Framework for interactive million-neuron simulation.

SUMMARY: Large simulations have become increasingly complex in many fields, tending to incorporate scale-dependent modeling and algorithms and wide-ranging physical influences. This scale of simulation sophistication has not yet been matched in neuroscience. The authors describe a framework aimed at enabling natural interaction with complex simulations: their configuration, initial conditions, monitoring, and analysis. The architecture is built on three cornerstone components: active probes, adaptive data capture, and visual interface. The resulting synthesis will enable interactive exploration of live simulations running on supercomputing platforms.     

The debit balance of present day stress research.

Stress often precedes psychiatric disorders. This holds particularly for the group of mood disorders. A crucial question is whether stress is an epiphenomenon or a decisive factor in the causation of (certain forms of) mood disorder. Certainty about this question can only be obtained when it can be demonstrated that stress phenomena may induce changes in brain functioning similar to the ones supposedly associated with (certain forms of) depression. Since the phenomenology of stress syndromes, as well as their emotional intensity, are highly variable, careful diagnosis is a first requirement. In studies into the significance of stress in the occurrence of depression this degree of finesse has not been achieved. The major shortcomings are discussed. Those should be systematically addressed to provide this type of research with the necessary acuity     

Mandibular atrophy and metabolic bone loss. Mandibular ridge augmentation by combined sandwich-visor osteotomy and resorption related to metabolic bone state. A 5-year follow-up

92 patients, 31 with and 61 without signs of metabolic bone loss, were treated with a combined sandwich-visor osteotomy. A 5-year follow-up showed a significantly higher rate of resorption in patients with radiographic signs of metabolic bone loss. The analysis was based upon lateral cephalometry.     

Serum prolactins in the diagnosis of epilepsy: sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value

Serum prolactin levels rise after generalized tonic-clonic and partial complex seizures, but not after pseudoepileptic seizures. The criteria for a significant elevation in serum prolactin vary with individual investigators. The prevalence of pseudoseizures in the population studied determines the predictive value of serum prolactin determinations. In populations where most patients have epilepsy, a rise in serum prolactin is highly predictive for true epilepsy, but no increase in serum prolactin is not predictive for pseudoseizures.     

Are complex partial seizures an uncommon withdrawal sign in the elderly?

An elderly female alcohol and benzodiazepine addict presented with an atypical amnestic episode. Five days later she showed several complex partial seizures as main signs of a withdrawal state. The value of the EEG in the differential diagnosis of amnestic syndromes is emphasized. Temporolimbic involvement in withdrawal states is discussed and our ignorance regarding drug dependence and withdrawal in the elderly is stressed. It is suggested that late-onset partial seizures with unknown etiology in the elderly might be more often related to drug dependence than generally accepted.     

Pharmacokinetics and hemodynamic effects of long-term nisoldipine treatment in hypertensive patients

In six patients with essential hypertension, the pharmacokinetics of nisoldipine were investigated before, during, and after 4 weeks of treatment. On day 1, nisoldipine was infused intravenously (i.v. 2 mg in 2 h); on day 2, oral nisoldipine treatment (10-mg tablets twice daily) was started for 4 weeks. During this period, patients came to the hospital six times, on which occasions blood samples were taken for the determination of trough and peak concentrations of nisoldipine. After 4-week treatment, the infusion experiment was repeated. In the first infusion experiment, systemic clearance was 1.02 +/- 0.23 L/min (mean +/- SD), terminal half-life (t1/2) was 15.4 +/- 6.7 h, and volume of distribution was 5.9 +/- 1.8 L/kg. After 4 weeks, these parameters had not changed significantly. Nisoldipine lowered blood pressure (BP) in all patients, whereas forearm blood flow and heart rate (HR) increased. Neither were the hemodynamic changes different after the oral treatment period, although basal BP was lower than before oral treatment. No accumulation of nisoldipine occurred during the 4-weeks treatment period.