signal did not correlate with any medical, immunologic, neurologic, or neuropsychologic parameters in the group as a whole, or in the gay men or parenteral drug user subgroups. Three subjects had progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and one had central nervous system lymphoma. In a subgroup in whom intracranial water percent was calculated, correlations were found with CD4 counts and CD4/CD8 ratios. We conclude that standard magnetic resonance imaging of the brain does not differentiate asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic HIV-positive individuals from HIV-negative individuals, regardless of risk group. However, intracranial water percent may distinguish HIV-positive from HIV-negative individuals because it correlates with raw CD4 counts and CD4/CD8 ratios.

Adolescent

Structural brain imaging abnormalities associated with schizophrenia and partial trisomy of chromosome 5.

Chromosomal abnormalities occurring in association with mental illness provide a unique opportunity to study the interaction of genetic abnormalities and the brain in mental illness. Four individuals from a family in which schizophrenia was found to cosegregate with a partial trisomy of chromosome 5 were studied with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Temporal lobe atrophy was found in the two trisomic males and in the asymptomatic balanced translocation female. In addition, a large cavum septum pellucidum and a cavum vergae were found in the older trisomic individual. Scans from the normal male were free of abnormalities. These results suggest that molecular studies of the translocation breakpoints in this chromosomal abnormality may be of interest, and encourage further studies of brain structure in other chromosomal abnormalities associated with psychosis.

Adult

Focal headache during balloon inflation in the internal carotid and middle cerebral arteries.

Although a number of reports are available on the occurrence of headache in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease, most studies have recorded the frequency but not the specific sites of the pain. We report 18 patients who underwent balloon inflation in the distal internal carotid artery and middle cerebral artery stem during embolization therapy for intracerebral arteriovenous malformations. Eleven patients had reproducible patterns of headache during balloon inflation. Inflation in the proximal middle cerebral artery stem produced pain primarily in the ipsilateral temple, that in the middle of the middle cerebral artery stem produced pain referred primarily retro-orbitally, and inflation in the distal middle cerebral artery stem produced pain referred primarily to the forehead. Experimental studies have demonstrated similar patterns of referred pain. The fact that these areas of referred pain are so reproducible is of potentially great clinical importance in the approach to management of patients with cerebrovascular disease.

Adult

Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy associated with cerebral vasculitis and homonymous hemianopia.

An 18-year-old man developed acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy and homonymous hemianopia. Cerebral angiography showed cerebral vasculitis probably with occipital infarction. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case with such concomitant visual defects. Other published reports suggest that such cerebral vasculitis may not be unusual in acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy.

Acute Disease

BCNU and steroids in the viral-induced dog brain tumor.

Schmidt-Ruppin strain of Rous Sarcoma was inoculated intracerebrally into 27 newborn beagle dogs. Fourteen days after viral inoculation, 13 of the dogs were given intravenous BCNU (1 mg/kg). The other 14 were given the same volume of intravenous saline in a randomized, double-blinded fashion. Ninety percent of all dogs developed intracranial tumors. Radionuclide (mercury 197) brain scans were done on each dog at 2-week intervals. Median survival was 113 days in the BCNU group and 115 days in the placebo group (P > .99). Unequivocally positive radionuclide brain scans were detected in 5 dogs treated with BCNU and in 2 of the controls. There were no gross or microscopic differences at autopsy between treated and nontreated animals. BCNU, as given in this animal brain tumor model, did not demonstrate any oncolytic effect. An improvement in sequential brain scans was detected in 2 other dogs in response to Dexamethasone, which was given in a double-blinded, cross-over controlled fashion. Computerized tomography clearly demonstrated the tumor in two cases.

Animals

Computerized tomography correlated with CSF protein concentrations.

The authors present a case of hydrocephalus complicated by ventriculitis in which it was possible to correlate the numerical printout of sequential computerized tomograms (CT-Scans) with cerebrospinal fluid protein concentrations obtained by direct ventricular puncture. Different protein levels were unambiguously associated with changes in the absorption numbers on the scan but they did not bear a simple linear relationship to one another. The value of the numerical printout in diagnosis and follow-up is discussed.

Brain Diseases