Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Sep 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialSplinting for carpal tunnel syndrome: prognostic indicators of success.
To identify (combinations of) prognostic indicators for the long term success of splinting in patients with electrophysiologically confirmed idiopathic carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). ⋯ For patients to whom both factors applied, the predicted probability of treatment success, according to the model, was 62%. The overall percentage of patients who were correctly classified by the model was 78% (95% CI 69% to 87%).
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Sep 2003
The effect of brain tumour laterality on anxiety levels among neurosurgical patients.
The aim of this study was to investigate the level of anxiety in patients with a primary brain tumour and to analyse the effect of tumour laterality and histology on the level of anxiety. Recurrent measurements were assessed preoperatively, three months, and one year after operation. ⋯ Primary brain tumour in right hemisphere is associated with anxiety symptoms. The laterality of anxiety seems to reflect the differentiation of the two hemispheres. The level of anxiety declined after operation of right tumour, approaching that of the general population. The effect of right hemisphere gliomas on anxiety symptoms deserves special attention in future research.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Sep 2003
Contralateral medial temporal lobe damage in right but not left temporal lobe epilepsy: a (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the hippocampus is useful in lateralising the epileptic focus in temporal lobe epilepsy for subsequent surgical resection. Previous studies have reported abnormal contralateral MRS values in up to 50% of the patients. ⋯ Unilateral mesial temporal lobe epilepsy is associated with widespread metabolic abnormalities which involve contralateral mesial and neocortical temporal lobe structures. These abnormalities appear to be more pronounced in patients with RTLE.
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Gluten ataxia is an immune mediated disease, part of the spectrum of gluten sensitivity, and accounts for up to 40% of cases of idiopathic sporadic ataxia. No systematic study of the effect of gluten-free diet on gluten ataxia has ever been undertaken. ⋯ Gluten ataxia responds to a strict gluten-free diet even in the absence of an enteropathy. The diagnosis of gluten ataxia is vital as it is one of the very few treatable causes of sporadic ataxia.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Sep 2003
Comparative StudyIntrathecal inflammation precedes development of Alzheimer's disease.
To analyse the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) values of the proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin 1beta (IL1beta), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), GM-CSF, of the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGFbeta, of tau protein, a marker for neurodegeneration, and of beta amyloid (Abeta), a protein involved in the formation of senile plaques, in prospectively followed up patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). ⋯ These results demonstrate increased production of the proinflammatory cytokine, TNFalpha and decreased production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGFbeta in patients with MCI at risk to develop AD, suggesting a propensity towards inflammation in this patient group and indicating that CNS inflammation is a early hallmark in the pathogenesis of AD.