We report a 6-year-old girl with diffuse subcortical heterotopia (band heterotopia), an unusual type of ectopic gray matter on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Her cerebral parenchyma had four layers consisting of cortex, thin outer white matter, diffuse subcortical heterotopia, and inner white matter around the lateral ventricles, giving the appearance of a 'double cortex'. The overlying cortex had midly broad gyri, especially in the frontal lobes. MRI showed the appearance of laminar heterotopia, a classical pathological entity. The double cortex syndrome is presumably a radiological delineation of laminar heterotopia. Her development was slightly delayed and she was clumsy and easily upset, with poor impulse control. However, her daily life was largely unaffected in spite of the severe abnormalities on MRI. She had abnormal movements during sleep, and sleeping EEG showed high voltage spindles in the bilateral frontal areas but no epileptic discharges. It could not be determined whether or not these movements were epileptic. The double cortex syndrome, an anomaly of the central nervous system associated with mental retardation, epilepsy, behavioral problems, and exclusive occurrence in girls, will be established as a clinico-radiological entity.

Brain Diseases↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Plasma tetrahydrobiopterin levels in patients with psychiatric disorders.

The plasma total biopterin and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels of 24 psychiatric patients were measured in the symptomatic phase, under no influence of psychotropic drugs as long as possible, and were compared with those of normal controls. The significant increase in total biopterin levels was observed only in the plasma of the patients with affective disorders or panic disorder in the depressive mood. A significant decrease in BH4 levels was observed only in the plasma of the patients with depression, and an increase in BH4 levels was observed only in the patients with hypomania. The changes of these biopterin levels in plasma could be a disease effect or a phase effect.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Fetal adrenocortex-medulla interactions and changes of pituitary in mouse embryos with an ectopic corticotrophic tumor.

Using a model of an ectopic corticotrophic tumor transplanted in mouse embryos, we now report several new findings. One relates to fetal adrenocortex-medulla interactions and others to feedback regulation of the pituitary by adrenal products or other factors in mouse embryos.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Changes of muscle excitability of the hand contralateral to a task performing one: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study].

It used to be considered that unilateral movements of distal limb parts are associated only with contralateral motor cortical activity. Recent neuroimaging studies, however, suggest that the motor cortex ipsilateral to a task-performing hand is also activated, and that motor patterns in one hand affect the degree of the activity of the ipsilateral motor cortex. If so, muscles of the hand contralateral to a task-performing one may change those excitability depending on types of tasks. We studied eight subjects who performed three different finger tasks by one hand: (a) pinch, (b) sequential finger opposition, and (c) tactile discrimination. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered by a figure eight coil over the hemisphere ipsilateral to a task-performing hand. Motor evoked potentials and background electromyographic activities were recorded from the opponens pollicis muscle contralateral to the stimulated hemisphere. On average, the motor evoked potentials were larger during tactile discrimination task than those at rest in either hand (p < 0.01). Background electromyographic activities in the left hand increased significantly during right hand tactile discrimination task (p < 0.01), whilst those in the right hand did not change during the left hand performance (p > 0.05). These findings suggest the followings: (1) the hand muscle contralateral to a task performing one changes its excitability depending on types of tasks; and (2) increment of excitability of the left hand muscle associated with right hand tactile discrimination is greater than that of the right hand one in association with the same task by the left hand, thus supporting the idea that there is a functional asymmetry between the right and left motor cortex in respect of motor performance.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A proposal for clinical nutrition education for health care university students and professionals in the Amazon.

UNLABELLED: Changes in nutritional status are related to an increase in morbidity and mortality. It is well established that health care professionals, particularly physicians, lack formal education to recognize nutritional disorders, which malnutrition may worsen in the hospital, and that appropriate education could effectively correct this problem. AIM: To evaluate the awareness of the health care university students and professionals about the nutrition disorders in Amazon region hospitalized patients before and after a specific education program. STUDY DESIGN: An intensive Course on Clinical Nutrition, given in three weekly classes was offered to the multidisciplinary health care students and professionals of the health care tem. CASES AND METHODS: 195 participants started the course. They were 97 students of nursing, 52 students of medicine, 20 nurses, 15 resident physicians, 3 physicians, 3 dietitians, 2 others, 1 no answer. 165 participants concluded it. Precourse and postcourse tests were answered. The results of these tests are presented in this study. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: 76.4% of the participants were graduation students. 40% of participants had no contact with patients yet. When the exposure of the participants of the course to the theme Nutrition was analyzed, 46.7% of the resident physicians considered

Academic Medical Centers↗