Subject(s)
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis/complications , Immunocompetence , Neuromyelitis Optica/complications , Adult , Cytomegalovirus Retinitis/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neuromyelitis Optica/drug therapy , Spinal Cord/pathology , Spinal Cord/virology , Steroids/therapeutic useABSTRACT
Gene polymorphisms of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibition (TAFI) factor have been investigated in various studies in terms of etiology (recurrence) and treatment (fibrinolytic effect) of thrombus formation. Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a life-threatening disease observed in young persons. Fifty-nine patients with CVT and 100 healthy control subjects were enrolled in the case/control study. The association between TAFI gene polymorphisms -438G>A, +505A>G and +1040C>T and cerebral venous thrombosis was investigated. It was found that frequencies of polymorphic genotype and allele were not different in patients than in control group and that they were not significant for cerebral venous thrombosis.
Subject(s)
Cerebral Veins/physiopathology , Histone Acetyltransferases/genetics , Intracranial Thrombosis/genetics , Intracranial Thrombosis/pathology , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , TATA-Binding Protein Associated Factors/genetics , Transcription Factor TFIID/genetics , Adult , Case-Control Studies , Chi-Square Distribution , DNA Mutational Analysis , Female , Gene Frequency , Genotype , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Angiography , Male , Middle Aged , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study described here was to evaluate interictal heart rate variability (HRV) in young patients with epilepsy, a patient population in whom sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is known to be more common. METHODS: Twenty-four-hour ambulatory ECG Holter recordings of 37 patients (15-40 years old) and 32 healthy controls were compared. RESULTS: All of the time domain indices (SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, and HRV triangular index) were significantly suppressed (P<0.001), and there was a marked reduction in parasympathetic tone (reduced HF(nu,)P<0.001) and an increase in sympathetic tone (increased LF(nu) and LF/HF ratio, P<0.001) in the patient group. Stepwise linear regression analysis revealed that polytherapy and epilepsy duration >10 years were independent variables associated with a reduction in SDNN. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the major determinants of suppressed SDNN are polytherapy and epilepsy duration >10 years. Analysis of spectral measures of frequency domain indices suggests that an increased sympathetic tone in association with a decreased parasympathetic tone may constitute the mechanism underlying SUDEP in young people with epilepsy.
Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/pharmacology , Epilepsy/drug therapy , Heart Rate/drug effects , Adolescent , Adult , Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use , Death, Sudden, Cardiac , Drug Therapy, Combination , Electrocardiography , Electrocardiography, Ambulatory/methods , Epilepsy/physiopathology , Female , Humans , Male , Predictive Value of Tests , Regression Analysis , Statistics, Nonparametric , Time Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The possible occurrence of evoked potential (EP) abnormalities in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy has been little investigated. The main purpose of the present study was to investigate possible changes in pattern-reversal visual evoked potential (P-VEP) responses in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients. METHODS: By using P-VEPs, latency values of the N75 and P100 together with amplitude values of P100 were recorded in newly diagnosed idiopathic epilepsy patients. The patients comprised two groups; nonphotosensitive (non-PS), and photosensitive (PS) patients. RESULTS: Shortened N75 and normal P100 latencies of the P-VEP with higher than normal P100 amplitudes were detected in PS patients. In non-PS patients, N75 latencies of the P-VEPs were unaffected; however, P100 latencies were prolonged, and P100 amplitudes were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: P-VEPs are different from those of controls in previously untreated idiopathic epilepsy patients. Results also indicate different P-VEP features in patients with and without photoparoxysmal responses. The changes might be the result of a disorder of one or more neurotransmitters or subtle morphologic damage such as microdysgenesis.
