Does operational diagnosis of schizophrenia significantly impact intellectual deficits in psychotic disorders?

Background Evidence suggests that, as a group, patients with schizophrenia have intellectual deficits that may precede the manifestation of psychotic symptoms; however, how successfully intelligence tests are able to discriminate schizophrenia from other psychotic disorders has yet to be investigated in detail. Methods Using Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale – Revised (WAIS‐R) data for 55 inpatients with schizophrenia and 28 inpatients with non‐schizophrenic psychotic disorders (NSPD) (schizophreniform disorder, brief psychotic disorder, delusional disorder, psychotic disorder due to a general medical condition, and psychotic disorders not otherwise specified), intelligence performance was compared between schizophrenia and NSPD and among different subtypes of schizophrenia. Results There were no significant differences in intelligence quotient (IQ), verbal IQ (VIQ) and performance IQ (PIQ) discrepancy, and subtest scores of WAIS‐R between the patients with schizophrenia and those with NSPD. These diagnostic groups were not discriminated well by any WAIS‐R variables. Schizophrenia patients with prominent negative symptoms, on the other hand, had a significantly larger IQ discrepancy (VIQ > PIQ) than those without prominent negative symptoms and NSPD patients. Intelligence performance in schizophrenia did not differ with respect to diagnostic subtypes and longitudinal courses. Conclusions The current study failed to show diagnostic usefulness of WAIS‐R in discriminating schizophrenia and other psychoses. A diagnosis of schizophrenia does not significantly impact intellectual deficits in psychotic disorders.     

Executive cognitive deficits in primary dystonia.

Primary dystonia is a disorder of movement for which no consistent pathophysiology has been identified; in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it is assumed to be cognitively benign. We have studied a clinically heterogeneous group of 14 patients with primary dystonia on a battery of neuropsychological tests. Despite well-preserved speed of information processing, language, spatial, memory and general intellectual skills relative to normal controls, we have identified a constellation of attentional-executive cognitive deficits on the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Specifically, patients demonstrated significant difficulties negotiating the extra-dimensional set-shifting phase of the IED task. The implications of these findings for the pathophysiology of primary dystonia are discussed. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report of a significant cognitive deficit in patients with primary dystonia.     

Aggressive therapy of infants with renal failure

Nine infants, who presented with renal failure within the first 3 months of life, were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Seven infants survived to an age of 12–15 months, when they received transplants. Two patients died while on CAPD. Six infants are alive with a functioning renal allograft, at an average age of 35.5 months and an average of 22 months post-transplant. Neurological development is normal in four of the six infants tested. The mean current height of the six transplant recipients is just below 2 SD from the mean.     

Normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass: effect on the incidence of persistent postoperative neurological dysfunction following coronary artery bypass graft surgery

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 250 consecutive patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) from January 1994 through January 1996 to determine the incidence of persistent postoperative neurological dysfunction after CABG and to compare normothermic and moderate hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Normothermic CPB was used in 128 patients (36°–37°C) and hypothermic CPB (27°–28°C) in 122 patients. Postoperative neurological dysfunction included focal motor deficits, delayed recovery of consciousness (>24h) after surgery, and seizures within 1 week postoperatively. Persistent neurological dysfunction was diagnosed if complete resolution had not occurred within 10 days of surgery. The incidence of persistent postoperative neurological dysfunction was 4.1% in the hypothermic CPB group and 2.3% in the normothermic CPB group. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (P=NS). These results suggest that normothermic CPB did not increase the incidence of persistent postoperative neurological dysfunction compared to hypothermic CPB.     

Modulation of infection-induced inflammation and locomotive deficit and longevity in senescence-accelerated mice-prone (SAMP8) model by the oligomerized polyphenol Oligonol.

Oligonol is produced from the oligomerization of polyphenols (typically proanthocyanidin from a variety of fruits such as lychees, grapes, apples, persimmons, etc.) and contains catechin-type monomers and oligomers of proanthocyanidins. The ability of Oligonol to affect infection-dependent eye inflammation, locomotion and longevity in senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAMP8) (a model of senescence acceleration and geriatric disorders with increased oxidative stress and neuronal deficit) was investigated. Oligonol (60mg/kg) significantly modulated the extent of inflammation scores in the eye of SAMP8 mice. Examination of the mice indicated infection with mouse hepatitis virus and pinworm (Syphacia obvelata) in both males and females and with the intestinal protozoa (trichomonad) in males. A comparison of the two groups (using log-rank test) and the difference in the mean life span between groups (using Student's t-test) indicated significant differences in survival (p=0.043) and the mean life span (p=0.033) in male SAMP8 mice. Oligonol increased the mean life span and this was statistically significant. In the open-field locomotive test, the 7-week-old SAMP8 mice crossed more than 40 partitioned lines in 1min. At 48-week-old control untreated male SAMP8 crossed 2 lines. The Oligonol-treated 48-week-old male SAMP8 mice crossed 17 lines however. The improved locomotive activity was statistically significant even after 36weeks in the Oligonol-treated male SAMP8 but this was not the case throughout the time course of the study in the Oligonol-treated female SAMP8. Thus Oligonol treatment to SAMP8 mice modulated the severity of infection-dependent inflammation, prolonged life-span and significantly improved locomotive activity indicating potential benefit to aging-associated diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's diseases. This presents potential for further research to define infection-dependent inflammation associated with degenerative conditions and the molecular mechanism of dietary antioxidant protection.     

不同剂量普伐他汀治疗急性脑梗死的疗效和安全性研究

目的：探讨不同剂量普伐他汀在脑梗死急性期治疗的可行性、降脂疗效及安全性。方法：脑梗死急性期病人146例，随机分为3组，A组（50例）为对照组，B组（49例）每晚服普伐他汀10mg，C组（47例）每晚服普伐他汀20mg，观察30d。比较治疗前后血脂、神经功能缺损评分、生化指标等变化，并记录服药后不良反应。结果：各组总胆固醇（TC）、低密度脂蛋白（LDL-C）、超敏C-反应蛋白（hs-CRP）在治疗后都有所下降，C组下降最显著，B组次之，A组下降程度较小。A组TG治疗前后无明显变化，B组和C组TG治疗后有所下降，两组间无明显差别。脂蛋白（Lpa）在A组治疗后有下降，B组无明显变化，C组较前轻度升高。各组治疗前后神经功能缺损评分均有降低，但各组之间比较无明显差异（P〉0.05）。观察期间所有病人均能耐受普伐他汀，治疗前后肝、肾功能、肌酸激酶（CK）等无明显变化。结论：在脑梗死急性期应用普伐他汀（每日10～20mg）是安全可行的，且每日20mgTC、TG降低更显著，脑梗死急性期的病人应用普伐他汀后取得较好的降脂疗效，神经功能缺损评分的改善有待较长期观察。     

Increased yield of full GBA sequencing in Ashkenazi Jews with Parkinson's disease

Background

Variants in GBA are the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), and are especially prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish (AJ) population. However, most studies on GBA in AJ genotype only seven selected Gaucher-associated pathogenic variants rather than sequencing the whole gene, which may leave carriers of PD-associated GBA variants undiscovered.

Review of tethered cord syndrome with a radiological and anatomical study: Case report

Summary The primary tethered cord syndrome has been documented mainly in children and adolescents but also in adults, and patients may present with backache, neuromuscular skeletal changes such as club-foot, scoliosis, muscular atrophy, disturbances of gait, or dysfunction of bladder and rectum, or a combination of these conditions. The cadaveric case presented describes plain film radiographic and anatomical findings of spina bifida occulta at the first and second sacral levels, and an enlarged spinous process of the fifth lumbar vertebra, in a 78 year old male cadaver with a tethered spinal cord terminating at the first sacral level. During life, this man had not undergone surgery for tethered spinal cord.

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Revue du syndrome de moelle attachée: étude radiologique et anatomique à propos d'un cas

Résumé Le syndrome de moelle attachée primaire a souvent été décrit chez l'enfant et l'adolescent mais aussi chez l'adulte, les patients pouvant se présenter avec des douleurs du dos, des modifications neuro-musculaires et squelettiques comme un pied bot, une scoliose, une atrophie musculaire, des anomalies de la marche, des dysfonctionnements de la vessie et/ou du rectum, ou une combinaison de ces différents symptômes. L'observation rapportée ici est l'étude anatomique et radiologique d'un spina bifida oculta des première et deuxième vertèbres sacrées associé à l'élargissement du processus épineux de la cinquième vertèbre lombaire chez un cadavre mâle de 78 ans ayant une moelle épinière attachée au niveau de la première vertèbre sacrée. Durant sa vie ce patient n'avait pas subi de chirurgie pour cette moelle attachée.