Fasciitis, perimyositis, myositis, polymyositis, and eosinophilia

Several groups of cases of fasciitis and myositis with eosinophilia are reported. The common features are inflammation into fascia and/or perimysium, and/or muscle fibers; eosinophilia in blood and/or in muscle biopsy. The following classification of 24 cases is suggested: at one end of the spectrum are fasciitis with eosinophilia: diffuse fasciitis (Shulman syndrome): 10 cases (3 with hematological complications); 2 cases of diffuse fasciitis with muscle atrophy; 3 cases of restricted fasciitis. Relapsing perimyositis with eosinophilia belong to the same spectrum, either diffuse (5 cases) with myalgias, or localized (2 cases). Other cases are focal myositis or multiple myositis, polymyositis with eosinophilia. The relationship among these cases is discussed. There is a continuum among the different groups. The pathophysiology remains unknown.     

高海拔地区缺血性卒中患者单核 细胞/HDL-C比值与脑动脉粥样硬化性狭窄的相关性

目的 研究高海拔地区缺血性卒中患者单核细胞/HDL-C比值（monocyte/HDL-C ratio,MHR）与颅内动脉粥样硬化性狭窄（intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis,ICSA）程度的相关性。 方法 回顾性连续纳入2017年6月-2021年6月在青海省人民医院住院治疗的高海拔地区（海拔2260～4080?m）的急性缺血性卒中患者,依据DSA上脑血管狭窄程度（以狭窄最严重的动脉为准）分为无狭窄组、轻度狭窄（狭窄率≤50%）组、中度狭窄（狭窄率50%～70%）组、重度狭窄（狭窄率≥70%）组及闭塞（100%）组。比较5组患者的临床资料、实验室检查指标和MHR,并采用logistic回归模型计算不同程度血管狭窄的独立危险因素。 结果 共纳入349例患者,其中无狭窄组69例、轻度狭窄组78例、中度狭窄组41例、重度狭窄组84例、闭塞组77例。5组中年龄、性别分布、吸烟、饮酒、高血压、糖尿病比例方面差异均有统计学意义,实验室检查中白细胞、单核细胞、中性粒细胞、血小板计数以及血红蛋白、HDL-C水平和MHR差异也有统计学意义。多因素logistic回归分析显示,相对于无动脉狭窄,高龄为脑血管轻度狭窄（OR?1.061,95%CI?1.027～1.097,P＜0.001）,中度狭窄（OR?1.057,95%CI?1.017～1.099,P＝0.005）,重度狭窄（OR?1.096,95%CI?1.057～1.137,P＜0.001）,闭塞（OR?1.036,95%CI?1.001～1.072,P＝0.046）的独立危险因素;相对于无动脉狭窄,高MHR为轻度狭窄（OR?1.041,95%CI?1.009～1.074,P＝0.011）,中度狭窄（OR?1.082,95%CI?1.045～1.119,P＜0.001）,重度狭窄（OR?1.096,95%CI?1.062～1.131,P＜0.001）,闭塞（OR?1.101,95%CI?1.067～1.136,P＜0.001）的独立危险因素;相对于无动脉狭窄,单核细胞计数升高是中度狭窄（OR?1.684,95%CI?1.569～2.725,P=0.027）、重度狭窄（OR?3.529,95%CI?1.541～5.766,P=0.002 ）和闭塞（OR?5.446,95%CI?4.453～6.917,P=0.002）的独立危险因素。 结论 高龄、高MHR和单核细胞计数升高在高海拔地区对急性缺血性卒中患者的脑动脉粥样硬化性狭窄程度具有一定预测价值。     

Pregabalin effect on steady-state pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine, lamotrigine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, topiramate, valproate, and tiagabine

By reducing neuronal excitability through selective binding to the α(2)δ subunit of voltage-dependent calcium channels, pregabalin effectively treats epilepsy, chronic pain, and anxiety disorders. To evaluate if pregabalin coadministration affects pharmacokinetics of other antiepileptic drugs, population pharmacokinetic analyses using NONMEM software were performed on data from three epilepsy trials involving seven antiepileptic drugs with pregabalin as add-on therapy. Results demonstrated that pregabalin did not alter the steady-state plasma concentrations of carbamazepine, lamotrigine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, tiagabine, topiramate, and valproate. Furthermore, the small percent change in the population estimate of antiepileptic drug plasma clearance values (-2% to +7%) suggests that pregabalin coadministration exerted no significant effect on the pharmacokinetics of these antiepileptic drugs, with the possible exception of tiagabine (+34.9%). These findings are in agreement with those of previously published reports. A further clarification study is necessary for tiagabine. In conclusion, it appears that pregabalin can be coadministered with other antiepileptic drugs without concern for significantly altering their pharmacokinetic profiles.     

Frontal lobe psychopathology: mania, depression, confabulation, catatonia, perseveration, obsessive compulsions, and schizophrenia

The frontal lobes can be subdivided into major functional neuroanatomical domains, which, when injured, surgically destroyed, or reduced in activity or volume, give rise to signature pathological and psychiatric symptomology. A review of case reports and over 50 years of research, including magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and single photon emission computed tomography scans, indicates that apathy, "blunted" schizophrenia, major depression, and aphasic-perseverative disturbance of speech and thought are associated with left lateral as well as bilateral frontal (and striatal) abnormalities. Impulsiveness, confabulatory verbosity, grandiosity, increased sexuality, and mania are associated with right frontal (as well as bilateral) disturbances. Gegenhalten, catatonia, and disturbances of "will" are indicative of medial frontal injuries. Disinhibitory states and obsessive-compulsive perseverative abnormalities are more frequently observed with orbital frontal lobe dysfunction, including frontal-striatal disturbances. These associations, however, are not always clear-cut as patients with the same diagnosis may demonstrate different symptoms that may be due to an additional abnormality in a different region of the brain. Moreover, as the frontal subdivisions are richly interconnected, and as frontal lobe abnormalities are not always discrete or well localized, a wide array of seemingly divergent waxing and waning symptoms may be manifest, sometimes simultaneously, including manic depression and what has been referred to as the "frontal lobe personality."     

Hypoxia, hyperoxia, ischemia, and brain necrosis

BACKGROUND: Human brains show widespread necrosis when death occurs after coma due to cardiac arrest, but not after hypoxic coma. It is unclear whether hypoxia alone can cause brain damage without ischemia. The relationship of blood oxygenation and vascular occlusion to brain necrosis is also incompletely defined. METHODS: We used physiologically monitored Wistar rats to explore the relationship among arterial blood oxygen levels, ischemia, and brain necrosis. Hypoxia alone (PaO2 = 25 mm Hg), even at a blood pressure (BP) of 30 mm Hg for 15 minutes, yielded no necrotic neurons. Ischemia alone (unilateral carotid ligation) caused necrosis in 4 of 12 rats, despite a PaO2 > 100 mm Hg. To reveal interactive effects of hypoxia and ischemia, groups were studied with finely graded levels of hypoxia at a fixed BP, and with controlled variation in BP at fixed PaO2. In separate series, focal ischemic stroke was mimicked with transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, and the effect of low, normal, and high PaO2 was studied. RESULTS: Quantitated neuropathology worsened with every 10 mm Hg decrement in BP, but the effect of altering PaO2 by 10 mm Hg was not as great, nor as consistent. Autoradiographic study of cerebral blood flow with 14C-iodoantipyrine revealed no hypoxic vasodilatation during ischemia. In the MCA occlusion model, milder hypoxia than in the first series (PaO2 = 46.5 +/- 1.4 mm Hg) exacerbated necrosis to 24.3 +/- 4.7% of the hemisphere from 16.6 +/- 7.0% with normoxia (PaO2 = 120.5 +/- 4.1 mm Hg), whereas hyperoxia (PaO2 = 213.9 +/- 5.8 mm Hg) mitigated hemispheric damage to 7.50 +/- 1.86%. Cortical damage was strikingly sensitive to arterial PaO2, being 12.8 +/- 3.1% of the hemisphere with hypoxia, 7.97 +/-4.63% with normoxia, and only 0.3 +/- 0.2% of the hemisphere with hyperoxia (p < 0.01), and necrosis being eliminated completely in 8 of 10 animals. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxia without ischemia does not cause brain necrosis but hypoxia exacerbates ischemic necrosis. Hyperoxia potently mitigates brain damage in this MCA occlusion model, especially in neocortex.     

Cobalamin, folate, methylmalonic acid, homocysteine, and gastritis markers in dementia

The prevalence of dementia disorders, cobalamin and/or folate deficiency as well as gastritis increases with age. To investigate whether there is an association between these conditions, plasma homocysteine (Hcy), serum methylmalonic acid, serum cobalamin and blood folate concentrations were measured. Gastritis was indirectly diagnosed by measuring serum antibodies against H,K-ATPase, HELICOBACTER PYLORI and intrinsic factor, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The studied groups consisted of 47 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 9 with AD pathology in combination with additive vascular lesions, 59 with vascular dementia, 8 who were cognitively impaired, and 101 control cases. Plasma Hcy concentrations were significantly elevated in the dementia groups, with the highest levels in patients with vascular pathology. We conclude that hyperhomocysteinemia is a common finding in patients with dementia disorders of different etiologies. The markers for gastritis did not contribute to an elucidation of a possible connection between this condition, dementia disorders, or cobalamin/folate deficiency.     

Diphenylhydantoin, Phenobarbital, and Primidone in Saliva, Plasma, and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Diphenylhydantoin, primidone, and phenobarbital were determined in saliva and plasma of 164 patients by gas-liquid chromatography. The saliva ratio was about one-tenth in patients on diphenylhydantoin, 0.32-0.38 on phenobarbital alone and with other drugs, 0.97 and 0.96 on primidone alone and with other drugs. The S/P ratio of phenobarbital was similar in patients treated with primidone alone or with co-medication. For diphenylhydantoin and primidone, the S/P and CSF/plasma ratio were similar; for phenobarbital the S/P ratio was lower due to the difference in pH of saliva and CSF. Thus the concentration in saliva serves as a measure of the nonprotein-bound or free concentration in plasma with the advantage that saliva is easy to obtain. Co-medication does not change the S/P ratio for the three drugs studied. The high correlation between levels in plasma and in saliva allows the plasma levels to be predicted from the concentration in saliva.     

Attachment,Abandonment, Murder

Alma phoned me, introduced herself, and started crying. She said that she had been referred to me because a terrible thing had happened. As I would later learn, we were about to deal with a wordless breakdown; a patient preoccupied with an object's “death” and her own destructive power. Using a relational perspective, this article will address concepts of separation and loss related to insecure attachment. We will focus on the emotional engulfment and anxiety associated with abandonment and loss as they arise in the therapeutic relationship. Fantasies related to the destructive power of need will be explored, including the fantasy of weaning from the object as from drugs, food, or alcohol, the confusion between murder and abandonment—the former stemming not from hatred but rather from love—and this confusion as expressed in the therapeutic dyad. The article concludes with the patient's response to her case presentation.     

Clobazam, Oxcarbazepine, Tiagabine, Topiramate, and Other New Antiepileptic Drugs

Summary: Clinical investigators recently have studied at least 21 new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in people with epilepsy. This review briefly examines 15 of these new AEDs: clobazam (CLB), dezinamide, flunarizine (FNR), loreclezole, milacemide (MLM), MK-801, nafimidone, ORG-6370, oxcarbazepine (OCBZ), progabide (PGB), ralitoline, stiripentol, tiagabine (TGB), topiramate (TPM), and zonisamide (ZNS). CLB, PGB, and TGB represent agents that act on the GABA system, and MLM acts on the glycine system. MK-801 and ZNS (in part) are excitatory amino acid antagonists, and FNR is a calcium-channel antagonist. OCBZ is a keto analogue of carbam-azepine, which is not metabolized to the epoxide and may have fewer side effects. The remaining agents are novel compounds with a variety of suspected mechanisms. TPM appears especially effective for intractable partial seizures but has a high incidence of cognitive side effects. None of these new AEDs is useful for all patients with inadequate seizure control or ongoing toxicity. The role of each will require further clinical study and experience.     

Epilepsy, Vagal Nerve Stimulation by the NCP System, Mortality, and Sudden, Unexpected, Unexplained Death

Summary: Purpose: To determine rates of all-cause mortality and of sudden, unexpected, unexplained deaths in epilepsy (SUDEP) in a cohort of individuals treated with the Neuro Cybernetic Prosthesis (NCP) System for intractable epilepsy, and; to contrast the NCP experience with other epilepsy cohorts.
Methods: A cohort of 791 individuals were followed for 1, 335 person-years from implantation. Of the total cohort, 120 individuals had their NCP System devices deactivated. The 15 deaths which occurred during NCP System activation were reviewed for SUDEP by a panel. There were three additional deaths and 242.5 person-years of monitoring after deactivation.
Results: The standardized mortality ratios for NCP System were 5.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.0–8.7; and for the time period after device deactivation, 4.4, 95% CI 0.9–12.8. Six of the deaths during stimulation were considered definite or probable SUDEP and two as possible SUDEP. Seven were not considered to be SUDEP. The incidence of definite/probable SUDEP was 4.5 per 1,000 person-years and 6.0 per 1,000 person-years for definite/probable/possible SUDEP.
Conclusions: The mortality rates and standardized mortality ratios are comparable with studies of young adults with intractable epilepsy who were not treated with NCP System. These SUDEP rates are not significantly different from those reported in the recent studies of lamotrigine (LTG), gabapentin (GBP), and tiagabine (TGB). The higher rates of SUDEP in the NCP System cohort, as compared with recent drug trials, presumably is explained by the selection of relatively higher-risk patients for the NCP System device.     

Arachnodactyly, aminoaciduria, congenital cataracts, cerebellar ataxia, and delayed developmental milestones

Two male cousins are reported with arachnodactyly, selective aminoaciduria, congenital cataracts, cerebellar ataxia, and delayed developmental milestones, and a distant female relative with similar abnormalities. The syndrome is thought to be previously undescribed, though it has resemblances to Marinesco-Sjögren and Marfan's syndromes.     

Familial occipital calcifications, hemorrhagic strokes, leukoencephalopathy, dementia, and external carotid dysplasia

OBJECTIVE: To describe a new familial association of late-onset dementia, patchy leukoencephalopathy, intracerebral hemorrhages, bilateral occipital calcifications (BOC), and external carotid artery dysplasia (ECAD). METHODS: At age 62, the proband, who was of Spanish descent, had left temporal hemorrhage in a background of progressive mental deterioration. Neuroimaging revealed fine tram-line BOC, extensive leukoencephalopathy, and bilateral ECAD. Biologic screening for celiac disease was negative. Skin biopsy with ultrastructural study revealed heretofore unreported changes in the basal lamina of capillaries, with multilayered appearance and round-shaped microcalcifications. Of 19 next-of-kin who survived beyond 60 years of age, six had brain disorders; four of the six presented at least three components of the syndrome. The proband's mother had died at age 83 with profound dementia; one sister, who was diagnosed with dementia with BOC and leukoencephalopathy at age 67, died 2 years later from intracerebral hemorrhage; a brother had an occipital hemorrhage at age 58, at which time BOC and leukoencephalopathy were discovered; and another brother died after a minor stroke at age 70 with dementia, leukoaraiosis, BOC, and ECAD. A proband's cousin also had an unexplained ischemic stroke at age 55, but without other features of the entity. In no subject was there evidence of seizures, facial angioma, or intracranial vascular malformation, and arterial hypertension was neither constant nor severe. CONCLUSION: These clinical, neuroradiologic, and histologic features suggest a new familial cerebrovascular entity with widespread microvascular calcifications and autosomal (presumably dominant) inheritance. We suggest the acronym FOCHS-LADD, for familial occipital calcifications, hemorrhagic strokes, leukoencephalopathy, arterial dysplasia, and dementia.     

颈髓肿瘤的手术治疗

目的探讨颈髓肿瘤的手术治疗问题。方法对１５６例颈髓肿瘤（髓内１００例，髓外５６例）行手术切除，根据肿瘤部位和类型，选择手术入路和处理方法。１１例使用运动诱发电位（ＭＥＰ）技术行术中运动功能监护。采用回顾性调查的方式，对治疗方法及手术疗效进行总结。结果１５６例颈髓肿瘤手术全切率８７２％（髓内８４０％，髓外９２８％），运动功能改善率８０８％（髓内７６０％，髓外８９３％）。结论颈髓肿瘤宜积极手术治疗。对不同部位和病理类型肿瘤的切除要遵循不同的原则和方法，术中运动诱发电位监护有助于提高手术效果     

Impact of IQ,age, SES,gender, and race on autistic symptoms

The purpose of our study was to determine differences in autism severity and symptoms as a function of IQ, age, SES, gender, and race while simultaneously controlling these variables in 777 children with autism using a comprehensive measure evaluating 30 core and associated symptoms of autism. The children were 1–17 years of age with IQs from 9 to 146. Results showed that autism severity (total score on the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder) and the 30 CASD item scores were not related to gender or race. However, the two CASD items reflecting mood and behavior problems were significantly more common in the lower than higher SES group. Our findings revealed significant, though modest, IQ and age effects. Autism severity increased with decreasing IQ and age, as did the frequency of 14 of the 30 CASD symptoms. The direction of IQ and age effects was the opposite for five symptoms and was nonsignificant for 11. Though IQ was associated with autistic symptoms, the majority of children with both high functioning and low functioning autism had most CASD symptoms and their symptom profiles were overwhelmingly similar. This supports the DSM-V Work Group's position that autism is a single spectrum disorder.     

Comparison of SPECT, EEG, CT, MRI, and pathology in partial epilepsy.

Twenty children with partial epilepsy who had surgery between the ages of 4 1/2 months and 18 years were studied preoperatively with electroencephalography (EEG), computed tomography (CT), and technetium-99m hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime 99mTc-HmPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT; 20 interictal, 4 postictal). Fourteen had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All had an epileptiform focus (12 unilateral, 8 predominantly unilateral) on EEG. The combination of interictal and postictal regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) abnormalities alone correlated with EEG foci in 16 of 20 patients. Interictal rCBF abnormalities correlated with EEG foci in 14 of 20. CT findings correlated with EEG foci in 14 of 20. MRI findings correlated with EEG foci in 13 of 14. Pathology demonstrated tumor in 6, cortical dysplasia in 4, mesial temporal sclerosis in 3, Sturge-Weber in 2, cavernous hemangioma in 1, Rasmussen encephalitis in 1, porencephalic cyst and gliosis in 1, and cysts found at surgery (but normal histology) in 2. Interictal and postictal SPECT, EEG foci, and CT findings each correlated with the pathology site in 17, 19, and 15 patients, respectively. MRI correlated with pathology site in 13 of 14 patients. Postictal and interictal abnormalities of rCBF correlated with EEG and pathology as frequently as CT. In 5 patients with normal CT scans and in 1 with a normal MRI, postictal and interictal rCBF correlated with EEG and pathology results; however, these 6 patients all had abnormalities on CT or MRI. SPECT, therefore, may be considered a valuable additional diagnostic procedure in the evaluation of epilepsy surgery candidates in that it adds to the evidence of abnormality at the involved site.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Substance P, enkephalins, somatostatin, cholecystokinin, oxytocin, and vasopressin in human spinal cord

Several neuropeptides were immunohistologically studied in normal human spinal cords. Substance P, methionine-enkephalin, leucine-enkephalin, and cholecystokinin positive fibers were found in all cytoarchitectonic layers, with a specific distribution pattern for each peptide. Somatostatin, oxytocin, and vasopressin immunoreactivities were restricted to particular spinal layers. Perikarya and proximal dendrites were visualized and classified by comparison with previous Golgi analyses. Substance P was contained in "radiate cells" of layer III, methionine-enkephalin in marginal neurons as well as in layer II "stellate cells," and somatostatin in layer II "islet cells." Several results differed from those reported in other species. Chemical neuroanatomy may provide new insights into the neuronal organization of the human spinal cord.     

Carnitine, valproate, and toxicity

Carnitine is an important nutrient that is present in the diet (particularly in meat and dairy products) and is synthesized from dietary amino acids. It functions to assist long-chain fatty acid metabolism and to regulate the ratio of free coenzyme A to acylcoenzyme A in the mitochondrion. Carnitine deficiency occurs in primary inborn errors of metabolism, in nutritional deficiency, and in various other disorders including antiepileptic drug therapy. Valproate therapy is often associated with decreased carnitine levels and occasionally with true carnitine deficiency. Some experimental and clinical evidence links valproate-induced carnitine deficiency with hepatotoxicity, but this evidence is limited and inconclusive. Carnitine supplementation has been useful in some studies, but these data are also limited. Young children with neurologic disabilities taking multiple antiepileptic drugs may have the greatest risk for carnitine deficiency. Measurement of carnitine levels appears warranted in these patients and in patients with symptoms and signs of possible carnitine deficiency.     

Locked-in Syndrome,BCI, and a Confusion about Embodied,Embedded, Extended,and Enacted Cognition

In a recent contribution to this journal, Andrew Fenton and Sheri Alpert have argued that the so-called “extended mind hypothesis” allows us to understand why Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) have the potential to change the self of patients suffering from Locked-in syndrome (LIS) by extending their minds beyond their bodies. I deny that this can shed any light on the theoretical, or philosophical, underpinnings of BCIs as a tool for enabling communication with, or bodily action by, patients with LIS: BCIs are not a case of cognitive extension. I argue that Fenton and Alpert’s claim to the contrary is the result of a widespread confusion about some related, but significantly different, approaches to cognition that all fall under the heading of “situated cognition.” I first provide a short taxonomy of various situated approaches to cognition, highlighting (some of) their important commonalities and differences, which should dissolve some of the confusions surrounding them. Then I show why the extended mind hypothesis is unsuitable as a model of BCI enhancements of LIS patients’ capacity to interact with their surroundings, and I argue that the situated approach with obvious bearings on the sort of questions that were driving Fenton and Alpert is not the idea that cognition is extended, but the idea that cognition is enacted.     

Sleep,epilepsy, and autism

The purpose of this review article is to explore the links between sleep and epilepsy and the treatment of sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Epilepsy and sleep have bidirectional relationships, and problems with both are highly prevalent in children with ASD. Literature is reviewed to support the view that sleep is particularly important to address in the context of ASD. Identification and management of sleep disorders may improve seizure control and challenging behaviors. In closing, special considerations for evaluating and treating sleep disorders in children with ASD and epilepsy are reviewed.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled “Autism and Epilepsy”.