Real-time refinement of subthalamic nucleus targeting using Bayesian decision-making on the root mean square measure.

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a major target for treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. Microelectrode recording (MER) is used in many cases to identify the target nucleus. A real-time procedure for identifying the entry and exit points of the STN would improve the outcome of this targeting procedure. We used the normalized root mean square (NRMS) of a short (5 seconds) MER sampled signal and the estimated anatomical distance to target (EDT) as the basis for this procedure. Electrode tip location was defined intraoperatively by an expert neurophysiologist to be before, within, or after the STN. Data from 46 trajectories of 27 patients were used to calculate the Bayesian posterior probability of being in each of these locations, given RMS-EDT pair values. We tested our predictions on each trajectory using a bootstrapping technique, with the rest of the trajectories serving as a training set and found the error in predicting the STN entry to be (mean +/- SD) 0.18 +/- 0.84, and 0.50 +/- 0.59 mm for STN exit point, which yields a 0.30 +/- 0.28 mm deviation from the expert's target center. The simplicity and computational ease of RMS calculation, its spike sorting-independent nature and tolerance to electrode parameters of this Bayesian predictor, can lead directly to the development of a fully automated intraoperative physiological procedure for the refinement of imaging estimates of STN borders.     

Parkinson's disease in Africa: A systematic review of epidemiologic and genetic studies.

Parkinson's disease (PD) occurs worldwide, but little is known about PD in Africa. We systematically reviewed publications on PD in Africa, with emphasis on epidemiologic and genetic studies. Articles published between 1944 and December 2004 were identified using several strategies. The studies emanated from 13 African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, Togo, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Zimbabwe, and South Africa). The publications fell into four categories: clinical series (n = 17), prevalence studies (n = 7), incidence studies (n = 1), and genetic studies (n = 3). The clinical series documented the occurrence of PD in Africa and described its clinical characteristics. The prevalence studies suggested some intracontinental geographic variation in PD prevalence. Overall, the prevalence figures and the incidence rates of PD in Africa appeared lower than those reported for European and North American populations. Few genetic studies of PD have been reported from Africa, and none in blacks. There are no case-control or cohort studies of PD reported from Africa. This review provides a summary of PD research in Africa over the past 60 years and highlights the information gaps and potential areas for future research.     

Mucosal features and granulocyte–monocyte-apheresis in steroid-dependent/refractory ulcerative colitis

BACKGROUND: Mucosa-infiltrated granulocyte neutrophils are an early characteristic of inflammation and the main histological feature of active ulcerative colitis. Mucosal healing has recently been indicated as an important tool in the evaluation of response to treatment. While several studies have stressed the efficacy of granulocyte-monocyte-apheresis in inducing clinical remission in active ulcerative colitis, few data are available on mucosal features. AIM: Aim of this study was to assess the effects of granulocyte-monocyte-apheresis on clinical and mucosal features in patients with ulcerative colitis, dependent upon or refractory to steroids. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From April 2004 to April 2005, 12 patients (5 females, 7 males, mean age 49 years, range 33-71 years), with mild-moderate ulcerative colitis (six left colitis, six pancolitis) dependent/refractory upon steroids were enrolled. Each patient was treated for a 5-week period with five cycles of granulocyte-monocyte-apheresis. Patients were evaluated at baseline and 1 week after the last apheresis by means of Global Physician Assessment, quality of life features, laboratory tests (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, CRP, full blood count, faecal calprotectine), endoscopy and histology. RESULTS: At week 6 of follow-up, complete mucosal healing was observed in 3 out of 12 patients, partial mucosal healing in 8 patients and no change in 1 patient. Clinical response was complete in 8 out of 12 patients. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that granulocyte-monocyte-apheresis induces an improvement both in clinical and mucosal lesions in steroid-dependent/refractory ulcerative colitis. Of note, the reduction in granulocyte infiltration and the improvement in mucosal lesions are accompanied by a reduction in faecal calprotectine.     

Bone disease in primary biliary cirrhosis: Lack of association with distal renal tubular acidosis

Background and Aims: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) might be complicated by osteoporosis, whose etiology remains unknown but seems to be multifactorial. Prevalence rates of 30% to 60% for distal renal tubular acidosis (DRTA) have been reported in PBC patients, generally as incomplete DRTA. Although it is undisputed that a reduced bone mineral density (BMD) is the expected outcome among patients who have been suffering from longstanding chronic metabolic acidosis, it is unclear if incomplete DRTA is also associated with metabolic bone disease in PBC patients. The present study was undertaken to compare the BMD of PBC patients with and without DRTA.
Methods: The BMD of 23 PBC patients (11 with DRTA and 12 without), all with normal clearance of creatinine, was assessed by dual energy radiograph absorptiometry. The diagnosis of DRTA was made if the urine pH was above 5.4 in all samples after the oral acid overload, showing tubular inability to acidify urine in the presence of test-induced systemic metabolic acidosis.
Results: Densitometric signs of osteoporosis were found in 82% of DRTA cases and in 83% of patients without DRTA (difference not significant). There were no significant differences in BMD measurement, T and Z scores of patients with and without DRTA.
Conclusions: The present study could not support a correlation between the presence of DRTA and the bone loss observed in PBC patients.     

老年性痴呆的病理特征与防治对策

老年痴呆症的发生与AB以及Tau蛋白的错误折叠密切相关，是蛋白质折叠相关的疾病，早期诊断是预防老年痴呆症的首要任务，而综合治疗是人类对抗老年痴呆症的必然举措。     

Effect of short daily home haemodialysis on quality of life, cognitive functioning and the electroencephalogram.

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease patients have a poor quality of life (QoL), suffer from impaired cognitive functioning, and their electroencephalogram (EEG) shows abnormalities. Conventional haemodialysis (CHD) only partially restores these disorders. Short daily haemodialysis (SDHD) has been reported to improve QoL, but effects on cognitive functioning and EEG have yet to be described. METHODS: Of the 13 patients (11 male, 2 female, age 45.5 +/- 8.1 years), 11 completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life and Affect Balance Scale questionnaires, 10 underwent neuropsychological testing, and all 13 underwent EEG examination. For the neuropsychological assessments, nine patients (six male, three female, age 45.4 +/- 12.6) who remained on the CHD schedule, served as controls. The dialysis schedule of thrice-a-week for 4 h was changed in the experimental group to six times a week for 2 h (SDHD) over a period of 6 months and back to thrice a week for 4 h. RESULTS: When on SDHD, patients rated several dimensions of health-related QoL as being improved. After resuming CHD, one of these dimensions again decreased and several others worsened even lower than baseline. Cognitive functioning did not change when compared with control data. On the EEG, alpha peak frequency increased slightly when on SDHD but decreased significantly after resuming CHD. CONCLUSIONS: SDHD improves health-related QoL, but has no clear effects on cognitive functioning and EEG. Resumption of CHD after SDHD decreases aspects of QoL and EEG alpha peak frequency but has no effect on cognitive functioning.     

Disappointing results and low tolerability of photodynamic therapy with topical 5-aminolaevulinic acid in psoriasis. A randomized, double-blind phase I/II study

BACKGROUND: Based on good results in the treatment of superficial skin tumours, since the early 1990s topical photodynamic therapy with aminolaevulinic acid (ALA PDT) has been used for disseminated, inflammatory dermatoses including psoriasis. However, there is still a lack of well-documented trials. OBJECTIVE: A prospective randomized, double-blind phase I/II intrapatient comparison study was conducted in 12 patients to investigate whether topical ALA PDT is an effective treatment for chronic plaque-type psoriasis. METHODS: In each patient three psoriatic plaques were randomly treated with a light dose of 20 J/cm(2) and 0.1%, 1% and 5% ALA, respectively. Treatment was conducted twice a week until complete clearance or for a maximum of 12 irradiations. Therapeutic efficacy was assessed by weekly determination of the psoriasis severity index (PSI). RESULTS: The mean percentage improvement was 37.5%, 45.6% and 51.2% in the 0.1%, 1% and 5% ALA-treated groups, respectively. Irradiation had to be interrupted several times because of severe burning and pain sensation. CONCLUSION: Topical ALA PDT did not prove to be an appropriate treatment option for plaque-type psoriasis due to disappointing clinical efficacy, the time-consuming treatment procedure and its unfavourable adverse event profile.     

Pathological and biochemical studies on a case of Pick disease with severe white matter atrophy

We report on a male patient with Pick disease who had shown severe white matter atrophy and dilatation of the lateral ventricle in the frontal lobe from an early stage. Upon admission to our hospital 2 years after disease onset, the patient showed apathy, and MRI revealed severe atrophy of the cortex and white matter of the frontal lobe. He died at age 74, 11 years after disease onset. Autopsy revealed severe atrophy of the frontal and temporal lobes, severe loss of white matter in the frontal lobe, dilatation of the lateral ventricles, and cortical thinning. Histopathological examination showed severe loss of myelinated fibers in the frontal white matter and severe neuronal loss with gliosis in the frontal and temporal cortices. Many Pick bodies were seen. Our patient had a rare case of Pick disease predominantly affecting the frontal lobe with severe involvement of the white matter from an early stage. This case suggests that myelinated fibers in the white matter as well as cerebral neurons are primarily affected in Pick disease.     

Hemiballismus from a parietal stroke in a Parkinson patient.

Stroke-induced hemiballismus (HB) has been reported to improve motor function in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). We report on a patient who developed HB from a parietal infarct. The HB was improved by very low-dose clozapine but the HB did not improve the parkinsonism. This suggests that HB itself, whether from a lesion in the subthalamic nucleus or elsewhere, is not what improves motor function in PD; instead, the physiological function of the damaged structure is the determining factor.