What triggers catch-up saccades during visual tracking?

When tracking moving visual stimuli, primates orient their visual axis by combining two kinds of eye movements, smooth pursuit and saccades, that have very different dynamics. Yet, the mechanisms that govern the decision to switch from one type of eye movement to the other are still poorly understood, even though they could bring a significant contribution to the understanding of how the CNS combines different kinds of control strategies to achieve a common motor and sensory goal. In this study, we investigated the oculomotor responses to a large range of different combinations of position error and velocity error during visual tracking of moving stimuli in humans. We found that the oculomotor system uses a prediction of the time at which the eye trajectory will cross the target, defined as the "eye crossing time" (T(XE)). The eye crossing time, which depends on both position error and velocity error, is the criterion used to switch between smooth and saccadic pursuit, i.e., to trigger catch-up saccades. On average, for T(XE) between 40 and 180 ms, no saccade is triggered and target tracking remains purely smooth. Conversely, when T(XE) becomes smaller than 40 ms or larger than 180 ms, a saccade is triggered after a short latency (around 125 ms).     

Mundgesundheitskompetenz von Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund – Erste Auswertungen der MuMi-Studie

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Erste Studien heben den Migrationshintergrund von Menschen in Deutschland als eigenständigen Risikofaktor für eine...     

Salbutamol or mist in acute bronchiolitis

Abstract Background : The role of bronchodilators in the treatment of bronchiolitis remains controversial.
Methods : A double-blind, placebo controlled trial was performed to evaluate the clinical response to nebulized salbutamol. One hundred and fifty-six infants aged between 7 weeks and 24 months who had had an episode of wheezing and other signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis were randomized to three groups as follows: (i) nebulized salbutamol was administered to 52 patients in group I at a dose of 0.15 mg/kg in 2 mL saline; (ii) saline was nebulized to 52 patients in group II and (iii) in group III 52 patients received mist in a tent. All three groups were administered oxygen during the procedures. Treatment was repeated with the same agent after 30 min if the respiratory score was 5 or more. Respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation and presence of cyanosis, wheezing, retractions were recorded before and after each treatment.
Results : The decrease in the respiratory score was 5.2 ± 1.8, 0.82 ± 2.4 and 1.7 ± 1.3 in group I, II and III, respectively. The decrease in group I was significantly higher than in the other groups. Heart rate was similar between groups. Oxygen saturation decreased in group I without reaching statistical significance.
Conclusions: Salbutamol was shown to be effective and safe in the treatment of acute bronchiolitis.     

Cardiovascular risk assessment in children and adolescents with congenital solitary kidneys

Patients with solitary kidneys (SKs) are at risk of hypertension (HT) and associated end‐organ damage. The authors aimed to evaluate whether children with congenital SKs (CSKs) have higher office, ambulatory, or central blood pressure (BP), increased arterial stiffness or left ventricular mass index, or any risk for arrhythmia. With this purpose, patients with CSK and healthy controls being followed up between January 2018 and June 2019 were enrolled in the study. Demographic, biochemical, and office blood pressure (BP) data were recorded. Then, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) and measurements of central BP (cBP), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and augmentation index (AIx@75) were obtained. Ventricular repolarization parameters were acquired by 12‐lead electrocardiography. Left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and abdominal aortic stiffness parameters including strain, pressure strain elastic modulus (Ep), and normalized Ep (Ep*) were calculated with echocardiographic measurements. Finally, 36 children with CSK and 36 healthy controls were included. Serum creatinine, uric acid, total cholesterol levels, ABPM parameters, cBP levels, and PWV values were significantly higher, and eGFR levels were significantly lower in the CSK group. VR parameters, abdominal aortic stiffness indices, and LVMI were similar between the groups. CSK increased the risk of HT in ABPM (HT_ABPM) by 6 times. PWV was significantly correlated with Ep and Ep* in cases with CSK. Determination of cBP and PWV along with 24‐hour ABPM would be a useful tool in children with CSK.     

An aggressive and lethal course of Churg–Strauss syndrome with alveolar hemorrhage,intestinal perforation,cardiac failure and peripheral neuropathy

Churg–Strauss syndrome (CSS) is a rare type of necrotizing vasculitis affecting small to medium-sized vessels typically characterized by asthma, lung infiltrates, necrotizing granulomas and hypereosinophilia. Herein, we describe a case of CSS presenting severe and aggressive course. A 35-year-old male patient with weight loss, dyspepsia, dyspnea and hemoptysis was admitted. The laboratory analyses indicated a remarkable eosinophilia, elevated levels of serum total IgE and positive cANCA. Thorax CT findings were suggestive of alveolar hemorrhage. Bronchoalveolar lavage revealed alveolar hemorrhage with eosinophilia and transbronchial lung biopsy showed eosinophilic vasculitis. Cardiac enzymes were increased and murmurs were audible revealing cardiomyopathy proven by echocardiography. Pulse cyclophosphamide and methyl prednisolone was immediately started. On the 21st day, intestinal perforation developed and urgent surgery was performed. During a follow-up, although a radiological improvement was observed in the chest X-ray, cardiac failure, peripheral neuropathy and skin lesions developed and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin and anti-TNF therapy (adalimumab) were applied. Despite the therapy, he died from heart failure and septicemia at 68th day of therapy.     

Ischemia-modified albumin levels in children having seizure

Convulsions are one of the frequently seen problems for a neurologist in the daily routine. It is difficult to distinguish the seizure from pseudo-seizure because of lack of conclusive tests. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between seizure types and seizure periods by studying IMA serum levels in children having seizure. Two groups were included (patients and control) in our study. The patient group consisted of the children admitted to Pediatric Emergency Care during January 2008–January 2010 with seizure and the control group consisted of healthy children. Serum Ischemia modified albumin (IMA) level in the group having seizures was 99.7 and 83.2 U/ml in the control group. In the comparison of the patient and control groups, significant differences were found between their IMA values (p = 0.000). There was a significant difference between IMA values of the group having generalized tonic–clonic seizures and those of the control group (p = 0.001). In comparison of the IMA values of the group having febrile convulsions and those of the control group, a significant difference was determined (p = 0.011). It has been shown that if the seizure was prolonged over 5 min, IMA level increased, and there was a significant difference between the groups experiencing over 5 min of seizures and the groups experiencing less than 5 min of seizures (p = 0.001). An increase in IMA levels in febrile convulsion supports the hypoxia development in the brain during the seizure. Serum IMA levels increased with the elongation of the seizure period and may be an indicator for status epilepticus.