Mozart K.448 listening decreased seizure recurrence and epileptiform discharges in children with first unprovoked seizures: a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of reports show the beneficial effects of listening to Mozart music in decreasing epileptiform discharges as well as seizure frequency in epileptic children. There has been no effective method to reduce seizure recurrence after the first unprovoked seizure until now. In this study, we investigated the effect of listening to Mozart K.448 in reducing the seizure recurrence rate in children with first unprovoked seizures. METHODS: Forty-eight children who experienced their first unprovoked seizure with epileptiform discharges were included in the study. They were randomly placed into treatment (n = 24) and control (n = 24) groups. Children in the treatment group listened to Mozart K.448 daily before bedtime for at least six months. Two patients in the treatment group were excluded from analysis due to discontinuation intervention. Finally, forty-six patients were analyzed. Most of these patients (89.1%) were idiopathic in etiology. Seizure recurrence rates and reduction of epileptiform discharges were compared. RESULTS: The average follow-up durations in the treatment and control groups were 18.6 ± 6.6 and 20.1 ± 5.1 months, respectively. The seizure recurrence rate was estimated to be significantly lower in the treatment group than the control group over 24 months (37.2% vs. 76.8%, p = 0.0109). Significant decreases in epileptiform discharges were also observed after 1, 2, and 6 months of listening to Mozart K.448 when compared with EEGs before listening to music. There were no significant differences in gender, mentality, seizure type, and etiology between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although the case number was limited and control music was not performed in this study, the study revealed that listening to Mozart K.448 reduced the seizure recurrence rate and epileptiform discharges in children with first unprovoked seizures, especially of idiopathic etiology. We believe that Mozart K.448 could be a promising alternative treatment in patients with first unprovoked seizures and abnormal EEGs. Further large-scaled study should be conducted to confirm the effect. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01892605, date: June-19-201

Ophthalmic Artery Obstruction and Cerebral Infarction Following Periocular Injection of Autologous Fat

We report a case of ophthalmic artery obstruction combined with brain infarction following periocular autologous fat injection. The patient, a 44-year-old woman, visited our hospital for decreased visual acuity in her left eye and dysarthria one hour after receiving an autologous fat injection in the periocular area. Her best corrected visual acuity for the concerned eye was no light perception. Also, a relative afferent pupillary defect was detected in this eye. The left fundus exhibited widespread retinal whitening with visible emboli in several retinal arterioles. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a hyperintense lesion at the left insular cortex. Therefore, we diagnosed ophthalmic artery obstruction and left middle cerebral artery infarction due to fat emboli. The patient was managed with immediate ocular massage, carbon dioxide, and oxygen therapy. Following treatment, dysarthria improved considerably but there was no improvement in visual acuity

Velocity distribution of collapsing starless cores, L694-2 and L1197

In an attempt to understand the dynamics of collapsing starless cores, we have onducted a detailed investigation of the velocity fields of two collapsing cores, L694-2 and L1197, with high spatial resolution HCN J=1-0 maps and Monte Carlo radiative transfer alculation. It is found that infall motion is most active in the middle and outer layers outside the central density-flat region, while both the central and outermost parts of the cores are static or exhibit slower motion. Their peak velocities are 0.28 km s^{-1} for L694-2 and 0.20 km s^{-1$ for L1197, which could not be found in simple models. These velocity fields are roughly consistent with the gravitational collapse models of the isothermal core; However, the velocity gradients inside the peak velocity position are steeper than those of the models. Our results also show that the density distributions are ~ r^{-2.5} and ~ r^{-1.5} in the outer part for L694-2 and L1197, respectively. HCN abundance relative to H_2 is spatially almost constant in L694-2 with a value of 7.0 X 10^{-9}, while for L1197, it shows a slight inward increase from 1.7 X 10^{-9} to 3.5 X 10^{-9}.Comment: accepted in Ap

First record of the genus Pseudaeginella Mayer, 1890 (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Caprellidae) with a new species from Korean waters

A new species of the genus Pseudaeginella Mayer, 1890 belonging to the family Caprellidae Leach, 1814 was collected from the South Sea in Korea. Pseudaeginella carinaspinosa sp. nov. is morphologically similar to related congeners belonging to the genera Paradeutella Mayer, 1890 and Pseudaeginella, in having dorsal projections on pereonites, triarticulate mandibular palp, small or absent molar, and uniarticulate pereopods 3 and 4. However, this new species is distinguished from its congeners by the position and size of dorsal projection. This is the first record of Pseudaeginella from the Northwest Pacific region, including Korea, and a key to species of the genus Pseudaeginella is also provided

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis with Ocular Involvement Following Vaccination for Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome

We report a case of toxic epidermal necrolysis with ocular involvement following vaccination for hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. A healthy 20-year-old male soldier presented with confluent purpuric and erythematous dusky red macules evolving to flaccid blister and epidermal detachment on the whole body with conjunctival injection. The patient had no antecedent medical or surgical conditions except for two doses of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome vaccination. With supportive care, skin lesions were improved. Ophthalmic examinations revealed conjunctival injection with epithelial defects in both eyes. Ocular complications were resolved after amniotic membrane transplantation. Toxic epidermal necrolysis may be considered as a possible complication of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome vaccination