Journal of the neurological sciences
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German Society of Neurology's stroke-unit concept includes a specialized stroke-unit team and advanced monitoring facilities in the early phase of stroke. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of this semi-intensive stroke-unit (SI-SU) concept as compared with conventional care (CC) for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA). Over a 20-month period starting in March 2001, 755 patients with AIS or TIA were treated under SI-SU (n=393) or CC (n=362) conditions within an observational study. ⋯ In multivariate analysis, AIS patients (n=453) treated under SI-SU had significantly lower 1-year mortality and disability compared with the CC-treated patients (odds ratio [OR]: 0.47, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.27-0.83 and OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.87; respectively). For TIA patients, (n=262) SI-SU care showed no significant effect in any outcome variable. Our prospective study provides evidence that SI-SU with advanced early monitoring and treatment for patients suffering from AIS results in a better outcome 1 year after ischemic stroke if compared with conventional care.
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Childhood spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by loss of the alpha motor neurones of the spinal cord. SMA is cause by mutations in the survival motor neuron (SMN) gene. There are two copies of the SMN gene: SMN1 and SMN2. ⋯ Therefore, SMA is triggered by a fall in the levels of expressed full-length protein, and the levels expressed by the retained SMN2 gene control the severity. As a result, RNA manipulation to suppress the alternative splicing event and thus increase SMN exon 7 inclusion has emerged as an attractive therapeutic approach. In this review we have discussed the current state of bifunctional RNAs as a viable therapy, concentrating on recent advances and overall implications of this research on SMA.
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Case Reports
Relationship between neuropsychological outcome and DBS surgical trajectory and electrode location.
The outcome literature of subthalamic nuclei (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) suggests that cognitive declines are commonly reported following surgery. We hypothesized that differences in electrode position and surgical trajectory may lead to a differential neuropsychological outcome. ⋯ The results provide preliminary evidence that 6 months following bilateral STN DBS cognitive and emotional changes may be related to the surgical trajectory and electrode placement.
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Some patients with brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM) present with focal neurological deficits (FNDs) unrelated to clinically discernable seizure activity or hemorrhage. The aim of this study is to determine demographic and morphological AVM characteristics associated with FNDs. ⋯ Focal neurologic deficits unrelated to seizures or hemorrhage are a rare initial presentation of BAVMs. The predominance of FNDs among brainstem and deeply located BAVMs and the lack of a significant association of BAVM size with FNDs indicate selective white matter pathway-specific vulnerability, the association with patient age a time dependent effect. The higher frequency of FNDs among women suggests gender-specificity of brain tissue vulnerability.
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Abnormalities in cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathways have been suggested as a basis for essential tremor (ET). Two voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies, each using a 1.5-T magnet, evaluated ET patients, leading to contradictory results. Using a 3-T magnet, we assessed whether white or gray matter changes occurred in ET patients vs. controls. ⋯ Structural white and gray abnormalities may be detected in ET patients using VBM and a high-field MRI scanner. Such changes may be related to the pathological substrates associated with this disease.