Longitudinal changes in 18 F-THK5351 positron emission tomography in corticobasal syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is pathologically characterized by tau deposits in neuronal and glial cells and by reactive astrogliosis. In several neurodegenerative disorders, 18 F-THK5351 has been observed to bind to reactive astrocytes expressing monoamine oxidase B. In this study, the aim was to investigate the progression of disease-related pathology in the brains of patients with CBS using positron emission tomography with 18 F-THK5351. METHODS: Baseline and 1-year follow-up imaging were acquired using magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography with 18 F-THK5351 in 10 subjects: five patients with CBS and five age-matched normal controls (NCs). RESULTS: The 1-year follow-up scan images revealed that 18 F-THK5351 retention had significantly increased in the superior parietal gyrus of the patients with CBS compared with the NCs. The median increases in 18 F-THK5351 accumulation in the patients with CBS were 6.53% in the superior parietal gyrus, 4.34% in the precentral gyrus and 4.33% in the postcentral gyrus. In contrast, there was no significant increase in the regional 18 F-THK5351 retention in the NCs. CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal increases in 18 F-THK5351 binding can be detected over a short interval in the cortical sites of patients with CBS. A monoamine oxidase B binding radiotracer could be useful in monitoring the progression of astrogliosis in CBS.

[Beriberi, recurrent nutritional disease in a detention house in Côte-d'Ivoire]. / Le béribéri, maladie nutritionnelle récurrente en milieu carcéral en Côte-d'Ivoire.

As a re-emerging disease, beriberi caused by a lack of thiamine in food threatens more and more prisons in developing countries. Indeed in 2008, a beriberi epidemic occurred in a detention house of Côte-d'Ivoire called Maca. The goal of our retrospective investigation was to describe this epidemic in order to improve prisoners' health. The study related to 131 subjects, 64% of cases affected (N = 205). The total rate of beriberi attack was estimated at 38.6‰. The mean age was 33; all patients were male and they were detained in "Batiment C" (70.2%), synonymous with heavy punishment. They spent about 28.1 month in Maca. The clinical symptoms were neurological signs (swarming: 41%) and cardiovascular signs (dyspnoea: 42%, thoracic pain: 35%). Half of the patients (51%) presented oedemas of the lower limbs. The rate of healing was about 97% when patients followed treatment. Providing good nutrition to the prisoners and the distribution of vitamin complements will avoid other epidemics.