Revista de neurologia
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Revista de neurologia · Apr 2009
Case Reports[Spinal cord hemorrhage complicating diagnostic lumbar puncture].
Spinal cord hematoma is a serious and feared complication of lumbar puncture. We here describe two patients who developed a spinal cord hematoma following diagnostic lumbar punctures. ⋯ Spinal cord hematomas can occur after a traumatic lumbar puncture in people without coagulation disorders or any other predisposing factor. Although surgery has been traditionally advocated in these cases, a conservative approach is an option when symptoms are mild and a close follow-up is possible.
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Pain results from the processing of a large number of signals produced at different levels of the central and peripheral nervous system, which are generated in response to stimuli from the environment or from the organism itself. One of the strategies for generating new analgesics consists in studying the molecular bases that underlie the detection of painful stimuli, that is to say, the receptors. One receptor that plays a very important role in sensory and pain physiology is TRPV1, which is responsible for detecting mechanical, chemical and thermal stimuli. AIMS. The aim of this study is to discuss the structural and functional aspects of the TRPV1 channel, as well as its participation in certain pathological processes and the possible perspectives for clinical research. ⋯ The central role of TRPV1 in the physiology of pain will surely encourage the development of drugs aimed at this receptor which can be used in the treatment of several types of pain.
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Revista de neurologia · Mar 2009
Review[Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis: a difficult-to-diagnose condition].
Paraneoplastic syndromes can be defined as manifestations in distant places of tumors or metastasis, which are not related with tumoral growth. Most of these syndromes are caused by substances secreted by the tumor, that mimic natural hormones, or interfere with plasma proteins. ⋯ The paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is an unusual and hard to diagnose entity, which can easily be confused with psychiatric problems. An early diagnosis and treatment is very important to avoid nonreversible neuronal damage.
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Revista de neurologia · Mar 2009
Review Historical Article[Aretaeus of Cappadocia (2nd century AD) and the earliest neurological descriptions].
Aretaeus of Cappadocia, who was possibly a contemporary of Galen, is considered to have been one of the best clinical physicians of the Ancient World. Nothing is known of his biography, except for constant references to his probable place of birth, Cappadocia. His Extant Works, one of the most important and influential treaties on Greco-Roman medicine, has survived to our days (although it is incomplete). It consists of eight books, in which he gives an orderly and precise account of the aetiology, symptomatology and therapeutics of acute and chronic diseases. Several chapters, possibly devoted to neurological matters (phrenitis, lethargy, wasting and apoplexy), are missing from Book I. Book III includes matters such as headaches, scotoma, epilepsy, melancholy, madness and paralysis. ⋯ Aretaeus has always stood out for his capacity for observation as well as the thoroughness of his nosographic descriptions, which in many cases, like migraine or epilepsy, has led to his accounts being considered as seminal works. As the leading representative of the pneumatic school as far as aetiology is concerned, Aretaeus added a fifth element to the classical Greek stoichiology, pneuma (spirit), which permeates everything and, when altered, gives rise to diseases.