Biomedical subjects

M L Chou

Publications and source records attributed to M L Chou.

22 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Cerebral cryptococcosis in a child.

Reported is one case of cerebral cryptococcosis in a 12-year-old girl. The diagnosis was confirmed by the detection of Cryptococcus neoformans with both India ink preparation of the cerebrospinal fluid and Sabouraud's media culture. Clinical presentation included progressive severe headache, vomiting, left eye pain, diplopia, dizziness and unstable gait. Fever was absent as a symptom. Initial brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed a focal lesion over the right cerebellar hemisphere with better demonstration than contrast-enhanced computed tomography. The patient was treated with amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine with good final outcome. Early diagnosis and proper therapy are necessary in order to decrease the motality of cerebral cryptococcosis.

Brain Diseases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intracranial meningiomas in childhood.

Over the 10-year period from 1980 to 1990, ten pediatric patients were diagnosed at this hospital with intracranial meningiomas. The patients' diagnoses were confirmed by histological studies, including the incidence, age and sex distribution, duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis, signs and symptoms on onset, tumor locations, histologic type, presence of cyst, dural attachment of tumor, treatment, and prognosis. When comparing pediatric meningiomas with those of adults, some differences were noted such as a slight preference for males; the clinical history seemed to be shorter; a ventricular location is more frequent; predilection for cystic meningioma and absence of dural attachment are more common.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dermatomyositis and polymyositis in childhood.

From January 1, 1981 to December 31, 1992, we experienced nine patients with childhood onset of dermatomyositis and polymyositis. The mean age of disease onset was 12 years (range 7 to 16 years). Seven of them fulfilled the criteria of dermatomyositis, the remaining two were polymyositis. Girls were more predominant than boys in 6:3 ratio. The clinical features included extremities muscle weakness, skin rash, periorbital swelling and dysphagia. Increased muscle enzymes including creatine phosphokinase (CPK) or lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were all positive in nine patients. All of our nine patients were treated with prednisolone after the diagnosis was established. The duration of treatment ranged from 3 to 65 months (mean: 25.3 months). Two of the nine patients also received immunosuppressive agents, hydroxychloroquine and azathioprine respectively. At present six patients survive without treatment. Two patients continue with corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy. One patient died from primary peritonitis, six months after being diagnosed with JDMS. In conclusion our study shows there is a female dominance; monocyclic clinical course is more common; and the prognosis is good in general, in the cases of juvenile dermatomyositis and polymyositis.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Late-onset pyridoxine-dependent seizures: report of two cases.

We report two cases of late-onset pyridoxine-dependent seizures with age onset at 14 and 9 months, respectively. Their intractable seizures were refractory to diazepam, phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, and adrenocorticotropic hormone, but stopped soon after intravenous administration of pyridoxine. The psychomotor development was retarded in both cases. Pyridoxine dependency is one of the few treatable intractable seizures in infancy. It should always be kept in mind, even in patients with intractable seizures beyond the neonatal period, regardless of previous patterns of electroencephalography and seizure types and responsiveness to the conventional anticonvulsants.

Age of Onset↗