Paraneoplastic syndrome manifesting as chronic cerebellar ataxia in a child with Hodgkin disease

An 8-year-old boy had nausea and vomiting associated with nystagmus, ataxia, and dysarthria of acute onset. Three years later he had a mass in the anterior mediastinum as a result of Hodgkin disease of mixed cellularity. This association of paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration with Hodgkin disease has been described in adults.

Monomelic amyotrophy in siblings

Monomelic amyotrophy is a rare, benign motor neuron disorder. Electrophysiologic studies are suggestive of localized chronic anterior horn cell disease. Two young siblings are reported with monomelic amyotrophy who had proximal muscle weakness confined to one arm. We propose that monomelic amyotrophy, at least in this family, is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait.

Congenital muscular dystrophy with cerebral involvement--report of a case of "occidental type cerebromuscular dystrophy"?

Cerebral CT scan abnormalities have been seen to be afflicted with some cases of classic occidental type congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) with normal or borderline intelligence without neurological abnormality. A case is presented with early hypotonia, joint contractures, muscle biopsy features of CMD, normal intelligence and diffuse white matter hyperlucency on CT scan. Every CMD case should be screened with cerebral CT and magnetic resonance (MRI) scans to reach more aspects of this heterogenous disorder.

Tremor of tongue and dysarthria as the sole manifestation of Wilson's disease

Neurological form of Wilson's disease in children usually manifests with dystonia as the initial sign. Tremor of extremities, dysarthria and ataxia may follow. Copper deposits in gray and white matter along with the basal ganglia. A pediatric case presenting with tremor of the tongue and dysarthria as the only findings of Wilson's disease is reported. Tongue tremor should also be taken into notice within the basal ganglia symptomatology.

Acridine orange-RNA fluorescence of maturing neurons in the perinatal rat brain

Cytoplasmic RNA was demonstrated in neurons of the developing rat brain using acridine orange (AO) as a histochemical marker. Fetuses of 18 days and postnatal rats of 1, 7, 14, and 21 days as well as adults several months old were studied. Neuroblasts of the germinal matrix exhibited minimal or no orange-red AO-RNA fluorescence, but immature nerve cells in migration within the cerebral hemispheres of the rat showed a weak but definite orange colour. This finding contrasts with the absence of AO-RNA fluorescence in migrating human neuroblasts. Neurons of the neocortical plate showed uniformly strong fluorescence. In the hippocampus, the most pronounced increase in AO-demonstrated RNA was in pyramidal and granule cells during the first postnatal week. The cerebellum showed a paradoxically stronger fluorescence of granule cells in the 18-day fetus than at birth, and almost no AO-RNA fluorescence of granule cells at 21 days of age or in adults. Motor neurons showed the strongest fluorescence of all neurons. It is likely that the increase in cytoplasmic RNA in neurons corresponds to the onset of neurotransmitter biosynthesis, but transitory fetal neuropeptides may explain stronger fluorescence of some neurons in young individuals. The reliable and simple AO method provides a supplementary means of studying one aspect of neuronal maturation.