Given an abstract of a paper, generate a title for this paper such that conveys the key focus of the paper.

Abstract: Optical imaging of cortical activity offers several advantages over conventional electrophysiological and anatomical techniques. One can map a relatively large region, obtain successive maps to different stimuli in the same cortical area and follow variations in response over time. In the intact mammalian brain this imaging has been accomplished with the aid of voltage sensitive dyes. However, it has been known for many years that some intrinsic changes in the optical properties of the tissue are dependent on electrical or metabolic activity. Here we show that these changes can be used to study the functional architecture of cortex. Optical maps of whisker barrels in the rat and the orientation columns in the cat visual cortex, obtained by reflection measurements of the intrinsic signal, were confirmed with voltage sensitive dyes or by electrophysiological recordings. In addition, we describe an intrinsic signal originating from small arteries which can be used to investigate the communication between local neuronal activity and the microvasculature. One advantage of the method is that it is non-invasive and does not require dyes, a clear benefit for clinical applications.
Functional architecture of cortex revealed by optical imaging of intrinsic signals.

Abstract: We observed a case of skin avulsion associated with measurement of blood pressure by oscillometry on an anesthetized patient in the prone position. Epidermal shearing may be avoided in the prone patient by either wrapping the antecubital skin underlying the blood pressure cuff with gauze or preventing weight-bearing by the cuffed portion of the arm.
Skin avulsion during oscillometry.

Abstract: Previous serial measurements of lymphocyte subpopulations in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) have demonstrated periodic reductions in the number of OKT8 positive (T8+) cells. In this longitudinal study, involving twice monthly samples from each participant and carried out in two phases lasting at least six and three months respectively, we have confirmed that fluctuations in T8+ cells occur in patients with MS and also found a significant reduction in this lymphocyte subpopulation in patients' spouses but not their siblings, compared with unrelated controls. The changes observed in spouses were related in time to those occurring in patients on 10/13 occasions from 5/9 families; no temporal relationship occurred in the remainder. Taking two or more low T8+ values as significant, 12/13 patients, 7/9 spouses, 6/13 siblings and 4/13 controls (chi 2 = 12.5; P less than 0.01) were abnormal at some stage. Our results provide indirect evidence for the role of environmental factors in determining certain immunological abnormalities present in patients with MS and illustrate the role of family studies in determining the specificity of these changes to the disease.

Suppressor T cells in family members of patients with multiple sclerosis.

