Non-Motor Symptoms in Patients with Primary Dystonia

Isolated dystonia, previously referred to as primary, is the third most common movement disorder, characterized by involuntary muscle contractions causing abnormal movements and postures with or without the presence of tremor. No matter monogenic or sporadic, the form of dystonia is a growing evidence, suggesting the presence of non-motor components to the disorder. Dystonia patients suffer from reduced quality of life, which might be related not only to the dystonic movements itself but to different non-motor symptoms and signs, as well. Based on literature review, this chapter aims to focus on the association of different types of isolated/primary dystonia (forms of focal, segmental, and generalized dystonia) with some non-motor disorders, including sleep and psychiatric disorders, cognition, as though as pain and sensory symptoms, their pathophysiological and biochemical mechanisms, relations with the symptomatic treating strategies for the abnormal movements, and specific treatment for the non-motor signs

F-Wave in the Upper Extremities of Patients with Primary Torsion Dystonia

We investigated characteristics of the F-waves in the upper limbs of patients suffering from primary torsion dystonia (PTD) by means of surface-electrode electromyography. Single electric stimulation was used to obtain optimum M-responses from the m. abductor pollicis brevis (median nerve) and m. abductor digiti minimi (ulnar nerve). Ten consecutive supramaximum electrical stimuli were applied to each nerve to obtain F-waves from the wrist. In general, the registered M-response latencies and amplitudes, as well as conduction velocities via all inspected nerves, demonstrated no significant deviations from the normal ranges. Nearly all investigated patients, except one, had normal F-wave minimal latencies. The mean amplitudes of F-waves from both median and ulnar nerves were higher than the average F-wave amplitudes described in the literature. The frequency of occurrence of F-waves in both median and ulnar nerves was greater than in the norm. According to our results, it can be concluded that the amplitude and, to some extent, frequency rather than the latency of F-waves are important in the studies of patients with PTD. Increased amplitudes and frequencies reveal changes in the excitability of alpha motoneurons, which could be accepted as a measure of a disturbed interneuronal balance probably caused by alterations in the suprasegmental control mechanisms related to PTD.Ми досліджували характеристики F-хвилі в нервах верхніх кінцівок пацієнтів, що страждали на первинну торсіонну дистонію (ПТД); використовували стандартну техніку електроміографії з відведенням поверхневими електродами. Застосовували поодинокі супрамаксимальні електричні стимули для отримання оптимальних М-відповідей m. abductor policis brevis (подразнення n. medianus) та m. abductor digiti minimi (подразнення n. ulnaris); F-хвилі відводили на рівні зап’ястка. В цілому зареєстровані латентні періоди та амплітуди М-відповідей, як і швидкості проведення по досліджених нервах, не демонстрували драматичних відхилень від нормальних діапазонів значень. Середні амплітуди F-хвиль y n. medianus та n. ulnaris були вищими, ніж описані в літературі. Частота реєстрації F-хвиль в обох нервах була вищою, ніж у нормі. Згідно з нашими результатами, амплітуда та (до деякої міри) частота реєстрації F-хвиль є параметрами, що заслуговують на увагу при обстеженні пацієнтів із ПТД. Вищі значення амплітуд та частоти виникнення F-хвиль вказують на зміни збудливості альфа-мотонейронів. Такі значення можуть розглядатись як показники дисбалансу в інтернейронних системах, вірогідно, пов’язані зі зрушеннями в механізмах супрасегментарного контролю при ПТД

Static Solitons of the Sine-Gordon Equation and Equilibrium Vortex Structure in Josephson Junctions

The problem of vortex structure in a single Josephson junction in an external magnetic field, in the absence of transport currents, is reconsidered from a new mathematical point of view. In particular, we derive a complete set of exact analytical solutions representing all the stationary points (minima and saddle-points) of the relevant Gibbs free-energy functional. The type of these solutions is determined by explicit evaluation of the second variation of the Gibbs free-energy functional. The stable (physical) solutions minimizing the Gibbs free-energy functional form an infinite set and are labelled by a topological number Nv=0,1,2,... Mathematically, they can be interpreted as nontrivial ''vacuum'' (Nv=0) and static topological solitons (Nv=1,2,...) of the sine-Gordon equation for the phase difference in a finite spatial interval: solutions of this kind were not considered in previous literature. Physically, they represent the Meissner state (Nv=0) and Josephson vortices (Nv=1,2,...). Major properties of the new physical solutions are thoroughly discussed. An exact, closed-form analytical expression for the Gibbs free energy is derived and analyzed numerically. Unstable (saddle-point) solutions are also classified and discussed.Comment: 17 pages, 4 Postscript figure

Exact analytical solution of the problem of current-carrying states of the Josephson junction in external magnetic fields

The classical problem of the Josephson junction of arbitrary length W in the presence of externally applied magnetic fields (H) and transport currents (J) is reconsidered from the point of view of stability theory. In particular, we derive the complete infinite set of exact analytical solutions for the phase difference that describe the current-carrying states of the junction with arbitrary W and an arbitrary mode of the injection of J. These solutions are parameterized by two natural parameters: the constants of integration. The boundaries of their stability regions in the parametric plane are determined by a corresponding infinite set of exact functional equations. Being mapped to the physical plane (H,J), these boundaries yield the dependence of the critical transport current Jc on H. Contrary to a wide-spread belief, the exact analytical dependence Jc=Jc(H) proves to be multivalued even for arbitrarily small W. What is more, the exact solution reveals the existence of unquantized Josephson vortices carrying fractional flux and located near one of the junction edges, provided that J is sufficiently close to Jc for certain finite values of H. This conclusion (as well as other exact analytical results) is illustrated by a graphical analysis of typical cases.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Unfavourable birth outcomes of the Roma women in the Czech Republic and the potential explanations: a population-based study

BACKGROUND: Data on the health status of the Roma people in Central and Eastern Europe are sparse and the reasons for their poor health are not clear. The objective of this study was to quantify the differences in birth outcomes between Roma and non-Roma mothers in the Czech Republic and to investigate the potential causes of such differences. METHOD: A population-based study recruited 8938 non-Roma and 1388 Roma hospitalised singleton births that occurred in two Czech districts (Teplice and Prachatice) between 1995 and 2004. During their stay in hospital, mothers completed a questionnaire on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and maternal smoking and alcohol consumption. Data on maternal height and weight and on infants' birth weight and gestational age were taken from hospital records. RESULTS: Birth weight and gestational age of Roma infants was 373 (SE 15) g and 0.92 (0.05) weeks, respectively, lower than in non-Roma infants. Controlling for demographic, socioeconomic and behavioural factors reduced these differences to 133 (18) g and 0.57 (0.06) weeks, respectively (all p-values < 0.001). In terms of binary outcomes, the Roma vs. non-Roma odds ratios were 4.5 (95% CI 3.7–5.4) for low birth weight (< 2500 g), 2.8 (2.2–3.4) for preterm birth (< 37 weeks of gestation), and 2.9 (2.5–3.4) for intrauterine grown retardation (<10(th )percentile of birth weight for gestational age); controlling for all covariates reduced these odds ratios to 1.7 (1.3–2.2), 1.5 (1.1–2.0) and 1.3 (1.0–1.6), respectively. Maternal education made the largest contribution to the ethnic differences; the role of health behaviours was relatively modest. CONCLUSION: There are striking differences in birth outcomes between Roma and non-Roma mothers. The causes of these differences are complex but largely socioeconomic

WILD RESOURCES OF THE PROSPECTIVE MEDICINAL PLANT ARUM MACULATUM L. IN BULGARIA

Background: Arum maculatum L. (Araceae), has been known as a medicinal plant for centuries. In Bulgaria, this species is an officially acknowledged medicinal plant (Medicinal plant act 2000), even though it is not often used. Our ethnopharmacological survey demonstrated that A. maculatum is a promising plant for treatment of hemorrhoids and even preferable than the surgery which is so far considered the definitive treatment (Kochmarov et al 2015). Therefore the problem for the plant resources is crucial. Our survey on the natural distribution of the genus Arum in Bulgaria (Kozuharova et al. 2014) revealed that A. maculatum occurs only in eight floristic regions – data collected by literature review, revising herbarium collections (SOM, SOA and SO) and field observations on more than 30 localities in 2013. This suggests a limited potential of natural resources. The aim of this study is to test the potential of natural resources exploitation. Methods: In order to evaluate exploitation potential of A. maculatum we selected key plots at four localities (harvesting areas). We used the methodology of Shtrueter et al. (1986) adapted to the specifics of this species - transects to measure the total area of the localities, a projective cover of species, its demographic structure, expected yield kg/ha, etc. Results: The extrapolation of the data reveals that 1) the populations are strongly fragmented, and vary in size; 2) the generative individuals are decades of times less that the vegetative adults and juveniles; 3) the propagation is basically vegetative; 4) the potential exploitation varies depending on the locality from 0,3 kg/ha to 147,2 kg/ha (at the average 37 kg/ha). Conclusions: The results of this study indicate more limited potential of natural resources exploitation compared to previous considerations (Mitrev 1995). The sustainable use for medicinal purposes of the plant substance Ari Tubera should be based on cultivation