Early use of donepezil against psychosis and cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease: a randomised controlled trial for 2 years.

Objectives: Brain acetylcholine is decreased even in patients with cognitively preserved Parkinson's disease (PD). We investigated whether early and long-term use of donepezil prevents psychosis in non-demented PD patients.

Methods: A double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial was conducted.

Neutrophil extracellular traps in neuropathy with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody-associated microscopic polyangiitis.

To clarify the roles of neutrophils in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitic neuropathy, we studied neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in peripheral nerve vasculitis. Stored nerve samples from 17 patients with microscopic polyangiitis (MPA) were immunohistochemically analyzed using antibodies for citrullinated histone H3 (citH3) and various neutrophil enzymes. We defined merged citH3 and extracellularly released myeloperoxidase (MPO) as NET formation.

Impact of glucocerebrosidase mutations on motor and nonmotor complications in Parkinson's disease.

Homozygous mutations of the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) cause Gaucher disease (GD), and heterozygous mutations of GBA are a major risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). This study examined the impact of GBA mutations on the longitudinal clinical course of PD patients by retrospective cohort design. GBA-coding regions were fully sequenced in 215 PD patients and GD-associated GBA mutations were identified in 19 (8.

[Pneumonitis induced by rifampicin].

An 86-year-old male with pulmonary tuberculosis developed fever, rash, and interstitial pneumonia 3 weeks after the beginning of treatment with isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP), and ethambutol (EB). Chest CT showed new infiltration shadows that were diffuse bilateral ground-glass opacities mixed with dense consolidation and septal thickening, accompanied by a small amount of pleural effusion. Drug-induced pneumonitis was suspected, and therefore the antituberculous regimen was discontinued.

Two subtypes of Churg-Strauss syndrome with neuropathy: the roles of eosinophils and ANCA.

The aim of this study was to clarify the differences in the pathogenesis of neuropathy between myeloperoxidase-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA)-positive and -negative patients with Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS). Eight MPO-ANCA-positive and 14 MPO-ANCA-negative patients were included. In addition to the standard histology, nerve biopsies were examined, employing immunohistochemistry for eosinophil major basic protein and electron microscopy.

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha may be a marker for vasculitic neuropathy.

Neuromuscular biopsy is still an essential method for diagnosing vasculitic neuropathy, although its diagnostic sensitivity is at most 60%. Our objective was to examine the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1alpha) in peripheral nerves and to evaluate its usefulness in diagnosing vasculitic neuropathy, especially for discrimination from other axonal neuropathies. Forty-one patients with vasculitic neuropathy consisting of 20 definite, 14 probable and seven possible diagnoses, 15 patients with metabolic neuropathy, five with motor neuron disease and six with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy were included.

[Falls in peripheral neuropathy].

Falling accidents are predisposing factors in worsening the quality of life. Causes of falls included gait and balance problems, visual disorder, cognitive impairment and drugs. However, falls in neuropathic patients are not often investigated.

Serum levels of interleukin 4 and soluble CD23 in children with allergic disorders.

Unlabelled: In order to clarify the clinical significance of serum interleukin 4 (IL-4) levels, we measured serum IL-4 concentrations in allergic and non-allergic children using a highly sensitive sandwich ELISA. The limit of detection of the assay was 0.15 pg/ml in serum samples.

Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IgM antibody and its complement activation in children with bronchial asthma.

Western blotting analysis and ELISA were used to examine Dp specific IgM abs in the sera and sputa of bronchial asthmatic and non-atopic children. With Western blotting Dp specific IgM abs were detected binding diffusely to high molecular weight (greater than 65 kD) components of Dp extracts and from the intensities of the staining of the sera the asthmatic children were divided into two groups: an intensive staining and a faint staining group. The non-atopic children showed still fainter staining than the latter group.

Observation of eye movement with noctovision.

A two-channel new noctovision system is reported. The adoption of a small CCD infrared camera, noctovision has become convenient for clinical use as Frenzel's glass. The composition of system and 7 clinical cases are reported.