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Vascular complications occurred in 3.3% (6 of 180) of children with chronic inflammatory bowel disease. Clinical disease activity was severe in four of six patients who presented with these symptoms. In contrast to adults, in whom deep-vein thrombotic complications predominate, the majority of children had involvement of the CNS including encephalopathy, arteritis, arterial occlusion, and thromboembolism. One patient died 3 1/2 years later from progressive intestinal and neurological deficits: morbidity included blindness, epilepsy, and developmental delay. Hematological parameters varied widely. Prevention is not always possible, but risk factors include: (a) family history of collagenosis (83% incidence), (b) severe inanition and immobility, (c) delayed hospitalization, and (d) clinical presentation with cutaneous vasculitis. Therapy must be individualized.

The isolation and cellular localization of a basic protein (histone) from central nervous tissue have been previously reported. In the tissues previously studied (nervous tissue, testis, liver, spleen, kidney, ovary), the basic protein was restricted in distribution to the nuclei of neurons and spermatogonia. In the present study, the temporal appearance of the histone within neurons and the changes in its distribution during ontogenesis were examined. The reaction between a fluorescent immune gamma-globulin prepared against this purified tissue-specific histone and the neurons from the dorsal root ganglia of the rat was investigated. The dorsal root ganglia examined were those from fetuses, 2-, 10-, and 40-day-old rats, and from adult rats. At the earliest stages, only the nucleoli reacted. Subsequently, threads of fluorescent material were seen to emerge from the nucleoli. The extent of this reaction between the immune globulin and the threads within the nuclei continued to increase with maturation. No changes in fluorescence localization during development could be seen in the nuclei of neurons in the cerebellum or brain stem. The role that this tissue-specific histone may play in cell function is discussed.