Several researches indicate that autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. Recently, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) has been employed as a useful marker for ANS function. We investigated the extent of ANS dysfunction by measuring sAA and heart rate variability (HRV) of 25 patients with schizophrenia compared with controls. ...

Ischemic brainstem strokes constitute 10% of all ischemic brain strokes. Hemorrhagic complications are associated with an especially poor prognosis. Associated symptomatology includes vertigo, cranial nerve symptoms, and crossed or uncrossed corticospinal tract findings. Advanced neuroimaging techniques have become essential in the decision-making process of brainstem stroke management and may provide ...

Although the role of autonomic nervous system in seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is still unclear, seborrhea is sometimes accepted as a sign of autonomic dysfunction in several nervous system diseases. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in SD by recording sympathetic skin responses (SSR) from the ...

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to present a systematic review of the central nervous system (CNS) types of anomalies and to consider the possibility to include CNS anomalies in Incontinentia pigmenti (IP) criteria. The analyzed literature data from 1,393 IP cases were from the period 1993--2012. CNS anomalies ...

BackgroundHigh frequency (HF) stimulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is an emerging abortive treatment for cluster headache (CH) attacks. HF SPG stimulation is thought to exert its effect by physiologically blocking parasympathetic outflow. We hypothesized that low frequency (LF) SPG stimulation may activate the SPG, causing increased parasympathetic outflow and ...

This study aimed to investigate which cerebral cortices are involved in the central autonomic network and how they are linked to the peripheral (cardiac) autonomic network in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and normal controls. 26 PD patients with autonomic dysfunction and 23 age- and sex-matched controls were evaluated by simultaneous ...

The pathophysiology of arterial vasospasm following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is poorly understood and the contribution of endogenous neuropeptides has not been sufficiently elucidated. Recently, we detected an excessive release of vasoconstrictive neuropeptide Y (NPY) in SAH patients and identified a significant correlation of NPY cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels with vasospasm-related ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is an acquired, immune mediated, and commonly associated with antiganglioside antibodies against GM1 lower motor neuropathy, with an incidence of 1 per 100,000. The usual age of onset is between 20 and 50 years and men appear to be more often affected than ...

Spinal cord injury (SCI) without radiographic abnormality (SCIWORA) is estimated to account for 1-9% of the occurrence of SCI. Of these, cervical SCIWORA in children is common, but thoracic SCIWORA delayed onset in adult is much less common. We experienced a case of 38-years old male patient with lower extremity ...

OBJECTIVE: To identify autonomic nervous dysfunction in patients with lifelong premature ejaculation. METHODS: The study participants were 25 men with lifelong premature ejaculation and 25 healthy controls. The parameters of 24-hour heart rate variability that are influenced by the autonomic nervous system were compared between the men with lifelong premature ...

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease where autonomic and sensory functions are defective affecting many body systems including the vascular. Plasma level of the neurotransmitter Calcitonin Gene Related Peptide (CGRP) is decreased in FD patients. This compound has been implicated to take part in the pathogenesis of ...

Cholinergic urticaria with acquired generalized hypohidrosis, and its pathophysiology is not well known. Autoimmunity to sweat glands or to acetylcholine receptors on sweat glands has been mentioned as one of the possible etiologies. Systemic steroid therapy, antihistamines, anticholinergics, and avoidance of the stimulatory situations are recommended for treatment. We experienced ...

BACKGROUND: Visceral hypersensitivity is an important etiology of non-erosive reflux disease (NERD). Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) are involved in the sensitization of afferent neuronal pathways. AIM: The objectives of this study were to evaluate visceral hypersensitivity in NERD patients, investigate the association between visceral hypersensitivity and ...

OBJECTIVE: The origin and mechanisms of focal and macro-re-entrant atrial tachycardia occurring after ablation of paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation are difficult to determine and are often the cause of distress for both patients and electrophysiologists. The purpose of this study was to describe a novel practical approach which would ...

Background and study aims: Narrow-band imaging (NBI) has shown promising results in discriminating adenomatous from non-adenomatous colonic polyps. In patients with small polyps (< 10 mm), the application of NBI within a "resect and discard" strategy, might allow post-polypectomy surveillance intervals to be determined independently from histopathology. The aim of ...

The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefit of manually controlled steerable sheath, which provides greater flexibility and stability, in mapping and ablation procedure of ventricular tachycardia. We retrospectively reviewed 40 patients who underwent epicardial mapping and conclusive ablation. The first attempt to reach the primary endpoint defined ...

While prognostically valuable, physical activity monitoring is not routinely performed for patients with COPD. We aimed to determine the number of daily steps associated with severe physical inactivity (physical activity level <1.40) in this population. We found that a daily step value <4580 is associated with severe physical inactivity. Our ...

In today's clinical practice the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation (AF) is made by an ECG documentation which fulfills established criteria(1). That documentation is of utmost clinical importance because it is the basis for further therapeutic interventions, such as rhythm control strategies or introduction of oral anticoagulation. ECG documentation of AF, ...

PURPOSE:: There are a variety of devices currently available to measure physical activity. Activity monitors are technologically advanced and provide complex data, leading to higher costs. Pedometers are simple, inexpensive devices that provide easy-to-view data. The aim of this study was to determine the reliability of pedometer step counting during ...

Ankle arthritis, like hip and knee arthritis, has a substantial impact on patient function. Understanding the functional limitations of ankle arthritis may help to stratify treatment strategies. We measured the preoperative demographic characteristics, physical function, and self-assessed function of patients with end-stage ankle arthritis and identified correlations among these metrics. ...

Ankle arthritis, like hip and knee arthritis, has a substantial impact on patient function. Understanding the functional limitations of ankle arthritis may help to stratify treatment strategies. We measured the preoperative demographic characteristics, physical function, and self-assessed function of patients with end-stage ankle arthritis and identified correlations among these metrics. ...

Spinal cord injured (SCI) patients have sexual disorders including erectile dysfunction (ED), impotence, priapism, ejaculatory dysfunction and infertility. Treatments for erectile dysfunction include four steps. Step 1 involves smoking cessation, weight loss, and increasing physical activity. Step 2 is phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5I) such as Sildenafil (Viagra), intracavernous injections ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in gait variability between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls during walking at a self-selected pace. Methods: Kinematics were collected during three minutes of treadmill walking for 10 patients with MS and 10 healthy controls. The Coefficient of ...

Objective AIDS-related lymphoma (ARL) often involves the central nervous system (CNS). Although the diagnostic value of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-DNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in detecting HIV-positive primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) has been established, its usefulness for identifying CNS involvement of systemic ARL remains elusive. In this study, we evaluated the ...

Safety and Efficacy of Repeat Epicardial Access. Introduction: Epicardial mapping and ablation of ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been increasingly performed. Occasionally additional ablation is necessary, requiring repeat percutaneous access to the pericardial space. Methods and Results: We studied 30 consecutive patients who required a repeat epicardial procedure. We specifically examined ...

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in gait variability between patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls during walking at a self-selected pace. METHODS: Kinematics were collected during three minutes of treadmill walking for 10 patients with MS and 10 healthy controls. The Coefficient ...

AIMS: The aim of this study was to report the short- and long-term results of slow pathway radiofrequency (RF) ablation in patients with atrioventricular (AV) nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) using a simplified approach (2 catheters and short applications of RF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study that included ...

In 1930, Dr. Louis Wolff, Sir John Parkinson and Paul Dudley White described a case series of 11 patients with a syndrome that now bears their name(1). The first patient with a short PR interval, ventricular pre-excitation and supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) was described by Cohn and Fraser in 1913(1). Wood ...

The optimal diagnostic approach and yield for gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in patients with ventricular assist devices (VAD) are unknown. We explored the etiology of bleeding and yield of upper and lower endoscopy, balloon-assisted enteroscopy, and video capsule endoscopy in the evaluation of GIB in patients with VADs. Methods. All VAD ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Biventricular arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and left dominant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy forms had recently been included in the spectrum of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. The aim of the study was to describe, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance, the patterns of ventricular involvement as well as late gadolinium enhancement in these conditions. METHODS: Medical ...

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an established therapy for the treatment of paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF). Many techniques have been reported to achieve RFA. We report a single-center experience of RFA using three multi-electrode catheters. We collected data of the patients who had RFA for AF using custom-designed multi-electrode ...

Abstract The Author presents an uncommon abnormality of the maxillary arch and palate in a Patient with Tessier no. 7 cleft. Key Words: Tessier number 7, Cleft of palate.

Smulders E, van Lankveld W, Eggermont F, Duysens J, Weerdesteyn V. Step performance in persons with rheumatoid arthritis: a case-control study. OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors that could lead to falls in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with RA (n=15) and age- and sex-matched ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: DAVFs with cortical venous reflux carry a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Endovascular treatment options include transarterial embolization with a liquid embolic agent or transvenous access with occlusion of the involved venous segment, which may prove difficult if the venous access route is thrombosed. The aim ...

In healthy adults, the step length/cadence ratio [walk ratio (WR) in mm/(steps/min) and normalized for height] is known to be constant around 6.5 mm/(step/min). It is a speed-independent index of the overall neuromotor gait control, in as much as it reflects energy expenditure, balance, between-step variability, and attentional demand. The ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of oedema and fatty degeneration of the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles in patients with Achilles tendon abnormalities. METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients (mean 51 years; range 14-84 years) with achillodynia were examined with magnetic resonance (MR) images of the calf. The frequency ...

The abdomen normally accommodates intra-abdominal volume increments. Patients complaining of abdominal distension exhibit abnormal accommodation of colonic gas loads (defective contraction and excessive protrusion of the anterior wall). However, abdominal imaging demonstrated diaphragmatic descent during spontaneous episodes of bloating in patients with functional gut disorders. We aimed to establish the ...

Head drop is characterized by marked anterior flexion of the cervical spine. As a result, the affected patient presents with the head tilted forward and the chin resting on the chest. We report a 75-year-old male patient with parkinsonism and head drop caused by isolated myasthenic weakness of the neck ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: It has become clear from experimental data that prolonged mechanical ventilation can induce diaphragm dysfunction, also known as ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction. In this article we will discuss most recent understanding on ventilator-induced diaphragm dysfunction and data on diaphragm dysfunction in patients. RECENT FINDINGS: Over the last year ...

The purpose of this pilot study was to identify, measure and document an effect on the subjective multiple sclerosis symptoms and compare it to any objective data changes in the neuromuscular system of the head and neck, following the correction of the jaw position using a neuromuscular orthotic. The hope ...

Current evidence suggests that limited ankle dorsiflexion is an etiologic factor for plantar fasciitis. This limitation can arise from either an isolated contracture of the gastrocnemius or from a contracture of the gastrocnemius-soleus complex. This study's aim was to determine the proportion of patients with plantar fasciitis that have an ...

Although links between meteorological conditions and spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) have been proposed, the reports are controversial. In this study ozone levels, which are known to have some adverse effects on lung tissues, were investigated as a potential triggering factor of SP. At present there is not sufficient information about the ...

Earlier investigations suggest that the morphologic features of patients with lambdoid synostosis include ipsilateral occipital flattening, an ipsilateral mastoid prominence, downward cant of the posterior skull base to the affected side, and contralateral hemifacial deficiency. These features are absent in patients with deformational plagiocephaly. The authors hypothesize that significant differences ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate abnormalities of the first three steps of gait initiation in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with freezing of gait (FOG). Ten PD patients with FOG and 10 age-matched healthy controls performed self-generated gait initiation. The center of pressure (COP), heel contact positions, ...

a discoid lateral meniscus is a relatively common anatomic variant in Korean and Japanese subjects that presents with snapping knee syndrome. to evaluate the relationship between the location of the Wrisberg ligament and the frequency of lateral meniscus tear in patients with complete discoid lateral meniscus. a total of 109 ...

Patients with hereditary multiple exostoses (HME) in association with palpable shoulder exostoses are more severely affected by their disease. From a prospective database of 78 families with HME identified, 172 patients were identified. Demographic details, deformity, functional scores, standing height, number of exostoses, site, exostosin genotype (EXT1 and EXT2), surgical ...

The aim of the study was to investigate Na(+)-course of hip fracture patients in relation to demographic and clinical parameters. Data on 155 older hip fracture patients were analyzed retrospectively. Clinical parameters and serum Na(+) on admission (Na1), during 24h pre-op. (Na2), during 24h post-op. (Na3), and pre-discharge (Na4) were ...

A clinical study of patients with mild haemophilia A to document the frequency and severity of arthropathy has not been previously published. We studied ankle arthropathy in 34 patients with mild/moderate haemophilia A. The patients were assessed for the presence and severity of pain, and by the physical and radiological ...

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) signs and tooth wear levels in a group of hospitalised patients with mental retardation (MR). A total of 118 patients with MR and 104 mentally healthy individuals (control) were included in this study. The groups consisted ...

The authors have previously reported on the relationship between activity and subsequent damage at the patient level for patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The aim of this study was to identify key predictors of damage to individual joints in the hands and feet of patients with PsA, in particular those ...