Virtual forensic anthropology: Novel applications of anthropometry and technology in a child death case.

Full-body 3D virtual reconstructions were generated using 3D technology and anthropometry following the death of a young girl, allegedly from severe malnutrition as a result of abuse and neglect. Close range laser scanning, in conjunction with full colour digital texture photography, was used to document the child's condition shortly after death in order to demonstrate the number and pattern of injuries and to be able to demonstrate her condition forensically. Full-body digital reconstructions were undertaken to illustrate the extent of the malnutrition by comparing the processed post mortem scans with reconstructed images at normal weight for height and age. This is the first known instance of such an investigative tool.

Trigeminal ganglion neuron subtype-specific alterations of Ca(V)2.1 calcium current and excitability in a Cacna1a mouse model of migraine.

Familial hemiplegic migraine type-1 (FHM1), a monogenic subtype of migraine with aura, is caused by gain-of-function mutations in Ca(V)2.1 (P/Q-type) calcium channels. The consequences of FHM1 mutations on the trigeminovascular pathway that generates migraine headache remain largely unexplored. Here we studied the calcium currents and excitability properties of two subpopulations of small-diameter trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons from adult wild-type (WT) and R192Q FHM1 knockin (KI) mice: capsaicin-sensitive neurons without T-type calcium currents (CS) and capsaicin-insensitive neurons characterized by the expression of T-type calcium currents (CI-T). Small TG neurons retrogradely labelled from the dura are mostly CS neurons, while CI-T neurons were not present in the labelled population. CS and CI-T neurons express Ca(V)2.1 channels with different activation properties, and the Ca(V)2.1 channels are differently affected by the FHM1 mutation in the two TG neuron subtypes. In CI-T neurons from FHM1 KI mice there was a larger P/Q-type current density following mild depolarizations, a larger action potential (AP)-evoked calcium current and a longer AP duration when compared to CI-T neurons from WT mice. In striking contrast, the P/Q-type current density, voltage dependence and kinetics were not altered by the FHM1 mutation in CS neurons. The excitability properties of mutant CS neurons were also unaltered. Congruently, the FHM1 mutation did not alter depolarization-evoked CGRP release from the dura mater, while CGRP release from the trigeminal ganglion was larger in KI compared to WT mice. Our findings suggest that the facilitation of peripheral mechanisms of CGRP action, such as dural vasodilatation and nociceptor sensitization at the meninges, does not contribute to the generation of headache in FHM1.

Two unusual cases of anhidrosis.

Many disorders produce anhidrosis, including abnormalities of the central or peripheral nervous system. Tumors, infarcts, injuries, or hemorrhages of the brain can be the cause. We describe two patients with anhidrosis due to neurologic causes. One patient had an acquired complete left unilateral anhidrosis without an ipsilateral Horner's syndrome. The other patient showed the second case associated with congenital Horner's syndrome reported in the dermatologic literature. The patient with unilateral anhidrosis had multiple infarcts noted on computed axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of his head and spine, which were thought to be the cause of his anhidrosis. Congenital Horner's syndrome is rare, but can be differentiated from other causes of Horner's syndrome by the finding of hypochromia of the affected iris, as in our patient. We present two patients with anhidrosis due to conditions with which the practitioner may not be familiar.

Gaze-evoked visual seizures in nonketotic hyperglycemia.

Focal motor seizures are commonly a symptom of nonketotic hyperglycemia (NKH). Posture-induced motor seizures are less common but have been reported in some patients with this disorder. We report the first case of gaze-evoked sensory (visual) seizures in nonketotic hyperglycemia. Both seizures and ictal EEG findings disappeared shortly after hyperglycemia was corrected.

Transient global amnesia, epilepsy, and migraine: diagnostic comparisons and distinctions.

Transient global amnesia, epilepsy, and migraine are three common neurologic disorders likely to be encountered by military physicians. These three entities share many clinical, electroencephalographic, and pathophysiologic characteristics. We report a patient who exemplifies the indistinct boundaries among these conditions and whose response to treatment supports the use of anticonvulsants for selected patients who have recalcitrant migraine.