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A recent meta-analysis observed a greater significant inverse association of the ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) S18Y variant with Parkinson's disease (PD) for Asian (predominantly Japanese) populations compared with Caucasian populations. We performed an independent case-control study in 335 PD and 341 control subjects with data from a Chinese population to investigate the age-of-onset effect of the UCHL1 variant in PD. The Y/Y and Y/S genotypes were less frequent in the PD young-onset group than in controls and the frequency of the Y alleles was higher in young controls compared to young-onset PD (age at examination

Intramedullary spinal cord metastasis (ISM) is uncommon. It is one of the causes of a noncompressive myelopathy in a patient with systemic cancer. It is very difficult to diagnose clinically and on myelogram. We found the Magnetic Resonance Imaging appearance very useful in its diagnosis. We report one proven case of ISM to illustrate the diagnostic and therapeutic problem.

4 cases of syringomyelia with type I Arnold Chiari malformation was seen presenting mainly with dissociated sensory loss, weakness of hands and upper motor neurone signs in the lower limbs. The first patient improved with posterior fossa decompression. The second and fourth patient appeared not to have improved after surgery, and the third case refused operation. One patient showed cord atrophy on myelogram presumably due to a collapse of the syrinx. One of the patients was unusual in that the syrinx extended down to segment T11. Magnetic resonance imaging of the posterior fossa and the cervical cord, to date, is the most useful procedure for diagnosis.

A Chinese female patient presented with cranial polyneuritis of unknown aetiology. Three years later, the diagnosis became obvious when she developed other features of sarcoidosis. This is the first reported local case of sarcoidosis presenting initially with nervous system involvement. It also highlighted sarcoidosis as a possible aetiology in cases of idiopathic cranial polyneuritis.