Temporo-sylvian arachnoidal cyst and an extreme pneumatization of the cranial sinuses: A case report

We present a patient who showed MRI evidence of a giant temporo-sylvian arachnoidal cyst of the left hemisphere and an extreme pneumatization of the sphenoid and frontal sinuses. No sign of mass effect or cerebral atrophy was detected. This patient presented a deficit of memory and control functions, but quality of life was not affected. Surgery was not performed. Arachnoidal cyst and anatomic variants of the sinus region have not a common etiology.     

Dravet syndrome: Early clinical manifestations and cognitive outcome in 37 Italian patients

Aims of our study were to describe the early clinical features of Dravet syndrome (SMEI) and the neurological, cognitive and behavioral outcome. The clinical history of 37 patients with clinical diagnosis of SMEI, associated with a point mutation of SCN1A gene in 84% of cases, were reviewed with particular attention to the symptoms of onset. All the patients received at least one formal cognitive and behavior evaluation. Epilepsy started at a mean age of 5.7 months; the onset was marked by isolated seizure in 25 infants, and by status epilepticus in 12; the first seizure had been triggered by fever, mostly of low degree in 22 infants; the first EEG was normal in all cases. During the second year of life difficult-to-treat seizures recurred, mostly triggered by fever, hot bath, and intermittent lights and delay in psychomotor development became evident. At the last evaluation, performed at a mean age of 16 ± 6.9 years, mental retardation was present in 33 patients, associated with behavior disorders in 21. Our data indicate that the most striking features of SMEI are: the early onset of seizures in a previously healthy child, the long duration of the first seizure, the presence of focal ictal symptoms, and sensitivity to low-grade fever. Diagnosis of SMEI may be proposed by the end of the first year of life, and a definite diagnosis can be established during the second year based on the peculiar seizure-favoring factors, EEG photosensitivity and psychomotor slowing. The temporal correlation between high seizure frequency and cognitive impairment support the role of epilepsy in the clinical outcome, even if a role of channelopathy cannot be ruled out.     

A de novo 11p12-p15.4 duplication in a patient with pharmacoresistant epilepsy,mental retardation,and dysmorphisms

We report a 22-year-old male patient with pharmacoresistant epilepsy, mental retardation and dysmorphisms. Standard cytogenetic analysis revealed a de novo interstitial duplication of the short arm of chromosome 11 (11p). High density array-CGH analysis showed that the rearrangement spans about 35 Mb on chromosome 11p12-p15.4. Duplications of 11p are rare and usually involve the distal part of the chromosome arm (11p15), being not associated with epilepsy, whereas our patient showed a unique epileptic phenotype associated with mental retardation and dysmorphic features. The role of some rearranged genes in epilepsy pathogenesis in this patient is also discussed.     

Social determinants of prescribed and non-prescribed medicine use

Background  

The aim of the present study was to describe the use of prescribed and non prescribed medicines in a non-institutionalised population older than 15 years of an urban area during the year 2000, in terms of age and gender, social class, employment status and type of Primary Health Care.     

The Open Cell Form of 3D-Printed Titanium Improves Osteconductive Properties and Adhesion Behavior of Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Titanium specimens have been proven to be safe and effective biomaterials in terms of their osseo-integration. To improve the bioactivity and develop customized implants titanium, the surface can be modified with selective laser melting (SLM). Moreover, the design of macro-porous structures has become popular for reaching a durable bone fixation. 3D-printed titanium (Titanium A, B, and C), were cleaned using an organic acid treatment or with electrochemical polishing, and were characterized in terms of their surface morphology using scanning electron microscopy. Next, Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) were cultured on titanium in order to analyze their biocompatibility, cell adhesion, and osteoconductive properties. All tested specimens were biocompatible, due to the time-dependent increase of DPSC proliferation paralleled by the decrease of LDH released. Furthermore, data highlighted that the open cell form with interconnected pores of titanium A, resembling the inner structure of the native bone, allows cells to better adhere inside the specimen, being proteins related to cell adherence highly expressed. Likewise, titanium A displays more suitable osteoconductive properties, being the profile of osteogenic markers improved compared to titanium B and C. The present work has demonstrated that the inner design and post-production treatments on titanium surfaces have a dynamic influence on DPSC behavior toward adhesion and osteogenic commitment.