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Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is recognized as a valuable non-invasive clinical method for localization of the epileptogenic zone and critical functional areas, as part of a pre-surgical evaluation for patients with pharmaco-resistant epilepsy. MEG is also useful in localizing functional areas as part of pre-surgical planning for tumor resection. MEG is usually performed in an outpatient setting, as one part of an evaluation that can include a variety of other testing modalities including 3-Tesla MRI and inpatient video-electroencephalography monitoring. In some clinical circumstances, however, completion of the MEG as an inpatient can provide crucial ictal or interictal localization data during an ongoing inpatient evaluation, in order to expedite medical or surgical planning. Despite well-established clinical indications for performing MEG in general, there are no current reports that discuss indications or considerations for completion of MEG on an inpatient basis. We conducted a retrospective institutional review of all pediatric MEGs performed between January 2012 and December 2020, and identified 34 cases where MEG was completed as an inpatient. We then reviewed all relevant medical records to determine clinical history, all associated diagnostic procedures, and subsequent treatment plans including epilepsy surgery and post-surgical outcomes. In doing so, we were able to identify five indications for completing the MEG on an inpatient basis: (1) super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE), (2) intractable epilepsy with frequent electroclinical seizures, and/or frequent or repeated episodes of status epilepticus, (3) intractable epilepsy with infrequent epileptiform discharges on EEG or outpatient MEG, or other special circumstances necessitating inpatient monitoring for successful and safe MEG data acquisition, (4) MEG mapping of eloquent cortex or interictal spike localization in the setting of tumor resection or other urgent neurosurgical intervention, and (5) international or long-distance patients, where outpatient MEG is not possible or practical. MEG contributed to surgical decision-making in the majority of our cases (32 of 34). Our clinical experience suggests that MEG should be considered on an inpatient basis in certain clinical circumstances, where MEG data can provide essential information regarding the localization of epileptogenic activity or eloquent cortex, and be used to develop a treatment plan for surgical management of children with complicated or intractable epilepsy.

Every year, millions of people in the US suffer brain damage from mild to severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI) that result from a sudden impact to the head. Despite being a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, sex differences that contribute to varied outcomes post-injury are not extensively studied and therefore, poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to explore biological sex as a variable influencing response to TBI using Drosophila melanogaster as a model, since flies have been shown to exhibit symptoms commonly seen in other mammalian models of TBI. After inflicting TBI using the high-impact trauma device, we isolated w1118 fly brains and assessed gene transcription changes in male and female flies at control and 1, 2 and 4 hours after TBI. Our results suggest that overall, Drosophila females show more gene transcriptional changes related to immune response and mitochondrial activity than males with some genes exhibiting a phasic change in transcription. We also looked at the impact of injury on mitochondrial health and motor function in both sexes before and after injury. Although, both sexes report similar levels of mitochondrial oxidation, males fare worse than females on behavioral outcome measures. We observed faster recovery in locomotor and climbing ability in females whereas males exhibit bimodal recovery. These data suggest that sex-differences not only influence the response to TBI but also contribute to varied outcomes post-injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a sudden blow or jolt to the brain that disrupts normal function, is an emerging health epidemic with ∼2.5 million cases occurring annually in the United States that are severe enough to cause hospitalization or death. Most common causes of TBI include contact sports, vehicle crashes and domestic violence or war injuries. Injury to the central nervous system is one of the most consistent candidates for initiating the molecular and cellular cascades that result in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Not every TBI event is alike with effects varying from person to person. The majority of people recover from mild TBI within a short period of time, but repeated incidents can have deleterious long-lasting effects which depend on factors such as the number of TBIs sustained, time till medical attention, age, gender and genetics of the individual. Despite extensive research, many questions still remain regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of long-term effects from TBI as well as recovery of brain function. In this review, we present an overview of TBI pathology, discuss mammalian models for TBI and focus on current methods using Drosophila melanogaster as a model for TBI study. The relatively small brain size (∼100,000 neurons and glia), conserved neurotransmitter signaling mechanisms and sophisticated genetics of Drosophila allows for cell biological, molecular and genetic analyses that are impractical in mammalian models of TBI.

Context: The impact of periodontal disease during pregnancy and its effect on adverse pregnancy outcomes is seen in the literature. When it comes to the link of disease related to periodontium to that of adverse pregnancy outcomes, a need can arise if a significant cause-effect relationship does exist or not between them. Aim: The study was aimed to determine the association of periodontal health status in pregnant women with the occurrence of preterm low birth weight (LBW) infants in Vadodara, Gujarat. Settings and Design: An interventional study with 100 patients was conducted, of which 67 participants were included in the control group and 33 participants were included in the intervention group. A total of 12 participants dropped out from the study and 88 were analyzed for the outcome. Subjects and Methods: The Community periodontal Index of Treatment needs index was taken for all enrolled participants and then were divided into interventional group and control group. Participants in the interventional group underwent scaling and root planning. Data related to the time of delivery and weight of the baby was taken from the hospital records. Statistical Analysis: A comparison of baseline characteristics was made using unpaired t-test. Chi-square test was used for the analysis of intergroup comparison. The odds ratio and the relative risk calculation were also done. P ≤ 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results: The odds ratio for both preterm and LBW were 3.86 times and 2.96, respectively. The Chi-square statistical test analysis was statistically significant for both preterm and LBW infants on the intergroup comparison. Conclusion: Periodontal disease can be considered as one of the risk factors for preterm LBW babies as not only the presence of disease condition causes an increase in inflammatory mediator but also the elimination of the disease condition reduces the adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The human hypothalamus is at the center of the human limbic system anatomically and physiologically. The hypothalamus plays pivotal roles in controlling autonomic responses and instinctive behaviors such as regulating fear, aggression, learning, feeding behavior, circadian rhythm, and reproductive activities. The detailed anatomy of the pathways responsible for mediating these responses, however, is yet to be determined. The inhibitory effect of the cerebral cortex on the hypothalamus in many autonomic responses, suggests the presence of direct connection between the cortex and hypothalamic nuclei. While, there is ample information to support the cortico-hypothalamic association between the prefrontal cortex and hypothalamic nuclei, the information regarding a direct posterior cortico-hypothalamic alliance is scant. The visuosensory information may be crucial for the limbic system to regulate some of the important limbic functions. Multiple dissection animal studies revealed direct posterior cortical connectivity with the hypothalamic nuclei. However, a direct cortico-hypothalamic connectivity from the parieto-occipital cortices has not been revealed in the human brain yet. Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) may be helpful in better visualizing the anatomy of this direct posterior cortico-limbic connectivity noninvasively in the human brain. We studied 30 healthy human subjects. Using a high-spatial and high angular resolution diffusion weighted tractography technique, for the first time, we were able to delineate and reconstruct the trajectory of the parieto-occipito-hypothalamic tract.

Heavy metal toxicity is a global health concern. Mercury intoxication has been implicated in the etiology and pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, including Morvan syndrome. We describe two siblings with overlapping features of distinct autoimmune syndromes following accidental exposure to elemental mercury. Morvan syndrome was the predominant clinical phenotype. In addition to the characteristic anti-leucine-rich glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1) and anti-contactin-associated protein-like 2 (Caspr2) autoantibodies, glutamic acid decarboxylase 65-kilodalton isoform (GAD65), and N-type and P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) antibodies were detected. Treatment with chelation therapy, glucocorticoids, and intravenous immunoglobulin was unsuccessful, but complete resolution of symptoms was achieved following treatment with rituximab. Herein, we perform an extensive review of the literature with a focus on the emerging concepts of mercury-induced autoimmunity and the role of mercury in the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune diseases of the nervous system.

Introduction: Oral cancer accounts for 2–4% of all malignant tumors worldwide with the percentage going much higher in the Indian subcontinent. Many of these lesions are in the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. Research is always on for newer techniques to improve early detection and diagnosis of oral malignancy. Oral brush biopsy is one such technique. Aims and Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the clinical usefulness of two modified oral brush biopsy techniques in the early detection of oral cancer. Study Design: Two modified oral brush biopsy techniques, one performed with a baby brush spreading the cells directly on slide and then fixed and another with a specially prepared brush submerged in a liquid fixer, were performed in 24 patients having oral submucous fibrosis clinically. These were followed by punch biopsy (as a gold standard). All specimens were analyzed for cytology and histopathology manually. Results and Conclusion: Modified brush biopsy (MBB) and liquid-based cytology (LBC) both can be potential methods for early detection of oral cancer in different conditions.

Multiple surgical procedures have been described for the correction of hallux limitus deformity. We describe a new modification of the Youngswick procedure for the surgical treatment of hallux limitus. Other procedures for hallux limitus correction are also discussed. This modified Youngswick procedure will provide a new approach to treating hallux limitus secondary to metatarsus primus elevatus when shortening of the first metatarsal is not indicated. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 97(5): 420–423, 2007)

Background: During the last century, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has common occurrence in most of the population and the great attendant mortality, loss of independence, impaired quality life and social and economic costs forming a compelling reason for public health concern. C reactive protein (CRP) in particular has been the focuses of attention as a key marker of atherosclerosis and elevated level constitutes a risk predictor for CVD. Aim: The present study focuses the association between periodontal inflammatory status as assessed by clinical periodontal sum score (CPSS) and levels of CRP and to co-relate periodontal destruction levels with levels of hs- CRP. Methodology: Patients with chronic generalized periodontitis were selected. Periodontal destruction of the patient included in the study was recorded by CPSS and blood was tested for hs-CRP levels. Mean, Standard deviation and range of CPSS and hs-CRP were calculated. The correlation between CPSS and hs-CRP that is clinical index and biochemical marker was made by Spearman correlation test for significant. Results: A total of 20 patients had participated in this study. The CPSS ranged from 31 to 205 and the hs-CRP levels ranged from 0.18 to 16.45. 2 tailed Spearman correlation test showed significant p value (0.05). Conclusion: Statistical significant co-relation was found between periodontal disease as assessed by CPSS and hs-CRP level. Results of this study point to the importance of diagnosing cases of severe periodontal destruction, and the need for proper health education and prompt periodontal therapy for the cases identified.

Arthritis is one of the leading causes of disability and affects a major segment of the population. Consequently, accurate diagnosis of arthritis is important. Arthritis due to calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD), rheumatoid arthritis, and spondyloarthropathy, induce complex changes in the cartilage and the articular surface. The fractal dimension provides a measure of the complexity of a signal. Recently, we have developed non-invasive acceleration measurements to characterize the arthritic patients. The question remains if the fractal dimension of the acceleration signal is different for different arthritis conditions. The purpose of this study was to distinguish between different types of arthritis of the finger joint using the fractal dimension of the acceleration signal obtained from the finger joint of the arthritic patients. Acceleration signals were obtained from the finger joint of arthritis patients with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, and calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease of the finger joint. ANOVA results showed that there were significant differences between the fractal dimension of acceleration signals from patients having calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease and rheumatoid arthritis and spondyloarthropathy. Fractal dimension of acceleration signals, in concert with other clinical symptoms, can be used to classify different types of arthritis.