Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuralgia (ITN): Facts and Fiction.

In this paper the authors present neuroanatomical and neurophysiological arguments against the microvascular compression in the root entry zone of trigeminal nerve nerve as an ethiopathogenetic factor of ITN. Clinical experience has proven that compression of mixed sensorymotor nerve (peripheral or central one), cannot provoke paroxysmal neuralgic pain. The authors conclude that the well known fact that dental pulp has only pain sensory modality brings up the question what might be consequence of tooth extraction where neural fibers are broken in the innervation areas of maxillar and mandibular nerve.

The dynamics of soluble Fas/APO 1 apoptotic biochemical marker in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Purpose: Until recently, neuronal death in ischemic stroke infarction was ascribed exclusively to necrotic process. However, experimental animal models of cerebral ischemia suggest apoptosis to play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction. The aim of this study was to determine the level and monitor the dynamics of soluble Fas/APO 1 (sFas/APO 1) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of acute ischemic stroke patients.

[Evidence based guidelines for the treatment of primary headaches].

Some patients suffering from headache require neurologic examination. The objective of the guidelines for the treatment of headaches is to help physicians in their daily care for headache patients. In most patients, the diagnosis of migraine has not been made by a physician and they have not received appropriate care to treat migraine attacks.

Comparison of the growth hormone, IGF-1 and insulin in cerebrospinal fluid and serum between patients with motor neuron disease and healthy controls.

Neurotrophic effects of the growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and insulin on the central nervous system have become more apparent in the past decade. In this study, we measured serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of GH, IGF-1 and insulin in 35 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) [24 patients with definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 11 patients with progressive bulbar palsy] and in 40 healthy controls. Levels of serum concentrations of GH and IGF-1 did not significantly differ between the MND patient group and the healthy controls, while the level of insulin was significantly decreased (P = 0.

Growth hormone and insulin growth factor-I levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has several clinically different forms. Whereas the illness progresses slowly in most of the patients, 10% have an aggressively progressive course with fatal outcome without signs of remyelination capability. The process of remyelination depends on numerous interactive factors, including the presence of various growth factors, the most important of which in the adult is insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I).

Clinical variability of CMS-EA (congenital myasthenic syndrome with episodic apnea) due to identical CHAT mutations in two infants.

Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) result from mutations in various synapse-associated genes. Mutations in the choline acetyltransferase (CHAT) gene cause a presynaptic CMS associated with episodic apnea (CMS-EA). We present two unrelated Croatian children affected by CMS-EA.

Syncope: facts and fiction.

According to the current state-of-art on the brainstem functional anatomy and reticular formation, authors believe that nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) is the neural structure, which meets all the conditions of the hypothetical syncope generating, reflex centre. The afferent branch of this reflex arc represents information from different visceral sources including the brain itself. The efferent branch of this reflex arc is reticular activating system (RAS).

CD95/Fas expression on peripheral blood T lymphocytes in patients with multiple sclerosis: effect of high-dose methylprednisolone therapy.

Recent data indicate that the apoptotic process, mediated by the CD95/Fas cell surface receptor, is impaired in activated lymphocytes of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Using flow cytometric-immunophenotyping, we analyzed the expression of CD95/Fas on peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes (PBL) in 10 MS patients in relapse, and the effect of pulse corticosteroid therapy on the apoptosis of autoreactive lymphocytes. The proportions of CD8+ and CD8+CD95+ T lymphocytes were significantly higher in MS patients in relapse before than after pulse corticosteroid therapy.

Level of sFas/APO 1 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid in multiple sclerosis.

The aim of the study was to measure sFas/APO 1 serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) during relapses, as an index of inhibition of apoptosis of activated lymphocytes in eight patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis, and 12 healthy controls. The level of serum and CSF sFas/APO 1 was determined by commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. No significant differences were detected in the sFas/APO 1 serum level between patients and controls, but the levels in CSF was lower in the former.

Prevalence of the 550delA mutation in calpainopathy (LGMD 2A) in Croatia.

Mutations in the calpain 3 (CAPN3) gene are responsible for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type 2A. We report five causal mutations: 550delA, DeltaFWSAL, R541W, Y357X and R49H found on 45/50 of alleles studied in 25 unrelated families from Croatia. The 550delA mutation was present on 76% of CAPN3 chromosomes that led us to screen general population for this mutation; 532 random blood samples from three different regions were analyzed using allele-specific PCR.

[Isolated cervical spinal cord hemangioblastoma--case report].

Hemangioblastomas are rare tumors which account for 0.9-2.1% of central nervous system neoplasms.

Nervous system in the fibrillar theory of Giorgio Baglivi.

The drafts, epistles, headwords, and conceptual basis known as the fibrillar theory of Giorgio Baglivi, published in his book entitled De fibra motrice et morbosa, were analyzed in an attempt to re-evaluate Baglivi's contribution, generally considered quite modest, to the development of scientific thought on the nervous system functions. The analysis revealed Baglivi's identification of the reflex organization, vegetative nervous system function, and neural aspect of the vasomotor function to be surprisingly valuable. I believe that the lucidity and genuine contemporariness of Baglivi's standpoints arise the question of the historical precedence in the discovery of these functions (it is usually attributed to F.

The carcinostatic and proapoptotic potential of 4-hydroxynonenal in HeLa cells is associated with its conjugation to cellular proteins.

Background: Previous studies have shown that the lipid peroxidation product 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) acts as a cell growth modulator if used at low, physiological concentrations being strongly cytotoxic at higher concentrations for a number of cells. These effects of HNE also appeared to be mutually dependent on the effects of serum growth factors. The aim of this investigation was to study the concentration-dependent response of human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells in vitro with respect to the intracellular uptake of exogenous HNE, the cellular energy metabolism, DNA synthesis, overall gene expression and susceptibility to apoptosis.

[Euthanasia].

The paper gives a historical overview, and describes psychosociological constellation and tactics of the euthanasia movement. Further, medicosocial experiment and medicolegal engineering which preceded it and followed it are presented on the example of euthanasia in The Netherlands. Legal, ethical, formally logical and psychological arguments against euthanasia are presented.

Clinical variability and molecular diagnosis in a four-generation family with X-linked Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy.

Aim: To describe the clinical variability of X-linked Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (X-EDMD) with cardiac involvement in a four-generation family with a novel mutation in the STA gene.

Methods: Clinical data were provided for 4 affected males and a female carrier. The Western blot analysis of emerin was performed on lymphoblastoid cell lines and followed by sequencing of the emerin gene.

Role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the pathogenesis of migraine attacks.

Neuroanatomic, morphometric, immunocytochemical, neurobiochemical and clinical data support the hypothesis that the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus might be the initial site of migraine attacks. The prodromal phase of a migraine attack could be considered a syndrome of functional suprachiasmatic nucleus insufficiency, and other phases a reactive denervation hypersensitivity with the affection of the visual, nociceptive, antinociceptive and cranial vasomotor system.

Epileptic seizures as a symptom of various neurological diseases.

The authors evaluate the most frequent causes of seizures in 562 patients admitted at the emergency out-patient ward because of fits. 194 patients were admitted because of the first occurrence of seizures, in 12 of them the first manifestation was status epilepticus of the generalized (8), or focal type (4). The commonest causes of seizures were alcoholism (82), disturbances of the brain blood flow (74), posttraumatic states (20), brain tumor (4), or encephalopathies.

Primary trigeminal neuralgia (algophoric deafferentation hypersensitivity syndrome).

In the article the author presents his theory of the pathogenesis of primary trigeminal neuralgia, explaining the occurrence of this mysterious disease by algophoric deafferentation hypersensitivity. Tooth extraction is the sole cause of algophoric deafferentation hypersensitivity, which, culminating in epileptiform discharges of the trigeminal nociceptive pathway neurons, leads to clinical features of characteristic neuralgic paroxysms. Trigger mechanism is explained by ephaptic transmission between the broken fibers for phasic pain of the tooth pulp and neighbouring fibers of epicritic and proprioceptive sensitivity.

Intravenous chlormethiazole in the management of primary trigeminal neuralgia resistant to conventional therapy.

The therapeutic efficacy of 0.8% chlormethiazole, administered as 3-10 intravenous infusions each lasting 5-6 h on alternate days, was assessed in an uncontrolled study of 16 patients, aged 44-82 years, with primary trigeminal neuralgia. Prior to entry into the study, patients showed a high frequency of neuralgic paroxysms (20-70 attacks/day) which were refractory to high dosages (1600-2000 mg/day) of carbamazepine.