Inhibition or enhancement of kindling evolution by antiepileptics

Summary The influence of antiepileptics on the evolution of rat amygdaloid kindling was studied.Under placebo conditions clonic convulsions and a spike-wave EEG pattern developed. Diazepam, clonazepam, clobazam and phenobarbital were most effective in suppressing the evolution of kindling; the effects of valproate sodium, ethosuximide and acetazolamide were somewhat less pronounced in this respect. Carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and phenytoin, on the other hand, enhanced kindling development, i.e. the increase in duration of after-discharge was faster than in the placebo group. The results indicate that under the above experimental conditions drugs with no anti-absence component can be distinguished from those with an anti-absence component. The mechanism of action underlying the observed effects is not yet known; the hypothesis that under special conditions protective inhibitory neuronal activity can develop to absence type seizures is proposed.     

Glutamic acid decarboxylase-like immunoreactivity in brainstem auditory nuclei of the rat

The distribution of GABA-producing neurons in the brainstem auditory nuclei of the rat was investigated immunohistochemically by using an antibody to glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). In the cochlear nuclei, GAD immunoreactive neurons are present only in the superficial granular and molecular layers, whereas terminals are found in all subdivisions of the nuclei and are particularly dense surrounding large spherical cells and one type of stellate cell. In the superior olivary complex, GAD immunoreactive neurons are located in the lateral olivary nucleus and throughout the periolivary region. Immunoreactive terminals are distributed along dendrites of principal cells of the medial and lateral olivary nuclei and are clustered around somata of globular neurons of the nucleus of the trapezoid body. An extremely dense band of immunoreactive somata and terminals is present along the ventral edge of the olivary complex. The ventral, intermediate, and dorsal nuclei of the lateral lemniscus contain small fusiform GAD-immunoreactive neurons and a moderately dense plexus of immunoreactive terminals. The inferior colliculus contains a large population of GAD-immunoreactive perikarya and an extremely dense accumulation of immunoreactive terminals in the central, dorsomedial, and external nuclei. These observations indicate that GABA systems are involved in function at all levels of the brainstem auditory pathway.     

Scalp and Limbic P3 Event-Related Potentials in the Assessment of Patients with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Auditory oddball scalp and limbic P3s were recorded from 18 patients with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) prior to seizure surgery. Limbic P3s were unilaterally absent ipsilateral to the seizure focus and were present in the nonepileptogenic temporal lobe in all 18 cases studied. Scalp P3s, recorded from C3 and C4, on the other hand, were elicited bilaterally and there was no significant difference in amplitude or latency between the epileptogenic and nonepileptogenic sides. These data concur with studies of scalp P3 performed following surgery and suggest that the assessment of the contribution of limbic P3 to scalp P3 may be masked by volume conduction effects and other generators of P3. We conclude that the P3 recorded from central scalp sites, unlike its limbic counterpart, offers little clinical information in the presurgical assessment of patients with TLE.     

结节性硬化症多器官损害7例报告

目的探讨结节性硬化症多器官损害的临床特点以提高诊断治疗水平。方法回顾性分析7例结节性硬化症伴皮肤、大脑、肾脏、肝脏等多器官损害患者的临床资料,探讨其特征性临床表现及影像学改变。结果7例患者均有多器官损害,累及两个器官3例,3个及以上器官损害4例;皮肤损害主要为面部血管纤维瘤6例,皮肤色素脱失斑7例,鲨鱼皮斑3例,趾甲下纤维瘤1例;癫痫发作6例,智力低下4例,颅脑CT或MRI检查提示室管膜下结节4例,皮质结节2例;4例合并双侧肾脏多发错构瘤,1例合并肝脏错构瘤。结论特殊的皮肤损害、癫痫发作、智力低下,脑CT或MRI检查提示室管膜下结节或皮质结节或内脏多发性错构瘤为本病的主要临床特征,提高本病的认识有助于早期诊断和治疗。     

A Bayesian approach to subvoxel tissue classification in NMR microscopic images of trabecular bone

NMR microscopy is currently being used as an investigational tool for the evaluation of micromorphometric parameters of trabecular bone as a possible means to assess its strength. Since, typically, the image voxel size is not significantly smaller than individual trabecular elements, partial volume blurring can be a major complication for accurate tissue classification. In this paper, a Bayesian segmentation technique is reported that achieves improved subvoxel tissue classification. Each voxel is subdivided either into eight subvoxels twice the original resolution, or up to four subvoxels along the transaxial direction and the subvoxels optimally classified as either bone or marrow. Based on a statistical model for partial volume blurring, the likelihood for the number of marrow subvoxels in each voxel can be computed on the basis of its measured signal. To resolve the ambiguity of the location of the marrow subvoxels, a Gibbs distribution is introduced to model the interaction between the subvoxels. Neighboring subvoxel pairs with the same tissue label are encouraged, and pairs with distinct labels are penalized. The segmentation is achieved by maximizing the a posteriori probability of the label image using the block ICM (iterative conditional mode) algorithm. The potential of the proposed technique is demonstrated in real and synthetic NMR microscopic images.     

高迁移率族蛋白B1对大鼠脾脏树突状细胞表面共刺激分子表达的影响

目的观察高迁移率族蛋白B1(HMGB1)对树突状细胞(dendritic cells,DC)表面共刺激分子表达的影响,并对其机制进行初步探讨。方法分离正常Wistar大鼠脾脏DC后置于96孔培养板(1×10~5/孔),采用HMGB1刺激,观察HMGB1刺激与DC表面共刺激分子CD80、CD86和主要组织相容性复合物(MHC)Ⅱ表达的时间-效应关系及剂量-效应关系。结果HMGB1刺激后,DC表面共刺激分子CD80、CD86和MHCⅡ表达分别于24～72 h明显上调(P＜0．05,0．01),其中以作用48 h后DC表面共刺激分子表达上调尤为显著(P＜0．01)；0．1μg/ml、1μg/ml、10μg/ml的HMGB1刺激均可诱导DC表面共刺激分子CD80、CD86和MHCⅡ表达增强(P＜0．05,0．01),其中HMGB1的浓度在1μg/ml时,大鼠DC表面共刺激分子CD80、CD86和MHCⅡ的表达增强最明显(P＜0．01)。结论HMGB1能诱导DC表面共刺激分子表达增强,HMGB1可能是诱导DC成熟的免疫刺激信号。     

部分性脾栓塞术的临床应用：——附37例报告

应用部分脾栓塞术(PSE)治疗难治性原发性血小板减少性紫癜27例,血栓性血小板减少性紫癜1例;难治性再生障碍性贫血2例;Evan's 综合症2例;系统性红斑狼疮合并血小板减少性紫癜2例;继发性脾亢3例.获完全缓解者24例(64.9%);部分缓解者8例(21.6%),总有效率为86.S%.24例获完全缓解者18例追踪1年,6例复发,复发率为33.3%.与25例切脾对照组及文献报道比较,差异无显著性(P>0.05).本文对 PSE 术后外周血小板的变化进行讨论,并与脾切除作了对比。本文还对血小板破坏场、栓塞范围和方法等影响疗效的因素进行了探讨.作者认为 PSE 术可作为脾切除的替代术.     

Subcellular localization of the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor, P400, in the vestibular complex and dorsal cochlear nucleus of the rat

The subcellular localization of the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor protein, P₄₀₀, was studied in the vestibular complex, an area to which Purkinje cells project, as well as in neurons of the dorsal cochlear nucleus and in ectopic Purkinje cells of adult rat brain. The receptor was demonstrated by electron microscopical immunocytochemistry using the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex procedure, with the monoclonal antibody 4C11 raised against mouse cerebellar inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor protein. Immunoreactivity was found in preterminal fibres and terminal boutons in the nuclei of the vestibular complex, generally associated with the subsurface systems and stacks or fragments of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Ectopic Purkinje cells and cartwheel cells of the dorsal cochlear nucleus also displayed immunoreactivity, but this was much less intense in the latter. The results of the present study suggest that this receptor protein, involved in the release of Ca²⁺, is located in sites that enable it to influence the synthesis, transport and release of neurotransmitters.     

Nitric oxide and gamma-aminobutyric acid as regulators of neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals: Models of seizure activity

New neurons are known to be generated in the brain of adult mammals throughout their entire life in the area of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus. The regulatory mechanisms of neurogenesis are complex and poorly understood. Numerous studies performed during the last decade have shown that the intensity of generation of new cells in the germinative regions of the brain is significantly influenced by various environmental factors. Pronounced changes in neurogenesis were also found in the models of various pathologies of the central nervous system (such as neurodegeneration, brain ischemia, and epilepsy). This review is focused on the regulation of neurogenesis in the brain of adult mammals in the course of experimental epilepsy. The involvement of nitric oxide and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of brain cells during seizure activity is discussed.     

Long-term Outcomes of Patients Undergoing War-related Amputations of the Foot and Ankle

Long-term clinical and functional outcomes for patients undergoing foot and ankle amputations are not well documented. We attempted to document long-term outcomes for patients who required lower extremity amputations as a result of wounds suffered during wartime. For this study, 27 Iranian soldiers who had wounds requiring amputation of the foot and ankle were selected for follow-up. The participants' wartime medical records were reviewed, a clinical examination was performed, and each participant completed a questionnaire. Postamputation follow-up averaged 17.5 years. The most prevalent (66.6%) cause of injury was a land mine. The prevalences of different clinical symptoms reported by the amputees at the time of the last follow-up were as follows: 11 (40.7%) with phantom sensation, 6 (22.2%) with phantom pain, 12 (44.4%) with stump pain, 12 (44.4%) with back pain, 9 (33.3%) with contralateral knee pain, and 4 (14.8%) with ipsilateral knee pain; 20 (74%) reported treatment for psychological conditions. In regard to social conditions, 13 (48.1) were currently employed, or had been employed, for a number of years after the amputation; 26 (96%) had children, and all of the patients were married. The results of this observational study indicate that individuals have significant long-term pain and discomfort after war-related lower extremity amputation. Although all 27 (100%) of the amputees were able to maintain satisfactory family functioning, only 13 (48.1%) of the study participants were able to remain productively employed after undergoing amputation, and 20 (74%) reported long-term psychological problems in addition to their physical pain.