Long-term evolution of EEG in Unverricht-Lundborg disease.

Objectives: To describe the EEG characteristics of patients with Unverricht-Lundborg disease (ULD) and their changes during the long-term evolution of the disease.

Methods: A retrospective study including all patients with ULD confirmed by molecular biology and more than 15 years' duration of disease progression at the time of inclusion. EEGs were recorded at inclusion, 2 years and 5 years of follow-up.

Season of birth and multiple sclerosis in Tunisia.

Background: Recent studies on date of birth of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed an association between month of birth and the risk of developing MS. This association has not been investigated in an African country.

Objective: We aimed to determine if the risk of MS is associated with month of birth in Tunisia.

Clinical features and disability progression in multiple sclerosis in Tunisia: do we really have a more aggressive disease course?

Background: Few epidemiological data are available on multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in North Africa (NA). Studies of immigrants from NA showed a more aggressive course compared to European patients.

Objective: The aim of this study is to describe clinical and long term course characteristics of MS in Tunisia and to compare it to European cohorts.

Bipolar disorder and multiple sclerosis: a case series.

Background: The prevalence of psychiatric disturbance for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) is higher than that observed in other chronic health conditions. We report three cases of MS and bipolar disorder and we discuss the possible etiological hypothesis and treatment options.

Observations: All patients fulfilled the McDonald criteria for MS.

[The arteriovenous fistula is an additional risk factor for developing carpal tunnel syndrome in hemodialysis patients].

Introduction: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequent entrapment neuropathy reported in patients with renal failure undergoing periodic haemodialysis. The role of arteriovenous fistula was discussed. The aim of this study was to investigate this relationship.

Differential diagnosis of hallucinations in a patient with myasthenia gravis.

We present the case of a 63-year-old woman with comorbidity of myasthenia gravis and psychosis. Different diagnostic hypotheses based on a review of the literature are discussed. A protracted history of physical spousal abuse, patient symptoms, and results of different investigations allowed us to conclude that the patient had a form of posttraumatic stress disorder with secondary psychotic features.

Hot water epilepsy with pachygyria.

Hot water epilepsy (HWE) refers to a specific type of reflex epilepsy precipitated by the stimulus of bathing in hot water. Pathogenesis is still unknown and temporal lobe has been thought to take part in the epileptogenesis. HWE can be symptomatic of focal cortical malformation, and few cases were reported.

Familial form of typical childhood absence epilepsy in a consanguineous context.

Causative genes for childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) are unknown partly because families are small or phenotypically heterogeneous. In five consanguineous Tunisian families with at least two sibs with CAE, 14 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for CAE (Epilepsia 1989; 30:389-399). Linkage analyses or direct sequencing excluded CACNG2, CACNA1A, CACNB4, and CACNA2D2, orthologs of genes responsible for autosomal recessive (AR) absence seizures in mice.

[Posterior cerebral encephalopathy].

Posterior reversible encephalopathy (PRE) is a recent syndrome characterized by headache, vomiting, seizures, visual loss, altered mental status with or without motor or sensitive deficit. Neuroimaging demonstrates symmetrical posterior cortical and subcortical lesions. The aetiology remains uncertain but vascular hypotheses is the most retained.