To investigate the pathophysiology of fatigue in MS, we assessed cerebral glucose metabolism (CMR-Glu) in 47 MS patients using PET and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Applying the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), we first compared MS patients with severe fatigue (MS-FAT, n = 19, FSS > 4.9) and MS patients without fatigue (MS-NOF, n = 16, FSS < 3.7) on a pixel-by-pixel basis using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM95). Second, we compared FSS values of all 47 patients covering the whole range of this scale with CMRGlu using an analysis of covariance (SPM95). In addition, we determined global CMRGlu by region-of-interest analysis. Sixteen healthy subjects served as control subjects (CON). Global CMRGlu was significantly lower in both MS groups compared with CON (CON 43.3 +/- 6.9 mumol/100 mL/min, MS-FAT 34.7 +/- 4.4, MS-NOF 35.4 +/- 4.5) but was not related to fatigue severity. Comparing the two MS groups, SPM95 analysis revealed predominant CMRGlu reductions bilaterally in a prefrontal area involving the lateral and medial prefrontal cortex and adjacent white matter, in the premotor cortex, putamen, and in the right supplementary motor area of MS-FAT. In addition, there were CMRGlu reductions in the white matter extending from the rostral putamen toward the lateral head of the caudate nucleus. FSS values were inversely related to CMRGlu in the right prefrontal cortex. CMRGlu in the cerebellar vermis and anterior cingulate was relatively higher in MS-FAT than in MS-NOF patients. CMRGlu of both regions showed positive correlations with FSS values. Our data suggest that fatigue in MS is associated with frontal cortex and basal ganglia dysfunction that could result from demyelination of the frontal white matter.

Seventy-one athletes with 74 stress injuries to the femur were studied using a case-controlled design. Forty-three were females (26.6 yrs) and 28 were males (31.2 yrs). Each patient had exercise-induced pain in the hip, groin or thigh and a Tec-99m-MDP bone scan showing focal uptake of radionuclide in the femur. Running was the most common activity at the time of injury (89.2%) followed by triathlon (4.6%) and aerobic dance (4.6%). Thirty per cent of the runners had increased their training duration immediately prior to their first symptom. Anterior thigh pain was the most frequent site of exercise-induced pain (45.9%) followed by hip pain (27%) and groin pain (8.1%). During the clinical examination, when asked to hop on the affected limb, 70.3% of the patients had pain reproduced in the hip, groin or anterior thigh. There were 39 cases (53%) involving focal uptake of radionuclide in the femoral shaft, 15 (20%) in the lesser trochanter, 11 (15%) in the intertrochanteric region between the femoral neck and the greater trochanter, 8 (11%) in the femoral neck and 1 (1%) in the greater trochanter. Two patients suffered displaced fractures, one at the femoral neck and the other in the shaft of the femur. Neither patient had previously sought medical attention for their leg pain. Of 46 plain radiographs taken, only 11 (24%) were abnormal. The mean time to diagnosis and recovery were 6.6 and 10.4 weeks respectively. Substitution of cycling and water exercise for running were the most common therapeutic interventions.

We studied 10 patients with early Huntington's disease and 7 normal age-matched controls with positron emission tomography (PET) using fluorodeoxyglucose. Subjects had little or no caudate nucleus atrophy and had not received any medications. The results demonstrated that hypometabolism of glucose preceded tissue loss. Furthermore, patients with minimal neurologic or psychiatric symptoms and no obvious CT changes may be differentiated from normal persons with high accuracy by PET. PET is helpful in the early diagnosis of Huntington's disease irrespective of the mode of presentation. PET may also be useful for preclinical detection and may supplement information from DNA studies.

Medical records of 59 patients (9 females and 50 males), who presented to sports medicine clinics at the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of British Columbia between 1985 and 1990 and who were diagnosed as suffering osteitis pubis, were reviewed and comparison of data obtained was made with the literature. Women average 35.5 years of age (30 to 59 years) and men 30.3 years (13 to 61 years). Sports most frequently involved were running, soccer, ice hockey and tennis. Clinical presentations of osteitis pubis fell into 4 main groups. 'Mechanical' (sport-related) was the largest group (n = 48), followed by 'obstetric' (n = 5), 'inflammatory' (n = 4) and 'other' (n = 2). Period of follow-up averaged 10.3 months (1 to 20 months) in women and 17.5 months (2 to 96 months) in men. Full recovery, when documented, averaged 9.5 months in men and 7.0 months in women. Osteitis pubis recurred in 25% of these men and none of these women at follow-up. The most frequent symptoms were pubic pain and adductor pain. Men also presented with lower abdominal, hip and perineal or scrotal pain; women with hip pain. Most common signs were tenderness of the pubic symphysis and tenderness of adductor longus muscle origin. Men also revealed tenderness of one or both the superior pubic rami and evidence of decreased hip rotation (unilateral or bilateral). Evidence of pelvic malalignment and/or sacroiliac dysfunction was frequently seen in both men and women. There was poor correlation between radiographic and isotope bone scan findings and the site and duration of symptoms and signs. Femoral head ratios were estimated on 30 hips in the series and 2 were judged to be at the upper limit of normal, perhaps indicating a form of epiphysiolysis producing tilt deformity of the head of the femur. It is clear that osteitis pubis in athletes is not uncommon and that factors such as loss of rotation of hips and previous obstetric history are important in the aetiology and management of this condition. Pelvic infection, which was believed to be the primary factor of osteitis pubis in the literature up until the 1970s, plays a very small role in this condition in athletes.