Polymorphisms of paraoxonase 1 and 2 genes and the risk of multiple sclerosis in the Polish population.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that polymorphisms of the paraoxonase genes PON1 and PON2 may be associated with increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Polish population.

Material And Methods: We studied the significance of the PON gene polymorphisms C311S, A162G, Q192R and L55M in 221 patients (including 145 women) with MS and in 661 healthy controls. In the MS population, mean Expanded Disability Status Scale score was 2.

Incidence and case fatality rates of first-ever stroke - comparison of data from two prospective population-based studies conducted in Warsaw.

Background And Purpose: According to official statistics, the stroke mortality rate has remained high in Eastern European countries for a few decades. It has been shown that also in Poland stroke mortality failed to decline in the period 1984 to 1992. Since that time, stroke management in our country has changed, especially in the cities, where stroke units have been developed.

Common carotid artery dissection in the course of acute aortic dissection De Bakey type I.

Extracranial artery dissection is a rare finding. It may be the result of acute aortic dissection. We present the case of a 50-year-old patient admitted to Department of Neurology CSK MSWiA with signs of transient ischaemic attack.

Serum kynurenic acid positively correlates with cardiovascular disease risk factor, homocysteine: a study in stroke patients.

KYNA, an antagonist of ionotropic glutamate receptors and alpha7 nicotinic receptors, has been found as well in the brain as in the periphery. The altered metabolism of KYNA, especially its deficiency, can lead to the enhanced glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity, and was suggested to be a factor contributing to the development of neurodegeneration and seizures. Elevated serum concentration of homocysteine is considered to be an independent risk factor of atherosclerosis and is an emerging risk factor of cognitive dysfunction and stroke.

Recurrent cerebral infarcts as the first manifestation of infection with the HIV virus.

There is an increased risk of stroke in patients with HIV infection. One of the mechanisms is production of anticardiolipin (aCL) antibodies, induced by the virus. Many studies have documented a high incidence of aCL antibodies in patients with HIV infection and the increased risk of stroke, although there is no such correlation with other viruses that also stimulate production of aCL antibodies.

[Difficulties in the diagnosis in the case of subacute paraplegia in a woman with Addison-Biermer disease].

The following paper presents a case of presently rare serious and non-typical subacutely progressing neurological complications in Addison-Biermer disease in a period before the diagnosis, and effective treatment with vitamin B12 in the advanced process of the nervous system impairment. The patient was a 52-year-old woman with the following (increasingly severe) symptoms occurring over a period of 5 weeks, after an earlier non-related operation: paresis of lower limbs (up to paraplegia), slight paresis of upper limbs, sphincters disorder, numbness and the loss of sensation in the upper and lower limbs, and finally mental deterioration. The woman was admitted to a neurological clinic with the suspected Guillain-Bare syndrome.

Plasma homocysteine level and the course of ischemic stroke.

Increased level of homocysteine (Hcy) in blood seems to influence negatively the course of ischemic stroke (IS), the possible mechanism of this action could be acceleration of oxidative stress. The aim of this study is to assess the influence of Hcy level in patients with IS on the prognosis 3 months after the stroke onset. 75 patients aged 68.

CT angiography in the diagnosis of spontaneous extracerebral vertebral artery dissection.

Spontaneous vertebral artery dissection is an underrecognised cause of cerebral ischaemia, most often seen in young adult patients. For this diagnosis cerebral angiography is the most sensitive and specific method. We describe a 30-year-old, male, with cerebellar stroke, in whom spontaneous vertebral artery dissection was diagnosed.