Diagnostic utility of small fiber analysis in skin biopsies from children with chronic pain.

Introduction: Small fiber neuropathies (SFN) are associated with a reduction in quality of life. In adults, epidermal nerve fiber density (END) analysis is recommended for the diagnosis of SFN. In children, END assessment is not often performed.

Improvement of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction by Baroreflex Activation Therapy in a Young Man with Dilated Cardiomyopathy.

The progression of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction is promoted by sympathovagal imbalance. Baroreflex activation therapy (BAT) by the electrical stimulation of baroreceptors at the carotid sinus significantly improved exercise capacity and NT-proBNP levels in a randomized trial; however, no significant difference in left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF) between groups was found. Here, we report the case of a 30-year-old man with a long history of dilated cardiomyopathy and severely reduced LV-EF despite optimal medical therapy, who was treated with BAT since October 2014 and showed a remarkable improvement in both symptoms and LV-EF under this treatment.

Baroreflex Activation Therapy in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Available Data and Future Perspective.

Progression of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is promoted by sympathovagal imbalance. Baroreflex activation therapy, i.e.

Autoantibodies in complex regional pain syndrome bind to a differentiation-dependent neuronal surface autoantigen.

Complex regional pain syndrome, which is characterised by pain and trophic disturbances, develops frequently after peripheral limb trauma. There is an increasing evidence of an involvement of the immune system in CRPS, and recently we showed that CRPS patients have autoantibodies against nervous system structures. Therefore we tested the sera of CRPS patients, neuropathy patients and healthy volunteers for surface-binding autoantibodies to primary cultures of autonomic neurons and differentiated neuroblastoma cell lines using flow cytometry.

Preparation and characterization of mononuclear Co, Ni, and Zn complexes of dinucleating macrocyclic hexaaza-dithiophenolate ligands and their open-chain derivatives.

The preparation and characterization of mononuclear complexes of the dinucleating 24-membered hexazadithiophenolate macrocycles H2L2 and H2L3 and their open-chain N3S2 analogues H2L4 and H2L5 are reported. The highly crystalline compounds [Ni(L4)] (4), [Ni(L5)] (5), [Co(L5)] (6), [NiH2(L2)]2+ (7), [ZnH2(L2)]2+ (8), and [NiH2(L3)]2+ (9) could be readily prepared by stoichiometric complexation reactions of the hydrochlorides of the free ligands with the corresponding metal(II) dichlorides and NEt3 in methanolic solution. All complexes were characterized by X-ray crystallography.