Subtle Sensory Abnormalities Detected by Quantitative Sensory Testing in Patients with Trigeminal Neuralgia.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is characterized by paroxysmal pain attacks affecting the somatosensory distributions of the trigeminal nerve. It is thought to be associated with a neurovascular conflict most frequently, but pathomechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In general, no sensory deficit is found in routine clinical examination.

An unusual cause of ventriculoperitoneal shunt infection.

Infection associated with ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt implantation can be a significant problem. VP shunt infection with Serratia marcescens, a gram-negative anaerobic rod, usually is related to underlying abdominal disease. This article describes treatment of two patients suffering from a VP shunt infection with S.

Pituicytoma: overview of treatment strategies and outcome.

The pituicytoma is an extremely rare and little-studied primary tumour of the adult neurohypophysis. With total resection, the pituicytoma appears to have a good prognosis. However, its highly vascular nature makes total resection difficult and local recurrence after subtotal resection is not uncommon.

Airway epithelial cells produce neurotrophins and promote the survival of eosinophils during allergic airway inflammation.

Background: Eosinophil-epithelial cell interactions make a major contribution to asthmatic airway inflammation. Nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and other members of the neurotrophin family, originally defined as a class of neuronal growth factors, are now recognized to support the survival and activation of immune cells. Neurotrophin levels are increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid during allergic asthma.