Yasushi Hamamura

Herpes zoster of the maxillary branch of the trigeminus nerve: Virological and serological studies

A 70-year-old male had erythematous and vesiculous lesions in the area of the right maxillary branch of the trigeminus nerve and was clinically diagnosed as having herpes zoster; virological and serological investigations of this case were carried out. Consequently, an electron microscopic observation revealed a great number of virus particles of herpes type in the vesiculous lesion and in baby hamster kidney BHK21/WI-21 cells, cultured after inoculating the fluid from the vesicle formed on the patients upper lip or from serum harvested during the viremia. When BHK21/WI-21 cells infected with this virus were tested for antigenicity by an indirect immunofluorescent staining technique, they showed a positive staining to antivaricella-zoster virus. When serum of this patient was assayed fof the antibody level against varicella-zoster virus by the complement fixation test at various time intervals during the therapeutic period, this antibody titer on recovery period showed a threefold increase in comparison to that at onset. From these findings, this infectious disease was precisely diagnosed as herpes zoster.

Mechanical Contraction Property of the Levator Veli Palatini Muscle

Twenty adult dogs anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital were used as experimental animals in an analysis of the mechanical contraction properties of the levator veli palatini muscle. The following results were obtained: the contraction time and half relaxation time of maximal isometric twitch of the muscle were revealed to be 43 msec and 33 msec, respectively; a summation curve was obtained with stimulation at 15 Hz and maximal tetanic tension was at 70 Hz. The average of the tetanic tension ratio was found to be 5.7. The maximum rate of tension rise was observed at 150 Hz, and the value was twice the rate of the twitch contraction. The duration time of the active state plateau showed values of 3.9 to 4.5 msec. The contraction time of the levator veli palatini muscle closely resembles that of the intrinsic laryngeal and the orbicularis oris muscle.

Peripheral Facial Palsy Accompanied with the Systemic Disease

In the entity of the peripheral facial palsies, there are idiopathic, otitic, traumatic palsy, Ramsay Hunts syndrome, and others. The causes of the facial palsies were due to the disturbance of microcirculation and the bleeding in Fallopian canal, infection of bacteria and virus, the direct damage of the facial nerve and etc..Some of them occur accompanying with the systemic disease. We reported 8 cases of the facial palsies which were accompanied with the systemic disease. These systemic disease were diabetes mellitus, sarcoidosis, aseptic and carcinomatous meningitis, systemic lupus erythematosus, aplastic anemia, and pregnancy. The facial palsies accompanied with diabetes mellitus and pregnancy are due to the disturbance of microcirculation (anoxia, ischemia, microembolism). As sarcoidosis sometimes involves in degeneration of myelin, and aseptic meningitis and infectious mononucleosis are viral infection of seventh nerve, these cause probably a neuritis or a ganglionitis. The palsy of carcinomatous meningitis is rare, but if initial symptom is only facial palsy, this palsy should be differentiated from idiopathic facial palsy (Bells palsy).As aplastic anemia causes the tendency of bleeding, this palsy occurs from the bleeding in Fallopian canal. One case of the facial palsy accompanying the aplasic anemia revealed the bleeding in Fallopian canal by autopsy. The importance of systemic disease as a possible cause of idiopathic facial palsy was emphasized.