Variations of skin temperature in patients with craniofacial pain. A thermographic evaluation

Thermography of craniofacial region was taken in 33 patients with different types of craniofacial pain. In 26 patients (78%) a thermal asymmetry was found which corresponded to the painful area in 19 patients (57%). It can be concluded that temperature alterations in different areas of the face are common in such patients and are probably the consequence of functional alterations of the sympathetic system.

Significance of metastatic disease in subaortic lymph nodes

Thirty-five patients underwent resection of primary bronchogenic carcinoma of the left upper lobe or left main bronchus in the presence of metastatic disease in subaortic lymph nodes. No patient had metastatic disease in other mediastinal node stations. There was 1 postoperative death. Complete follow-up is available on 34 patients. Three-year and five-year actuarial survival for the entire group is 44% and 28%, respectively. For 23 patients undergoing complete resection, five-year actuarial survival is 42%. Resection of primary bronchogenic carcinoma in the presence of subaortic nodal metastases is associated with improved survival relative to reports of survival following resection of metastatic disease in other mediastinal node stations. Resection should be undertaken in these patients especially when it is judged that the resection is likely to be complete.

Presence of zoonotic campylobacters in cattle and swine for consumption in Argentina

The first isolation of zoonotic campylobacters in Argentina is described. Samples from intestinal contents and swabbing of carcasses of clinically healthy cattle and swine destined for consumption were analysed. In cattle, isolations of C. fetus subsp. jejuni and C. sputorum were made from intestinal content samples (1.7% and 6.9% respectively for each species), and only the former species was isolated from carcass swabbing samples (3.2%). Isolations in swine were made only from intestinal contents (6.9%). We discuss the significance of these isolations in relation to the role the animal species studied play in the epidemiological chain of this zoonosis.

Antimigraine drugs in the management of daily chronic headaches: clinical profiles of responsive patients

Flunarizine, a Ca-antagonist with demonstrated antimigraine properties, and indoprofen, an anti-inflammatory non-steroidal agent, were used in the treatment of daily chronic headache. Forty-two migraineurs with interval headache (MIH) were treated with flunarizine in a 6-month open trial, while indoprofen was administered to 23 patients with MIH and 7 with chronic tension headache (CTH) in a 2-month, double-blind, cross-over placebo-controlled study. Flunarizine was found effective in over 65% of the patients, while indoprofen was able to improve headache severity in only 30% of the subjects. In the responder patients, the effectiveness of both drugs is more pronounced in MIH, and seems to be ascribable to the ability of the treatments to reduce number and severity of attacks. A higher incidence of previous affective disturbances is found in non-responsive cases. The analysis of factors converting episodic into chronic headache shows slight but not significant differences between responders and non-responders. An impairment of plasma beta-endorphin levels, in the presence of normal ACTH, cortisol and nociceptive RIII threshold values, characterizes daily chronic headache (DCH) patients. Moreover, indoprofen does not significantly affect these biological and neurophysiological parameters independently of the therapeutic response.

Visual evoked potentials and brainstem auditory evoked potentials in migraine and transient ischemic attacks

A study of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) and pattern reversal visual evoked potentials (VEPs), recorded in intercritical phase, was carried out in 20 subjects (10 suffering from common migraine and 10 suffering from vertebrobasilar TIA) in order to obtain a comparative evaluation of cortical-subcortical functions. The data we obtained demonstrate the presence of BAEPs alterations in patients with previous vertebrobasilar TIA: no abnormalities were found in the migraine group. VEPs parameters are normal in both groups. Our data show that the study of the so-called "stimulus-related" potentials, such as BAEPs and pattern reversal VEPs, is useful in evaluating the damage produced by any noxa, while it cannot clearly emphasize individual factors predisposing to a specific pathology, as the absence of specific alterations in migraine patients demonstrates.