Porcine xenografts in Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease patients: preliminary results.

The observation that fetal neurons are able to survive and function when transplanted into the adult brain fostered the development of cellular therapy as a promising approach to achieve neuronal replacement for treatment of diseases of the adult central nervous system. This approach has been demonstrated to be efficacious in patients with Parkinson's disease after transplantation of human fetal neurons. The use of human fetal tissue is limited by ethical, infectious, regulatory, and practical concerns.

Transplantation of embryonic porcine mesencephalic tissue in patients with PD.

Objective: To assess the safety and the effect on standardized clinical rating measures of transplanted embryonic porcine ventral mesencephalic (VM) tissue in advanced PD.

Methods: Twelve patients with idiopathic PD underwent unilateral implantation of embryonic porcine VM tissue; six received cyclosporine immunosuppression and six received tissue treated with a monoclonal antibody directed against major histocompatibility complex class I. Patients were followed for 12 months and assessed by clinical examination, MRI, and 18F-levodopa PET.

Myasthenia gravis mimicking stroke in elderly patients.

Myasthenia gravis is the most common disease of neuromuscular transmission; however, it may be difficult to diagnose in the elderly patient with comorbid illnesses and vague symptoms. We report two cases of myasthenia gravis in elderly women, in whom the initial diagnosis of ischemic stroke by neurologists was inaccurate; radiographic evidence of stroke was considered confirmatory. In light of the high prevalence of silent cerebrovascular disease in elderly patients, incidental neuroimaging findings may mislead clinicians.

Hypertensive putaminal hemorrhage presenting with hemichorea.

A progressive motor deficit primarily manifested by hemichorea developed in a 42-year-old hypertensive man. CT scan demonstrated contralateral putaminal hemorrhage. The patient's course was benign.

Stroke due to vasculitis.

Vasculitis should be suspected as a cause of stroke in younger patients or older patients with an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, especially in the presence of systemic disease and mononeuritis multiplex. Corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide show promise of producing remission.