Functional magnetic resonance imaging in the study of multiple sclerosis. / Imagenes de resonancia magnetica funcional en el estudio de la esclerosis multiple.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neuroinflammatory and demyelinating disease, modifies the normal connectivity among different brain regions involved in specific functions. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), based on local changes in oxygen level as a response to the increase in neural activity, provides an approach to neural connectivity and brain dynamics which give us an overview on visual, motor and cognitive dysfunction and their mechanisms. DEVELOPMENT: An advanced search was performed using PubMed. Terms 'fMRI', 'visual', 'motor', 'cognitive' and 'multiple sclerosis' included in title and abstract were considered. We focus on original articles available in English. Articles were included based on their abstracts, looking for those potentially useful for understanding functional changes in MS. An important amount of studies have used fMRI as a complementary tool in the study of MS and clinically relevant alterations compromising visual, motor and cognitive domains. Since the earliest stages of the disease, local activity, and global neural dynamics appear to be compromised. Even when functional performance is still preserved, a different recruitment of neural resources arises as a compensatory response to disconnection observed in the disease. CONCLUSIONS: The main findings of fMRI applied to MS are strongly related to the demyelinating nature of the disease and provide an adequate insight into the mechanisms that underlie functional alterations reported in this disease. fMRI also appears to be useful for studying disease evolution and response to treatment in MS and other disorders.

TITLE: Imagenes de resonancia magnetica funcional en el estudio de la esclerosis multiple.Introduccion. La esclerosis multiple (EM), una enfermedad neuroinflamatoria y desmielinizante, modifica la conectividad normal entre las diferentes regiones del cerebro involucradas en funciones especificas. La resonancia magnetica funcional (RMf), basada en cambios locales en el nivel de oxigeno como respuesta al aumento de la actividad neuronal, proporciona un enfoque a la conectividad neuronal y la dinamica cerebral que ofrece una vision general de la disfuncion visual, motora y cognitiva y sus mecanismos. Desarrollo. Se realizo una busqueda avanzada en PubMed considerando los terminos 'fMRI', 'visual', 'motor', 'cognitive' y 'multiple sclerosis' incluidos en el titulo y el resumen. La busqueda se centro en articulos originales disponibles en ingles, con enfasis en los utiles para comprender los cambios funcionales en la EM. Numerosos estudios han utilizado la RMf como una herramienta complementaria en el estudio de la EM y las alteraciones clinicamente relevantes de la afectacion visual, motora y cognitiva. Desde las primeras etapas de la EM, la actividad local y la dinamica neural global parecen estar afectadas. Incluso cuando el desempeño funcional aun se conserva, surge un reclutamiento diferente de los recursos neuronales como respuesta compensatoria a la desconexion observada en la enfermedad. Conclusiones. Los principales hallazgos de la RMf aplicada a la EM estan fuertemente relacionados con la naturaleza desmielinizante de la enfermedad y proporcionan una vision adecuada de los mecanismos subyacentes a las alteraciones funcionales. La RMf tambien parece ser util para estudiar la evolucion de la enfermedad y la respuesta al tratamiento en la EM y otros trastornos.

Relationship between Social Cognition and traditional cognitive impairment in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis and possible implicated neuroanatomical regions.

BACKGROUND: Cognitive impairment is a relevant contributor of the medical and social burden in Progressive MS. Social Cognition, the neurocognitive processes underlying social interaction, has been explored mainly in European and North American cohorts, influencing social aspects of quality of life (QOL) of early MS patients and families. Few studies have studied Social Cognition in Progressive MS and the literature on its neuroanatomical bases or brain atrophy measurements is still scarce. OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between Social Cognition performance and its correlations with traditional cognitive domains, brain atrophy and QOL in primary and secondary Progressive MS patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis including: mini-Social-Cognition-and-Emotional-Assessment (mini-SEA), neuropsychological battery, disability, depression, fatigue, QOL, and brain volume. RESULTS: Forty-three MS patients, 23 primary and 20 secondary Progressive, 65% women, mean age and disease duration of 57.2 and 15.7 years, respectively, with high levels of disability (median EDSS 6.0) and a widespread impairment in traditional domains (mostly episodic verbal/visual and working memories) were assessed. The Mini-SEA score was correlated with executive functions (cognitive shifts Rho:0.55; p = 0.001) analyzing the whole group, and with visual episodic memory (Rho:0.58, p = 0.009) in the primary Progressive MS group. Mini-SEA score was also correlated with total normalized grey matter volume (Rho:0.48; p = 0.004). Particularly, atrophy within bilateral cortical regions of orbitofrontal, insula and cerebellum, and right regions of fusiform gyrus and precuneus were significantly associated with higher Social Cognition impairment. In this cohort, QOL was not correlated with Social Cognition, but with EDSS, fatigue and depression. CONCLUSIONS: In Progressive MS, Social Cognition is directly correlated with traditional cognitive domains such as executive function and episodic memory. It is also associated with global grey matter atrophy and regional atrophy within associative visual and executive cortical areas, but no correlations with QOL were found in this cohort. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the pathological bases behind Social Cognition in Progressive MS.

Rotura de un aneurisma esplénico durante el embarazo: a propósito de 2 casos clínicos / Splenic artery aneurysm rupture in pregnancies: report of 2 clinical cases

Se presentan 2 casos de rotura de aneurisma de la arteria esplénica ocurridos a las 35 y 22 semanas de gestación. Una de las pacientes falleció por hemoperitoneo masivo.

[Coronary angioplasty: methods of evaluation]. / L'angioplastie coronaire; méthodes d'évaluation.

Coronary angioplasty is sometimes thought to be insufficiently validated considering the considerable development it has undergone and its place in modern cardiological practice. Nevertheless, several randomised clinical trials comparing angioplasty with medical therapy in stable angina (ACME) and with surgical treatment in stable and unstable angina (RITA) have provided more scientific support for the technique. The serious perioperative complications have become rare, the limiting factor being restenosis which is responsible for a large number of clinical recurrences and the reappearance of documented myocardial ischaemia. It is therefore logical to make restenosis the first objective of evaluation of PTCA. There are two possible approaches to this problem. The first relies on automatic quantitative operator-independent angiography as a gold standard. However, this method is methodologically complex, technically fastidious and only takes into consideration the anatomical appearances, the correlations with clinical outcome and prognosis of which are poor. It allows measurement of the amplitude of the process which is an unquestionable advantage, but it is only a partial view of the problem. The second method considers that only stenosis causing ischaemia is significant and that the criterion of evaluation should be the rate of new events and that the necessity of repeated attempts at revascularisation is the criterion of failure of the method. This overlooks the possibility of an anti-restenosis drug producing clinical results independents of its anatomical effect. Both methods have their advantages and drawbacks, which necessitates using them both in all trials of new tools or new molecules designed to prevent restenosis.

Mechanical cardiac valve thrombosis. Is fibrinolysis justified?

BACKGROUND: Thrombosis is a serious complication of heart valve replacement, and management is often difficult. In recent years, thrombolytic therapy has been used as the primary technique by some investigators. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty-four consecutive patients presenting with 75 instances of prosthetic heart valve thrombosis (41 mitral, 33 aortic, one tricuspid) were treated with fibrinolytic agents. Obstructed prosthetic valves comprised 39 tilting disc and 36 bileaflet valves. The time interval between valve replacement and obstruction ranged from 15 days to 192 months (mean, 38 months). Fibrinolytic agents used were streptokinase (42 patients), urokinase (27 patients), or recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (six patients). Immediate results of fibrinolytic treatment were 1) full success after one or several consecutive fibrinolytic regimens in 55 cases (73%), 2) incomplete improvement in two cases, and 3) failure in 18 cases, leading to an emergency surgery in nine cases. Nine patients died (four strokes, four cardiac arrests, one hemorrhage). Only one severe hemorrhagic complication was observed, but 11 cases of embolism occurred during fibrinolytic treatment (14.6%) (four major cerebral embolisms with death). The immediate efficacy was better for thrombosed aortic prosthesis than with the mitral prosthesis (85% versus 63%). CONCLUSIONS: Fibrinolytic treatment appears to be an attractive nonsurgical alternative for prosthetic heart valve thrombosis, but because of the risk of cerebral embolism, its use should be reserved for tricuspid valve thrombosis or critically ill patients with mitral or aortic valve thrombosis. The use of a fibrinolytic agent in cases of small, nonobstructive paravalvular thrombosis demonstrated with transesophageal echocardiography needs further studies.

Frequency of recurrent atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation of overt accessory pathways.

The effect of successful catheter ablation of overt accessory pathways on the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) was studied in 129 symptomatic patients with (n = 75) or without (n = 54) previous documented AF. Fourteen had had ventricular fibrillation. Factors predictive of recurrence were examined, including electrophysiologic parameters. Atrial vulnerability was defined as induction of sustained AF (greater than 1 minute) using single, then double, atrial extrastimuli at 2 basic pacing cycle lengths. When compared to patients with only reciprocating tachycardia, patients with clinical AF included more men (77 vs 54%, p = 0.008) and were older (35 +/- 12 vs 29 +/- 12 years, p = 0.01). They had a significantly shorter cycle length leading to anterograde accessory pathway block (252 +/- 42 vs 298 +/- 83 ms, p less than 0.001), greater incidences of atrial vulnerability (89 vs 24%, p less than 0.001) and subsequent need for cardioversion (51 vs 15%, p less than 0.001). After discharge, the follow-up period was 35 +/- 12 months (range 18 to 76); 7 patients with previous spontaneous AF (9%) had recurrence at a mean of 10 months after ablation. Age, presence of structural heart disease accessory pathway location, atrial refractory periods and accessory pathway anterograde conduction parameters were not predictive of AF recurrence. Persistence of atrial vulnerability after ablation was the only factor associated with further recurrence of AF. Atrial vulnerability was observed after ablation in only 56% of patients with previous AF versus 89% before ablation. It is concluded that successful catheter ablation of accessory pathways prevents further recurrence of AF in 91% of patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Thrombosis of mechanical heart valve prosthesis. Value of transesophageal echocardiography in the study of mitral valve prosthesis]. / Thrombose de prothèse valvulaire mécanique. Intérêt de l'échocardiographie transoesophagienne dans l'étude des prothèses mitrales.

Forty-three consecutive patients with mechanical valve prostheses underwent transthoracic and transoesophageal echocardiography for suspected thrombolic prosthetic valve dysfunction. The results of these investigations were compared with those of cineradiography and the clinical outcome. The diagnosis of thrombosis was retained in 11 of the 43 patients (10 mitral and 1 aortic valve prostheses). The transthoracic Doppler echo was clearly abnormal in 6 of the 11 cases. Transoesophageal echo was of essential value in all cases but one, showing abnormal movement of the mobile element and/or a paraprosthetic thrombus. The cineradiography gave false negative results in 6 cases. In conclusion, these cases underline the undeniable value of transoesophageal echocardiography in occlusive or non-occlusive thrombosis of a mitral valve prosthesis. This investigation should be undertaken whenever there is the least suspicion of thrombosis of the prosthesis.

[A rare cause of obstruction of mitral valve prosthesis: periannular fibrosis. Diagnostic by transesophageal echocardiography]. / Une cause rare d'obstruction de prothèse valvulaire mitrale: le pannus fibreux périannulaire. Diagnostic par échocardiographie transoesophagienne.

The authors report a case of dysfunction of a double hemi-disc mitral valve prosthesis due to peri-annular fibrous overgrowth on the atrial side of the prosthesis. Conventional transthoracic Doppler echocardiography showed signs of thrombosis of the prosthesis. Transoesophageal echocardiography allowed a precise diagnosis of the lesions, resulting in immediate surgical referral.

[Value of Doppler color echocardiography in the diagnosis of diastolic mitral insufficiency in severe aortic insufficiency. Report of 2 cases]. / Intérêt de l'écho-doppler couleur dans le diagnostic de l'insuffisance mitrale diastolique contemporaine d'insuffisances aortiques sévères. A propos de 2 cas.

The authors report the value of Doppler color flow mapping in the diagnosis of late diastolic mitral regurgitation in two patients with severe post-endocarditis aortic regurgitation requiring rapid surgical intervention. Doppler color flow mapping played an essential part in the management of these cases by helping in the diagnosis of late diastolic mitral regurgitation which is known to carry a very poor prognosis in this context.

[Indications and limitations of anticoagulant treatment in elderly patients]. / Indications et limites des traitements anticoagulants chez les personnes âgées.

Anticoagulants constitute the rational treatment of thromboembolic accidents occurring in elderly people, but they are often not prescribed because of the risk of haemorrhage. The chronological age by itself is not a contra-indication, the limitations being the diseases associated with ageing. Anticoagulants may be used as curative treatment in atrial fibrillation with dilated left atrium (greater than 45 mm at echocardiography), in myocardial infarction, embolic strokes and complicated arteritis. They may also be used as preventive and curative treatment in phlebitis and pulmonary embolism. The complications of anticoagulant therapy will be better prevented by using the international normalized ratio and by prescribing doses that are adequate for each indication.

[Contribution of Doppler echocardiography and thallium in cases of major ST segment depression in athletes]. / Apport de l'écho-Doppler et du thallium en cas de sous-décalage majeur chez le sportif.

False-positive responses to exercise tests have been reported as been more frequent in athletes than in the general population and attributed to physiological hypertrophy of the athlete's heart. In this study, we have investigated the significance of major ST depression (-3.55 +/- 1.8 mm) in a group of 13 athletes aged 40 +/- 9 years who had normal coronary angiography. All subjects underwent a standard exercise test followed by a second one after administration of nitroglycerin; the post-test probability of coronary was evaluated by multivariate analysis of the results. Myocardial perfusion was studied in 9 subjects by stress thallium 201 scintigraphy, and the data obtained were compared with those of angiography. Left ventricular hypertrophy was systematically looked for by calculating the myocardial mass index at echocardiography. The subjects were also investigated for possible alteration of the diastolic function, using doppler ultrasound. The mean follow-up period was 5 +/- 2 years. The mean performance at exercise tests was 238 +/- 118 watts. The Q wave significantly increased at exercise (-0.61 +/- 0.8; p less than 0.05), whereas the R wave remained constant (-0.95 +/- 4.5 mm; N.S.). The mean probability or coronary disease was 0.49 +/- 0.41, which justified the thallium scintigraphy test. This test was abnormal in 8 out of 9 cases. The myocardial mass index was slightly increased up to 138 +/- 25 g/m2, reflecting a very moderate physiological hypertrophy, as testified by the normality of diastolic function related to age in 8/9 cases. There was no obvious correlation between ST depression amplitude and myocardial mass index.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Cardiovascular effects of peptide inhibitors of the renin-substrate reaction in rats with renovascular hypertension. Goldblatt: 2 kidneys--1 clip]. / Effets cardio-vasculaires d'inhibiteurs peptidiques de la réaction rénine-substrat chez le rat atteint d'hypertension réno-vasculaire. Goldblatt: 2 reins--1 clip.

The antihypertensive effects of 2 different peptidic substrate analogs: AG 84-10 AG 85-12 were investigated in renovascular hypertensive (Goldblatt, 2 kidneys--1 clip) Sprague-Dawley male rats. AG 84-10 (Ac-Pro-Phe-His-Leu-Val-Tyr) is similar to Angiotensinogen 6-13 and AG 85-12 (Ac-Ile-His-Pro-Phe-His-Leu) mimics the C-terminal portion of Angiotensin I. 6 weeks after clipping, hemodynamic profiles of these molecules [Heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), filling parameters, peripheral vascular resistances (PR) and cardiac output (CO)] during 90 minutes, were determined in the anesthetized animals. CO was measured using a thermodilution technique. Parallel radio-immunologic dosages of plasma renin activity were performed. Measurements and calculation of previously defined hemodynamic variables, every 10 minutes, demonstrated that: AG 84-10 exerted an early but transient decrease of MAP and PR, an increase of CO without modification of other hemodynamic parameters. AG 85-12 induced a late and durable decrease of MAP and PR with a significant decrease of heart rate, but without modification of CO and other hemodynamic variables. Example: PR mmHg/ml/mn/kg (mean +/- SD): *p less than 0.05 ** p less than 0.01. (Table: see text). The different levels of plasma renin activity were in accordance with hemodynamic data. So, the 2 peptidic substrate analogs elicited antihypertensive effects with a more efficient action of AG 85-12.