Cerebral hemiatrophy associated with hippocampal sclerosis following a single prolonged febrile seizure.

The etiological relation of prolonged febrile seizures with hippocampal sclerosis and cerebral hemiatrophy is controversial. Causal relationship is mainly adopted from retrospective statistical analysis and data from epilepsy surgery. We report a 17-month-old boy who had a prolonged febrile seizure with a transient postictal flaccid hemiparesis and anisocoria.

Regional alterations in myocardial sympathetic innervation in patients with transient left-ventricular apical ballooning (Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy).

Background: Excess sympathetic nervous activity was proposed to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of transient left-ventricular apical ballooning (TLVAB, also known as Tako-Tsubo cardiomyopathy). This study was conducted to assess presynaptic adrenergic alterations in the dysfunctional myocardium of patients with TLVAB.

Methods And Results: Ten consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome who fulfilled the proposed Mayo Clinic criteria for the diagnosis of TLVAB were investigated.

Apical and midventricular transient left ventricular dysfunction syndrome (tako-tsubo cardiomyopathy): frequency, mechanisms, and prognosis.

Background: The frequency and potential differences between patients with apical ("typical") and midventricular ("atypical") ballooning have not been described.

Methods: Consecutive patients with the diagnosis of a troponin-positive acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were prospectively included into a registry (n = 3,265). Of those, 2,944 patients underwent left-heart catheterization and form the study population.

Pharmacological prevention of radiation-induced dry eye-an experimental study in a rabbit model.

Purpose: To evaluate the radioprotective effect of lidocaine, amifostine and pilocarpine on lacrimal glands.

Methods: Twenty-five rabbits were randomized into five groups: the control, irradiated/sham-treated, irradiated/lidocaine-pretreated, irradiated/amifostine-pretreated and irradiated/pilocarpine-pretreated groups. One week before irradiation, 72 h and 1 month afterward, the inferior lacrimal gland was investigated histomorphologically, immunohistochemically [tenascin-C and alpha smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA)] and functionally using scintigraphy and the Schirmer test.

Monitoring of a new approach of immunotherapy with allogenic (111)In-labelled NK cells in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

The transfusion of allogenic, in vitro expanded natural killer cells (NKC) is a novel therapy option in oncology. To date, however, the biodistribution and kinetics of allogenic NKC have not been investigated. Therefore, in this study three patients with renal cell carcinoma received 3-7 x 10(8) NKC labelled with indium-111 oxine with a tenfold excess of unlabelled cells during NKC therapy.