Bifid Facial Nerve with Dual Origin Identified During Resection of Vestibular Schwannoma.

Facial nerve identification and preservation is a critical step in the resection of vestibular schwannoma. The use of intraoperative neurostimulation to positively identify the facial nerve along its entire course is essential to prevent injury. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a bifid facial nerve with a dual origin at the brainstem, which we observed during resection of vestibular schwannoma via the translabyrinthine approach.

A morphometric study of the structures bordering the infra-cochlear corridor - Relevant for endoscopic/microscopic ear surgery.

Application of surgical endoscope, used alone or in combination with the surgical microscope, for the operative management of ear and temporal bone conditions may allow improved access and clearance of disease. Preservation of normal structures may also be improved. As the use of this tool is increasing, the need for better understanding of the anatomy of the ear is becoming evident.

Alcohol and Apoptosis: Friends or Foes?

Alcohol abuse causes 79,000 deaths stemming from severe organ damage in the United States every year. Clinical manifestations of long-term alcohol abuse on the cardiac muscle include defective contractility with the development of dilated cardiomyopathy and low-output heart failure; which has poor prognosis with less than 25% survival for more than three years. In contrast, low alcohol consumption has been associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, however the mechanism of this phenomenon remains elusive.

Relationship Between Aerobic Fitness, the Serum IGF-1 Profiles of Healthy Young Adult African American Males, and Growth of Prostate Cancer Cells.

The growth of prostate tumors is mediated by the bioavailability of androgens and insulin-like growth factors. This study tested the hypothesis that healthy young adult African American men exhibiting low aerobic capacity (fitness) have serum insulin-like growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) and testosterone levels that promote growth of prostate cancer cells. A cross-sectional data research design was used to study groups of 18- to 26-year-old healthy men exhibiting low and moderate aerobic fitness, based on their peak oxygen consumption (VO).

Large-scale adaptive divergence in Boechera fecunda, an endangered wild relative of Arabidopsis.

Many biological species are threatened with extinction because of a number of factors such as climate change and habitat loss, and their preservation depends on an accurate understanding of the extent of their genetic variability within and among populations. In this study, we assessed the genetic divergence of five quantitative traits in 10 populations of an endangered cruciferous species, Boechera fecunda, found in only several populations in each of two geographic regions (WEST and EAST) in southwestern Montana. We analyzed variation in quantitative traits, neutral molecular markers, and environmental factors and provided evidence that despite the restricted geographical distribution of this species, it exhibits a high level of genetic variation and regional adaptation.

Diagnosis and Management of Dural Sinus Thrombosis following Resection of Cerebellopontine Angle Tumors.

Objective Lateral sinus thrombosis is a potentially devastating but seldom studied complication of cerebellopontine angle (CPA) tumor surgery. Systemic anticoagulation in the early postoperative period has often been avoided due to the potential risks of intracranial hemorrhage. Design Retrospective review.

IV nicotine self-administration in rats using a consummatory operant licking response: sensitivity to serotonergic, glutaminergic and histaminergic drugs.

Tobacco smoking is characterized by repeated self-administration of nicotine by placing the cigarette in the mouth. The repeated hand-to-mouth self-administration is essentially a consummatory act. We recently developed a paradigm in which rats lick one of two spouts to trigger intravenous (IV) delivery of nicotine, which combines a consummatory act with rapid delivery of nicotine to model the act of tobacco smoking.

Factors associated with symptom-specific psychological and functional impact among acoustic neuroma patients.

Introduction: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the psychological and functional impact attributed to acoustic neuroma symptoms.

Materials And Methods: A sample of 207 acoustic neuroma patients completed a study-specific questionnaire about the severity, frequency, and psychological and functional impact of 9 acoustic neuroma symptoms.

Results: The survey response rate was 56.

Inotropic and lusitropic effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the heart.

Previous studies have demonstrated positive-inotropic effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), but the mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, two experiments were performed to determine the physiological correlates of the positive-inotropic effects of CGRP. Treatments designed to antagonize the effects of physiologically active CGRP₁₋₃₇ included posttreatment with CGRP₈₋₃₇ and pretreatment with LY-294002 (LY, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase), 17β-estradiol (E), and progesterone (P) were also used to modulate the effects of CGRP₁₋₃₇.

The good, the bad, and the ugly with alcohol use and abuse on the heart.

Since its advent, alcohol has been utilized throughout history socially, for rituals, worship, and for its therapeutic, antibacterial, and analgesic properties. In moderation, alcohol consumption and its use are generally viewed as clinically beneficial. Excessive alcohol consumption on the other hand has been recognized as having several adverse implications.

Chronic sazetidine-A at behaviorally active doses does not increase nicotinic cholinergic receptors in rodent brain.

Chronic nicotine administration increases α4β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) density in brain. This up-regulation probably contributes to the development and/or maintenance of nicotine dependence. nAChR up-regulation is believed to be triggered at the ligand binding site, so it is not surprising that other nicotinic ligands also up-regulate nAChRs in the brain.

Factors associated with anxiety and depression in the management of acoustic neuroma patients.

The objectives of this study were to describe anxiety and depression levels among acoustic neuroma patients; examine differences in anxiety and depression across the acoustic neuroma management options of microsurgery, radiation and observation; and to investigate management, medical and demographic factors that might predict anxiety and depression in this patient group. A cross-sectional questionnaire was completed by 205 adults diagnosed with, or treated for, a unilateral acoustic neuroma within five years of questionnaire distribution. Median age of participants was 57.

Histamine H(1) antagonist treatment with pyrilamine reduces nicotine self-administration in rats.

Nicotine has been definitively shown to be critically involved in the neural bases of tobacco addiction. However, nicotine releases a wide variety of neurotransmitters. Nicotine-induced dopamine release has been shown to play a key role in facilitating nicotine self-administration.

Extensive craniocervical pneumocranium.

The authors report the first case of extensive craniocervical pneumocranium causing mass effect, without any associated extradural pneumatocele. The patient presented with frontal headaches and unusual sensations in his left ear. He was found to have large pneumocranium involving his left frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital bones as well as the atlas.

Quality of life among acoustic neuroma patients managed by microsurgery, radiation, or observation.

Objective: The main aim of this study was to examine differences in quality of life (QoL) among acoustic neuroma patients across the management options of microsurgery, radiation, and observation. Additional aims were to describe QoL and investigate management, medical, and demographic factors that predicted QoL in this patient group.

Study Design: Cross-sectional design, using a postal questionnaire.

Otogenic cranial base osteomyelitis: a proposed prognosis-based system for disease classification.

Objectives: To review the presentation, microbiology, and long-term results of treating otogenic cranial base osteomyelitis to develop a prognosis-based disease classification system.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-eight patients with otogenic cranial base osteomyelitis treated between 1989 and 2002 were studied. Patient demographics, presentation, pathogens, details of therapy, and disease-specific survival were recorded.

Asymmetrical hearing loss.

Background: General practitioners are usually the first point of contact for patients with hearing loss. Asymmetrical sensorineural hearing loss can be a symptom of a wide range of diseases. A correct diagnosis is essential for appropriate treatment and limitation of the progression of hearing loss.

Lateral skull base surgery: a complicated pursuit?

The management of lesions of the lateral skull base is a highly sophisticated branch of surgery generally performed by otolaryngology-head and neck surgeons as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Assessment of patients with diseases affecting the lateral skull base can be complex, as can the application of the various treatment modalities and the management of the expected and unexpected side effects of that treatment. A wide range of pathological conditions occur in the lateral skull base.

Psychometrics of the recovery process inventory.

The reliability and validity of the Recovery Process Inventory (RPI) were assessed in a statewide sample of 459 persons with severe mental illness from a public mental health system. Six factors were identified that reflect important aspects of the recovery process, have good internal consistency and fair to moderate test-retest reliability, and yield moderate to good convergent validity on the majority of subscales. The 22-item RPI performance across these dimensions and its comparability to the Recovery Assessment Scale and related instruments, e.

Patients' reports of traumatic or harmful experiences within the psychiatric setting.

Objective: This study examined the frequency and associated distress of potentially traumatic or harmful experiences occurring within psychiatric settings among persons with severe mental illness who were served by a public-sector mental health system.

Methods: Participants were 142 randomly selected adult psychiatric patients who were recruited through a day hospital program. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures to assess traumatic and harmful events that occurred during the course of their mental health care, lifetime trauma exposure, and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.

The need for trauma assessment and related clinical services in a state-funded mental health system.

Previous data show that trauma is highly prevalent in public sector consumers and is associated with severe mental illness and high service use costs. Despite this, evidence suggests that trauma victims tend to go unrecognized and to receive inadequate mental health services. We surveyed all facilities (6 inpatient, 17 outpatient) within the South Carolina Department of Mental Health about their current services for trauma victims.

Improving public mental health services for trauma victims in South Carolina.

Studies have shown that trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder are highly prevalent among persons with serious mental illness who are treated in state-funded mental health systems. Nevertheless, there is strong evidence that many of these persons receive inadequate mental health services. South Carolina recently became one of at least 15 states whose departments of mental health have initiated efforts to better address these needs.