Susceptibility-weighted imaging of cerebral fat embolism: A case report.

RATIONALE: Cerebral fat embolism (CFE) is a rare but critical disease in a clinical setting. Considering that manifestations and CT findings of CFE tend to be atypical, this condition is very difficult to diagnose. The purpose of this article was to assess the value of susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in the diagnosis of CFE. PATIENT CONCERNS: Our patient was an 80-year-old woman who developed hypoxemia, quadriplegia, and progressive confusion after fracture of the right femoral neck and right superior ramus of pubis within 24 hours. DIAGNOSIS: T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (T2 W MRI), fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences, and diffusion-weighted imaging showed numerous hyperintense foci in the subcortex and white matter of both cerebral hemispheres, some of which were confluent and SWI showed multiple symmetrical punctate microhemorrhages in both hemispheres. Base on the history and MRI findings, the patient was diagnosed with CFE. INTERVENTIONS: The patient received anticoagulation and lipid-lowering therapy. OUTCOMES: The patient regained consciousness, and her muscle strength in the limbs gradually recovered. One year after discharge, the patient could independently walk on her own. LESSION: This case report shows the characteristics of CFE on SWI, which can help clinicians in diagnosing which can help clinicians in diagnosing CFE.

Acute visual impairment as a main presenting symptom of non-convulsive status epilepticus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) is a state of ongoing seizure activity without convulsions. The heterogeneous and subtle clinical features of NCSE make diagnosis and treatment challenging. Here, we report a patient with NCSE who showed a main presenting symptom of acute visual impairment, which is a rare and atypical clinical symptom of NCSE. CASE PRESENTATION: A 62-year-old man was admitted to the neurology department after complaining of an inability to see in the right eye for 2 days and progressive headache. He had a history of poststroke epilepsy and vascular dementia. Physical examination revealed right visual field hemianopia, visual neglect and cognitive impairment. T2 and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed high signal intensity in the left temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. Electroencephalography monitoring was performed, which found continuous sharp wave discharges, especially in the regions of the left temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. These findings were most consistent with the diagnosis of NCSE. Thus, a treatment of intravenous pumping of diazepam and an oral antiepileptic drug was added immediately. After that, the visual loss in the patient recovered quickly, and electroencephalography did not find epileptiform waves. On day 11, a follow-up MRI was performed, which showed that the abnormal signals of the left temporal, parietal and occipital lobes were markedly attenuated, and the patient returned to his premorbid state with a modified Rankin Scale score of 3. CONCLUSIONS: Acute visual impairment can be seen in NCSE, and it can be reversed by administering effective antiepileptic treatment. Meanwhile, transient peri-ictal MRI abnormalities can be observed in NCSE.

Single-molecule imaging in live bacteria cells.

Bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Caulobacter crescentus, are the most studied and perhaps best-understood organisms in biology. The advances in understanding of living systems gained from these organisms are immense. Application of single-molecule techniques in bacteria have presented unique difficulties owing to their small size and highly curved form. The aim of this review is to show advances made in single-molecule imaging in bacteria over the past 10 years, and to look to the future where the combination of implementing such high-precision techniques in well-characterized and controllable model systems such as E. coli could lead to a greater understanding of fundamental biological questions inaccessible through classic ensemble methods.