Occipital neuralgia heralding occipital condyle syndrome revealing vesical leiomyosarcoma skull base metastasis

International audienc

Simple bone cyst associated with florid osseous dysplasia: 2 case reports

The occurrence of a simple bone cyst (SBC) is known to be more frequent among the patients affected by florid osseous dysplasia (FOD). Conventional treatment of SBC involves surgical fenestration of the cavity, which frequently leads to resolution. However, in the cases of large cavities, such as those found in cases of FOD, the advisability of surgical intervention remains in question. Two cases of SBC associated with a FOD are reported in two African women (Cameroonian 36 years old and Gabonese 72 years old). The large size of the SBC cavities appears unusual and exceptional being possibly the largest (12 cm diameter) reported case in the literature). Following surgical exploration and fenestration in these cases, the size of the SBC did not stop increasing, though a significant amount of new bone clearly appeared at the fenestration sites seen on the control CT scans (1 year later). In the light of the two presented cases, the outcome of the surgical treatment of large SBC associated with a FOD appears unconvincing, as the cavities did not decrease in volume. Though the patient did not appear to suffer any detrimental effects of surgical intervention, the benefit of such intervention remains in question and the outcome in these two case studies suggests that in the absence of symptoms, long term follow up is all that is necessary

Diffusion tensor imaging differentiates vascular parkinsonism from parkinsonian syndromes of degenerative origin in elderly subjects

International audienceBackground and PurposeThe etiologic diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes is of particular importance when considering syndromes of vascular or degenerative origin. The purpose of this study is to find differences in the white-matter architecture between those two groups in elderly patients.Materials and MethodsThirty-five patients were prospectively included (multiple-system atrophy, n = 5; Parkinson's disease, n = 15; progressive supranuclear palsy, n = 9; vascular parkinsonism, n = 6), with a mean age of 76 years. Patients with multiple-system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease were grouped as having parkinsonian syndromes of degenerative origin. Brain MRIs included diffusion tensor imaging. Fractional anisotropy and mean-diffusivity maps were spatially normalized, and group analyses between parkinsonian syndromes of degenerative origin and vascular parkinsonism were performed using a voxel-based approach.ResultsStatistical parametric-mapping analysis of diffusion tensor imaging data showed decreased fractional anisotropy value in internal capsules bilaterally in patients with vascular parkinsonism compared to parkinsonian syndromes of degenerative origin (p = 0.001) and showed a lower mean diffusivity in the white matter of the left superior parietal lobule (p = 0.01).Fractional anisotropy values were found decreased in the middle cerebellar peduncles in multiple-system atrophy compared to Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy. The mean diffusivity was increased in those regions for these subgroups.ConclusionClinically defined vascular parkinsonism was associated with decreased fractional anisotropy in the deep white matter (internal capsules) compared to parkinsonian syndromes of degenerative origin. These findings are consistent with previously published neuropathological data

Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma Biomarkers do not Differ in the Presenile and Late-Onset Behavioral Variants of Frontotemporal Dementia

International audienceMemory troubles and hippocampal atrophy are considered more frequent and focal atrophy less severe in late-onset (>65 years) than in presenile behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD)

Modeling of Auditory Neuron Response Thresholds with Cochlear Implants

International audienceThe quality of the prosthetic-neural interface is a critical point for cochlear implant efficiency. It depends not only on technical and anatomical factors such as electrode position into the cochlea (depth and scalar placement), electrode impedance, and distance between the electrode and the stimulated auditory neurons, but also on the number of functional auditory neurons. The efficiency of electrical stimulation can be assessed by the measurement of e-CAP in cochlear implant users. In the present study, we modeled the activation of auditory neurons in cochlear implant recipients (nucleus device). The electrical response, measured using auto-NRT (neural responses telemetry) algorithm, has been analyzed using multivariate regression with cubic splines in order to take into account the variations of insertion depth of electrodes amongst subjects as well as the other technical and anatomical factors listed above. NRT thresholds depend on the electrode squared impedance (β = -0.11 ± 0.02, P < 0.01), the scalar placement of the electrodes (β = -8.50 ± 1.97, P < 0.01), and the depth of insertion calculated as the characteristic frequency of auditory neurons (CNF). Distribution of NRT residues according to CNF could provide a proxy of auditory neurons functioning in implanted cochleas

Data-driven predictive models of diffuse low-grade gliomas under chemotherapy

International audienceDiffuse low-grade gliomas (DLGG) are brain tumors of young adults. They affect the quality of life of the inflicted patients and, if untreated, they evolve into higher grade tumors where the patient's life is at risk. Therapeutic management of DLGGs includes chemotherapy, and tumor diameter is particularly important for the follow-up of DLGG evolution. In fact, the main clinical basis for deciding whether to continue chemotherapy is tumor diameter growth rate. In order to reliably assist the doctors in selecting the most appropriate time to stop treatment, we propose a novel clinical decision support system. Based on two mathematical models, one linear and one exponential, we are able to predict the evolution of tumor diameter under Temozolomide chemotherapy as a first treatment and thus offer a prognosis on when to end it. We present the results of an implementation of these models on a database of 42 patients from Nancy and Montpellier University Hospitals. In this database, 38 patients followed the linear model and four patients followed the exponential model. From a training data set of a minimal size of five, we are able to predict the next tumor diameter with high accuracy. Thanks to the corresponding prediction interval, it is possible to check if the new observation corresponds to the predicted diameter. If the observed diameter is within the prediction interval, the clinician is notified that the trend is within a normal range. Otherwise, the practitioner is alerted of a significant change in tumor diameter

The interplay between cognition, depression, anxiety, and sleep in primary Sjogren’s syndrome patients

International audiencePrimary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disease with frequent neurological involvement. Memory complaints are common, but their precise patterns remain unclear. We wanted to characterize patterns of neurocognitive profiles in pSS patients with cognitive complaints. Only pSS patients with memory complaints were included, prospectively. Cognitive profiles were compiled through a comprehensive cognitive evaluation by neuropsychologists. Evaluations of anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disorders and quality of life were performed for testing their interactions with cognitive profiles. All 32 pSS patients showed at least borderline cognitive impairment, and 17 (53%) exhibited a pathological cognitive profile: a hippocampal profile (37%), a dysexecutive profile (22%), and an instrumental profile (16%) (possible overlap). Regarding the secondary objectives: 37% of patients were depressed, and 48% exhibited a mild-to-severe anxiety trait. Sleep disorders were frequent (excessive daytime sleepiness (55%), high risk for sleep apnea (45%), and insomnia (77%)). Cognitive impairments could not be explained alone by anxiety, depression or sleep disorders. Fatigue level was strongly associated with sleep disorders. Our study highlights that cognitive complaints in pSS patients are supported by measurable cognitive impairments, apart from frequently associated disorders such as depression, anxiety or sleep troubles. Sleep disorders should be screened

Effects of Electrode Array Length on Frequency-Place Mismatch and Speech Perception with Cochlear Implants

International audienceFrequency-place mismatch often occurs after cochlear implantation, yet its effect on speech perception outcome remains unclear. In this article, we propose a method, based on cochlea imaging, to determine the cochlear place-frequency map. We evaluated the effect of frequency-place mismatch on speech perception outcome in subjects implanted with 3 different lengths of electrode arrays. A deeper insertion was responsible for a larger frequency-place mismatch and a decreased and delayed speech perception improvement by comparison with a shallower insertion, for which a similar but slighter effect was noticed. Our results support the notion that selecting an electrode array length adapted to each individual's cochlear anatomy may reduce frequency-place mismatch and thus improve speech perception outcome

Results of IRC water penetration study will help industry tailor wall assemblies to climate

Dr. Michael A. Lacasse: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7640-3701Dr. Michael A. Lacasse: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7640-3701Aussi disponible en fran\ue7ais: Une \ue9tude de l'IRC sur la p\ue9n\ue9tration de la pluie aidera l'industrie \ue0 construire des murs en fonction du climatPeer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye