Coronary aneurysms in infants and young children with acute febrile mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome

In 1967, Kawasaki, in Japan, first described a new syndrome affecting infants and young children-an acute, febrile illness with mucocutaneous involvement associated with swelling of cervical lymph nodes. The prognosis is usually good but recently it has become evident that 1-2 percent of the patients die suddenly from acute heart failure. Infantile polyarteritis (nodosa-like arteritis) accompained by coronary aneurysm and thrombosis has been noted in postmortem examinations. Twenty patients surviving the illness were examined by coronary angiography; 12 of the 20 had abnormal coronary angiograms; seven patients had coronary aneurysms. Complete regression of the coronary aneurysms was proved in two patients at subsequent angiography. One patient developed mitral regurgitation as a result of papillary muscle dysfunction. One had a coronary aneurysm without symptoms two years after the onset of illness.

Optic organ and cervical proprioceptors in maintenance of body equilibrium

Two experiments were made on the functional correlation between the optic organ and the cervical proprioceptors in maintenance of body equilibrium. Experiment I: The effects of weak and strong electric stimulation of the deep nuchal muscles on changes in optokinetic nystagmus and optokinetic after-nystagmus were examined in adult non-albino rabbits with binocular vision. Experiment II: Experiment I was repeated on rabbits with monocular vision giving optokinetic stimulation moving from the side of the blindfolded eye to that of the open eye and applying only weak electric stimulation to the neck muscles. The results obtained were as follows: (1) Experiment I: Weak electric stimulation of the deep nuchal muscles of rabbits with binocular vision tended to promote optokinetic nystagmus with either no significant change or decrease in optokinetic after-nystagmus. Strong electric stimulation had the opposite effects, i.e., it tended to inhibit optokinetic nystagmus and activate optokinetic after-nystagmus. It also produced abnormal optokinetic nystagmus, such as the inversion phenomenon of optokinetic nystagmus and "optokinetic nystagmus firing". (2) Experiment II: Weak electric stimulation of the deep nuchal muscles of rabbits with monocular vision had similar effects to those in experiment I, but promotion of optokinetic nystagmus was less obvious, while activation of optokinetic after-nystagmus was more marked. In addition, the inversion phenomenon of optokinetic nystagmus developed even on weak electric stimulation. From these results the following conclusions were drawn: (1) The cervical proprioceptors can function in two mechanisms causing promotion and break down of equilibrium of the optokinetic system. (2) The cervical proprioceptors, as an organ of equilibrium, can exert two different actions on the optokinetic eye reflexes, i.e., they can promote optokinetic nystagmus and inhibit optokinetic after-nystagmus.