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Biomedical subjects

B Sadzot

Publications and source records attributed to B Sadzot.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Which indications for statins besides their cholesterol-lowering effect?].

Statins are essential drugs for the prevention of coronary and cerebral vascular complications. Besides their specific cholesterol-lowering effect, these agents exert various pleiotropic effects, which probably contribute to the cardiovascular protection, but may also play a favourable effect in various other pathologies. Some recent data suggested that statins may play a positive effect in the prevention of Alzheimer disease and colorectal cancer. In contrast, after some initial hope, recent observations in the field of osteoporosis prevention provided discordant and finally rather disappointing results. New prospective studies are mandatory before accepting such new potential indications of statins.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed2005

[Primary orthostatic tremor].

Primary orthostatic tremor is a particular tremor exclusively present when a subject is standing. Patients experience a severe disabling sense of unsteadiness. Walking, sitting and lying down are unaffected Neurological examination and cerebral imagery are normal most of the time. Electromyography in standing position confirms the diagnosis in showing a regular rapid tremor with a frequency of 12 to 18 Hz. Its physiopathology is partially unknown. A few symptomatic therapies can be proposed.

Dizziness↗
PubMed2005

Prophylaxis of the epilepsies: should anti-epileptic drugs be used for preventing seizures after acute brain injury?

In many circumstances antiepileptic drugs are used in patients who have never presented any clinical epileptic seizures. These substances are administered on the assumption of a potential risk for the patients of developing acute or delayed chronic seizures after brain injuries such as trauma, stroke, hemorrages or even neurosurgical interventions. The aim of this paper is to propose therapeutic guidelines for the management of this prophylactic attitude in epilepsy based on basic research and clinical practice in the French community in Belgium. We will distinguish between the prevention of acute (early onset-provoked) seizures and a delayed truly post-lesional (unprovoked) epilepsy. Some therapeutic goals can be achieved under the former circumstances whereas in the latter situation we all agree for the absence of any coherent antiepileptic prophylactic behaviour.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2005

Guidelines for recognition and treatment of the psychoses associated with epilepsy.

Epilepsy and psychiatric diseases are frequent comorbidities. Psychoses in patients with epilepsy have special physiopathology and several clinical presentations and prognoses. Their treatments are also specific, according to the specific diagnosis. This paper represents the summary of a consensus meeting held in November 2003 by a Belgian French-speaking group of neurologists, neuropediatricians and psychiatrists and proposes guidelines for the recognition and treatment of those entities.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Long-term follow up of glatiramer acetate compassionate use in Belgium.

Between June 1995 and November 1998, 228 patients with relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis started treatment with glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) 20 mg once daily in the frame of a "compassionate use" protocol in 15 Belgian centers. Following an average treatment period of 5.8 years, treating neurologists were requested to fill in follow-up forms indicating neurological disability status and side effects during the previous 6 months. These data were available for 134 patients. In this group, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) improved in 26.3% of patients. An additional 36.8% of patients remained neurologically stable. The Ambulation Index (AI) showed similar results: 12.5% of patients improved, 50% of patients remained stable, and 37.5% worsened. Only 10% of patients dropped out due to several reasons. The adverse events occurring in the period preceding the follow-up survey were non-serious and consistent with the current product information of glatiramer acetate. Among the 94 patients no longer followed-up in the compassionate program, reasons for lost to follow-up were obtained for 63; most of them (41) had stopped GA treatment or switched to another disease-modifying treatment. Overall these results are very similar to the ones reported in the extension study of the pivotal trial (Johnson et al., 2000), and indicate that patients treated with glatiramer acetate have a better outcome than expected on the basis of the natural course of the disease. Despite limitations of the study design, this report confirms the sustained efficacy of glatiramer acetate in reducing the disease progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated in day-to-day clinical practice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Cerebral functions in brain-damaged patients. What is meant by coma, vegetative state, minimally conscious state, locked-in syndrome and brain death?].

Comatose, vegetative, minimally conscious or locked-in patients represent a problem in terms of diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and everyday management at the intensive care unit. The evaluation of possible cognitive functions in these patients is difficult because voluntary movements may be very small, inconsistent and easily exhausted. Functional neuroimaging cannot replace the clinical assessment of patients with altered states of consciousness. Nevertheless, it can describe objectively how deviant from normal the cerebral activity is and its regional distribution at rest and under various conditions of stimulation. The quantification of brain activity differentiates patients who sometimes only differ by a brief and incomplete blink of an eye. In the present paper, we will first try to define consciousness as it can be assessed at the patient's bedside. We then review the major clinical entities of altered states of consciousness encountered in the intensive care unit. Finally, we discuss the functional neuroanatomy of these conditions as assessed by positron emission tomography (PET) scanning.

Brain Death↗
PubMed2003

[Controversies in the secondary prevention of stroke].

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the main cause of prolonged disability of adults in industrialised countries. After a first transient ischemic attack or a first minor stroke, the risk of recurrence is 16 folds higher than in control subjects. Therefore each patient suspect of a first ischemic cerebral event should be evaluated for the presence of a specific cause which could be treated. If such a cause is not found, platelet antiaggregant medications should be started.

Atrial Fibrillation↗
PubMed2003

Therapeutic issues in women with epilepsy.

Approximately 20% of people with epilepsy are of childbearing potential and about 3 to 5 births per thousand will be to women with epilepsy. Both epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs can cause specific problems in women and embryos (less than 8 weeks of gestational age) or foetuses (more than 8 weeks of gestational age). The aim of this paper is to discuss therapeutic issues for the management of women with epilepsy: initiation of antiepileptic therapy, contraception, pregnancy, breast feeding and menopause. Some fertility issues are also discussed.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed2003

[Statins for the brain?].

Whether cholesterol lowering decreases risk of stroke has long remained unclear. Large epidemiological studies have found only weak links between cholesterol levels and stroke. Recent studies with statins, more potent cholesterol lowering agents, have now demonstrated significant reductions of stroke incidence and total mortality when administered for secondary prevention in patients with wide ranges of cholesterol values. It remains unknown if a statin is superior to others for the secondary prevention of stroke.

Brain↗
PubMed2003

[How I treat ... essential tremor].

Essential tremor is the most prevalent movement disorder. This condition is often considered as benign but it can be the cause of considerable social, professional, and psychological handicap. It affects people of all ages but its prevalence increases with age (up to 5% of patients 65 or older). After discussing clinical aspects of this disorder, we review the current medical and surgical therapeutic options. Surgery may bring up spectacular improvement.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2002

Therapeutic strategies in the choice of antiepileptic drugs.

The choice of treatment of newly diagnosed epilepsy involves many factors such as age, sex, life style, general health and concomitant medication. The seizure type, syndrome, and the pharmacology, efficacy and safety of the antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) should also be considered. Some of the new AEDs appear to provide at least equivalent efficacy with better tolerability. Some of these drugs have the potential to become drugs of first choice in newly diagnosed epilepsy. At the present time, we also must consider the criteria of reimbursement of these drugs. In this paper, we try to describe common and practical strategies to start a treatment of newly diagnosed epilepsy.

Anticonvulsants↗
PubMed2002

[Carbon monoxide poisoning. Neurologic aspects].

It is most often during winter months that carbon monoxide intoxications occur. Poorly functioning heating systems are the leading cause. We hereby summarize the mechanisms of CO toxicity which leads to treatment basis, and immediate neurological signs of this intoxication. We emphasize the delayed neuropsychiatric syndrome typical of this intoxication, often under or misdiagnosed. Two observations are presented.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning↗
PubMed2002

[Scapulo-peroneal weakness with tardive symptoms of facio-scapulo-humeral muscular dystrophy, connected to 4q35 chromosomal deletion].

We report the case of a 57-year-old woman, who presented with progressive weakness of ankle's dorsiflexors. Electromyography showed bilateral myogenic patterns in the anterior tibialis predominantly in the left side. Muscle biopsy of the right tibialis anterior showed non specific dystrophic changes. The familial evaluation revealed a son showing scapuloperoneal amyotrophy and facial involvement. Analysis of the propositus' DNA showed a mutation at locus 4q35, characteristic of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. This case illustrates the wide clinical spectrum of FSH dystrophy and the difficulty to diagnose unusual facial-sparing forms.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4↗
PubMed2001

[Neuroborreliosis].

Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an endemic affection in Belgium. It is transmitted by a spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi. The particularity of the infecting genomic group, Borrelia garinii, implies that half of the reported cases of Lyme disease in our country have neurologic manifestations. Due to the marked clinical heterogeneity and the difficult serologic diagnosis, neuroborreliosis is often part of the differential diagnosis in neurology. The antibiotic treatment is necessary because it decreases the risk of more advanced stages of the disease. We hope that a vaccination will soon be available in Belgium.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2001

Meningeal inflammatory pseudotumour: a case report.

We report the case of a meningeal inflammatory pseudotumour occurring in a 23-year-old male presenting with focal seizures and headaches. Brain imaging techniques showed a 3.5 cm left parietal meningeal tumour. Histology of the surgical specimen showed a dense lymphoid infiltrate permeating the dura mater and leptomeninges, consisting of a predominant polyclonal B cell population as confirmed by immunophenotyping and genotyping. Cultures of serum, CSF, and surgical specimen were negative and there was no serological evidence of a systemic dysimmune disease. The postoperative course was complicated by an episode of brain oedema resolving under steroid therapy. The patient, free from all medication, is asymptomatic at 3 years of follow-up. We discuss previously published cases and the nosology of intracranial inflammatory pseudotumours.

Adult↗