Successive measurements of cardiac myosin light chain I (MLC), creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CKMB), and the titer of antimyosin antibody (AMA) were performed prospectively in 19 patients following open heart surgery. Seven of these patients showed the postpericardiotomy syndrome (PPS). No differences in serum concentrations of MLC or CKMB were observed between the patients with and without PPS, and all patients in both groups had abnormal MLC values after surgery. However, only patients with PPS had significantly elevated AMA titers. The maximum AMA titer was significantly correlated with the severity of the effusion. These data suggest that PPS is unrelated to the severity of myocardial injury during operation. Furthermore, the AMA titer may be useful as one of the indicators for determining the patient's clinical condition.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pancreatitis with normal serum amylase associated with sodium valproate: a case report.

The patient was a 1-year-old infant with severe postencephalitis syndrome. Diarrhea and elevation of the pancreatic enzymes, except for serum amylase (elastase 1 > 1, 5000 ng/dl (100-400); lipase, 885 IU/I/37 degrees C (10-48); trypsin, > 900 ng/ml (110-460)), were observed starting 70 days after starting valproate (dose, 70 mg/kg; serum level, 83.8 micrograms/ml). These findings as well as those obtained by abdominal ultrasonography suggested a diagnosis of pancreatitis, which was thought to be caused by sodium valproate. Important signs of valproate-induced pancreatitis may be easily overlooked in patients with neurological impairment, such as in ours. Because the blood half-life of amylase is short, not only amylase but some other pancreatic enzymes should be promptly investigated when valproate-related pancreatitis is clinically suspected in physically or mentally handicapped children.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Restriction enzyme analysis of mitochondrial DNA of Acanthamoeba strains isolated from corneal lesions.

Although Acanthamoeba keratitis has been recognized as one of the important infectious diseases of the cornea, especially in contact lens wearers in recent years, its taxonomy has not been well established. We carried out mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) analysis of the Acanthamoeba organisms isolated from corneal lesions in four eyes of three patients who had suffered from keratitis. The mtDNA was analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using restriction enzymes Bg/II and EcoRI. The RFLP analyses revealed that the DNA phenotypes of the Acanthamoeba organisms were identical to those of the Ma strain in two patients and to the Castellani strain in one patient.

Acanthamoeba↗