Search

Cerebrovascular accident is the second most common cause of death in the world. Herpes zoster (HZ) is reported to be a major trigger of the stroke syndrome. Considering the high prevalence of stroke in Iran, we carried out a study to assess the correlation between stroke and HZ. This is one of the very few studies carried out on this correlation in Asian nations. One hundred and five cases and 105 controls were included in this study. The cases had been diagnosed with stroke by a neurologist and confirmed by brain imaging. The controls had never had any type of stroke. Both groups were between 30 and 90 years of age. We looked for the HZ infection in both groups. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between stroke and HZ. The mean age of the cases was 63.95 ± 12.24 years and the man age of the controls was 66.99 ± 14.58 years. There was a significant difference in the HZ infection between the cases and the controls (P < .0001). Head zoster (including ophthalmic zoster) was significantly higher in the case group than the control group (P < .0001). The risk of stroke was the highest 2-4 weeks after the onset of HZ and the incidences of ischemic stroke were higher than those of hemorrhagic stroke (P < .0001). In an analysis adjusted for the age, sex, and hypertension, HZ was found to be associated with an increased risk of stroke (odds ratio, 5.84; 95% confidence interval, 1.98-8.23). Close monitoring is suggested for cerebrovascular diseases in patients who have had the head zoster, especially in the first month after the infection., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Microfilaments in freshly adhering CG-4 cells and differentiated CG-4 oligodendrocytes are concentrated at the tips and edges of rapidly forming processes while microtubules are concentrated in new processes and extend from a concentrated spot of alpha-tubulin staining in the cell body to the cell periphery. In motile bipolar CG-4 cells, microfilaments are heavily concentrated at the flattened end of one process and along the rim of processes and the cell body: microtubules are concentrated along main processes and splay out into process tips and the cell body. In differentiated CG-4 oligodendrocytes, microfilaments are concentrated at the many process tips, in filopodia and in fine processes, but are not obvious in main processes where separate bundles of microtubules, which diverge at process branch points, are concentrated. gamma-tubulin, involved in microtubule nucleation, is concentrated at a small discrete area in the cell body, indicative of a microtubule organizing center. Polymerization of both actin and tubulin is required for initial process elaboration. Depolymerization of microtubules, but not of microfilaments, causes complete retraction of bipolar CG-4 cell processes. This process retraction does not occur if microfilaments are depolymerized first, indicating that process extension/retraction in motile bipolar CG-4 cells may occur by a balance of motor protein-driven forces as suggested for growth cone motility. Cytoskeleton organization in CG-4 cells is very similar to that reported for oligodendrocytes. CG-4 cells are thus a useful model for investigating the signals and mechanisms regulating oligodendrocyte process dynamics., (Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)