Cognition and functional performance in daily activities before and after pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis: A case study

Central pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis (CPEM) is a rare neurological condition usually due to rapid correction of hyponatremia. CPEM is mainly characterized by motor deficits (typically quadraparesis or extrapyramidal features) but neurobehavioral symptoms were also reported in the literature. However, very few studies on the neuropsychological and functional performance in daily activities have been performed in this population. In this case study, a 55-year-old woman had neuropsychology and functional evaluations prior and after the first manifestations of CPEM. The patient presented motor impairments characterized by parkinsonism symptoms and decreased dexterity. Several neurobehavioral deficits were observed including emotional lability, impulsivity, altered judgment, and disinhibition. Executive dysfunctions and impulsivity were observed during neuropsychological and functional evaluations, limiting the patient's autonomy in complex activities of daily living. The patient recovered progressively from most motor, neurobehavioral and cognitive deficits.     

女性冠心病患者耳折与冠状动脉病变的相关性研究

目的探讨女性冠心病患者的耳折与冠脉病变的关系和耳折对女性冠心病的预测效力。方法选择因胸痛行冠脉造影的女性患者207例，根据造影结果分为冠心病组和非冠心病组。目测法判断耳折程度。结果冠心病组耳折积分高于非冠心病组（3．74±1．45和2．09±1．30，t=-7．76，P〈0．01）。冠脉病变积分与年龄、耳折积分正相关（t=4．11，P〈0．01；t=4．39，P〈0．01）。耳折判断女性冠心病的敏感性74．10％；特异性88．24％；阳性似然比6．17；阴性似然比0．29。结论女性冠心病患者随耳折程度加重，冠脉病变程度加重，耳折对女性冠心病有一定的预测价值。     

Reading impairment in an adolescent with temporo-occipital epilepsy. Pre- and post-surgical evaluation

We present a 16 year-old right-handed case who underwent a left temporo-occipital resection to treat intractable epilepsy. Pre- and post-surgical evaluations showed an average intellectual quotient, preserved abilities in language and visuo-spatial functions and increased reading and spelling deficits (difficulties with irregular words, homophones and phonologically valid spelling errors of irregularly spelled words, associated with preserved performances in non-words). This pattern of characteristic lexical route deficits highlights the major role of the temporo-occipital areas in reading acquisition. We discussed the consequences of temporo-occipital dysfunction on reading.     

How is Cognitive Control of a Simple Mental Image Achieved? An fMRI Study

The aim of this study was to determine the brain regions associated with suppressing the image of an object. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during five mental tasks (imagining, suppressing, erasing, free thinking and resting) performed by the subjects. The analysis showed that the suppressing, erasing and imagining conditions all activated the parietal and prefrontal regions to a different extent. These results suggest that the regions associated with cognitive control were also activated while a simple mental process was performed. Additionally, the results showed that the parietal lobe is the key region for the suppression of a mental image.     

单纯全尾状叶切除术治疗巨块型肝癌(直径≥10 cm)的疗效

目的：探讨尾状叶巨块型肝癌(直径≥10 cm)行单纯全尾状叶切除手术的可行性及疗效。方法：回顾性分 析2001年1月至2011年12月27例单纯全尾状叶切除的巨块型肝癌患者的临床资料。结果：27例患者均顺利手术，无死 亡病例，平均手术时间288 min，平均出血量2 260 mL，44%的患者出现了术后并发症，经积极处理均顺利出院。术后 1，3，5年的总生存率分别是80.2%，52.1%，27.1%。结论：尾状叶巨块型肝癌行单纯全尾状叶切除安全有效。     

Clinical value and predictors of subclinical seizures in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy undergoing scalp video-EEG monitoring

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical importance and predictors of SCSs in a large population of patients with temporal epilepsy (TLE) undergoing video electroencephalographic (VEEG) monitoring. We reviewed the VEEG data of 327 consecutive patients with TLE admitted to our epilepsy center between August 2012 and January 2017. Demographic, electro-clinical, and neuroimaging data were recorded and re-analyzed. To our knowledge, this is the first study assessing SCSs recorded by long-term VEEG monitoring in patients with TLE. Twenty-seven of 327 (8.3%) patients exhibited SCSs during VEEG monitoring. Of these patients, 24 had both SCSs and clinical seizures. The mean duration of the SCSs was 23.18 s (range: 5–1307 s). Of the 27 patients with SCSs, 24 (88.9%) showed localizing value during the diagnostic process. Seventeen patients exhibited colocalization with clinical seizures, 4 showed useless localization related to clinical seizures, and 3 did not have clinical seizures. Sixteen patients (59.3%) experienced their first SCSs within the first 24 h of monitoring and one had the first SCSs within 20 min. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age <18 years at VEEG monitoring (OR = 3.272, 95% CI = 1.283–8.343, p = 0.013) and bilateral IEDs (OR = 4.558, 95% CI = 1.982–10.477, p < 0.001) were independently associated with the presence of SCSs. Thus, SCSs are not uncommon in patients with TLE, particularly those with age <18 years or bilateral IEDs, and should be considered of significant clinical relevance during the diagnostic process.     

Brain responses to stimuli mimicking dental treatment among non‐phobic individuals: A meta‐analysis

Numerous neuroimaging studies have attempted to identify how the brain responds to stimuli mimicking dental treatment in normal non‐phobic individuals. However, results were sometimes inconsistent due to small sample sizes and methodological variations. This meta‐analysis employs standardized procedures to summarize data from previous studies to identify brain regions that were consistently activated across studies, elicited by stimuli such as pictures, sounds, or audiovisual footage mimicking those encountered during dental treatments. A systematic literature search was carried out using PubMed and Scopus. The meta‐analysis analyzed data from 120 healthy subjects from seven neuroimaging studies. We assessed the risk of bias among the included studies with the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomized Studies. One study appeared to have a high risk of selection bias, whereas the others were considered to have a low risk of bias. Results revealed three clusters of activation with cluster sizes ranging from 768 mm³ to 1,424 mm³. Stimuli mimicking dental treatment consistently activated the bilateral anterior insula; right dorsal anterior cingulate, putamen, and medial prefrontal cortex; and left claustrum. This study confirmed that audio and/or visual stimuli mimicking dental treatment consistently activated the fear‐related brain regions among healthy subjects, mostly consistent with activations from general anxiety but without the involvement of the amygdala.