Olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease

Journal of Neurology - Olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been described for more than thirty years and known as one of the commonest non-motor symptoms in PD. Recently, it...     

Experimental focal cerebral ischemia produced by embolization with silicone cylinder in normotensive (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR): comparison of neurological and pathological findings

A focal cerebral ischemic model was produced by occlusion of the intracranial main cerebral artery with a silicone cylinder in normotensive (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Main cerebral artery could be successfully occluded in approximately 90%. The most frequent embolized site was the distal part of the internal cerebral artery (ICb) and less frequently the horizontal segment of the anterior cerebral artery (Al). Mortality rate of NTR with ICb occlusion (NTR-ICb) was 43% at 72 hours after embolization and that of SHR with ICb occlusion (SHR-ICb) was 67% at 24 hours after embolization. NTR-ICb showed neurological signs (i.e. circling movement, hemiparesis, poor response to pain stimuli) and histologically, showed infarction in the deep cerebral structures (i.e. thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and internal capsule) accompanied with mild disruption of blood-brain barrier (BBB). SHR-ICb showed more serious neurological signs and more severe cerebral infarction in the deep cerebral structures with severe disruption of BBB. In SHR-ICb, ischemic cerebral edema was more prominent which may deteriorate symptoms and pathological findings compared to NTR-ICb. This embolization model is proposed to be useful for studying the pathophysiology of focal cerebral ischemia, especially, early ischemic edema.     

An immunohistochemical study of MAP2 and clathrin in gerbil hippocampus after cerebral ischemia

Changes in MAP2 and clathrin immunoreactivity were studied in gerbil hippocampus after transient cerebral ischemia. MAP2 immuno-reactivity decreased significantly by 1 h in the subiculum-CA1 and CA2 areas which correspond to reactive change, while no decrease was observed in CA1 until day 4. Before the initiation of delayed neuronal death, MAP2 immunoreactivity was not changed in CA1. On the other hand clathrin immunoreactivity increased in the pyramidal cell layer of CA1 by 3 h after ischemia and remained high for 2 days. Clathrin immunoreactivity in the pyramidal cell layer of CA1 diminished after delayed neuronal death. The transient change of clathrin was noted especially in CA1 in the period prior to delayed neuronal death. These results imply an abnormal change in clathrin turnover after ischemia, which may participate in the pathogenesis of delayed neuronal death.     

Dual effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine on the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid from myenteric neurones of the guinea-pig ileum.

The effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) on the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were examined in the longitudinal muscle-myenteric plexus (LM-MP) preparation of guinea-pig ileum. 5-HT increased the spontaneous release and inhibited the electrically-evoked release of [3H]-GABA. The 5-HT-evoked release was Ca2+-dependent and tetrodotoxin-sensitive, and was antagonized by (3 alpha-tropanyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid ester (ICS 205-930), but not by methysergide and ketanserin. The inhibitory effect of 5-HT was antagonized by methysergide, but not by ketanserin and ICS 205-930. 8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin mimicked the inhibitory effect of 5-HT. Thus, 5-HT may exert an excitatory effect on the enteric GABAergic neurone via the 5-HT3 receptor and an inhibitory effect via the 5-HT1A receptor.     

Symptoms of contruction workers exposed to whole body vibration and local vibration

Summary To study the effects of construction machinery operation on subjective symptoms, a questionnaire survey was caried out among construction machinery operators by a self-reporting method. Subjects were 184 power shovel operators, 127 bulldozer operators, 44 forklift operators as operator groups, and 44 office workers as a control. Their ages were in a range of 30–49 years. The questionnaire contained 20 symptoms referring to fatigue, digestive problems, and upper or lower limbs or back problems. The prevalence rate and symptom characteristics were examined. The dominant symptoms of the operator groups were stiff shoulder, low back pain, and stomack symptoms. The prevalence rate of low back pain was significantly different between forklift operators and controls. No significant differences were found in the symptoms of upper limbs and fingers between operator groups and controls. The prevalence of Raynaud's phenomenon was 0.5%–2.3% in the operator groups and 2.3% in the control group.     

Effect of extradural analgesia on the paradoxical arousal response of the electroencephalogram

Despite widespread recognition of the potential role of the processed electroencephalogram (pEEG) as a monitor of depth of anaesthesia, few studies have examined the effects of surgical stimuli on the intraoperative pEEG. Two groups of gynaecological patients (n = 10 in each group), with or without pre-incisional extradural analgesia, undergoing gynaecological laparotomy under nitrous oxide and isoflurane anaesthesia were monitored with routine haemodynamic observations and pEEG. Patients who received pre-incisional extradural analgesia showed no significant changes in pEEG variables during surgery (mean spectral edge frequency 95 percentile (SEF95) 13.3 (SD 1.4) Hz), whereas in all patients without pre-incisional extradural analgesia, a significant decrease in SEF95 was noted (6.5 (1.1) Hz after incision compared with a pre-incisional value of 12.5 (1.4) Hz) together with an increase in arterial pressure (paradoxical response). In the latter group, SEF95 and arterial pressure returned to pre-incisional values after extradural analgesia was established during operation. During emergence from anaesthesia, both groups showed a significant increase in SEF95 (25.7 (1.4) Hz). This study suggests that intraoperative pEEG arousal response was different from changes detected when anaesthesia was terminated at the end of surgery. Surgical stimuli in the absence of adequate analgesia induced a paradoxical arousal response.      

Three-dimensional surface display with 123I-IMP in corticobasal degeneration]

A 65-year-old right-handed woman was admitted due to gait disturbance. She had suffered from progressive motor clumsiness in the left-sided limbs for four years. On admission, she was mildly demented, but not aphasic. Neurological examination disclosed constructional disability, limb-kinetic apraxia on the left side, and parkinsonism. Brain CT and MRI showed no responsible lesion. Three-dimensional surface display with 123I-IMP demonstrated decreased cerebral blood flow mainly in the right angular gyrus, and mildly in the right central region. She was clinically diagnosed as having corticobasal degeneration. Hypoperfusion in the angular gyrus and central region may account for constructional disability and limb-kinetic apraxia, respectively. Three-dimensional surface display with 123I-IMP appears to be useful for detecting the cortical region.     

HISTOPATHOLOGIGAL STUDY OF HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY WITH PROGRESSION TO LEFT VENTRICULAR DILATATION

The heart of seven cases of fatal congestive heart failure with dilated left ventricle, developing in 5 patients with symptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and 2 patients with histologically widespread disarray of both ventricles, was morphologically investigated. These 7 cases showed myocardial widespread disarray and massive fibrosis, the mean percent area of fibrosis was 40.6% and 59.4% at upper and lower levels of left ventricles, respectively. Fibrosis was most extentsive in the lateral wall, and followed by anterior, posterior and interventricular walls. The severity of cell infiltration in left ventricle was completely matched to that of fibrosis and was most extensive in subepicardial area followed by middle and subendocardial areas of left ventricle. The intima and medial thickness of intramural small arteries in the fibrotic areas was significantly larger (p<0.05) than that of nonfibrotic areas, which suggested that the effect of intramural small artery was not essential for pathogenesis of massive fibrosis. ACTA PATHOL. JPN. 37: 1041 -1052, 1987.