Reversible slurred speech related to capecitabine and lapatinib combination in patients with breast cancer.

Capecitabine plus lapatinib combination is an effective chemotherapy regimen in patients with advanced breast cancer. Neurological adverse effects secondary to this regimen were reported rarely in literature. A woman with breast cancer presented with complaints of slurred speech while using the capecitabine and lapatinib combination. Her major complaint was slurred speech. No other radiologic or laboratory disorders were detected in the patient. Slurred speech improved one week after the capecitabine and lapatinib combination was discontinued without any further intervention.

Acoustic effects of carbamazepine in benign rolandic epilepsy.

Subtle specific interference with language function has been suspected in benign rolandic epilepsy (BRE) because of the location of the seizure focus. The aim of this study was to investigate the language and speech problems in BRE and the changes after medication with carbamazepine. Benign rolandic epilepsy patients (n=11) who met ILAE criteria were assessed for standardized full articulation. Speech problems were present in BRE patients and worsened after medication. The error pattern of laryngeal articulation in BRE was exclusively the substitution of stop consonants, and these errors increased after medication (6% vs 13%). In this study, the variation in acoustic parameters after carbamazepine was similar to the hypokinetic pattern of articulation abnormalities. Our findings suggest that BRE patients treated with carbamazepine should be monitored for language and speech problems.

Comparative study of the phonology of preschool children prenatally exposed to cocaine and multiple drugs and non-exposed children.

Cocaine and multiple drug abuse among young adults has spawned research interest in fetal exposure and the sequela of that exposure during the formative developmental years. Previous study of the language development of exposed children has not specifically addressed phonological acquisition. In the present study, the speech of 25 children prenatally exposed to cocaine and multiple drugs was analyzed and compared to that of 25 children who were not prenatally exposed to determine if differences were evident in their phonological patterns. The children ranged in age from 22 months to 51 months. The number and type of phonological processes produced, number of utterances needed to produce a 50-word sample, number of unintelligible words produced, and Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) scores were recorded and analyzed. The use of cocaine and multiple drugs during pregnancy was associated with an increase in the use of phonological processes.

[Encephalopathy after poisoning with organic mercury compounds]. / Encefalopatia po zatruciu zwiazkami organicznymi rteci.

Organic mercury compounds have greatest affinity to the central nervous system (cerebellar white matter, basal ganglia, occipital and frontal cortex). Anatomical changes observed in the brain are of degenerative type. Similar changes are found also in the myocardium, liver and kidneys. The authors observed for 2 years a family of three persons who contracted poisoning with organic mercury compounds after easting the meat of pigs and hens fed through negligence with wheat destined for sowing, containing methyl-mercurocyanoguanidine. The level of total mercury determined by the method of cold atomic absorption was in these patients four months after poisoning 650,500 and 175 ng/ml of blood (normal value from 1.56 to 18.72 ng/ml). During the observation it has been established that the severity of poisoning was related to the level of mercury found in the organism. Pharmacological treatment (Cuprenil, Thioctacid, vitamin B complex) and rehabilitation brough slight improvement after 2 years. Two patients with total blood mercury level 650 and 500 ng/ml were completely disabled due to encephalopathy with high grade ataxia, dysarthria and concentric narrowing of the field of vision. In the third patients with less severe poisoning (175 ng/ml) pathological manifestations disappeared completely after short treatment.