Simultaneously recorded intracranial and scalp high frequency oscillations help identify patients with poor postsurgical seizure outcome

ObjectiveHigh frequency oscillations (HFO) between 80–500 Hz are markers of epileptic areas in intracranial and maybe also scalp EEG. We investigate simultaneous recordings of scalp and intracranial EEG and hypothesize that scalp HFOs provide important additional clinical information in the presurgical setting.MethodsSpikes and HFOs were visually identified in all intracranial scalp EEG channels. Analysis of correlation of event location between intracranial and scalp EEG as well as relationship between events and the SOZ and zone of surgical removal was performed.Results24 patients could be included, 23 showed spikes and 19 HFOs on scalp recordings. In 15/19 patients highest scalp HFO rate was located over the implantation side, with 13 patients having the highest scalp and intracranial HFO rate over the same region. 17 patients underwent surgery, 7 became seizure free. Patients with poor post-operative outcome showed significantly more regions with HFO than those with seizure free outcome.ConclusionsScalp HFOs are mostly located over the SOZ. Widespread scalp HFOs are indicative of a larger epileptic network and associated with poor postsurgical outcome.SignificanceAnalysis of scalp HFO add clinically important information about the extent of epileptic areas during presurgical simultaneous scalp and intracranial EEG recordings.     

Focal peritubular capillary C4d deposition in acute rejection.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse peritubular capillary (PTC) C4d deposition has been shown to be associated with relatively poor graft outcome. The significance of focal PTC C4d staining in the early post-transplant period is uncertain. METHODS: Sixty-five biopsies from 53 patients with acute rejection were graded (Banff '97 criteria), stained for C4d, monocytes and T cells, and divided into three groups according to PTC C4d: (i) focal C4d (F) (14 biopsies, 14 patients), (ii) diffuse C4d (D) (23 biopsies, 15 patients) and (iii) no C4d (N) (28 biopsies, 24 patients). The three groups were compared with respect to a variety of biopsy and clinical parameters including outcome. RESULTS: The incidence of transplant glomerulitis and glomerular monocyte infiltration were significantly greater in F (64% and 2.0+/-2.0) and D (57% and 3.4+/-2.0) than in N (11% and 0.2+/-0.2). A significantly higher proportion of F (93%) demonstrated acute cellular rejection (Banff '97 grade > or = 1A) than did D (35%). The F and D groups included significantly more females (50 and 67%, respectively) than did N (21%). The percentage of patients with a second or third transplant was higher in F (29%) and D (40%) than in N (8%) (P = 0.0589). The proportion of patients with glomerular filtration rate < 30 ml/min at 12, 24 and 48 months was higher in the D and F groups than in the N, and there was a statistically significant increasing trend in odds of this outcome occurring at 48 months across the three groups (D > F > N group) (P = 0.0416). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the biopsy findings and clinical course in patients with focal PTC C4d staining are similar to those associated with diffuse C4d.     

高温、亚低温对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤的作用及其机制研究

目的：研究轻度高温、亚低温对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤组织兴奋性氨基酸（EAA）与氧自由基的相互关系及病理损伤程度的影响。方法：60只Wistar大鼠按不同脑温条件随机分为生化组（n=28）和病理组（n=32)，采用改良Nagasawa局灶脑缺血再灌注模型，观察脑缺血再灌注损伤组织谷氨酸（Glu），超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、丙二醛（MDA）的变化及光镜，电镜下的病理变化。结果：轻度高温明显加重常温脑缺血再灌注损伤组织Glu、MDA的升高（P＜0．01）及SOD的下降（P＜0．05），加重常温脑缺血再灌注组织病理损伤程度，亚低温的作用则相反，结论：轻度高温可能通过同时促进EAA合成，释放和氧自由基生成系统活化，造成大鼠脑缺血再灌注损组织损伤加重；亚低温可能通过同时抑制EAA合成，释放和氧自由基生成系统活化，减轻大鼠脑缺血再灌注组织损伤程度，对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤组织起保护作用。     

Effect of Ligustrazine on Bone Marrow Microenvironment and Signal Transducti on Path in Irradiation Injured Mice

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Impaired modulation of motor cortex excitability by homonymous and heteronymous muscle afferents in focal hand dystonia.

A decrease of heteronymous median nerve-evoked inhibition of corticospinal projections to forearm extensor muscles was reported in a group of 10 dystonic patients by Bertolasi and colleagues in 2003. Here we tested the excitability of corticomotoneuronal connections to both wrist extensor (ECR) and flexor (FCR) muscles after conditioning stimulation of median and also radial nerve at rest in a group of 25 patients with focal hand dystonia compared to 20 healthy subjects. We also investigated the effect of the wrist dystonic posture, either in flexion or in extension, on the afferent modulation of ECR and FCR motor evolved potentials (MEPs). The heteronymous (median-induced) but also homonymous (radial-induced) inhibitions (interstimuli intervals 13-21 ms) of ECR MEP size observed in healthy subjects were decreased in patients. In addition, homonymous (median-induced) facilitation of FCR MEP size was also decreased in patients while heteronymous inhibition (radial-induced) was not. Neither the involvement of the target muscle in the dystonic posture nor the origin of the afferent volley (from a dystonic muscle) influenced the degree of impairment of afferent modulation of the MEP. These findings support the view that a global abnormal somatosensory coupling in focal hand dystonia may contribute to an inadequate motor command to wrist muscles.     

布氏杆菌性脊柱炎临床影像学表现及外科治疗

[目的]探讨布氏杆菌性脊椎炎的临床表现、影像学特点与外科治疗，以便提高该病的临床诊断和治疗水平。[方法]本组16例均行X线摄片并行CT检查，病灶分布腰椎多于胸椎，其中L4发病率最高，其中7例行MRI检查；16例血清试管凝集法滴度均大于1：160，虎红平板凝集试验阳性，酶联免疫吸附试验检查特异性抗体IgM、IgG阳性，11例作病原学检查。[结果]14例入院前临床、X线及CT误诊为脊柱结核，误诊率87．5％；经MRI扫描误诊5例，误诊率71．43％；本组16例入院确诊后，在药物治疗基础上，2例采取介入方法，7例采取手术病灶清除，病理符合布氏杆菌性脊椎炎的细胞学表现。本组仅12例（包括手术8例）进行随访1～2年，痊愈10例，好转2例，愈后无复发。[结论]布氏杆菌性脊椎炎临床与影像学具有特征性表现；正确选择微创术和手术病灶清除术可以缩短疗程，减少并发症，提高治愈率；无论手术还是非手术治疗，长期、足量、联合、多途径敏感抗生素的应用是治疗和防止本病复发的最主要和最可靠方法。     

Macular oscillatory potentials in humans

Studies of the focal macular electroretinogram (ERG) have been made with special reference to oscillatory potentials (OPs) by using a fundus monitoring system in humans. Human macular OPs consist of 3 to 4 wavelets (mean peak interval, approximately 6.5 msec). The distribution of OPs in relation to those in a- and b-waves was studied. The amplitudes of a-waves, b-waves, and OPs of the upper macula were significantly larger than those of the lower macula. The distribution of OPs is relatively sparse in the fovea, becoming more dense than the a- and b-waves from the fovea toward the parafovea, and differing even more toward the perifovea. There was no statistical difference of amplitude in a- and b-waves between nasal and temporal macula. The amplitude of OPs in the temporal macula, however, was significantly larger than in the nasal macula. In some macular diseases, such as diabetic maculopathy, cystoid macular edema, or the convalescent stage of central serous chorioretinopathy, macular OPs were selectively reduced, leaving the a- and b-waves intact. Macular OPs can provide a new aspect of macular function and can be a sensitive indicator to assess that function in macular diseases.     

Effect of temperature in focal ischemia of rat brain studied by 31P and 1H spectroscopic imaging

³¹P, ¹H and lactate spectroscopic imaging was used to evaluate the effects of hypothermia on focal cerebral ischemia produced by middle cerebral artery occlusion. The effects on high energy phosphate metabolism, pH, lactate and NAA were investigated in 24 spontaneously hypertensive rats subjected to either permanent or transient ischemia. Under either normothermic (37.5°C) or hypothermic (32°C) conditions, with permanent 6-h occlusion, there was little difference between groups in either the NMR measurements or the volume of infarction. In animals that underwent 3 h of ischemia followed by 12 h of reperfusion, the ischemic changes in lactate, pH, NAA, and high-energy phosphate returned toward control values, and there was a protective effect of hypothermia (infarct volume of 211 ± 26 and 40 ± 14 mm³ in normothermic and hypothermic groups, respectively). Thus, hypothermia did not ameliorate the changes in lactate, pH, NAA, or high energy phosphate levels occurring during ischemia, however, during reperfusion there was an improvement in both the recovery of these metabolites and pathological outcome in hypothermic compared with normothermic animals.