COVID-19 and macular edema: a necessarily blindness?

Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology -     

Differential role for the striatum and cerebellum in response to novel movements using a motor learning paradigm.

The aim of this pilot study was to examine the role of the striatum and cerebellum in the adaptation to a novel movement within a sequence of practiced movements using a motor learning paradigm. The performance of patients in the early or advanced stages of Parkinson's disease (PD) and of patients with damage to the cerebellum (CE) was compared, respectively to a group of aged and young matched controls on an adapted version of the Mirror-Tracing Test. In this task, subjects were required to trace a series of complex figures in two conditions: (1) a Practiced condition, in which the figures were composed of the juxtaposition of three simple designs that were extensively practiced before; and (2) a Mixed condition in which triads were created by replacing the last simple figure of the triads in the Practiced condition by a new simple figure that had never been traced individually before. Results showed that all clinical groups were slower than controls at tracing the Practiced triads. Most interestingly, however, only patients in the advanced stages of PD showed increased completion time to trace the triads in the Mixed condition. This suggests that a bilateral striatal dysfunction affects the ability to adapt to a novel motion within a sequence of practiced movements. Although exploratory, these results support a functional dissociation between the striatum and cerebellum in acquiring visuomotor skilled behaviors.     

Marital status and cohabitation during pregnancy: relationship with social conditions, antenatal care and pregnancy outcome in France

Summary. A survey of a representative sample of 5508 births in France in 1981 permitted the study of social characteristics of pregnant women, the medical care they received during their pregnancy and their pregnancy outcome, as a function of their marital status and whether or not they lived with the father of the child. Unmarried women living with the father (n = 412) like unmarried women living alone (n = 171), were more often younger, having their first baby and had a lower educational level than did married women living with the father (n = 4590). However, among the unmarried women, those living alone were in a more unfavourable position than those living with the father; in particular, they were more often less than 20 years old, had the minimum educational level required and were unemployed. Both groups of unmarried women had a higher preterm delivery rate than did married women, even after taking other risk factors into account in a logistic regression. The odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for pre-term delivery among unmarried mothers living without the father was 1.9 (1.0–3.4) and that for the unmarried cohabiting with the father was 1.6 (1.0–2.4). Thus, to fully appreciate the perinatal risks and medical needs during pregnancy, both the marital and cohabitational status of the women should be considered.     

Coding and reimbursement of primary care biopsy and destruction procedures.

Current medical practice requires physicians to accurately report services provided to patients. Billing for destruction of benign and malignant lesions and for surgical, needle, and endoscopic biopsy procedures involves the selection of specific 1992 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes. Payment for these procedures by third-party payers often requires the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) coding for neoplastic lesions. This review explains the proper codes to use in identifying common biopsy and destruction procedures performed by primary care physicians. The Health Care Financing Administration's relative value units and one state's published Medicaid payment rates are included for each procedure code. Instructions for selecting site-specific biopsy and destruction codes are provided.     

Evolutionary aspects of “chloroplast-like” trnN and trnH expression in higher-plant mitochondria

Two identical “chloroplast-like” tRNA^Asn genes, trnN1 and trnN2, have been identified in the potato (Solanum tuberosum) mitochondrial genome. The flanking sequences of trnN1 are unrelated to the corresponding authentic potato chloroplast regions, whilst those of trnN2 are very similar to the chloroplast sequences. The trnN1 copy is present in the mitochondrial genome of various plants whereas the second copy, trnN2, is absent from all the other plant genomes studied so far. Interestingly, both trnN copies are expressed in potato mitochondria. Sequences flanking the chloroplast-like tRNA^His gene (trnH), present as a single copy in the potato mitochondrial DNA, are unrelated to the corresponding chloroplast sequences, whereas chloroplast-derived sequences have been maintained in the vicinity of the maize chloroplast-like mitochondrial trnH gene. However, both the potato and the maize trnH are expressed in mitochondria. Received: 10 April / 1 August 1997     

Neuropathy associated with “benign” anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein IgM gammopathy: Clinical,immunological, neurophysiological pathological findings and response to treatment in 33 cases

We studied 33 patients presenting with a peripheral neuropathy associated with non-malignant anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) IgM monoclonal gammopathy (MG) in an attempt to delineate their clinical, immunological, electrophysiological and pathological characteristics; we also reviewed our experience concerning long-term follow-up and therapy. Peripheral neuropathy associated with non-malignant anti-MAG IgM MG was observed mostly in males (sex ratio 7.2), and mean age at onset was 67 years (range 46–81). A predominantly sensory pattern was noted in more than 80% of cases, although some patients were affected by a predominantly motor peripheral neuropathy. Although disease progression was slow in most cases, 45% of patients suffered severe disability, and in 2 cases, the patient's death appeared to stem directly from the neuropathy. The electrophysiological findings were indicative of a demyelinating process in 90% of cases, and electron microscopic examination of nerve biopsy specimens demonstrated widening of the myelin lamellae in more than 95% of cases. Most of our patients showed a disappointing response to steroids and chemotherapy or plasma exchanges. Intravenous immune globulin, evaluated in 17 patients, had a transient, mostly subjective effect in 35% and led to a clear-cut improvement in 24% of cases. We did not observe any correlation between the severity of the clinical picture and the anti-sulphoglucuronyl paragloboside antibody titre; in individual cases, clinical improvement occurred without lowering of IgM levels. Although the severity and the rate of progression may greatly vary from patient to patient, the combination of clinical, electrophysiological and pathological features delineates a characteristic pattern in peripheral neuropathy associated with non-malignant anti-MAG IgM MG.     

Autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy]

In a family 6 members in 3 generations were affected by centronuclear myopathy (CNM) of autosomal dominant inheritance. The apparent onset was in the early forties and the disease progressed slowly. Limb weakness was predominant. Strabismus was present in 5 cases and calves hypertrophy in 3. Serum creatinine kinase was always within the normal range. In one case myotonic bursts were found at electromyography. In 2 cases brain stem auditory evoked potential studies demonstrated abnormal prolongation of interpeak latencies I-III and favoured subclinical nervous system involvement. Muscular biopsies showed typical features of centronuclear myopathy with 50 to 80% central nuclei. In two cases immunocytochemical labelling of dystrophin showed staining in the sarcoplasm in favour of an arrest in the morphogenesis of developing myofiber. Others families with autosomal dominant CNM in the literature and also some sporadic adult cases had similar clinical features.