Does Head Tremor Predict Postural Instability After Bilateral Thalamic Stimulation in Essential Tremor?

Essential tremor (ET) may present with head tremor (HT), of presumed cerebellar nature. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the ventral intermediate (Vim) nucleus of the thalamus is a highly effective therapy for medication-refractory ET. However, stimulation-related side effects may include cerebellar abnormalities, such as postural instability.

Familial Brain Calcifications With Leukoencephalopathy: A Novel Variant.

Objective: To describe a family with primary familial brain calcifications (PFBCs) and leukoencephalopathy associated with a novel variant in .

Methods: We present 3 generations of a family with PFBC associated with a previously unreported variant in .

Results: A 24-year-old woman with migraine, bipolar disorder, and functional neurologic disorder was found to have bilateral calcifications of the basal ganglia and frontally predominant periventricular white matter disease.

Evaluation of Environmental Risk Due to Metro System Construction in Jinan, China.

Jinan is a famous spring city in China. Construction of underground metro system may block groundwater seepage, inducing the depletion risk of springs. This paper presents an assessment of the risk due to metro line construction to groundwater in Jinan City using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographic International System (GIS).

Nanoindentation Characterization of a Ternary Clay-Based Composite Used in Ancient Chinese Construction.

Ternary clay-based composite material (TCC), composed of lime, clay and sand, and usually modified with sticky rice and other organic compounds as additives, was widely used historically in Chinese construction and buildings due to its high mechanical performance. In this study, to gain an insight into the micromechanical mechanism of this cementitious material, the nanomechanical properties and volume fraction of mechanically different phases of the binder matrix are derived from the analysis of grid nanoindentation tests. Results show that there are five distinct mechanical phases, where the calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and geopolymer present in the binder matrix are almost identical to those produced in ordinary Portland cement (OPC) and alkali-activated fly-ash geopolymer materials in nano-mechanical performance.

Neuromuscular Ultrasound in the Assessment of Polyneuropathies and Motor Neuron Disease.

Neuromuscular ultrasound is an emerging technology for the evaluation of conditions affecting nerve and muscle, with most of the research focusing on focal neuropathies. Despite this focus, researchers have also investigated the ultrasonographic changes that occur in the nerves and muscles of those with more diffuse polyneuropathies and motor neuron diseases, and this review will detail the findings in these conditions. Specific findings are discussed in this article, but general themes will also be presented and include the following: hereditary polyneuropathies show diffuse nerve enlargement, whereas immune-mediated polyneuropathies show more patchy involvement; nerve enlargement is more profound in demyelinating than axonal polyneuropathies; and muscle changes in motor neuron diseases include heterogeneous increases in echogenicity, atrophy, readily detectable fasciculations, and increased subcutaneous tissue thickness.