Post chicken pox neurological sequelae: Three distinct presentations.

Varicella zoster infection is known to cause neurological involvement. The infection is usually self-limiting and resolves without sequelae. We present a series of three cases with neurological presentations following chicken pox infection.

Characteristics of an adult photosensitive cohort.

Intermittent Photic Stimulation (IPS) is a well recognized provocation maneuver during EEG recording which helps in identifying underlying photosensitivity. The frequency and characteristics of various responses to photosensitivity among our adult patients was determine. EEGs of subjects > or =15 years from 2003-2006, were reviewed.

Use of a Yankauer suction tip combined with the Colpo-Pneumo Occluder balloon to suction the surgical field at the vaginal cuff during robotic hysterectomy.

A 39-year-old patient with complex endometrial hyperplasia without atypia underwent robotic total laparoscopic hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. The procedure was technically challenging because of the patient's obesity (body mass index 50 kg/m(2)). Concomitant suction of pooled blood and retraction of bowel and omentum were necessary to close the vaginal cuff.

Clinical spectrum of post-stroke seizures.

Objective: To determine the characteristics of post-stroke seizures and compare these in early vs. late post-stroke seizures.

Study Design: Observational study.

Anti-ganglioside antibody-mediated activation of RhoA induces inhibition of neurite outgrowth.

Anti-ganglioside antibodies (Abs) are strongly associated with axonal forms of Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS). Some studies indicate that these Abs, including those with GD1a reactivity, are associated with poor prognosis and/or incomplete recovery. We recently demonstrated that a disease-relevant anti-ganglioside Ab with GD1a reactivity inhibits axon regeneration after PNS injury in an animal model (Lehmann et al.

Socio-economic impact of Birmingham hip resurfacing on patient employment after ten years.

Birmingham hip resurfacing is an attractive option for treatment of arthritis in young and active patients. The aim of this study was to assess the socio-economic impact of Birmingham hip resurfacing on their employment and work intensity at ten years. A cohort of 90 consecutive patients with 100 Birmingham hip resurfacing, performed by single surgeon, were reviewed prospectively.

Kikuchi-fujimoto disease from eastern India.

Kikuchi's disease, a rare disorder which usually presents with fever painful lymphadenopathy, rash and arthritis, all of which are close mimickers of infective and immunological disorders. It is essentially a histopathological diagnosis and tests to rule out other connective tissue disorders or infective etiology must be undertaken. We present a series of two cases of kikuchi-fujimoto's disease presenting primarily with lymphadenopathy and fever in all cases.

Interleukin-21: updated review of Phase I and II clinical trials in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, metastatic melanoma and relapsed/refractory indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Importance To The Field: In advanced renal cell cancer and malignant melanoma, the current FDA approved immune modulators, such as IL-2, are the only agents which provide a durable complete remission. These responses, however, occur in < 10% of treated patients and their applicability is limited to selected patients because of their toxicity. The identification of new immunotherapeutic agents with an improved response rate and toxicity profile would represent a significant advancement in the treatment of these malignancies.

Trigeminal Neuralgia in an HIV Patient.

Trigeminal neuralgia is a painful condition affecting face. Its commonest cause is the tortuous vessels in prepontine cistern. There are other causes also, like brainstem lesions and mass lesions, as well as inflammatory causes.

Biliary ascariasis on magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.

A 17-year-old girl presented with features of biliary obstruction. Magnetic resonance cholangi-pancreatography revealed typical linear signals in common bile duct, which appears like Ascaris lumbricoides. The diagnosis was confirmed by endoscopic removal of the worm.

Multiple dengue serotypes and high frequency of dengue hemorrhagic fever at two tertiary care hospitals in Lahore during the 2008 dengue virus outbreak in Punjab, Pakistan.

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with dengue viral infection during the 2008 outbreak in Lahore in order to better understand the clinical pattern and severity of disease in Lahore.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical characteristics of 110 patients infected with dengue virus; data were collected on standardized data collection sheets at two tertiary care hospitals from September to December 2008. Dengue infection was confirmed serologically or by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Role of levetiracetam in refractory seizures due to a rare progressive myoclonic epilepsy: Lafora body disease.

Lafora disease is one of the rare, most fatal progressive myoclonic epilepsies reported. We present a case of a teenager with intractable seizures and progressive mental decline, diagnosed as Lafora body disease on axillary skin biopsy. He was admitted with status epilepticus with refractory myoclonic and generalised tonic clonic seizures.

Performance evaluation of ion exchange and affinity chromatography for HbA1c estimation in diabetic patients with HbD: a study of 129 samples.

Objectives: To compare ion exchange and boronate affinity chromatography for HbA(1c) estimation in patients with type I and II diabetes having hemoglobin D.

Design And Methods: Systems based on ion exchange and boronate affinity chromatography were evaluated and compared for their performance for HbA(1c) estimation in patients with homozygous and heterozygous D disease.

Results: Boronate affinity chromatography shows least interference by HbD in heterozygous as well as homozygous diabetic patients for HbA(1c) estimation.

Chromatographic analysis of Hb S for the diagnosis of various sickle cell disorders in Pakistan.

Sickle cell disease remains a relatively obscure theme in research on haemoglobinopathies in Pakistan. Limited data is available regarding its prevalence in the country. The objective of our study was not only to estimate the frequency of different sickle cell diseases but also to provide quantitative estimation of haemoglobin S and other haemoglobin variants using an automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system.

Identification of hemoglobin Q India (alpha 1-64 Asp-His) through ARMS-PCR. First report from Pakistan.

Various hemoglobinopathies have been reported from Pakistan excepting the rare ones like hemoglobin Q India. Our purpose of study was to identify the mutation (alpha 1 64 aspartate to histidine) through amplification restriction mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) in patients where hemoglobin Q has been detected via high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and also to evaluate the cost effectiveness of the two technologies. All patients irrespective of age and gender who underwent HPLC for identification of their hemoglobin variant during January 1, 2006 to January 30, 2007 were studied.

Posterior reversible leukoencephalopathy.

Posterior Leukoencephalopathy is a rare, though reversible complication of eclampsia. We report two cases, in which patients with eclampsia presented with seizures, visual disturbances and focal neurological signs with high intensity areas predominantly in parieto-occipital white matter on cranial MRI, where successful control of blood pressures led to complete resolution of neurological deficits as well as radiological abnormalities. It is an infrequently recognized neurological disorder, not known to many physicians, which has almost complete recovery with early diagnosis and treatment.

Ectopic pheochromocytoma: does the rule of tens apply?

Introduction: The rule of "tens" is often stated to reflect the distribution and histology of pheochromocytomas, with 10% being bilateral, 10%; ectopic in origin, and 10%; malignant. The objective of this study was to review the ectopic pheochromocytomas in a tertiary endocrine center and to establish whether the rule of tens holds true.

Methods: Retrospective data were collected on all adrenalectomies and ectopic pheochromocytoma resections performed between 1993 and 2005 at our institution.

Subcortical white matter abnormalities related to drug resistance in Wilson disease.

Wilson disease (WD) produces typical lesions in the brain, which can aid in diagnosis and therapy. The authors present a drug-resistant WD case with atypical cerebral lesions with marked involvement of white matter as visualized on MRI scans. The diagnosis was confirmed by identification of mutations in the ATP7B gene.

Expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptors 1 and 2 in acute myeloid leukemia: incidence and feasibility of immunohistochemical staining.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor tyrosine kinases, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2, are important therapeutic targets for various cancers including AML. Paraffin-embedded bone marrow samples (PE-BM) are, in most cases, the only tissue accessible to perform retrospective analyses of novel targets such as VEGF and/or its receptors. As a result, it limits our options to immunohistochemistry (IHS), or more expensive and less practical techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

Force transmission, compliance, and viscoelasticity are altered in the alpha7-integrin-null mouse diaphragm.

Alpha7beta1 integrin is a transmembrane structural and receptor protein of skeletal muscles, and the absence of alpha7-integrin causes muscular dystrophy. We hypothesized that the absence of alpha7-integrin alters compliance and viscoelasticity and disrupts the mechanical coupling between passive transverse and axial contractile elements in the diaphragm. In vivo the diaphragm is loaded with pressure, and therefore axial and transverse length-tension relationships are important in assessing its function.