Our results provide further support for FIHP being a distinct allelic variant of MEN1, and an analysis of the 16 mutations reported to date indicate that FIHP is associated with a higher frequency of missense MEN1 mutations.

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An interesting association of Kimura’s disease and membranous nephropathy is reported in a 71-year-old Chinese patient, 40 years after emigrating to the UK from Hong Kong. Significant blood eosinophilia and a very high serum IgE level were detected, the latter with a moderate level of specificity to Candida albicans. Light microscopy of renal biopsy was unremarkable despite a proteinuria of nephrotic proportions; diffuse subepithelial dense deposits compatible with membranous nephropathy were identified on electron microscopy. The atopic nature of Kimura’s disease is confirmed and C. albicans is suggested as a possible causative agent.

Epoprostenol (prostacyclin, PGI2) was given intravenously to seven healthy volunteers in a dose of 4 ng kg-' min-' over a 30 min period. Diastolic blood pressure fell but there was no change in cardiac output. The mean PGI2 concentration at the end of the infusion was 0.43 ng/ml (1.1 nM) and a significant inhibition of ADP-induced platelet aggregation occurred. Although obvious facial flushing occurred in all subjects and some subjects complained of headache, cerebral blood flow tended to fall.The results do not support the hypothesis that PGI2 acts as a physiological vasodilator involved in the homeostasis of normal cerebral blood flow.

No abstract