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This study aims to evaluate the difficulty experienced during routine hygiene and healthcare in various domains by persons with special needs attending a dental clinic compared to controls.
To illustrate the conceptualization and development of a research institution from the comprehensive perspective based on the integrative model of functioning provided by the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The newly founded research institution Swiss Paraplegic Research which focuses on the comprehensive study of spinal cord injury (SCI) serves as an example.
This paper describes and evaluates a programme of neuropsychological rehabilitation which aims to improve three sub-components of the working memory central executive: processing load, updating and dual-task monitoring, by the acquisition of three re-organisation strategies (double coding, serial processing and speed reduction). Our programme has two stages: cognitive rehabilitation (graduated exercises subdivided into three sub-programmes each corresponding to a sub-component) which enables the patient to acquire the three specific strategies; and an ecological rehabilitation, including analyses of scenarios and simulations of real-life situations, which aims to transfer the strategies learned to everyday life. The programme also includes information meetings. It was applied to a single case who had working memory deficits after a surgical operation for a cerebral tumour on his left internal temporal ganglioglioma. Multiple baseline tests were used to measure the effectiveness of the rehabilitation.
Abstract
Patients with a dysexecutive syndrome often have severe disabilities in daily life activities. The aims of this study were to use a naturalistic experimental task to assess patients' disabilities, and to study the nature of the cognitive disorders underlying them. Execution of a cooking task involving multi-tasking (Chevignard et al., 2000) was studied in 45 patients with a dysexecutive syndrome following acquired brain injury. Patients made significantly more errors and were slower than controls; more than half of the patients did not achieve the goal and demonstrated dangerous behaviours. Those results were significantly correlated to the results of the Six Elements Task and to a behavioural questionnaire. They were also correlated to brain injury severity and to patients' cooking habits.
This study provides ecological validity for laboratory findings that people with memory difficulties following brain injury can learn new skills. This was done by testing the acquisition of a useful real-world perceptual-motor skill. Using a conventional computer software training package supplemented by one-to-one coaching, a woman with severely impaired memory and a man with poor memory learned to touch type. They achieved the initial criterion of 20 wpm with over 90% accuracy; reached a top speed of 30 wpm and retained their skill a year later. The memory-impaired participants received short sessions of distributed practice and as far as possible were taught under error-free learning conditions. Their performance was broadly comparable with that of two non-memory-impaired comparison participants in terms of acquisition, consolidation and transfer, speed and accuracy, and retention.
Journal of Neuro-Oncology 0167-594X (Print) 10.1007/s11060-008-9636-z
Radiation necrosis of the brain is a well documented adverse effect of radiation therapy. The authors report an unusual case of relapsing multifocal radiation necrosis following whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for brain metastases from a systemic germ cell tumor.
Journal of Neuro-Oncology 0167-594X (Print) 10.1007/s11060-008-9629-y
True multicentric glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is rare and consists of separate distinct tumors in different cerebral lobes or hemispheres without any apparent route of dissemination.
Neuroblastoma (NB) is a pediatric neoplasia that shows complex combinations of acquired genetic aberrations. The specific genes and the molecular mechanisms responsible for development and progression of NB remain poorly understood.
JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute, doi:10.1093/jnci/djn176
Neuroblastomas are characterized by hemizygous 1p deletions, suggesting that a tumor suppressor gene resides in this region. We previously mapped the smallest region of consistent deletion to a 2-Mb region of 1p36.31 that encodes 23 genes. Based on mutation analysis, expression pattern, and putative function, we identified CHD5 as the best tumor suppressor gene candidate.
Prehospital Emergency Care, Volume 12, Issue 3 July 2008 , pages 307 - 313
Prehospital personnel in Emergency Medical Service (EMS) systems have varying levels of accuracy in stroke recognition. Identifying the accuracy of emergency medical dispatcher using Medical Priority Dispatch Systems (MPDS) stroke protocol and paramedics may help understand the accuracy of stroke recognition in about 3000 emergency medical dispatch systems and prehospital systems world wide.
This study evaluated the benefits and impact of ICU therapeutic interventions on the survival and functional ability of severe cerebrovascular accident (CVA) patients.
Sleep Medicine Volume 9, Issue 5, Pages 481-487 (July 2008)
Sleep disturbance is a common subjective complaint of minor traumatic brain-injured (mTBI) patients, but little is known about the characteristics of sleep disturbance in adults years after the injury.
European Journal of Endocrinology, Vol 159, Issue 1, 7-13
Twenty-nine (25 males and 4 females; age 36.5±2.3 years) patients who had completed a 3-year follow-up after TBI were included in the present study. APA and pituitary function were evaluated in all the patients 3 years after TBI; moreover, APAs were tested also in sera of 60 age-/sex-matched normal controls. The APAs were investigated by an indirect immunofluorescence method.
Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand Vol91 No.6 818 6824
Aspirin resistance has been defined as inability of aspirin to protect individuals from thrombotic complications or to produce an anticipated effect from laboratory tests of platelet function. Most reported information comes from Western patients with coronary artery disease and aspirin resistance is defined by laboratory criteria. The purpose of the present study was to look for aspirin non-responders in Thai patients who presented with acute/subacute ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Molecular Cancer Research 6, 907-916, June 1, 2008
The neural precursor surface marker CD133 is thought to be enriched in brain cancer stem cells and in radioresistant DAOY medulloblastoma-derived tumor cells.
Molecular Cancer Research 6, 965-977, June 1, 2008
Expression of activated Ras in glioblastoma cells induces accumulation of large phase-lucent cytoplasmic vacuoles, followed by cell death. This was previously described as autophagic cell death. However, unlike autophagosomes, the Ras-induced vacuoles are not bounded by a double membrane and do not sequester organelles or cytoplasm.
Emergency Medicine Journal 2008;25:459; doi:10.1136/emj.2008.057968
Cerebral infarctions can have many presentations ranging from hemiparesis to subtle behavioural changes. A case is presented in which the only sign of a left basal ganglion infarct was isolated abulia. This case highlights the importance of a thorough evaluation in cases of acute unexplained changes in behaviour.
Endocrine Pathology Volume 1, Number 1 / March, 1990 51-57
Using in situ hybridization with35S-labeled prepro-VIP cDNA probes, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) mRNA was detected in tumor tissues from two cases of ganglioneuroblastoma associated with watery diarrhea syndrome.
Neurocritical Care 1541-6933 (Print) 10.1007/s12028-008-9119-2
Conclusive evidence of cerebral ischemia following head injury has been elusive. We aimed to use 15O and 18Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) to investigate pathophysiological derangements following head injury.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 3, 2008
Epilepsy is a common neurological condition which affects between 0.5% and 1% of the population. Approximately 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to treatment with currently available drugs, and the majority of these people have partial epilepsy. Vigabatrin is an antiepileptic drug licensed for use in the treatment of refractory epilepsy. No major side effects associated with the use of vigabatrin were detected by initial randomised controlled trials of the drug. However, longer term observational studies have subsequently identified that its use is associated with asymptomatic visual field constriction.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 26, No 18 (June 20), 2008: pp. 3015-3024
Glioblastomas are notorious for resistance to therapy, which has been attributed to DNA-repair proficiency, a multitude of deregulated molecular pathways, and, more recently, to the particular biologic behavior of tumor stem-like cells.
Arthritis Care & Research Volume 59 Issue 7, Pages 984 - 988
To compare outcomes following stroke rehabilitation among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) versus patients with neither RA nor SLE (non-RA/SLE).
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is cryptogenic in 15% of cases. Despite reports of proven recurrence, additional diagnostic studies are not often recommended when no abnormalities were identified on the initial study with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). In our retrospective review of outcomes after cryptogenic SAH, we identify diagnostic strategies that most often yielded the source of bleeding.
The cases of two patients who presented with sylvian aqueductal obstruction caused by venous lesions (an ectatic vein and a developmental venous anomaly, which are uncommon causes of obstructive hydrocephalus) are reported.
Herpes virus encephalitis is a rare, life-threatening complication of therapy in patients with brain tumors. A surgical therapeutic approach may be needed because the infection can be resistant to acyclovir in immunocompromised patients, and complications and long-term sequelae are frequent.
Rosette-forming glioneuronal tumor is a newly described mixed glial and neuronal tumor. We describe two cases and review the literature to better characterize this entity.
The purpose of this prospective work was to evaluate the relationship between seizure outcome and psychosocial status in patients who underwent temporal lobe epilepsy surgery for medically intractable seizure.
Stent-assisted coiling is an accepted endovascular treatment (EVT) for complex intracranial aneurysms. The Enterprise self-expandable stent (Cordis, Miami Lakes, FL) is a new retractable stent that is delivered via a conventional coiling catheter to potentially circumvent the limitations of other stents.
Intractable singultus is a rare but significantly disruptive clinical phenomenon that often accompanies other diseases but can present in isolation due entirely to intracranial pathology.
The use of mathematics in the study of phenomena and systems of interest to medicine has become quite popular in recent years, but not much progress has been made as a result of these efforts. The aim of this article is to identify the reasons for this failure and to suggest procedures for more successful outcomes.
The Sophysa Pressio (Sophysa Ltd., Orsay, France) is a new intracranial pressure monitoring system. This study aimed to evaluate its accuracy and compare it with the popular Codman intracranial pressure transducer (Codman/Johnson & Johnson, Raynham, MA) in vitro.
Schwannomas located at the craniovertebral junction are rare. Intratumoral microscopic bleeding may be a common finding, but an acute hemorrhagic presentation is an unusual occurrence.
A vestibular schwannoma (VS) is a benign tumor of the VIIIth cranial nerve that can often be treated by microsurgery or radiosurgery and demonstrates high tumor control rates.
Endoscopic cranial base surgery is a minimal access, maximally aggressive alternative to traditional transfacial, transcranial, or combined open cranial base approaches. Previous descriptions of endoscopic approaches have used varying terminology, which can be confusing to the new practitioner.
Moyamoya disease is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by progressive occlusion of vessels comprising the circle of Willis, resulting in formation of collaterals that have a cloudy appearance on angiography.
Self-mutilation is a severe symptom of diseases with varying etiologies. It can be observed in the context of mental retardation and after traumatic brain injury. Pharmacological treatment approaches often prove ineffective.
A number of publications suggest that there are seasonal influences on the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Most series agree on a peak incidence during springtime. Meteorological influences have been assumed to be obvious explanations for seasonal variations. Furthermore, the perceived clustering of the incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage is also intuitively related to meteorological influences.
The Pipeline embolization device (PED; Chestnut Medical, Menlo Park, CA) is a new endovascular construct designed to exclude aneurysms from the parent cerebrovasculature.
Chronic pituitary dysfunction is increasingly recognized as a sequela of traumatic brain injury. We sought to define the incidence, risk factors, and neurobehavioral consequences of chronic hormonal deficiencies after complicated mild, moderate, or severe traumatic brain injury.
Neurology India Year : 2008 Volume : 56 Issue : 1 Page : 65-67
Asleep-awake-asleep technique of anesthesia is used during awake craniotomy with or without securing airway. We assessed this technique using laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in two patients. Patients underwent awake craniotomy for epilepsy surgery and the removal of a frontotemporal glioma.
Several years ago, the discovery of a highly tumorigenic subpopulation of stem-like cells embedded within fresh surgical isolates of malignant gliomas lent support to a new paradigm in cancer biology-the cancer stem cell hypothesis.
Synaptic homeostasis, induced by chronic changes in neuronal activity, is well studied in cultured neurons, but not in more physiological networks where distinct synaptic circuits are preserved.
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, Volume 15, Issue 4 July 2008 , pages 424 - 445
Difficulties in executive processes can disturb daily life functioning. Using data obtained from two independent community-dwelling samples, we examined the factor structure of the Dysexecutive Functioning Questionnaire (DEX) and explored the frequencies and potential correlates of self-reported executive difficulties.
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, Volume 15, Issue 4 July 2008 , pages 492 - 505
Abstract
Impairments in visual attention and visual information processing have been identified as part of the neuropsychological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in its earliest stages. There is increasing recognition that these deficits may be selective rather than global, with some attentional subtypes being more vulnerable than others.
Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, Volume 15, Issue 4 July 2008 , pages 471 - 491
The directed forgetting effect obtained with the item method is supposed to depend on both selective rehearsal of to-be-remembered (TBR) items and attentional inhibition of to-be-forgotten (TBF) items. In this study, we investigated the locus of the directed forgetting deficit in older adults by exploring the influence of recollection and familiarity-based retrieval processes on age-related differences in directed forgetting.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 248-250 (July 2008)
Perimesencephalic subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a relatively benign form of SAH. The etiology of this condition is unknown but venous leakage has been believed to be the most likely cause. This report describes a patient with perimesencephalic SAH who presented with a concurrent acute pontine infarct demonstrated on diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 246-247 (July 2008)
Headache with neurologic deficits and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis is a benign condition with a transient ischemic attack-like presentation. We present a case of a 22-year-old man with episodes of right-sided weakness, global dysphasia, and right-sided homonymous hemianopsia associated with frequent vomiting.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 244-245 (July 2008)
We report a 63 year-old man with an acute right occipital lobe infarction coincident with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. The patient's thrombocytopenia responded to steroids and intravenous immune globulin with no further cerebrovascular complications. We suggest that ITP-induced platelet microparticles contributed to our patient's stroke. Proper management of acute ischemic stroke in the setting of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura is unclear.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 241-243 (July 2008)
Transient global amnesia (TGA) is characterized by sudden, temporary dysfunction of antegrade and recent retrograde memory without other neurologic deficits. Although there is sometimes a precipitating event, the origin of TGA remains controversial.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 226-234 (July 2008)
Underuse of effective stroke prevention measures has been demonstrated in the general population. Blacks and Hispanics are at increased risk of recurrent stroke relative to white non-Hispanics. More profound underuse of prevention measures may contribute to this disparity.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 218-225 (July 2008)
The Internet is an increasingly important tool for stroke survivors, their family members, and health care providers and researchers. An immense amount of information on stroke, ranging from pathophysiology and treatment to poststroke management, is available on the World Wide Web.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 212-217 (July 2008)
As many human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive individuals are now living longer after infection because of highly active antiretroviral therapy, aging-related manifestations of cerebral small-vessel ischemic vascular disease, such as brain white matter hyperintensities (WMHs), are becoming increasingly important in this population.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 208-211 (July 2008)
Recent articles have promoted anticoagulation for potential sources of embolism detected on echocardiography, despite lack of data regarding risk/benefit ratio for anticoagulating many of these abnormalities. Conversely, we have found echocardiography use in ambulatory stroke care to be of low yield. However, direct visualization of a thrombus might be considered a reasonable indication for anticoagulation.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 204-207 (July 2008)
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is an unusual but serious complication of bleeding disorders. ICH is believed to follow thrombocytopenia, alterations in coagulation, and vascular fragility. Information regarding its distribution is nonconclusive, and the mechanism of bleeding is not fully understood.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 196-203 (July 2008)
Body fluid biomarkers of central nervous system damage may help improve the prognostic and diagnostic accuracy in ischemic stroke. We studied 53 patients. Stroke severity and outcome was rated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale and modified Rankin scale.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 187-195 (July 2008)
Secondary consequences of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) including inflammation, edema, and oxidative damage all contribute to cell death after ICH. Brain hypothermia (BH) has been used as an effective neuroprotective treatment in experimental brain ischemia and traumatic brain injury.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 181-186 (July 2008)
Telemedicine is used to assess patients with stroke remotely. The extent of training necessary to use these systems is unknown. A site-independent telemedicine system (used in the STRokE DOC trial) is reliable when used by telemedicine-trained investigators.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 175-180 (July 2008)
Insulin resistance is associated with hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia and promotes atherosclerosis. Although insulin resistance is associated with adipocytokines, little is known about the association in patients with stroke without diabetes mellitus.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 169-174 (July 2008)
Stroke is a frequent complication in patients with cancer, occurring in nearly 15% of patients with cancer. However, cerebrovascular disease as the first manifestation of cancer has rarely been reported.
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases Volume 17, Issue 4, Pages 165-168 (July 2008)
Data on recent stroke prevalence rates among middle-aged men in the United States indicate that men aged 55 to 64 years are 3 times more likely than men aged 45 to 54 years to have experienced a stroke. We aimed to determine potential risk factors that may contribute to this steep increase in late midlife stroke occurrence.
A 59-year-old patient presented with compulsive behaviors and lasting apathy after carbon monoxide intoxication. The apathy could be overcome by external stimulation (self-activation deficit). There was severe neuronal loss bilaterally in the anterior part of the pallidum and in the substantia nigra, pars reticulata.
Neurocritical Care 1541-6933 (Print) 10.1007/s12028-008-9116-5
Battle’s sign is a classical clinical sign that has long been held to be synonymous with fracture of the basal skull. As such the presence of
Battle's sign is a strong indicator that a basal skull fracture could be present in the head injured patient, as exemplified by its inclusion as a major risk factor in scoring systems designed to assess the likelihood of basal skull fracture.
Chronic hydrocephalus is a common sequela of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The technical procedure used to treat intracranial aneurysms, whether neurosurgical clipping or endovascular coiling, may lead to differences in the incidence of chronic posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus.
Women suffering from epilepsy require special attention throughout their life. In this review, management of epilepsy during the periods of perimenopause, menopause and late maturity is discussed.
To retrospectively assess the relationship between carotid intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH), which indicates plaque instability, and brain white matter hyperintense lesions (WMHLs) by using a within-patient design.
Cancer Causes and Control 0957-5243 (Print) 10.1007/s10552-008-9189-7
A comprehensive case-control study was conducted to evaluate parental risk factors for medulloblastoma (MB) and primitive neuroectodermal tumor
(PNET). This analysis was conducted to evaluate associations between
fathers' hobbies and risk of their children developing MB/PNET. The hobbies chosen for study were those with similar exposures as occupations associated with childhood cancers.
Spatial information processing with respect to an egocentric reference frame has been shown to recruit a fronto-parietal network along the dorsal stream. The present study investigates how brain lesions in the relevant areas affect the ability to navigate through computer-simulated tunnels shown from a first person perspective.
Apraxia of speech (AOS) is a rare disorder of motor speech programming, and few case reports have included sufficient description of both clinical findings and lesion localization. We report a case with an isolated progressive speech articulation deficit and brain involvement restricted to the left superior frontal gyrus.
We report the case of OTM who presented with dynamic aphasia following a stroke that occurred in the left basal ganglia. He showed drastically reduced spontaneous speech in the context of well preserved naming, repetition and comprehension skills.
Seven-day, 30-day, and 1-year case-fatality indicators have been used to compare stroke care among hospitals, provinces, and countries and to implement quality improvement strategies.
The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between ischemic lesion growth, recanalization, and clinical response in stroke patients with and without a perfusion/diffusion mismatch.
Although genetic epidemiologic studies have implicated several genetic variants as risk factors for ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, the genetic determinants of these conditions remain largely unknown.
Public knowledge of stroke warning signs and risk factors is poor, especially in higher risk groups such as blacks. We sought to design a creative new way to educate black women by working through local beauty salons and measuring the results of the intervention.
Hallucinations occur in 20-40% of PD patients and have been associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes (i.e., nursing home placement, increased mortality). Hallucinations, like other non-motor features of PD, are not well recognized in routine primary/secondary clinical practice.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for neonatal bilirubin encephalopathy.
Prenatal magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is currently used to measure quantitative data concerning brain structural development. At present, morphometric MR imaging studies have been focused mostly on the third trimester of gestational age.
To gain information on the value of magnetic source imaging (MSI), 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and ictal single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to predict seizure-free outcome following epilepsy surgery in patients who require intracranial electroencephalography (ICEEG).
The timing and yield of metabolic studies for patients with neurodevelopmental disorders is a matter of continuing debate. We determined the yield of additional or repeated metabolic studies in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.
Subtle, but clinically detectable, neurological abnormalities (SNAs) are associated with impaired physical performance in elderly persons without overt neurological diseases. We investigated whether SNAs were prospectively associated with cognitive and functional status, death, and cerebrovascular events (CVEs) in older community-dwelling individuals.
To clarify the relation between the drainage pathway of cerebrospinal fluid and the development of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), we examined flow patterns of internal jugular veins in 20 patients with iNPH and 13 control patients using air-contrast ultrasound venography during the Valsalva maneuver.
A recent study has reported an excellent correlation between intraocular pressure (IOP) and intracranial pressure (ICP), suggesting that measurement of IOP may serve as a noninvasive means to determine ICP.
We report chronic histopathological features in thrombi mechanically retrieved from five acute ischemic stroke patients with a median age of 68 years and a median pretreatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 13.
To report and discuss a case of pseudoaneurysm of the aortic arch presenting as hemoptysis following a cervical spondylodiscitis. The pseudoaneurysm was remote and any direct extension of the abscess was not observed from the cervical lesion.
International Journal of Cancer Volume 123 Issue 4, Pages 769 - 779
To determine the requirements for catalytic function, comparison was made between distinct classes of PKC inhibitors. In contrast to loss of PKC protein, inhibition of PKC kinase activity in glioma cell lines does not significantly inhibit growth or survival. Conversely, inhibition with calphostin C, which targets the regulatory domain of PKC, potently inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis
The purpose of this pictorial essay is to increase awareness of the clinical presentation, neuroradiological findings, treatment options, and neuroradiological follow-up of plasmacytomas and multiple myeloma with intracranial growth.
Long-term follow-up after coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms is mandatory to monitor coil compacting and aneurysm recurrence. Most centers perform one digital subtraction angiography (DSA) on follow-up continuing with time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA). This study explores the diagnostic value of TOF-MRA at 1.5 T versus 3 T compared to DSA.
The pathogenesis of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is unclear. We assessed whether DCI relates to focal or global cerebral perfusion on admission and on follow-up imaging.
Journal of Hypertension. 26(7):1446-1452, July 2008
The association between blood pressure and short-term clinical outcome of acute stroke is inconclusive. We studied the association between admission blood pressure and in-hospital death or disability among acute stroke patients in Inner Mongolia, China.
International Journal of Cancer Volume 123 Issue 5, Pages 1166 - 1172
Neuroblastoma (NB), a tumor of the sympathetic nervous system, is the most common infant malignancy. The etiology of NB is largely unknown. We explored the association between birth record variables and subsequent NB development in a population-based case-cohort study in Minnesota by linking the birth and cancer registries.
Medulloblastoma is the most common pediatric primary malignant intracranial neoplasm. The 5-year survival rates vary from 40% to 70% depending on clinical prognostic criteria, and many of the patients who survive exhibit long-term neurocognitive and/or neuroendocrine sequelae.
Superficial temporal artery–middle cerebral artery (STA–MCA) anastomosis is a safe and effective treatment for moyamoya disease, although recent evidence suggests its substantial risk for symptomatic cerebral
hyperperfusion. The diagnostic value of single-photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT) for postoperative hyperperfusion in moyamoya patients is well established, but that of magnetic resonance
(MR) imaging/angiography is undetermined.
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are expressed after ischemic stroke. These proteases are responsible for a higher incidence of hemorrhages, are correlated to size of infarction and influence the effects of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator treatment.
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) can be pathologically subdivided into tau-positive and tau-negative types. The most common tau-negative variant is FTLD with ubiquitin-immunoreactive lesions (FTLD-U).
The purpose of this study was to compare simple visual grading of perfusion CT (PCT) maps to a more quantitative, threshold-based interpretation of PCT parameters in the characterization of presence and severity of vasospasm.
Thrombolysis remains the only proven therapy to benefit acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients. Recent studies have introduced more sensitive outcome measures such as the shift analysis to detect a treatment effect in AIS trials and are also including imaging as a surrogate of injury.
Despite the rapid progress in stroke prevention, effective acute stroke treatment except for thrombolysis is still lacking. Hypoperfusion is related to unfavorable functional outcome, further strokes and long-term mortality. Therefore, the need for a safe and effective way of increasing the cerebral blood flow seems obvious. Currently, there is a growing body of evidence to suggest that external counterpulsation (ECP) may enhance the blood supply to the brain and thus may be beneficial to patients with ischemic stroke.
The influence of antiplatelet agents (AP) in the development of a symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (SICH) after intravenous rt-PA is not well known. We assessed the hypothesis that pre-treatment with AP may increase that risk.
Leukoaraiosis is associated with microhemorrhages on T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Such hemorrhages have been postulated to be responsible for symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) after thrombolytic treatment. We examined the relationship between small-vessel ischemic disease and symptomatic ICH within the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Study.
Although the clinical significance of so-called microbleeds (MBs) in gradient-echo MR images (GRE-MRI) has been extensively researched, the histopathological evaluation is notably insufficient.
The aim of this study was to examine the course of poststroke fatigue in a cohort of first-time stroke patients compared to the general population, and to identify clinically relevant features of post-stroke fatigue.
To investigate whether there is: (1) a specific temporal course of cerebral dysautoregulation in acute ischemic stroke, and (2) a separate detrimental effect of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) on autoregulation dynamics in this situation.
Future Neurology, Volume 3, Number 4, July 2008 , pp. 483-489(7)
This work seeks to provide a brief review of the present state of knowledge of gender differences in traumatic brain injury and the role of sex hormones in the injury and recovery process.
Future Neurology, Volume 3, Number 4, July 2008 , pp. 447-461(15)
Extensive research has revealed a complex pathophysiology in Parkinson's disease, with different factors contributing to the progressive neurodegeneration. Within this complex pathophysiology, a central role of iron and iron-induced oxidative stress has been discussed for many years, as elevated tissue iron levels, especially within the substantia nigra, have been detected by different techniques in a number of postmortem studies.
Future Neurology, Volume 3, Number 4, July 2008 , pp. 491-501(11)
Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX) also known as van Bogaert-Scherer-Epstein syndrome, Thiebaut's syndrome and cerebrotendinous cholesterosis, is an autosomal-recessive lipid-storage disease characterized by the triad of juvenile cataracts, tendon xanthomas and progressive neurodegeneration.
Spinal Cord advance online publication 17 June 2008; doi: 10.1038/sc.2008.77
Previous studies have shown that transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) encourages functional recovery. Here, we have examined the growth in cell culture of MSCs isolated from individuals with SCI, compared with non-SCI donors.
Spinal Cord advance online publication 17 June 2008; doi: 10.1038/sc.2008.72
To describe the sitting behaviors in community-dwelling manual wheelchair users (MWUs) with spinal cord injury (SCI) by using a custom data logger and to compare the sitting time parameters between the groups with paraplegia and tetraplegia.
Spinal Cord advance online publication 17 June 2008; doi: 10.1038/sc.2008.60
To determine whether neurogenic clones carried over weeks in the urine of asymptomatic children with neurogenic bladder were similar to known uropathogenic clones associated with disease.
There is little experience with the (neuro) psychological treatment of patients with solvent-induced chronic toxic encephalopathy (CSE). In this randomised controlled trial (RCT), a treatment programme was evaluated based on previous outcome studies of patients with chronic fatigue, whiplash and traumatic brain damage.
Treatment with statins reduces infarct volume in animal models of ischemic stroke, independently of the effect on cholesterol. This study examined this effect in humans by testing whether patients taking statins at onset of ischemic stroke had smaller infarct volumes than those not taking statins.
Neurological diseases now make up 6.3% of the global burden of disease mainly because they cause disability. To assess disability, prevalence estimates are needed. The objective of this study is to apply a method based on differential equations to calculate the prevalence of stroke-related disability
Systematic reviews of systematic reviews identify good quality reviews of earlier studies of medical conditions. This article describes a systematic review of systematic reviews performed to investigate factors that might influence the risk of rupture of an intracranial aneurysm.
We attempted to determine the most appropriate combination of magnetic resonance (MR) images that can accurately detect and discriminate between asymptomatic infarction and deep white matter hyperintensity (DWMH); these lesions have different clinical implications and are occasionally confused.
Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is one of the most common genetic causes of cognitive impairment and developmental disability yet little is known about the neural bases of those challenges.
British Journal of Cancer advance online publication 17 June 2008; doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604445
Previous studies have reported inconsistent results on the effect of anthropometric and lifestyle factors on the risk of developing glioma or meningioma tumours. A prospective cohort of 1.3 million middle-aged women was used to examine these relationships.
The aim of this study was to report our experience and review the literature on brain metastases from malignant germ cell tumors (MGCTs) of the testis in order to characterize the clinical features of this disease.
Elevated serum neuron-specific enolase levels are correlated with brain cell damage. Low scores according to Glasgow Coma Scale are also considered as serious poor prognostic factor.
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 17, 1368-1373, June 1, 2008
Glioma is a complex disease that is unlikely to result from the effect of a single gene. Genetic analysis at the pathway level involving multiple genes may be more likely to capture gene-disease associations than analyzing genes one at a time.
Stem Cells Vol. 26 No. 6 June 2008, pp. 1575 -1586
The utility of neural stem cells (NSCs) has extended beyond regenerative medicine to targeted gene delivery, as NSCs possess an inherent tropism to solid tumors, including invasive gliomas. However, for optimal clinical implementation, an understanding of the molecular events that regulate NSC tumor tropism is needed to ensure their safety and to maximize therapeutic efficacy.
The aim of this study was to evaluate autoregulatory mechanisms in different vascular territories within the first week after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) by perfusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (PW-MRI). For this purpose, regional cerebral blood flow and volume (rCVF and rCBV) were measured in relation to different degrees of angiographically visible cerebral vasospasm (CVS).
The primary objective was to investigate whether nonadherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is associated with increased mortality and the secondary objective to examine whether nonadherence increases the risk of serious clinical events, including emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, motor vehicle accident (MVA) injuries, fractures, and head injuries.
Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is approved for use in selected patients with ischaemic stroke within 3 hours of symptom onset. IST-3 seeks to determine whether a wider range of patients may benefit.
To elucidate the maturation process of TDP-43-positive neuronal inclusions, we immunohistochemically and immunoelectron-microscopically examined multiple areas from the brain and spinal cord from ten patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 25 control subjects.
The failure of current glioma therapies is mainly due to the ability of the tumor cells to invade extensively the surrounding healthy brain tissue, hence escaping localized treatments. Neural stem cells (NSC) are able to home in on tumor foci at sites distant from the main tumor mass, possibly enabling treatment of scattered glioma clusters.
American Journal of Clinical Oncology. 31(3):300-305, June 2008
The purpose of this review is to assess the palliative effect of re-irradiation in adult patients with recurrent supratentorial glioblastoma (GBM) previously treated with adjuvant or primary radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy.
Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Volume 25, Issue 5 June 2008 , pages 439 - 450
The aim of this study was to clarify the feasibility of a novel treatment strategy consisting of postponed primary surgery till the end of systemic chemotherapy including HDC without interruption by local therapy for neuroblastoma patients at a high risk for relapse.
Stroke is a leading cause of disability among adults worldwide. Evidence suggests that increased duration of exercise therapy has a positive impact on functional outcome following stroke. The main objective of this randomised controlled trial is to evaluate the impact of additional family assisted exercise therapy in people with acute stroke.
Hallucinations occur in 20-40% of PD patients and have been associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes (i.e., nursing home placement, increased mortality). Hallucinations, like other non-motor features of PD, are not well recognized in routine primary/secondary clinical practice.
In work with chronic stroke patients the authors observed that patients frequently appear sleepy and often comment on their poor sleep. Sleep difficulties are frequently reported and indeed clinically recognized in the acute phase post-stroke, but little is known about the sleep and daytime sleepiness of chronic stroke patients with sustained disabilities. The latter, however, deserves clarification because sleep is a critical modulator of health, daytime performance and wellbeing.
To investigate the relationship between children's pre-injury behaviour and accident type (high vs. low risk), injury type (traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractures/dislocations and other injuries) and TBI severity.
The purpose of the present study was to determine the predictors of continuous marital stability over 2 years post-injury and examine the moderating effects of ethnicity.
To determine if plasma levels of 24S-hydroxycholesterol, the primary catabolite of brain cholesterol, provide a measure of axonal damage in acute brain trauma.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has damaging impacts on victims and family members' lives and their long-term social integration constitutes a major challenge.
Electroencephalography (EEG) and somatosensory potentials (SEP) are regarded as useful tools for exploring residual brain activity and providing information for recovery in patients with anoxic encephalopaty.
To identify the specific service needs of adolescents with mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and those of their parents through the perspective of expert service providers as well as to compare it to the perspective of adolescents and their parents obtained in a prior study.
To evaluate the feasibility of using a newly developed electromechanical gait device (LokoHelp) for locomotion training in neurological patients with impaired walking ability with respect to training effects and patients' and therapists' efforts and discomfort.
The aetiology of the increased osteogenesis associated with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains incompletely understood. The purpose of this article is to review the available evidence regarding the release of osteogenic humoral factors after TBI.
Several reports have warned of the Mini Mental State Examination's (MMSE) inability to detect gross memory and high executive impairments. Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R) has gained enormous popularity in dementia screening as it addresses the main shortcomings of MMSE.
study aimed to understand the readiness of rural communities to engage in community-initiated traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention. The utility of state-wide TBI surveillance to monitor outcomes of local TBI prevention efforts was also assessed.
The latest links to journal article abstracts on Traumatic Brain Injury, Neurology, Neuropsychology, Pharmacology, Brain Injury Rehabilitation, Stroke, Trauma, Research, Assistive Technology, Community Reentry and other related clinical topics.
Residual brain function has been documented in vegetative state patients, yet early prognosis remains difficult. The purpose of this study was to identify by artificial intelligence procedures (classification and regression trees, data-mining) the significant neurological signs correlated to and predictive of outcome.
There has been increasing interest in the role of cholinomimetic agents in the long-term management of cognitive impairment following traumatic brain injury. This paper aims to assess the evidence accumulated thus far.
To assess the effectiveness of a residential community reintegration programme for participants with chronic sequelae of severe acquired brain injury that hamper community functioning.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 289-296 Cambridge University Press
This study examines: (a) the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on emotional empathy, (b) the relationship between emotional empathy and neuropsychological ability, and (c) the influence of low emotional empathy on measures of affect.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 346-347 Cambridge University Press
The Frontal Lobes: Development, Function and Pathology is an edited volume comprised of chapters that are the result of presentations at the annual Advanced Studies Institute sponsored by the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) and by the Vivian Smith Foundation.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 446-453 Cambridge University Press
Disturbances of visual perception frequently accompany neurodegenerative disorders but have been little studied in Huntington's disease (HD) gene carriers.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 351-364 Cambridge University Press
Research into the processing of lexical ambiguities has provided a valuable paradigm for investigating the functional architecture of the language processing system in normal and neurologically impaired populations and specifically, how basal ganglia circuits and the neurotransmitter dopamine may act to enhance and/or suppress various meanings relative to the context in which the lexical ambiguity appears.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 384-393 Cambridge University Press
This study examined quantitative magnetic resonance volumes of the thalamus and hippocampus and determined their relationship with cognitive function and clinical seizure characteristics in a sample of 46 unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) subjects (20 left and 26 right) and 29 controls.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 424-435 Cambridge University Press
Attentional deficits are common and significant sequelae of pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, little is known about how the underlying neural processes that support different components of attention are affected.
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (2008), 14: 394-400 Cambridge University Press
We examined the sensitivity of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), Boston Naming Test (BNT), and Multilingual Aphasia Examination Visual Naming subtest (MAE VN) to lateralized temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in patients who subsequently underwent anterior temporal lobectomy.
This paper aims to evaluate the value of perfusion magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the preoperative subtyping of meningiomas by analyzing the relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) of three benign subtypes and anaplastic meningiomas separately.
Pediatrics International Volume 50 Issue 3 Page 319-321, June 2008
A questionnaire survey was conducted on the understanding of epilepsy and febrile seizures in preschool teachers, public health nurses, and parents or caregivers of children with epilepsy.
Neurogastroenterology and Motility, Volume 20, Number 7, July 2008 , pp. 741-749(9)
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder which leads to severe movement impairment; however, Parkinsonian patients frequently suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) problems which at present are poorly understood, scarcely investigated, and lack an effective cure.
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography. 32(3):415-417, May/June 2008
We report a 64-year-old male patient with pure transient global amnesia (TGA) who exhibited global cerebral hypoperfusion during an amnesia attack. Initial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) performed 3 hours after the onset of the amnesic attack revealed diffuse hypoperfusion in the cerebrum, whereas a second SPECT study, 1 month later, revealed improvement of cerebral blood flow.
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography. 32(3):392-396, May/June 2008
To evaluate the efficacy of diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and compare with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow imaging in patients with hydrocephalus before and after treatment.
The prevalence of stroke in elderly patients has been increasing in recent years. However, limited information is available about the burden of stroke in individuals over 80. We sought to evaluate differences in clinical outcomes in Canadians over 80 years old hospitalized for an acute ischemic stroke.
Biotinidase deficiency is a metabolic disorder characterized by inability to recycle biotin with resultant delayed myelination. Clinical findings include seizures, ataxia, alopecia and dermatitis with atypical findings of myoclonic jerks, neuropathy and spastic paraparesis.
Bulletin du Cancer. Volume 95, Number 5, 522-5, mai 2008
Despite malignant gliomas are highly invasive tumors, extracranial metastatases are extremely rare. We report herein four cases (two glioblastomas, a gliosarcoma and an anaplastic oligodendroglioma) with systemic dissemination occurring 3 to 13 months after surgery.
CpG island (CGI) methylator phenotype (CIMP) is strongly associated with poor prognosis in neuroblastomas (NBLs; hazard ratios 7-22). Methylation of nonpromoter CGIs is useful to detect the presence of the CIMP, while the poor prognosis is considered to be caused by gene silencing due to promoter methylation.
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most fatal and disabling stroke subtype. Widely used tools for prediction of mortality are fundamentally limited in that they do not account for effects of withdrawal of care and are not designed to predict functional recovery. We developed an acute clinical score to predict likelihood of functional independence.
Rapid and safe recanalization of occluded intracranial arteries in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is challenging. Newly available self-expanding intracranial atherosclerotic stents (SEIS), which can be deployed rapidly and safely, make acute stenting an option for treating AIS. We present the feasibility of this technique.
That certain vessels might be at so-called geometric risk of atherosclerosis rests on assumptions of wide interindividual variations in disturbed flow and of a direct relationship between disturbed flow and lumen geometry. In testing these often-implicit assumptions, the present study aimed to determine whether investigations of local risk factors in atherosclerosis can indeed rely on surrogate geometric markers of disturbed flow.
Leaks of the blood-brain barrier can be detected on postcontrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRIs. Although early disruptions of the blood-brain barrier appear to be an important risk factor for tissue plasminogen activator-related hemorrhages in rodents, little is known about their incidence and consequences in human stroke.
Head to Head Ministries is a unique website and organization that provides support to brain injury survivors from a Christian and spiritual perspective.
Learn about this site, what it does and the story of how it was created.
Accurate diagnosis of the degree of internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis is needed for decisions regarding optimal stroke prevention. Noninvasive magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is being proposed and used as a replacement for the gold standard, intra-arterial angiography.
Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography. 32(3):407-409, May/June 2008
This report describes a case in which a lung transplant patient presented with lung masses. After an extensive medical workup and biopsy, the masses were found to be caused by metastatic glioblastoma multiforme, which the patient acquired from the lung donor. This article will also review similar cases in the literature.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Volume 103, Number 6, June 2008 , pp. 1413-1420(8)
Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is associated with poorer quality of life and increased work disability. Recently, low-grade cerebral edema has been implicated in chronic liver disease.
Simultaneous bilateral cerebrovascular infarction is relatively rare and its initial presentation as a space occupying lesion is extremely uncommon. However, bilateral infarction can result from unilateral occlusion of anomalous cerebral vasculature. We report a case presenting with lower limb weakness and aphasia of acute onset with initial computerised tomography suggesting bifrontal neoplasm.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience Volume 247, Number 1 / February, 1997 35-41
The acute pathophysiologic changes during hemiplegic spells and the long-term outcome of alternating hemiplegia remain obscure. In a 41-year-old male with familial alternating hemiplegia we found an increase in right frontal cerebral blood flow 3 h into a 5-h left hemiplegic episode.
Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 121(6):1943-1948, June 2008
Supraorbital neuralgia is a distinct clinical entity that presents with episodic, often unilateral, long-lasting attacks of moderate to severe frontal pain. This may ensue following a traumatic or surgical insult to the supraorbital or supratrochlear nerve. Surgical management of these patients is only sporadically discussed in the available literature.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:753-759
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the most common cause of death and disability in young adults living in industrialised countries, in which 180-250 persons per 100 000 per year die or are hospitalised as a result.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:808-812
Earlier studies have shown that aetiology makes a difference in the outcome of epilepsy, but there is a paucity of follow-up studies to evaluate the possibilities of achieving seizure freedom in initially refractory epilepsy.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:813-819
To study the pyramidal tract side effects (PTSEs) induced by the spread of current from the subthalamic nucleus (STN) to the pyramidal tract (PT), in patients with parkinsonism undergoing STN stimulation.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:760-766
Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have great difficulty in performing two tasks simultaneously, but the neural contribution to this problem has not been identified. In the current study, we investigated the pathophysiology of dual task performance in PD.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:789-795
We investigated the cognitive and psychiatric outcome 6 months after bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of
Parkinson's disease (PD) using a disease control group.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:783-788
Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are defined as a mulberry-like assembly of thin walled vascular sinusoids lined by a thin endothelium lacking smooth muscle and elastin, displaying no intervening brain parenchyma. In this study, we analyse the congruency of histopathological features with the current clinical definition on a large series of neuroradiologically verified CCMs.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:774-777
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important cause of focal epilepsy. Animal experiments indicate that disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:767-773
Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are indirect remote effects of cancer on the nervous system, often associated with the presence of specific serum antibodies.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:745-752
While obstetric causes of maternal mortality have declined, non-obstetric causes of maternal morbidity and mortality have increased.1 Among the leading non-obstetric causes are neurosurgical pathologies. Although a pregnant woman is essentially no more susceptible to developing a neurosurgical problem than a non-pregnant one, because of physiological and anatomical changes associated with pregnancy, there are certain diseases that are of particular concern to the neurosurgeon. These are subarachnoid haemorrhage (most commonly caused by cerebral aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations), intracranial tumours, and lower back pain and disc herniation.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:849-850
Approximately 10% of cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are familial with the remainder being sporadic. Known ALS genes combined (including superoxide dismutase 1, SOD1) only account for about 20% of familial ALS cases, or around 2% of all ALS cases.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:744
Posterior cerebral artery infarcts associated with brainstem shift have been traditionally associated with uncal herniation. We describe the first case of a peduncular infarct due to lateral brainstem displacement.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:840-841
Before the work of Todd, Hughlings Jackson, and Herpin, Richard Bright in the 1830s was largely responsible for the notion of a cortical basis for epilepsy, which opposed the established view that epilepsy originated in the medulla. Bright described several partial and complex partial seizure patterns. He also located epileptogenic lesions in the grey (cineritious) matter whence they might be transferred to produce disordered and involuntary motions.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry 2008;79:741-742
Some patients awaken from their coma but only show reflex motor activity. This condition of wakeful (eyes open) unawareness is called the vegetative state. In 2002, a new clinical entity coined "minimally conscious state" defined patients who show more than reflex responsiveness but remain unable to communicate their thoughts and feelings.
A 22-year-old female presented with neck pain, which was worse at night and recumbency, and intermittent paresthesia in upper limbs. MRI revealed an intramedullary cervical tumour with a syrinx within the upper cervical cord and medulla. Total resection of tumour with laminoplasty and duraplasty was done.
Friedreich ataxia is a neurological disease originating from an iron-sulfur cluster enzyme deficiency due to impaired iron handling in the mitochondrion, aconitase being particularly affected. As a mean to counteract disease progression, it has been suggested to chelate free mitochondrial iron. Recent years have witnessed a renewed interest in this strategy because of availability of deferiprone, a chelator preferentially targeting mitochondrial iron.
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