The role of hippocampal sclerosis in topiramate-related depression and cognitive deficits in people with epilepsy

PURPOSE: To clarify the role of hippocampal sclerosis (HS) in developing psychiatric and cognitive adverse events during therapy with topiramate (TPM) in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). METHODS: We analyzed the data of 70 patients with TLE and HS and 128 patients with cryptogenic TLE matched for age, sex, starting dose, and titration schedule of TPM. They were selected from the first consecutive 431 patients started on TPM between 1995 and 1999. RESULTS: Patients with HS were more likely to develop cognitive adverse events (CAEs; p = 0.002) and depression (p = 0.018) and to be receiving a polytherapy regimen (p = 0.007). However, regression analysis demonstrated that only HS was a predictive factor for the occurrence of CAEs (OR = 2.4; p < 0.001) and depression (OR = 2.3; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with TLE and HS were more prone to develop CAEs and depression than were patients with cryptogenic TLE, during TPM therapy, despite the same titration schedule. The presence of HS and not duration of epilepsy or polytherapy regimen represented the main risk factor.     

Neurophysiological correlates of memory for experienced and imagined events

Changes in slow cortical potentials within EEG were monitored while autobiographical memories of experienced and imagined event were generated and then held in mind for a short period. The generation of both kinds of memory led to significantly larger negative dc shifts over left versus right frontal regions, and this was interpreted as a reflection of substantial left frontal activation. The generation phase was also associated with greater right versus left negative dc shifts over posterior occipital regions. This pattern replicates and extends previous findings from our laboratory. In addition, however, experienced memories were associated with significantly larger negative dc shifts over occipito-temporal regions than imagined events. Furthermore, during the hold-in-mind period, imagined events led to larger negative dc shifts over left frontal regions than experienced events. These findings suggest that memories for imagined and experienced events may share control processes that mediate construction of memories but that they differ in the types of content of the memories: memories of experienced events contain sensory-perceptual episodic knowledge stored in occipital networks whereas memories for imagined events contain generic imagery generated from frontal networks.     

Convulsions following axillary brachial plexus blockade with levobupivacaine

Neurotoxicity manifesting as convulsions is a recognised complication of the administration of local anaesthetic drugs as part of a regional anaesthetic technique. We describe a case of self-limiting convulsions following the institution of an axillary brachial plexus block with levobupivacaine. Although the occurrence of convulsions following the administration of racemic bupivacaine is a well-recognised complication, there have been no clinical case reports published describing convulsions following the use of levobupivacaine in regional anaesthesia.     

Effects of the Asian dust events on daily mortality in Seoul,Korea

The Korean peninsula has a long history of dust clouds blown by winds from the arid deserts of Mongolia and China in springtime; these are called Asian dust events. Public concern about the possible adverse effects of this dust has increased, because the dust arrives in Korea after having passed over heavily industrialized eastern China. The present study explored the effect of Asian dust events on daily mortality in Seoul, South Korea, during the period 1995-1998. We evaluated the association between daily death counts and the dust events using Poisson regression analysis, adjusted for time trends, weather variables, and the day of the week. Between 1995 and 1998, we identified 28 Asian dust days in Seoul. The estimated percentage increase in the rate of deaths from 3-day moving averages of exposure was 1.7% (95/ confidence interval: -1.6 to 5.3) for all causes, 2.2% (95% confidence interval: -3.5 to 8.3) for deaths of persons aged 65 years and older, and 4.1% (95% confidence interval: -3.8 to 12.6) for cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Our results provide weak evidence that the Asian dust events are associated with risk of death from all causes. However, the association between the dust events and deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory causes was stronger and it suggests that persons with advanced cardiovascular and respiratory disease may be susceptible to the Asian dust events.     

Outcome measures of interepisode bipolar patients in a Turkish sample

Background We aimed to study the correlations of several outcome measures in bipolar patients with the clinical features of interepisode period. Methods Bipolar patients who were diagnosed according to DSM-III-R or IV were contacted and asked for a further evaluation. Interepisode bipolar patients (n = 100) were interviewed with the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS). In addition the Brief Disability Questionnaire (BDQ), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) and the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) were administered to assess outcome. They were also asked to check the List of Life Events (LLE) for the last six months. Results Our results can be summarised as follows: (1) quality of life was predicted by current subthreshold depressive symptoms; (2) the number of previous depressive episodes, current subthreshold depressive and manic symptoms predicted disability; (3) the number of previous depressive episodes and the duration of hospitalisation as well as current subthreshold depressive and manic symptoms predicted overall functioning; (4) the number and distress level of life events were correlated with suicidal symptoms. Conclusions Our findings suggest that outcome measures were correlated with subsyndromal disorder, the number of previous depressive episodes and the duration of hospitalisation. Accepted: 2 October 2001     

Topiramate and metabolic acidosis in infants and toddlers

PURPOSE: Topiramate (TPM) inhibits carbonic anhydrase, with metabolic acidosis as a possible side effect, although this has been reported in only two adult cases. We investigated the acid-base metabolism in infants and toddlers treated with TPM. METHODS: Nine infants and toddlers aged 5 months to 2.3 years (median, 6 months) were treated with TPM at maximal doses of 8.2-26 mg/kg/day (median, 11 mg/kg/day). The maximal TPM dose was achieved after 8-35 days (median, 17 days). TPM was given in addition to other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in five cases and as a sole AED in four patients with refractory epilepsy resistant to multiple AEDs. The diagnoses were infantile spasms (n = 5), epilepsia partialis continua (n = 1), infantile epileptic encephalopathy (n = 1), and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (n = 2). RESULTS: The blood gases were normal before treatment with TPM in all nine children. Metabolic acidosis developed in eight children after 8-26 days (median, 14 days) of TPM treatment with a minimum of serum bicarbonate between 15 to 18 mM (median, 17 mM), a minimal base excess between -6.2 and -11.2 mM (median, -7.9 mM), and pH between 7.22 and 7.40 (median, 7.35). Four of nine children showed clinical signs of hyperventilation and received oral sodium bicarbonate (1-2 mmol/kg), while TPM was still effective. CONCLUSIONS: Because metabolic acidosis developed in eight of the nine infants and toddlers taking TPM, we would suggest that the acid-base metabolism be monitored in young children who receive TPM.     

PAD. Epidemiology and pathophysiology

The real prevalence of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) is considerably underestimated if only symptomatic patients (i.e those with Intermittent Claudication) are taken into account instead of subjects with instrumental abnormalities such as a low Ankle–Branchial Index (ABI). The risk of both—fatal and non-fatal—cardiovascular events is particularly high in these patients either presenting with symptoms or asymptomatic. On the contrary the tendency to local worsening (need of revascularization or amputation of leg) is reduced. PAD is markedly prevailing in elderly, with a peak of incidence after the fifth decade of life. Owing to this, Owing to this, the prevalence is not significantly different in men compared to women. The risk factors related to PAD are the same as those observed in the other locations of atherosclerosis but cigarette smoking and diabetes seem to be more often associated to PAD than the remaining factors.     

抗高血压药物对血压正常的冠心病患者心血管事件影响评价

4 背景 血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂和钙拮抗剂对血压相对正常或有临界性高血压的冠心病患者有益，但抗高血压药物对血压正常的冠心病患者心血管事件的影响尚未明确。     

直接冠脉支架植入与球囊预扩张后植入疗效比较

目的比较分析经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PCI)过程中支架直接植入(DS)与经球囊预扩张后支架植入(B+S)两种方法的操作过程及近期与长期效果。方法对165例患者183处病变有选择的血管病变进行非随机分组,DS组75例患者87处病变,B+S组90例患者96处病变。结果DS组直接支架成功率95．5％,4处钙化较重病变直接支架通过困难,后经球囊预扩张后成功植入支架;B+S组成功率为99％, 一处支架植入未成功而放弃。术后两组住院期间均无心脏不良事件发生,术后两组平均随访时间均为 (12±8)个月,DS组与B+S组术后心脏不良事件发生率分别为5．1％及4．6％(P>0．05);手术操作时间及X线曝光时间DS组分别为(43±10)min、(56±12)min,比B+S组的(11±5)min及(14±6)min明显长(P<0．01);单纯PCI过程所用造影剂量DS组为(116+35)ml比B+S组的(129±41)ml明显减少(P<0．01)。结论对大多数血管病变而言,直接支架植入是安全可行的,但成功率稍低;与常规经球囊预扩张支架植入方法相比。两组PCI术后心脏不良事件发生率无明显差异,而直接支架植入可减少造影剂用量、缩短手术时间及X 线曝光时间。