American Clinical Neurophysiology Society Guideline 5: Minimum Technical Standards for Pediatric Electroencephalography.

This revision to the EEG Guidelines is an update incorporating the current electroencephalography technology and practice. It was previously published as Guideline 2. Similar to the prior guideline, it delineates the aspects of Guideline 1 that should be modified for neonates and young children.

American Clinical Neurophysiology Society Guideline 5: Minimum Technical Standards for Pediatric Electroencephalography.

This revision to the EEG Guidelines is an update incorporating the current electroencephalography technology and practice. It was previously published as Guideline 2. Similar to the prior guideline, it delineates the aspects of Guideline 1 that should be modified for neonates and young children.

Toxic erythema of chemotherapy following leukemia cutis.

A 56-year-old Caucasian male newly diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) M3 presented with a six-week history of multiple painful erythematous nodules scattered on his trunk and extremities, previously treated as abscesses with incision and drainage plus oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole without improvement. A punch biopsy was performed, and the histopathology and immunostaining profile were compatible with leukemia cutis secondary to AML. Induction chemotherapy for AML with cytarabine, etoposide, and mitoxantrone was initiated.

Hounsfield unit changes over time in contusions of the brain.

In the United States, traumatic brain injuries are an important cause of death and disability, often with significant financial and legal consequences. Although it is generally accepted by neuroradiologists that the density of cerebral contusions decreases over time, previous research has not addressed this phenomenon directly. In the current study, we reviewed charts of patients who had suffered cerebral contusions and had at least two subsequent computed tomography scans in order to determine whether Hounsfield Units, a measure of density, decreased over time.

Frizzled 7 expression is positively regulated by SIRT1 and β-catenin in breast cancer cells.

The Wnt signaling pathway is often chronically activated in diverse human tumors, and the Frizzled (FZD) family of receptors for Wnt ligands, are central to propagating oncogenic signals in a β-catenin-dependent and independent manner. SIRT1 is a class III histone deacetylase (HDAC) that deacetylates histone and non-histone proteins to regulate gene transcription and protein function. We previously demonstrated that SIRT1 loss of function led to a significant decrease in the levels of Dishevelled (Dvl) proteins.

Knockdown of core binding factorβ alters sphingolipid metabolism.

Core binding factor (CBF) is a heterodimeric transcription factor containing one of three DNA-binding proteins of the Runt-related transcription factor family (RUNX1-3) and the non-DNA-binding protein, CBFβ. RUNX1 and CBFβ are the most common targets of chromosomal rearrangements in leukemia. CBF has been implicated in other cancer types; for example RUNX1 and RUNX2 are implicated in cancers of epithelial origin, including prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers.

SIRT1 positively regulates breast cancer associated human aromatase (CYP19A1) expression.

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in women diagnosed with cancer. In breast cancer, aberrant expression of the CYP19A1 gene, which encodes the aromatase enzyme, contributes to increased intratumoral levels of estradiol. Regardless of whether this estrogen is produced by peripheral tissues or within specific subpopulations of cells within the breast tumor, it is clear that the aromatase enzymatic activity is critical for the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors.

Chronic resveratrol treatment restores vascular responsiveness of cerebral arterioles in type 1 diabetic rats.

Decreased dilation of cerebral arterioles via an increase in oxidative stress may be a contributing factor in the pathogenesis of diabetes-induced complications leading to cognitive dysfunction and/or stroke. Our goal was to determine whether resveratrol, a polyphenolic compound present in red wine, has a protective effect on cerebral arterioles during type 1 diabetes (T1D). We measured the responses of cerebral arterioles in untreated and resveratrol-treated (10 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1)) nondiabetic and diabetic rats to endothelial (eNOS) and neuronal (nNOS) nitric oxide synthase (NOS)-dependent agonists and to a NOS-independent agonist.

Theiler's virus infection: Pathophysiology of demyelination and neurodegeneration.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has been suggested to be an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), whose primary target is either myelin itself, or myelin-forming cells, the oligodendrocytes. Although axonal damage occurs in MS, it is regarded as a secondary event to the myelin damage. Here, the lesion develops from the myelin (outside) to the axons (inside) "Outside-In model".

Clinically presenting acute/subacute ischemic stroke: differential diagnosis of the non-enhanced CT hypodensity by advanced neuroimaging.

Objectives: Patients presenting to the emergency room with an acute or subacute onset of focal neurological deficits are evaluated initially by non-contrast computed tomogram (CT) of the brain. This is primarily carried out to differentiate an ischemic from hemorrhagic stroke. However, other neurological conditions may have a similar clinical presentation as well as only hypodensities on CT scan, thus mimicking ischemic stroke.

Childhood and teenage stroke.

Objective: The purpose of this manuscript is to review the various etiologies and to discuss the therapeutic issues in childhood stroke.

Methods: A PubMed search of literature pertaining to childhood stroke was conducted from 1983 to 2008 using specific key search words pertinent to cerebrovascular disorders in childhood.

Results: The analysis of the multiple causes of childhood stroke including arterial ischemic strokes and cerebral venous thrombosis was presented.

Stair design in the United States and obesity: the need for a change.

Background: Maintenance of healthy body weight is a function of total energy expenditure including household and workplace activity. Light to moderate physical activity has been found to be effective in motivating sedentary and obese individuals, and is at least as effective as structured exercise in lowering weight in some studies.

Discussion: Stair use offers a promising intervention for increasing physical activity, because it involves a lifestyle choice that must be made (people must get to their destination), and it requires no personal financial cost.

In vitro effects of coronary angiography: unknown clinical implications.

In coronary angiography, contrast media (a non-physiologic solution) comes in direct contact with coronary arteries endothelium, and a foreign body, the polyurethane and polyethylene material of the cardiac catheter, oscillates on endothelium. The endothelium differential responses to various mechanical stimuli include: intracellular calcium influx, release of endothelin and substance P, vascular free radical generation, enhancement of platelet-derived growth factor-A (PDGF-A) mRNA, PDGF-A, upregulation of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 mRNA and protein, enhanced lymphocyte adhesion, upregulation of endothelin mRNA and protein, and stimulation of low density lipoprotein metabolism, increase of interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein. Contrast media effects include: change of endothelial cell morphology and exposure of extracellular matrix, increase adhesiveness to leukocytes, decrease production of nitrous oxide, vasoconstriction with some agents, factor XII activation, increase in the release of kallikrein, bradykinin, histamine, serotonin, and leukotriene B4, and variable effects of platelet activation and aggregation.

Pilot analysis of presentations at meetings of the American Contact Dermatitis Society and the European Society of Contact Dermatitis.

Background: The largest meetings on contact dermatitis are those of the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS) and the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD).

Objective: To document the topics presented at these meetings and their presenters' countries of origin.

Methods: Review of abstracts from the 2006 ESCD meeting and the 2005 and 2006 ACDS meetings.

Stress test: a primer for primary care physicians.

Although stress testing is generally a safe procedure, complications may occur. Types of stress tests include electrocardiographic exercise stress test, myocardial imaging exercise stress test, and myocardial imaging pharmacological stress tests. Nuclear imaging stress test is a preferable modality in women.

The role of sirtuin proteins in obesity.

Although the progressive metabolic changes associated with obesity are complex, it is well-recognized that obesity is a risk factor for the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Because both obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated with insulin resistance, there is significant interest in defining the mechanistic basis for insulin resistance. Recent studies involving SIRT1, the most intensely studied sirtuin family member, have shown that it regulates many metabolic adaptations linked with obesity.

Active Stat3 is required for survival of human squamous cell carcinoma cells in serum-free conditions.

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the skin is the most aggressive form of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), and is the single most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S., with over one million new cases reported each year.

Identification of a novel splice variant of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis-associated factor 1.

XAF1 (XIAP-associated factor 1) binds to XIAP and blocks its anti-apoptotic activity. It has been reported that XAF1 is mainly expressed in normal tissues but is missing or present at low levels in most cancer cell lines, which implies a tumor-suppressing function. In the present study we describe the identification of a novel splice variant of human XAF1, designated XAF1C, which contains a cryptic exon.

Clinical aspects of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology affecting both articular tissues and extraarticular organs. The disease is often progressive and results in pain, stiffness, and swelling of joints culminating in significant morbidity and increased mortality. This chapter discusses the epidemiology, possible etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic approach and treatment options of RA.

Cutaneous vasculitis.

Vasculitis is defined as inflammation of blood vessels and can affect multiple organs. Several classification systems exist to categorize vasculitis such as vessel size, presence of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, pathogenesis of the inflammation, and type of inflammatory cell infiltrate. Cutaneous vasculitis occurs as a manifestation of many diseases including rheumatologic diseases, hypersensitivity syndromes, infections, and malignancies.

Antecedent ethanol ingestion prevents postischemic leukocyte adhesion and P-selectin expression by a protein kinase C-dependent mechanism.

The aim of this study was to determine whether protein kinase C (PKC) contributed to the effects of ethanol ingestion to prevent P-selectin expression, leukocyte rolling (LR), and stationary leukocyte adhesion (LA) induced by subjecting the small bowel to ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) 24 hr later. I/R increased P-selectin expression, LR, and LA, effects that were largely abolished by antecedent ethanol consumption. Exposing the bowel to a specific but nonisoform-selective PKC inhibitor (chelerythrine or bisindolylmaleimide I) during the period of ethanol exposure did not alter the anti-inflammatory effects induced by ethanol ingestion 24 hr prior to I/R.