Receptive amusia: temporal auditory processing deficit in a professional musician following a left temporo-parietal lesion.

This study examined the musical processing in a professional musician who suffered from amusia after a left temporo-parietal stroke. The patient showed preserved metric judgement and normal performance in all aspects of melodic processing. By contrast, he lost the ability to discriminate or reproduce rhythms.

[Primary genital herpes with sacral meningoradiculitis].

Herpetic genital infection is a common sexually transmitted disease, caused in most cases by type 2 Herpes simplex virus (HSV2). This virus is characterized by its neurotropic properties and its ability to establish latency in sacral sensory ganglions. Some cases of genital primo-infection are complicated by viral replication dissemination to neigbhoring nerve structures like meninges and radicular terminations.

Does insomnia in prison improve with time? Prospective study among remanded prisoners using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.

Insomnia is a frequent health problem in prison, but little is known about its severity and duration. The objective was to find out whether subjective sleep quality improves during time and which factors influence improvement. Fifty-two randomly chosen prisoners complaining of insomnia at the Geneva remand prison were interviewed (T1) and followed up ten days (T2) and two months (T3) later.

Bleeding Meckel's diverticulum diagnosis: an unusual indication for computed tomography.

Despite the wide use of modern investigation techniques, the diagnosis of complications related to Meckel's diverticulum (MD) remains difficult. Arteriography is commonly indicated for acute bleeding, and radionuclide scans may help in identifying the site of intestinal hemorrhage. In contrast, computed tomography (CT) is usually considered little use in the diagnosis of bleeding MD.

[Sonography of the hand and wrist].

In the recent years US has gained wide diffusion as a useful imaging tool in the evaluation of musculoskeletal disorders. Recognized advantages of US over the other imaging modalities are low costs, non-invasiveness, possibility to perform a dynamic examination and readiness. Unfortunately, US has a long learning curve and allows good results only when performed by well-trained and experienced examiners.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the anus: another sexually transmitted disease.

During the past 30 years, there has been remarkable progress in our understanding of the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus. It is now accepted that anal cancer is a sexually transmitted disease, which can be cured using a combination of chemo- and radiotherapy. The biology of anal cancer remains to be elucidated, as do the molecular mechanisms involved in resistance to chemoradiation.

Secondary infections in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Clinicians have long since been aware that bacteria and other microorganisms play a role in the etiology of atopic dermatitis. Indeed, the immunological profile of atopy favors colonization by Staphylococcus aureus, and the bacteria are present in most patients with atopic dermatitis, even in the absence of skin lesions. Clinical signs of impetiginization, such as weeping and crusting, periauricular fissuration, or small superficial pustules are a sensitive indicator that the numbers of S.

Acceleration of human myoblast fusion by depolarization: graded Ca2+ signals involved.

We have previously shown that human myoblasts do not fuse when their voltage fails to reach the domain of a window T-type Ca(2+) current. We demonstrate, by changing the voltage in the window domain, that the Ca(2+) signal initiating fusion is not of the all-or-none type, but can be graded and is interpreted as such by the differentiation program. This was carried out by exploiting the properties of human ether-à-go-go related gene K(+) channels that we found to be expressed in human myoblasts.

Imaging of fractures of the lateral process of the talus, a frequently missed diagnosis.

Although if fractures of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) have been considered rare the widespread diffusion in snowboard practice has resulted in a dramatic increase in their frequency. If unrecognized they can result in secondary osteoarthritis of the ankle and/or talo-calcaneal joints and chronic pain and stiffness. Due to the complex anatomy of the region, these fractures are difficult to detect by standard radiographs.

Assessment of valve disease: qualitative and quantitative.

Evaluation of valve disease has changed significantly with the development of color Doppler echocardiography. Nevertheless, this technique has limitations, particularly in the assessment of valvular regurgitation. MR imaging, with its ability to provide three-dimensional morphologic data, dynamic cine information, and functional evaluation with flow-sensitive techniques, can be envisioned as a complementary noninvasive modality, able to provide the complete information required for planning therapeutic options.

Sonographic diagnosis of talar lateral process fracture.

The frequency of fractures of the lateral process of the talus (LPT) has markedly increased because of the expansion of snowboard activity. These lesions are difficult to diagnose, because they have aspecific signs, and standard radiographs do not show the fractures in 50% of cases. Sonography is used more and more in the assessment of ankle trauma, but it is rarely performed for detection of bone fractures.

European experience of docetaxel and cisplatin in advanced gastric cancer.

The combination of docetaxel with cisplatin in gastric cancer is a promising development. In a phase II study, 85-100 mg/m2 docetaxel plus 75 mg/m2 cisplatin was established as an active regimen in advanced gastric cancer (with an overall response rate of 56%) with a manageable safety profile. Up to 300 mg/m2 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) given by continuous infusion for 2 of 3 weeks can be added to this regimen without an increase in appreciable toxicity.

Isotropic apparent diffusion coefficient mapping of postnatal cerebral development.

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) allows us to image the motion of tissue water. This has been used to demonstrate acute ischaemia. Diffusion imaging is also sensitive to water movement along neuronal tracts.

Adrenal cortical phaeochromocytoma: a case report of a rare entity.

Adrenal cortical phaeochromocytomas (pseudo-phaeochromocytomas) are a very rare entity and a diagnostic challenge. Of the few cases previously reported, most have incomplete data or lack clinical and biochemical follow-up documenting the cure of the excess secretion of catecholamines after resection of the tumour. We report herein a 62-year-old patient with clinical and biochemical findings diagnostic of a phaeochromocytoma associated with a 2-cm adrenal mass on CT scan.

[Effects of equiosmolar load of 20% mannitol, 7.5% saline and 0.9% saline on plasma osmolarity, haemodynamics and plasma concentrations of electrolytes].

Objectives: Mannitol 20% (M) and NaCl 7.5% (H) are hypertonic solutions used in-patient in hypovolaemic shock and in case of increased ICP. To our knowledge no study in humans compared them in an equiosmolar load.

[Practice experience with topical calcineurin inhibitors].

The clinical experience with topical calcineurin inhibitors in the field is still rudimentary, if compared to our knowledge of topical corticosteroids. This is especially true for the long-term effects. The systemic transcutaneous absorption that occurs during the therapy of atopic dermatitis is quantitatively irrelevant.

A tale of two colons and two cancers. Distinct carcinogenesis and clinical outcome according to location proximal or distal to the splenic flexure.

The central hypothesis explored in this paper is that colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease. The initial clue to this heterogeneity was provided by genetic findings; however, embryological and physiological data had previously been gathered, showing that proximal (in relation to the splenic flexure) and distal parts of the colon represent distinct entities. Molecular biologists have identified two distinct pathways, microsatellite instability (MSI) and chromosomal instability (CIN), which are involved in CRC progression.

Mapping of the neuronal networks of human cortical brain functions.

Objective: The principles and methodology of event-related fMRI, electromagnetic source imaging and intracranial evoked potentials will be described along with some examples of the mapping of the neuronal networks of human cortical brain functions with the use of these techniques.

Introduction: Functional brain mapping using PET or fMRI has provided clues on the functioning brain and notably on the functional neuroanatomy of cognitive functions. These mapping possibilities can be used to delineate in an individual patient the brain areas subserving a cerebral function that might be compromised by a surgery in a nearby location, or to target a functional neurosurgical procedure.

Malaria: still a threat to travellers.

Each year, some 25-30 million international travellers from non-tropical regions visit malaria endemic countries. Up to 10,000 cases of malaria are imported into industrialised countries with an average case fatality rate of around 1%. Malaria still poses a real threat to travellers, particularly in areas with high transmission such as sub-Saharan Africa, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific islands.