Epilepsy and cerebral palsy: characteristics and trends in children born in 1976-1998.

Background: Although epilepsy is common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), no data exists on prevalence rates of CP and epilepsy.

Aims: To describe epilepsy in children with CP, and to examine the association between epilepsy and neonatal characteristics, associated impairments and CP subtypes.

Methods: Data on 9654 children with CP born between 1976 and 1998 and registered in 17 European registers belonging to the SCPE network (Surveillance of Cerebral Palsy in Europe) were analyzed.

The forward parachute reaction and independent walking in infants with brain lesions.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the onset of forward parachute reaction (FPR) in infants with brain lesions and its correlation with age of walking.

Method: FPR was assessed at 6, 9, and 12 months in 140 infants with brain lesions (78 males, 62 females; mean gestational age 31 wks; SD 3.6 wks; mean birthweight 1450 g, SD 252 g).

Epigenetic modification of the FMR1 gene in fragile X syndrome is associated with differential response to the mGluR5 antagonist AFQ056.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an X-linked condition associated with intellectual disability and behavioral problems. It is caused by expansion of a CGG repeat in the 5' untranslated region of the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene. This mutation is associated with hypermethylation at the FMR1 promoter and resultant transcriptional silencing.

Cortical visual function in preterm infants in the first year.

Objective: To assess visual function in low-risk preterm infants at 3, 5, and 12 months corrected age to determine whether the maturation of visual function in the first year is similar to that reported in term-born infants.

Study Design: Seventy-five low-risk infants (25.0-30.

Hypo-phosphorylation of salivary peptidome as a clue to the molecular pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders.

RP-HPLC-ESI-MS profile of naturally occurring salivary peptides of subjects with autistic spectrum disorder [ASD; N = 27:12 with diagnosis of autism, 1 with diagnosis of Asperger, 14 with diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorders not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS)] was compared to that of age-matched controls with the goal of identifying differences that could turn out to become hallmarks of at least a subgroup of ASD individuals. Phosphorylation level of four specific salivary phospho-peptides, namely statherin, histatin 1 (both, p < 0.0001) and acidic proline-rich proteins (both entire and truncated isoforms) (p < 0.

Trends in cerebral palsy among infants of very low birthweight (<1500 g) or born prematurely (<32 weeks) in 16 European centres: a database study.

Background: The risk of cerebral palsy, the commonest physical disability of children in western Europe, is higher in infants of very low birthweight (VLBW)--those born weighing less than 1500 g--and those from multiple pregnancies than in infants of normal birthweight. An increasing proportion of infants from both of these groups survive into childhood. This paper describes changes in the frequency and distribution of cerebral palsy by sex and neurological subtype in infants with a birthweight below 1000 g and 1000-1499 g in the period 1980-96.

Cerebral palsy and intrauterine growth in single births: European collaborative study.

Background: Cerebral palsy seems to be more common in term babies whose birthweight is low for their gestational age at delivery, but past analyses have been hampered by small datasets and Z-score calculation methods.

Methods: We compared data from ten European registers for 4503 singleton children with cerebral palsy born between 1976 and 1990 with the number of births in each study population. Weight and gestation of these children were compared with reference standards for the normal spread of gestation and weight-for-gestational age at birth.