Outcomes of sustained-release formulation of valproate and topiramate monotherapy in patients with epilepsy: a multi-centre, cohort study.

Background: New-generation antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) tend to replace traditional AEDs as the first-line choice for epilepsy. However, whether this change results in better outcome, especially in China, remains unknown.

Methodology/principal Findings: Two broad spectrum AEDs, the traditional drug of sustained-release formulation of valproate (SRVPA) and the new-generation drug of topiramate, were compared in patients with epilepsy as monotherapy in this multi-centre, observational cohort study from 2000 to 2011.

Increased insulin receptor expression in anterior temporal neocortex of patients with intractable epilepsy.

The insulin receptor (IR) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that binds to insulin and plays pivotal roles in energy homeostasis, neuronal growth, neuronal survival, synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. The biological mechanisms of intractable epilepsy involve energy metabolism, neuron loss, neurogenesis and abnormal neural networks. Here, we evaluated the expression of the IR in the anterior temporal neocortex of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) by immunohistochemistry, double-label immunofluorescence and immunoblotting.

Long-term retention rate of topiramate as initial monotherapy in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy: a prospective, observational study.

This is a large-sample, prospective, long-term observational study to assess the retention rate of topiramate as initial monotherapy in Chinese patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. The retention rate was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method using intention-to-treatment analysis. Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze the risk factors for retention rate.

Abnormal expression of netrin-G2 in temporal lobe epilepsy neurons in humans and a rat model.

The membrane-bound axon guidance molecule netrin-g2 is preferentially expressed in the central nervous system and plays a role in synapse formation and maintenance. Using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blotting, we investigated the possible correlation between netrin-g2 expression and intractable epilepsy (IE) using surgical samples from epilepsy patients. We used 35 samples of temporal neocortex from patients undergoing surgery for drug-refractory epilepsy and 15 autopsy samples from individuals who died in traffic accidents (i.

[Clinical and epidemiological features of the five kinds of new epileptic syndrome].

Objective: To investigate the clinical and epidemiological feature of the five kinds of new epilectically syndrome.

Method: A retrospective study was conducted, by computer inquiry and manual retrieval, on 5300 patients with complete history records who had been followed up regularly in the epilepsy center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing University in the past 20 years to discover the cases that could be diagnosed as with the five kinds of new epileptic syndromes.

Results: Survey was finished in 4894 of the 5300 patients.