Changes in cerebral venous sinuses diameter after lumbar puncture in idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a prospective MRI study.

Background: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), is characterized by elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) without a clear cause. Recently it was shown that in more than 90% of the IIH patients there is stenosis of the transverse dural sinuses. In this study we assessed the changes in diameter of cerebral veins after lumbar puncture, in order to have some more insight regarding the volume and pressure influence on cerebral veins.

Glycans in sera of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients and their role in killing neuronal cells.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. To date, glycosylation patterns of glycoproteins in fluids of ALS patients have not been described. Moreover, the aberrant glycosylation related to the pathogenesis of other neurodegenerative diseases encouraged us to explore the glycome of ALS patient sera.

miRNA malfunction causes spinal motor neuron disease.

Defective RNA metabolism is an emerging mechanism involved in ALS pathogenesis and possibly in other neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we show that microRNA (miRNA) activity is essential for long-term survival of postmitotic spinal motor neurons (SMNs) in vivo. Thus, mice that do not process miRNA in SMNs exhibit hallmarks of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), including sclerosis of the spinal cord ventral horns, aberrant end plate architecture, and myofiber atrophy with signs of denervation.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and cholinergic modulation in Myasthenia Gravis and neuroinflammation.

The cholinergic network affects various cellular functions including neurotransmission, and immune reactions. In Myasthenia Gravis (MG), diagnosis and symptomatic therapy are based on cholinergic modulation by acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEI). In Alzheimer's disease (AD) a neurodegenerative disorder associated with inflammatory pathology, cholinergic systems cell loss occurs early.

Not only headache: higher degree of sexual pain symptoms among migraine sufferers.

Chronic illness and chronic pain can have profound negative effects on relationship and sexual satisfaction, yet the influence of migraine on sexuality has not been previously evaluated. To assess sexual functions in subjects with migraine compared to those with no migraine. We evaluated female university students using the Israeli sexual behavior inventory (ISBI).

The role of cholinergic balance perturbation in neurological diseases.

The maintenance of a balanced cholinergic homeostasis is crucial for the function of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and the neuromuscular junction. However, it appears that the cholinergic system is not restricted to neurons and synapses but may also involve immune reactions. In the present review we reassess the role of the cholinergic balance in myasthenia gravis and Alzheimer's disease which for a long time are known to be associated with cholinergic transmission perturbation.

Readthrough acetylcholinesterase in inflammation-associated neuropathies.

The cholinergic control over inflammatory reactions calls for deciphering the corresponding protein partners. An example is blood-nerve barrier disruption allowing penetration of inflammatory factors, which is notably involved in various neuropathies due to yet unknown molecular mechanism(s). In rats, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration followed by intra-neural (i.

Triptans--why once?

Objective: To evaluate triptan use patterns in a large Israeli HMO district.

Background: Triptans, 5HT(1B/1D) agonists, provide an effective and safe relief of headache and accompanying symptoms during an acute migraine attack.

Method: We retrospectively reviewed the computerized prescription filling data of 1498 patients who filled a first triptan prescription between July 2003 and June 2004.

Stimulated-single fiber electromyography monitoring of anti-sense induced changes in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

The neuromuscular weakness associated with myasthenia gravis (MG) can be transiently relieved by pharmacological inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Here, we expand the anticholinesterase repertoire to include 2'-O-methyl-protected antisense oligonucleotides targeted to AChE mRNA (EN101). Using stimulated-single fiber electromyography, we show that EN101 treatment of rats with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG), improved the mean consecutive difference (MCD) and blocking for 24h.

Traumatic intracranial hemorrhage in patients with seizures: descriptive characteristics.

We reviewed the records of all patients with recurrent seizures and severe head injury-induced traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (TIH) between 1989 and 2003 in three Israeli medical centers. We identified 52 cases (44 males, mean age=43+/-19 years, range=8-84; 8 females; mean age=74+/-12 years, range=48-85). Twenty-seven (52%) had additional known risk factors for TIH, e.

Inhibition of Ras attenuates the course of experimental autoimmune neuritis.

EAN induced in Lewis rats by immunization with peripheral bovine myelin was treated by the Ras inhibitor farnesylthiosalicylate (FTS). Treatment from day 0 with FTS (5 mg/kg intraperitoneally twice daily) attenuated peak clinical scores (mean+/-S.E.

A high incidence of migraine with aura among morbidly obese women.

Introduction: Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States and an increasing percentage of the population worldwide are overweight or obese. The relationship of obesity to headache has received inadequate attention. We evaluated the incidence of headache in a sample of morbidly obese women.

Headaches in women undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo-transfer treatment.

Background: In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer has become a common therapeutic modality in modern fertility medicines. Treatment protocols are associated with exaggerated hormonal fluctuations in order to promote multiple follicular development and support of embryo survival. Estrogen is considered to be closely linked to migraine, and its extreme serum level fluctuations have been considered to trigger migrainous headaches.

Induction of conduction block by Campylobacter jejuni lipopolysaccharides and focal neural insult.

A systemic exposure to gram negative LPS have caused transient conduction abnormalities in a certain strain of rats probably associated with the action of cytokines secreted by macrophages. Our previous studies demonstrated that anti-GM1 antibodies induced in rats by the cross-reactive Cj-LPS, caused no conduction abnormalities. We designed the present study to evaluate the effect of systemic exposure to Cj-LPS on nerve conduction after a focal minor neural trauma.

Anti-heparan sulfate antibodies in neurological disease.

Antibodies to heparan sulfate (HS) have previously been found in association with peripheral neuropathy. We tested sera from patients with neuropathies and with other neurological diseases for antibodies to HS using an avidin-biotin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system. Increased titers of anti-HS antibodies were found in 3.

Detection of anti-ganglioside antibodies in Guillain-Barré syndrome and its variants by the agglutination assay.

Sera from 40 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), including the subtypes acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP), acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN), and Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS) were examined for the presence of anti-ganglioside antibodies using the ganglioside agglutination assay, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In the ELISA system, sera were tested for IgM and IgG antibodies to GM1, GM2, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and GQ1b gangliosides. Antibodies to gangliosides were detected in 21 (53%) of the GBS patients by agglutination assay and in 17 (43%) of the patients by ELISA.