Pathological laughter and crying: A case series and proposal for a new classification.

Background: Disorders of laughter and crying (DLC) are seen in several neuropsychiatric conditions. Their nomenclature remains under debate.

Methods: We present the clinical and imaging findings of 17 patients with DLC and introduce a new classification based on phenomenology and pathogenesis.

Vagal stimulation in brain dead donor rats decreases chronic allograft nephropathy in recipients.

Background: Although it has been shown that a vagus nerve stimulation of brain dead (BD) donors leads to an improvement of renal function in recipients in an acute allograft rejection model, its influence on chronic allograft nephropathy is still unknown. In the present study, we assessed the influence of donor vagus nerve stimulation on survival, renal function and histology in a chronic allograft model.

Methods: Brain death was induced in Fisher rats, and electro-stimulation of the vagus nerve was applied in one group (BD + vagus) during the whole course of BD (6 h).

Modulation of brain dead induced inflammation by vagus nerve stimulation.

Because the vagus nerve is implicated in control of inflammation, we investigated if brain death (BD) causes impairment of the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby contributing to inflammation. BD was induced in rats. Anaesthetised ventilated rats (NBD) served as control.

Neurologic presentations of fungal infections.

Fungal infections of the central nervous system (CNS) have a high rate of morbidity and mortality caused by several factors. Most importantly, the last three decades have witnessed a rising prevalence of susceptible hosts from the growing numbers of organ transplants, chemotherapy patients, and intensive care unit hospitalizations. Knowledge of CNS fungal infections including their symptoms and signs, required diagnostic studies, and treatment methods is imperative for all neurologists.