Journal of the neurological sciences
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Observational Study
Critical illness polyneuropathy and myopathy in a rural area in Vietnam.
Critical illness polyneuropathy, myopathy and polyneuromyopathy, grouped under the term CIP/CIM, share several risk factors and are associated with debilitating outcomes. ⋯ The study revealed that the diagnosis of CIP/CIM was associated with significantly poorer outcomes in comparison to controls.
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Depression and pain may sometimes be related conditions. Occasionally, depression may be associated with physical symptoms, such as back pain and headache. Moreover, depression may impair the subjective response to pain and is likely to influence the pain feeling. Conversely, chronic pain may represent an emotional condition as well as physical sensation, and can influence both the mood and behaviour. ⋯ These results suggest the abnormal processing of pain stimuli in depressive disorders.
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The neuroprotective effects of neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) on stroke lesions were assessed longitudinally in rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) using MRI. Sprague-Dawley rats (n=16, 250±20g) underwent permanent MCAo surgery with cerebral blood flow (CBF) monitored by laser doppler flowmetry at ipsilateral side of bregma for 20min post-occlusion. A single 50μl bolus dose of NRG-1 or vehicle was administered into the left internal carotid artery immediately prior to MCAo. ⋯ In particular, ischemic infarction was not usually observed in the cortex of NRG-1 treated rats with mild ischemia at 3 and 48h post-occlusion. Histological results validated the imaging findings and demonstrated that NRG-1 treated rats had fewer injured neurons in peri-infarct areas 48h post-ischemia. In summary, the neuroprotective effect of NRG-1 in the pMCAo stroke model was demonstrated by prevention of ischemic lesion expansion, reduced infarct volume and protection of neurons from ischemic damage.
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Dystonia has a recent history in medicine. Focal dystonia was described in the 19th century by classic authors including Gowers, whilst generalized dystonia was described at the turn of the century. However, it is possible to find precise descriptions of dystonia in art, centuries before the medical definition. ⋯ Finally, even in modern Art (19th and 20th centuries), there are dramatic descriptions of abnormal postures that are likely to be dystonic, such as painful cervical dystonia (Brancusi), cervical dystonia with sensory trick (Modigliani) and upper limb dystonia (Wyspianski). However some postures presented in works of art may simply be a form of artistic expression and only bear unintentional resemblance to the dystonic postures. Art may be a source of neurological information, and that includes primary and secondary dystonia.