Cross-cultural standardization of the South Texas Assessment of Neurocognition in India.

Background & objectives: Despite the central role of cognition for mental disorders most studies have been conducted in western countries. Similar research from other parts of the world, particularly India, is very limited. As a first step in closing this gap this cross-cultural comparability study of the South Texas Assessment of Neurocognition (STAN) battery was conducted between USA and India. Methods: One hundred healthy adults from Kerala, India, were administered six language independent subtests of the Java Neuropsychological Test (JANET) version of the STAN, assessing aspects of general intellectual ability (Matrix Reasoning), attention (Identical Pairs Continuous Performance, 3 Symbol Version Test; IPCPTS), working memory (Spatial Capacity Delayed Response Test; SCAP), response inhibition (Stop Signal Reaction Time; SSRT), Emotional Recognition and Risk taking (Balloon Analogue Risk Task; BART). Test results were compared to a demographically matched US sample. Results: Overall test performance in the Kerala sample was comparable to that of the US sample and commensurate to that generally described in studies from western countries. Interpretation & conclusions: Our results support the metric equivalence of currently available cognitive test batteries developed in western countries for use in India. However, the sample was restricted to individuals who were literate and had completed basic primary and secondary education.

Fenitoina sodica (difenilhidantoinato de sodio) para el tratamiento de epilepsias con crisis generalizadas en adolescentes y adultos. / Sodium phenytoin (sodium diphenylhydantoinate) in the treatment of epilepsies with generalized crises in adolescents and adults

Se refiere la experiencia del tratamiento con fenitoina sodica en 20 pacientes adolescentes y adultos con epilepsia generalizada, tipo "gran mal". Se hace enfasis en la utilidad del control de la terapia mediante la determinacion de niveles sericos por el metodo de inmunoensayo mediante enzimas, comparando los resultados obtenidos con los informados en la literatura internacional. El control por EEG corrobora los resultados clinicos y refleja el mantenimiento de niveles sericos utiles.Se analizan los efectos colaterales de acuerdo a su severidad y su relacion con la concentracion serica del medicamento, confirmandose ampliamente las observaciones de otros autores. El estudio con TAC proporciona datos similares a otros recientemente encontrados, pero senala una situacion propia a la patologia cerebral de Mexico

Hallazgos de la tomografia axil computarizada en la encefalopatia tuberculosa. / Findings in computerized axil tomography of tuberculous encephalopathy

Se presenta el caso de una mujer con tuberculosis pulmonar de tipo miliar que desarrollo una encefalopatia difusa con signos de hipertension endocraneal sin manifestaciones clinicas de meningitis. La tomografia axil computarizada revelo disminucion en la densidad de la substancia blanca y multiples lesiones nodulares, que se observaron con mayor nitidez al inyectar medio de contraste por via endovenosa. En la literatura revisada no se encontro ningun caso semejante, por lo que consideramos que esta es la primera comunicacion de los hallazgos en la tomografia axil computarizada de un paciente con tuberculosis miliar, acompanada de encefalopaptia difusa por diseminacion hematogena y sin meningitis