Possible Disruption (possible + disruption)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Epileptic Seizures after Treatment with Thiocolchicoside

EPILEPSIA, Issue 8 2001
Pier Luigi De Riu
Summary: ,Purpose: To report the occurrence of epileptic seizures in humans, closely related to the use of the centrally acting muscle relaxant thiocolchicoside. Methods: Description of three case histories. Results: Two patients, affected with complex-partial seizures, sometimes secondarily generalized, receiving antiepileptic therapy, were seizure free for 7 and 9 years, respectively. They had the reappearance of tonic,clonic seizures few days after the continued use of thiocolchicoside, at a cumulative dose of the drug of 52 mg and 76 mg, respectively. The third patient was brain damaged and without a history of seizures. He had a sudden, convulsive seizure a few minutes after 4 mg intramuscular thiocolchicoside. Conclusions: Our case histories indicate that thiocolchicoside has a powerful epileptogenic activity. This drug should be avoided in patients with epilepsy or acute brain injury and possible disruption of the blood,brain barrier. [source]


Promoter methylation in circadian genes of endometrial cancers detected by methylation-specific PCR

MOLECULAR CARCINOGENESIS, Issue 10 2006
Mu-Chin Shih
Abstract Methylation of CpG dinucleotides in the promoter sequence of a gene can lead to deregulated and suppressed gene expression. In this study, we have developed procedures for methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and sequencing analysis to determine CpG methylation status of the promoter sequences of nine circadian genes in 35 endometrial cancers (EC) and paired noncancerous endometrial tissues. DNA methylation was found in the promoter sequences of PER1, PER2, and CRY1, but not of other six circadian genes in the ECs and normal tissues examined. Eleven of the 35 EC tissues showed CpG methylation in the promoter sequences of PER1, PER2, or CRY1. Of these 11 cases, 1 had promoter methylation in all the three genes, 1 in PER1 and PER2, 3 in PER1 and CRY1, and 6 in PER1, respectively. In comparison, promoter CpG methylation of PER1, PER2, or CRY1 was found in only 7 of 35 paired noncancerous tissues including 2 in PER1 and PER2, 2 in PER1, and 3 in CRY1. In summary, promoter methylation in the PER1, PER2, or CRY1 circadian genes was detected in about one-third of EC and one-fifth of noncancerous endometrial tissues of 35 paired specimens indicating possible disruption of the circadian clock in the development of EC. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Corpus callosum and posterior fossa development in monozygotic females: a morphometric MRI study of Turner syndrome

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 5 2003
Susannah L Fryer BA
Previous neuroimaging research in Turner syndrome (TS) has indicated parietal lobe anomalies, while anomalies in other brain loci have been less well-substantiated. This study focused on potential cerebellar abnormalities and possible disruptions of interhemispheric (parietal) callosal connections in individuals with TS. Twenty-seven female children and adolescents with TS (mean age 13 years, SD 4 years 2 months) and 27 age-matched female control individuals (mean age 13 years 2 months, SD 4 years 1 month) underwent MRI. Age range of all participants was 7 to 20 years. Morphometric analyses of midline brain structures were conducted using standardized, reliable methods. When compared with control participants, females with TS showed reduced areas of the genu of the corpus callosum, the pons, and vermis lobules VI,VII, and an increased area of the fourth ventricle. No group difference in intracranial area measurements was observed. The reduced area of the genu in TS may reflect compromised connectivity between inferior parietal regions. Further, cerebellar vermis hypoplasia associated with TS agrees with literature that suggests the posterior fossa as a region prone to structural alterations in the face of early developmental insult. [source]


Storm prediction over Europe using the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System

METEOROLOGICAL APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2002
Roberto Buizza
Three severe storms caused great damage in Europe in December 1999. The first storm hit Denmark and Germany on 3 and 4 December, and the other two storms crossed France and Germany on 26 and 28 December. In this study, the performance of the Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) in predicting these intense storms is investigated. Results indicate that the EPS gave early indications of possible severe storm occurrence, and was especially useful when the deterministic TL319L60 forecasts issued on successive days were highly inconsistent. These results indicate that the EPS is a valuable tool for assessing quantitatively the risk of severe weather and issuing early warnings of possible disruptions. The impact of an increase of the ensemble system horizontal resolution (TL255 integration from a TL511 analysis instead of the operational TL159 integration from a TL319 analysis) on the system performance is also investigated. Results show that the resolution increase enhances the ensemble performance in predicting the position and the intensity of intense storms. Copyright © 2002 Royal Meteorological Society. [source]