New‐onset musicogenic epilepsy after temporal lobe epilepsy surgery

Musicogenic epilepsy is a reflex epilepsy provoked by listening to or playing music. The epileptogenic network involves temporal regions, usually mesiotemporal structures. We present a 31‐year‐old female patient who experienced musicogenic seizures after a right temporal lobectomy with amygdalohippocampectomy that was performed in order to treat preexisting right mesio‐temporal epilepsy.     

Development of a new self-awareness of falls risk measure (SAFRM)

Research suggests that some older individuals may lack awareness of personal falls risk; however, there is no validated scale to measure self-awareness (SA) of falls risk in this population. Therefore, the objective of this study is to describe the development and psychometric evaluation of a new three part (intellectual, emergent, and anticipatory) SAFRM to be used in the older population undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. The SAFRM underwent a comprehensive scale development process. Ninety-one participants aged over 60 years were recruited from rehabilitation wards with their treating physiotherapist and occupational therapist. The results indicated a three factor structure of the scale corresponding to the theoretically developed intellectual, emergent and anticipatory SA sections which explained 50.26% of variance. The SAFRM demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .86–.92), inter-rater reliability between clinicians (ICC = .61–.87), and convergent validity with an SA interview (r_s = .31–.50). The SAFRM scores were significantly correlated with clinician-rated SA (r_s = −.40 to −.63) providing evidence of ecological validity. The present study provides initial empirical support of the reliability and validity of the SAFRM for assessment of SA of falls risk in the older inpatient population. The availability of this measure will allow further investigation into the causes and consequences of reduced SA in the older population.     

Importance of gene dosage in controlling dendritic arbor formation during development

Proper dendrite morphology is crucial for normal nervous system functioning. While a number of genes have been implicated in dendrite morphogenesis in both invertebrates and mammals, it remains unclear how developing dendrites respond to changes in gene dosage and what type of patterns their responses may follow. To understand this, I review here evidence from the recent literature, focusing on the genetic studies performed in the Drosophila larval dendritic arborization class IV neuron, an excellent cell type to understand dendrite morphogenesis. I summarize how class IV arbors change morphology in response to developmental fluctuations in the expression levels of 47 genes, studied by means of genetic manipulations such as loss‐of‐function and gain‐of‐function, and for which sufficient information is available. I find that arbors can respond to changing gene dosage in several distinct ways, each characterized by a singular dose–response curve. Interestingly, in 72% of cases arbors are sensitive, and thus adjust their morphology, in response to both decreases and increases in the expression of a given gene, indicating that dendrite morphogenesis is a process particularly sensitive to gene dosage. By summarizing the parallels between Drosophila and mammals, I show that many Drosophila dendrite morphogenesis genes have orthologs in mammals, and that some of these are associated with mammalian dendrite outgrowth and human neurodevelopmental disorders. One notable disease‐related molecule is kinase Dyrk1A, thought to be a causative factor in Down syndrome. Both increases and decreases in Dyrk1A gene dosage lead to impaired dendrite morphogenesis, which may contribute to Down syndrome pathoetiology.     

Bifidobacterium longum with Fructo-Oligosaccharides in Patients with Non Alcoholic Steatohepatitis

Background

Increased exposure to intestinal bacterial products may contribute to the pathogenesis of non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Bifidobacteria are predominant bacterial species in the human gut microbiota and have been considered to exert a beneficial effect on human health by maintaining the equilibrium of the resident microbiota.

Aims

To evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium longum with fructo-oligosaccharides (Fos) in the treatment of NASH.

Methods

A total of 66 patients were randomly and equally divided into two groups receiving Bifidobacterium longum with Fos and lifestyle modification (i.e., diet and exercise) versus lifestyle modification alone. The following variables were assessed at ?4 (beginning of the dietary lead-in period), 0 (randomization), 6, 12, 18, and 24?weeks: aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), bilirubin, albumin, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, C-peptide, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-??, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and serum endotoxins. Liver biopsies were performed at entry and repeated after 24?weeks of treatment.

Results

At the end of study period, we observed that the Bifidobacterium longum with Fos and lifestyle modification group versus the lifestyle modification alone group showed significant differences in the AST ?69.6 versus ?45.9?IU/mL (P?P?P?P?P?P?P?P?Conclusions Bifidobacterium longum with Fos and lifestyle modification, when compared to lifestyle modification alone, significantly reduces TNF-??, CRP, serum AST levels, HOMA-IR, serum endotoxin, steatosis, and the NASH activity index.     

Sleep-related brain activation does not increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to glucose.

We compared blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability to glucose between quiet wakefulness and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep to assess whether changes in BBB permeability play a role in coupling glucose supply to the physiologic metabolic needs of the brain. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared with electrodes for wake-sleep state scoring and with arterial and venous catheters. Using the single-pass, dual-label indicator method, unidirectional glucose extraction by the brain and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were simultaneously measured during states of quiet wakefulness (n=12) or REM sleep (n=7). The product of BBB surface area and permeability to glucose (PS product) was computed in each state. During REM sleep, CBF significantly exceeded that during quiet wakefulness in all regions but the cerebellum, whereas the difference in the PS product between quiet wakefulness and REM sleep was not statistically significant in any brain region. In the brain as a whole, CBF significantly increased 29% from quiet wakefulness to REM sleep, while a nonsignificant 0.8% increase occurred in the PS product. During REM sleep, the increase in CBF indicates a higher rate of brain glucose consumption than in quiet wakefulness, given the tight flow-metabolism coupling in the brain. Therefore, these data show that modulation of BBB permeability to glucose is not a mechanism that provides 'energy on demand' during the physiologic brain activation characterising REM sleep.     

The use of gasoline in a complex suicide

Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology - This case represents a planned complex suicide in which the victim shot himself in the head after dousing his living quarters with gasoline. The spark...     

Structural features of subtype-selective EP receptor modulators

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