Vol 4, No 4 (2010)

Dynamics of neurological recovery was assessed in 121 patients with atherosclerotic stenosis of the internal carotid arteries suffered from stroke. Patients underwent carotid endarterectomy that was carried out from 1 month to 5 years after stroke. Somatic, neurologic and neuropsychological state, as well as functional characteristics and quality of life were assessed, and utrasound testing of the brachiocephalic arteries and neuroimaging studies were carried out. After carotid endarterectomy, significant decrease in the severity of focal neurological symptoms and cognitive impairment, increase in quality of life and functional improvement was registered. Post-operatively, ischemic events occurred in 2.5% of patients.

Chronic alcohol myopathy (CAM) is one of frequent manifestations of the alcoholic disease, but its pathogenesis remains to be elucidated. Main mechanism of the CAM development is suggested to be abnormalities of protein synthesis in muscle fibers. A complex clinical, morphological and biochemical investigation of 38 patients with chronic alcohol intoxication was performed. Clinical manifestations of skeletal muscle damage corresponded to severity of the atrophic process assessed by histological studies of muscle biopsies. Disturbances of main stages of protein synthesis both on intracellular and on systemic regulatory level was revealed.

The article is devoted to the detection of neurophysiologic features of early stages of Parkinson’s disease (PD) by using computerized electroencephalography (EEG). The obtained data illustrated that even early stages of PD were characterized by changes in the brain bioelectric activity. Patients with a trembling form demonstrated the increase of relative power in the delta and theta frequency range, the decrease of alpha-rhythm peak frequency and the increase of the ratio alpha-1/alpha-3. An akinetic-rigid form was characterized by the reduction of spectral (absolute and relative) power in the beta1-and beta2-bands. Right-side onset of the disease was associated with more severe disturbances of the EEG (particularly in an akinetic-rigid form), with the lack of differences between groups in duration of the disease, age at onset and severity of symptoms, which may be of prognostic importance in early stages of PD. The dynamics of EEG parameters included the increase of slow wave activity power and the reduction of spectral power in the beta frequency range regardless of ongoing treatment and particular group of dications.

The neuroprotective action of endocannabinoid N-arachidonoyldopamine (AA-DA) in the model of apoptosis induced in cultured rat cerebellar granule neurons by K+ deprivation was investigated. The efficacy of simultaneous application of AA-DA with fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor N-eicosapentaenoyldopamine (EPA-5HT) was also evaluated. It was shown that AA-DA dose-dependently protects neurons, with maximal effect of 65% survived cells observed at concentration 10 μM. The use of submaximal concentration (5 μM) of AA-DA in combination with EPA-5HT (10 μM) led to significant enhancement of neuroprotection. The value of cell survival for the combination exceeded such values for AA-DA alone in concentration of 5 and 10 μM, increasing the neuronal survival up to 78%. It may be concluded that such combination allows to reduce efficient concentration of neuroprotector and to diminish its possible side effects. Thus, the simultaneous application of endocannabinoid system modulators such as cannabinoid receptor agonists and inhibitors of endocannabinoid hydrolysis appears to be effective approach for neural cells protection.

A pseudo-tumoral course of multiple sclerosis is very rare. In the paper, a morphologically confirmed case of multiple sclerosis with a pseudo-tumoral course is described. A radiation treatment (because of a misdiagnosis of cerebral tumor) resulted in radio-necrosis of the cerebral tissue. Presented are the experience of treatment of this patient, differential diagnosis and efficacy of the long-term hormone therapy.