Clinical Validation of Eye Vergence as an Objective Marker for Diagnosis of ADHD in Children.

Objective: ADHD youth show poor oculomotor control. Recent research shows that attention-related eye vergence is weak in ADHD children.

Method: To validate vergence as a marker to classify ADHD, we assessed the modulation in the angle of vergence of children ( n = 43) previously diagnosed with ADHD while performing an attention task and compared the results with age-matched clinical controls ( n = 19) and healthy peers ( n = 30).

Prognostic value of the ABCD2 score beyond short-term follow-up after transient ischemic attack (TIA)--a cohort study.

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients are at a high vascular risk. Recently the ABCD2 score was validated for evaluating short-term stroke risk after TIA. We assessed the value of this score to predict the vascular outcome after TIA during medium- to long-term follow-up.

Surface expression of CXCR4 on circulating CD133progenitor cells is associated with plaque instability in subjects with carotid artery stenosis.

Background: Circulating progenitor cells (PCs) are considered to contribute to the remodeling of atherosclerotic plaques. Their surface receptor CXCR4 plays an important role in the recruitment of PCs to their target. This study compares the mobilization of PCs and their functional characteristics in asymptomatic subjects with stable and with unstable carotid plaques.

Neuropsychological sequelae of carotid angioplasty with stent placement: correlation with ischemic lesions in diffusion weighted imaging.

Background And Purpose: Few studies investigated the neuropsychological outcome after carotid angioplasty with stent placement (CAS), yielding partially inconsistent results. The present investigation evaluated the effect of CAS in patients with high-grade stenosis and assessed the predictive value of ischemic lesion number for postinterventional cognitive deterioration.

Methods: 22 patients were tested neuropsychologically before and six weeks after CAS.

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography predicts cardiovascular events after TIA.

Background: Transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients are at high vascular risk. We assessed the value of extracranial (ECD) and transcranial (TCD) Doppler and duplex ultrasonography to predict clinical outcome after TIA.

Methods: 176 consecutive TIA patients admitted to the Stroke Unit were recruited in the study.

The value of the serum neurofilament protein heavy chain as a biomarker for peri-operative brain injury after carotid endarterectomy.

This prospective study examined the value of serum neurofilament protein levels for detecting peri-operative brain damage following carotid endarterectomy. An ELISA was used for quantification of neurofilament protein heavy chain (NfH(SMI35)) levels from patients undergoing endarterectomy for symptomatic (n = 17) and asymptomatic high-grade internal carotid artery stenosis (n = 30). All patients underwent diffusion-weighted brain imaging before and after the procedure.

Cerebral vasculitis mimicking migraine with aura in a patient with Crohn's disease.

Introduction: Whereas extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease in general are quite common, cerebral vasculitis is considered a very rare condition. We present a case of Crohn's disease-associated vasculitis mimicking migraine with aura.

Case Description: A 28-year-old woman with Crohn's disease and known migraine with aura had suffered from daily migraine attacks with recurrent focal neurological deficits for 6 weeks.

Lack of association between right-to-left shunt and cerebral ischemia after adjustment for gender and age.

Introduction: A number of studies has addressed the possible association between patent foramen ovale (PFO) and stroke. However, the role of PFO in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia has remained controversial and most studies did not analyze patient subgroups stratified for gender, age and origin of stroke.

Methods: To address the role of PFO for the occurrence of cerebral ischemia, we investigated the prevalence of right-to-left shunt in a large group of patients with acute stroke or TIA.

Expression of neuronal markers suggests heterogeneity of chick sympathoadrenal cells prior to invasion of the adrenal anlagen.

We have analyzed the distribution of neural crest-derived precursors and the expression of catecholaminergic and neuronal markers in developing adrenal tissue of chick embryos. Undifferentiated neural crest cells are found in presumptive adrenal regions from embryonic day 3 (E3) onward. An increasing proportion of cells expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA indicates catecholaminergic differentiation of precursors not only in primary sympathetic ganglia, but also in presumptive adrenal regions.