The International journal of neuroscience
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The nine members of the voltage-gated sodium channel (Nav) family mediate inward sodium currents that depolarize neurons and lead to action potential firing. Increased Nav expression and function in sensory ganglia may drive ectopic action potentials and result in neuropathic pain. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology and molecular biology techniques, experiments were performed to elucidate the contribution of Nav channels to sodium currents in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons following the L5/L6 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) model of neuropathic pain. ⋯ Among Nav transcripts encoding TTX-R channels, Scn10a (Nav1.8) and Scn11a (Nav1.9) expression was twenty- to thirty-fold lower, while among Nav transcripts encoding TTX-S channels, Scn3a (Nav1.3) expression was four-fold higher in injured compared to uninjured DRG by qRT-PCR analysis. In summary, the SNL model of neuropathic pain induced a phenotypic switch in Nav expression from TTX-R to TTX-S channels in injured DRG neurons. Transcriptional reprogramming of Nav genes may drive ectopic action potential firing and contribute to neuropathic pain.
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Review Case Reports
Paraneoplastic neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: three new cases and a review of the literature.
Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) occasionally develop in patients with tumor in relation to aquaporin-4 IgG (AQP4-IgG), representing a new paraneoplastic phenomenon. We reported three patients with paraneoplastic NMOSD and provided a comprehensive review of the literature. A total of 34 cases with paraneoplastic NMOSD were identified from our own case database (n = 3) and the previous literature (n = 31). ⋯ Breast carcinoma is the most common tumor associated with paraneoplastic NMOSD, accounting for nearly a third of all types of tumors. Paraneoplastic NMOSD usually involves medulla oblongata and cervical spinal cord. We recommend adding AQP4-IgG as an onconeural antibody, but its clinical utility warrants further investigations.
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Comparative Study
The clinical utility of multimodal MR image-guided needle biopsy in cerebral gliomas.
Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic value of multimodal Magnetic Resonance (MR) Image in the stereotactic biopsy of cerebral gliomas, and investigate its implications. ⋯ Multimodal MR image-guided glioma biopsy is practical and valuable. This technique can increase the diagnostic accuracy in the stereotactic biopsy of cerebral gliomas. Besides, it is likely to increase the diagnostic yield but requires further validation.
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To determine if the non-motor sections of the Movement Disorder Society's (MDS) version of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) could supplement the original UPDRS as a patient completed assessment of changes in non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients after bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS). ⋯ This study provides evidence that the MDS-UPDRS non-motor sections, when completed by the patients, can supplement the original version of the UPDRS as an effective method of measuring changes in non-motor symptoms after DBS. It also reinforces the benefits of bilateral STN DBS on non-motor symptoms of PD.
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Clinical Trial
Botulinum toxin A in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.
The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical effects and safety of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) in treating trigeminal neuralgia and its influences on accompanied depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and quality of life. ⋯ BTX-A treatment can significantly relieve the pain in trigeminal neuralgia patients; improve anxiety, depression, and sleep; and increase the quality of life. BTX-A treatment is a safe and effective method to treat classical trigeminal neuralgia.