Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2004
Clinical TrialThe use of contact lenses to treat visually symptomatic congenital nystagmus.
It has been suggested that contact lens wear improves the visual function of patients with visual loss from congenital nystagmus. In this study, four patients with congenital nystagmus had two evaluations separated by at least one week (one with spectacles, one with contact lenses) including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, oscillopsia scale, quality of life questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25), and eye movement recording with an infrared tracking system. ⋯ Several parameters of nystagmus showed no change in two patients, worsening in one patient and improvement in one patient. This suggests that much of the clinical improvement observed in our patients may result from a better optical correction of their refractive error with contact lenses than with spectacles, rather than from a true damping effect of the nystagmus by contact lenses.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2004
Rate and correlates of weight change in Huntington's disease.
To determine the rate and correlates of weight change in a large, well characterised sample of patients with Huntington's disease followed at 44 sites by the Huntington Study Group. ⋯ Weight loss following symptom onset is not a consistent feature of Huntington's disease. The mechanisms contributing to weight change in this condition are unclear and probably multifactorial. Future studies examining asymptomatic carriers of the mutation could be helpful in identifying incipience of low body weight and may be better suited for identifying clinical correlates of weight loss than studies in symptomatic patients.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2004
Case ReportsThe importance of suspecting superficial siderosis of the central nervous system in clinical practice.
Once the central nervous system surface is greatly encrusted with haemosiderin, even removing the source of bleeding will have little effect on the progression of clinical deterioration. Superficial siderosis of the central nervous system is rare and insidious, but magnetic resonance imaging has turned a previously late, mainly autoptical diagnosis into an easy, specific, in vivo, and possibly early one. Avoiding long diagnostic delay will be very important in those cases susceptible of causal treatment.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2004
Detection of oligoclonal free kappa chains in the absence of oligoclonal IgG in the CSF of patients with suspected multiple sclerosis.
Oligoclonal free kappa bands are present as frequently as oligoclonal IgG bands in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and can even occur in the absence of oligoclonal IgG. As such, they too are markers of an ongoing intrathecal immune process. ⋯ (1) Oligoclonal free kappa bands in the CSF are related to the dissemination of MS lesions; (2) such bands should be looked for in oligoclonal IgG negative CSF, and (3) the presence of free kappa bands in the CSF may be a substitute for oligoclonal IgG in the McDonald's criteria for diagnosis of MS.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Feb 2004
Comparative StudyCharacteristics of dystonic movements in primary and symptomatic dystonias.
To compare clinical characteristics of the involuntary movements in primary and symptomatic dystonias. ⋯ The study identified several clinical features that may be helpful in differentiating primary from secondary dystonia.