Combining tract‐ and atlas‐based analysis reveals microstructural abnormalities in early Tourette syndrome children

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that causes uncontrolled repetitive motor and vocal tics in children. Examining the neural basis of TS churned out different research studies that advanced our understanding of the brain pathways involved in its development. Particularly, growing evidence points to abnormalities within the fronto‐striato‐thalamic pathways. In this study, we combined Tract‐Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) and Atlas‐based regions of interest (ROI) analysis approach, to investigate the microstructural diffusion changes in both deep and superficial white matter (SWM) in TS children. We then characterized the altered microstructure of white matter in 27 TS children in comparison with 27 age‐ and gender‐matched healthy controls. We found that fractional anisotropy (FA) decreases and radial diffusivity (RD) increases in deep white matter (DWM) tracts in cortico‐striato‐thalamo‐cortical (CSTC) circuit as well as SWM. Furthermore, we found that lower FA values and higher RD values in white matter regions are correlated with more severe tics, but not tics duration. Besides, we also found both axial diffusivity and mean diffusivity increase using Atlas‐based ROI analysis. Our work may suggest that microstructural diffusion changes in white matter is not only restricted to the gray matter of CSTC circuit but also affects SWM within the primary motor and somatosensory cortex, commissural and association fibers. Hum Brain Mapp 37:1903–1919, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Peripartum dilated cardiomyopathy

AIM: To analyze the clinical characteristics and to evaluate the different factors that influences the prognosis of the peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). METHODS: A retrospective review was undertaken on records of women who were diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy at Farhat Hached Hospital (Sousse) between January 1992 and December 2004. RESULTS: Clinically, PPCM shows pulmonary symptoms such as dyspnea and tachypnea. The diagnosis is established by echocardiography that showed decreased systolic function of the left ventricular. Both gynecologist and cardiologist must check the patients regularly. No patient died. Three preterm pregnancies occured with 9 health newborns (2 sets of twins). One miscarriage took place. PPCM is often undetected or misdiagnosed because of the low incidence and the unspecific symptoms. The treatment is also unspecific and similar to dilated cardiomyopathy or acute cardiac failure. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of the peripartum cardiomyopathy is extremely important. Pregnancy in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with maternal and fetal morbidity. Left ventricular function is a prognostic factor and must be the most parameter when conseling patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy about a new pregnancy.     

Epidemiology and outcome of cervical cancer in national institute of Morocco

Background

On behalf of the medical staff of the National Institute of Oncology of Rabat, we conducted a retrospective study to report epidemiology and 5-year outcomes of cervical carcinoma in Moroccan women.

Methods

We reviewed all women diagnosed with invasive cervical carcinoma in our institute between January 2006 and December 2006. Outcomes and prognoses are analyzed in patients who received at least one treatment.

Results

The analysis included 646 women. Median age was 50 years (23–85 years). Bleeding was the most frequent symptom (95 %). The most predominant histology was squamous cell carcinoma (94 %). The majority of patients were diagnosed at locally advanced stages (88 %). Among patients who received treatment (n?=?550), the management was based on concurrent chemoradiotherapy in 69.7 % of cases. The median duration of follow-up was 60 months (range 2–78 months). Overall survival, progression free survival, and locoregional recurrence free survival were 63.2, 60.7 and 79.1 % respectively. Significant poor prognostic factors in univariate analysis included stage, tumor size, lymph node involvement, anemia and absence of response to radiotherapy. The prognostic significance of response to radiotherapy and stage were retained in multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Cervical cancer in our Institute is diagnosed at locally advanced stages. Two third of patients were treated by concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Outcome of Moroccan patients are comparable to that of western countries. Significant prognostic factors were stage, tumor size, lymph node involvement, anemia, and response to radiotherapy. The way to reduce the global burden of cervical cancer in our country continues to be the development of vaccination and screening programs.

     

Protective Effect of Hydroxytyrosol Against Cardiac Remodeling After Isoproterenol-Induced Myocardial Infarction in Rat

The present study aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effect of hydroxytyrosol (HT) against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Male rats were randomly divided into four groups, control, isoproterenol (Isop) and pretreated animals with HT in two different doses (2 and 5 mg/kg) orally for 7 days and intoxicated with isoproterenol (Isop + HT1) and (Isop + HT2) groups. Myocardial infarction in rats was induced subcutaneously by isoproterenol (100 mg/kg, s.c.) at an interval of 24 h on 6th and 7th day. On 8th day, electrocardiographic (ECG) pattern, gravimetric and biochemical parameters were assessed. Isoproterenol exhibited changes in ECG pattern, including significant ST-segment elevation and increase in the serum troponin-T level by 317 % as compared to control rats. Moreover, cardiac injury markers (creatine kinase-MB, lactate dehydrogenase, alanine aminotransferase) underwent a notable rise in serum of infarcted animals. Else, a disturbance in lipids profile and significant increase in lipase and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activities and heart weight ratio were observed in isoproterenol group. However, pre- and co-treatment with HT (2 and 5 mg/kg) improved the myocardium injury, restored the hemodynamic function and inhibited the ACE activity that prevent cardiac hypertrophy and remodeling. Overall, these findings demonstrated that HT exerted a potent cardioprotective effect against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction.     

PDS is a new susceptibility gene to autoimmune thyroid diseases: association and linkage study

Autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), including Graves' disease (GD), Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), and primary idiopathic myxedema, is caused by multiple genetic and environmental factors. Genes involved in immune response and/or thyroid physiology appear to influence susceptibility to disease. The PDS gene (7q31), responsible for Pendred syndrome (congenital sensorineural hearing loss and goiter), encodes a transmembrane protein known as pendrin. Pendrin is an apical porter of iodide in the thyroid. To evaluate the contribution of PDS gene in the genetic susceptibility of AITD, we examined four microsatellite markers in the gene region. Two hundred thirty-three unrelated patients (GD,141; HT, 54; primary idiopathic myxedema, 38), 15 multiplex AITD families (104 individuals/46 patients) and 154 normal controls were genotyped. Analysis of case-control data showed a significant association of D7S496 and D7S2459 with GD (P = 10(-3)) and HT (P = 1.07 10(-24)), respectively. The family-based association test showed significant association and linkage between AITDs and alleles 121 bp of D7S496 and 173 bp of D7S501. Results obtained by transmission disequilibrium test are in good agreement with those obtained by the family-based association test. Indeed, evidence for linkage and association of allele 121 bp of D7S496 with AITD was confirmed (P = 0.0114). Multipoint nonparametric linkage analysis using MERLIN showed intriguing evidence for linkage with marker D7S496 in families with only GD patients [Z = 2.12, LOD = 0.81, P = 0.026]. Single-point and multipoint parametric LOD score linkage analysis was also performed. Again, the highest multipoint parametric LOD score was found for marker D7S496 (LOD = 1.23; P = 0.0086) in families segregating for GD under a dominant model. This work suggests that the PDS gene should be considered a new susceptibility gene to AITDs with varying contributions in each pathology.     

La tuberculose oculaire : une série de 14 cas

Objectives

Ocular tuberculosis is a rare form of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. It represents 1–2% of all clinical forms. The aim of this work was to focus on diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of ocular tuberculosis.