Association of a synonymous GAT3 polymorphism with antiepileptic drug pharmacoresistance.

It would be likely that the genetic variants of the GTA3 gene encoding GAT-3, an astrocytic GABA transporter, may alter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission in the synaptic cleft in the epileptic brain and cause antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) pharmacoresistance. A candidate gene association analysis with fine mapping was performed to dissect the genetic contributions of GAT3 to AEDs pharmacoresistance. Two independent case sample sets were recruited (Samples 1 and 2), and each set was divided into two groups (drug-resistant and drug-responsive) according to the treatment outcomes with AEDs.

Evidence for epistatic interactions in antiepileptic drug resistance.

To investigate the epistatic interactions involved in antiepileptic drug (AED) resistance, 26 coding single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected from 16 candidate genes. A total of 200 patients with drug-resistant localization-related epilepsy and 200 patients with drug-responsive localization-related epilepsy were genotyped individually for the SNPs. Rather than using the traditional parametric statistical method, a new statistical method, multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR), was used to determine whether gene-gene interactions increase the risk of AED resistance.

Marital status of people with epilepsy in Korea.

A multicentre face-to-face interview was conducted to identify factors contributing to the marital status of people with epilepsy (PWE) in Korea. The marriage rate of PWEs was only 80% and the divorce rate was more than double that in the general population. Among the single subjects, 34% replied that they were unmarried because of epilepsy, and 76% of divorced PWEs replied that epilepsy was the cause of the divorce.

Multifocal strokes as the initial manifestation of metastatic tumors.

Patients with cancer are hypercoagulable and at a significant risk for ischemic stroke, but rarely present with stroke as the first manifestation of an underlying malignancy. We report on 2 patients with bihemispheric, multiterritorial infarctions in the absence of a cardioembolic source.

Endothelial function in lacunar infarction: a comparison of lacunar infarction, cerebral atherosclerosis and control group.

Background: There are conflicting evidences on endothelial function in lacunar infarction. This may be attributed to the effects of risk factors on the vascular smooth muscle. To test endothelial function only in patients with lacunar infarction, we evaluated the endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation of the brachial artery.

Cerebral embolism of iodized oil (lipiodol) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cerebral lipiodol embolism is a rare complication of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Its pathological mechanism remains ambiguous despite several investigations. In Case 1, a 67-year-old man with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) experienced neurological deficits soon after undergoing a fourth session of TACE.

Gene-to-gene interaction between sodium channel-related genes in determining the risk of antiepileptic drug resistance.

The pathogenesis of antiepileptic drug (AED) resistance is multifactorial. However, most candidate gene association studies typically assess the effects of candidate genes independently of each other, which is partly because of the limitations of the parametric-statistical methods for detecting the gene-to-gene interactions. A total of 200 patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and 200 patients with drug-responsive epilepsy were genotyped for 3 representative the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the voltage-gated sodium channel genes (SCN1A, SCN1B, and SCN2A) by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing analysis.

Correlation between insulin resistance and intracranial atherosclerosis in patients with ischemic stroke without diabetes.

Background: Insulin resistance (IR) is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality including ischemic stroke. Its final complications are cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease caused by atherosclerosis. However, few studies on the relationship between IR and intracranial (IC) atherosclerosis have been reported.

Relationship between flow diversion on transcranial Doppler sonography and leptomeningeal collateral circulation in patients with middle cerebral artery occlusive disorder.

Background: Flow diversion (FD) has been considered as indirect evidence of intracranial artery occlusion, and it was associated with early improvement in patients with MCA occlusion. It is not known whether FD can represent leptomeningeal collateral circulation or not in patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusive disorder.

Patients And Methods: FD was defined by increased velocity (>30%) in anterior or posterior cerebral artery (ACA, PCA) compared to contralateral analogs artery in patients with MCA occlusive disorder.

Modulation of neuronal activity by EGCG.

This study aims to investigate whether (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) affects neuronal activity of acutely isolated rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons in whole-cell configuration patch-clamp experiments. EGCG (0.5 and 1 muM) lowered the spontaneous firing rate and hyperpolarized the membrane potential of medial vestibular nuclear neurons.

A case of adult onset tic disorder following carbon monoxide intoxication.

Background: Adult onset tic disorders are usually secondary in origin. We report a case of adult onset tic disorder following carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication with typical magnetic resonance imaging features.

Case Report: A 36-year-old woman developed temporarily suppressible patterned movements on her face, neck, and shoulder associated with sensory discomfort after CO poisoning.

Genetic susceptibility to ischemic cerebrovascular disease in Koreans.

Ischemic cerebrovascular disease (ICVD) is a multifactorial disease caused by the interactions of several genetic and environmental factors. Tobacco smoke is a major cause of both cancer and vascular disease. Although its carcinogenic role via induction of DNA damage and mutation is well established, the mechanisms involved in vascular disease remain unclear.