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Biomedical subjects

M Bechar

Publications and source records attributed to M Bechar.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Abnormal orbicularis oculi reflex response in sleep apnea secondary to acromegaly. Evidence of pontomedullary dysfunction in sleep apnea syndrome.

Severe sleep apnea was present in a patient with upper airway obstruction due to acromegaly. The study of orbicularis oculi reflex responses (OORR) disclosed a marked prolongation of the late response prior to tracheostomy. Following the surgical relief of upper airway obstruction, sleep apnea disappeared, and the latency of the late response of the OORR was dramatically reduced but failed to normalize. The OORR and especially its late response were normal in a patient with acromegaly who did not experience sleep apnea. In two patients with sleep apnea, but without acromegaly, the late responses of the OORR were abnormal. It is suggested that the presence of abnormal OORR in sleep apnea may reflect a basic defect in pontomedullary control of respiration during sleep.

Acromegaly↗
PubMed1987

Epilepsy among parents of children with cleft lip and palate.

It is well established that children of mothers with epilepsy may suffer from facial clefts more frequently than children of non-epileptic mothers. However, a wide range of prevalence rates in this particular population is quoted in the literature. The majority of studies were performed by screening epileptic mothers for the presence of facial clefts in their offspring. The present study screened a relatively large group of children with primary facial clefts and established the prevalence rate of epilepsy among their mothers. It was found that the frequency of epilepsy among Jewish Israeli mothers to children with facial clefts is four times higher and the frequency of facial clefts in children of epileptic mothers is six times higher than in the respective normal population.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1987

Episodic hormone secretion during sleep in Kleine-Levin syndrome: evidence for hypothalamic dysfunction.

"Acute" hypothalamic-pituitary function tests including insulin tolerance test, LRH, ACTH and TRH stimulation tests and nocturnal secretory pattern of human growth hormone, 11-OHCS, prolactin, FSH, LH and TSH were studied in a 23-year-old male with Kleine-Levin syndrome during the course of a typical hypersomnic attack. The "acute" tests revealed paradoxical growth-hormone response to TRH stimulation, borderline high basal plasma prolactin levels with normal response to TRH. The hormonal secretory pattern during sleep revealed abnormalities in LH, 11-OHCS and prolactin secretion. These together with the results of the "acute" tests are indicative of an abnormality in the hypothalamic regulation of various pituitary hormones. This observation may indeed be the first laboratory demonstration confirming a long-standing hypothesis that Kleine-Levin syndrome is related to hypothalamic dysfunction.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Sleep patterns in Kleine-Levin syndrome.

Diurnal and nocturnal sleep records were obtained from a male and a female with Kleine-Levin syndrome, during excessive daytime sleep attacks and while they were asymptomatic. A common pattern of abnormal sleep was seen in both patients even during the asymptomatic period. The female, aflicted with a severe form of periodic hypersomnia, showed nocturnal and diurnal sleep onset REM periods. The different pattern of sleep abnormality in the female could be an expression of the severity of her symptoms or might indicate a variant of sleep abnormality present only in females with Kleine-Levin syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1976

Convulsive fits in thyrotoxicosis.

A patient with hyperthyroidism is described who developed grand mal seizures when anth-thyroid medication was withdrawn. Pyramidal signs were also present. The EEG reverted to normal and the clinical signs and symptoms disappeared when his thyroid status was again controlled.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Postural scintimyelography and dynamic CSF-pressure measurements in cervical myelopathy.

Postural scintimyelography is a refinement of scintimyelography and in combination with Queckenstedt's test proved to be an exellent screening method for possible space occupying lesions in the cervical subarachnoid space. The results in a material of 96 patients are reported. Agreement between both methods is of high clinical significance.

Cerebrospinal Fluid↗