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Biomedical subjects

C Hotermans

Publications and source records attributed to C Hotermans.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

[Primary orthostatic tremor].

Primary orthostatic tremor is a particular tremor exclusively present when a subject is standing. Patients experience a severe disabling sense of unsteadiness. Walking, sitting and lying down are unaffected Neurological examination and cerebral imagery are normal most of the time. Electromyography in standing position confirms the diagnosis in showing a regular rapid tremor with a frequency of 12 to 18 Hz. Its physiopathology is partially unknown. A few symptomatic therapies can be proposed.

Dizziness↗

Prophylaxis of the epilepsies: should anti-epileptic drugs be used for preventing seizures after acute brain injury?

In many circumstances antiepileptic drugs are used in patients who have never presented any clinical epileptic seizures. These substances are administered on the assumption of a potential risk for the patients of developing acute or delayed chronic seizures after brain injuries such as trauma, stroke, hemorrages or even neurosurgical interventions. The aim of this paper is to propose therapeutic guidelines for the management of this prophylactic attitude in epilepsy based on basic research and clinical practice in the French community in Belgium. We will distinguish between the prevention of acute (early onset-provoked) seizures and a delayed truly post-lesional (unprovoked) epilepsy. Some therapeutic goals can be achieved under the former circumstances whereas in the latter situation we all agree for the absence of any coherent antiepileptic prophylactic behaviour.

Acute Disease↗

Therapeutic issues in women with epilepsy.

Approximately 20% of people with epilepsy are of childbearing potential and about 3 to 5 births per thousand will be to women with epilepsy. Both epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs can cause specific problems in women and embryos (less than 8 weeks of gestational age) or foetuses (more than 8 weeks of gestational age). The aim of this paper is to discuss therapeutic issues for the management of women with epilepsy: initiation of antiepileptic therapy, contraception, pregnancy, breast feeding and menopause. Some fertility issues are also discussed.

Anticonvulsants↗

[How I treat ... essential tremor].

Essential tremor is the most prevalent movement disorder. This condition is often considered as benign but it can be the cause of considerable social, professional, and psychological handicap. It affects people of all ages but its prevalence increases with age (up to 5% of patients 65 or older). After discussing clinical aspects of this disorder, we review the current medical and surgical therapeutic options. Surgery may bring up spectacular improvement.

Diagnosis, Differential↗

Population dynamics of CD4+ T cells lacking Thy-1 in murine retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency syndrome (MAIDS).

Increased numbers of CD4+ Thy-1- cells have been described in the spleen (SP) of mice with retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency (MAIDS). Since this phenotypic abnormality might have considerable functional importance, the expansion of the CD4+ Thy-1- subset in MAIDS was characterized further. CD4+ Thy-1- and Thy-1+ T-cells from infected mice expressed similar densities of CD3 and TCR alpha/beta. In contrast, the Thy-1- subset was uniformly CD44hi, even early in the disease when part of Thy-1+ cells were still CD44lo. The emergence of CD4+ Thy-1- cells occurred first in SP and lymph nodes and was observed later in thymus. The important fraction of CD4+ cells lacking Thy-1 normally present in Peyer's patches was only weakly modified. Despite the major expansion of the CD4+ Thy-1- phenotype, the proliferating fraction was not higher in this subset than in CD4+ Thy-1+ cells from infected mice. Persistence after hydroxyurea administration was identical in both subsets, indicating similar mean cell lifespans. Taken together, these results show that the major expansion of CD4+ Thy-1- T-cells in MAIDS is not ascribable solely to increased proliferation within this subset. Phenotypic analysis suggests that CD4+ Thy-1- cells result from the differentiation of Thy-1+ cells induced by activation signals related to retroviral infection.

Animals↗

[Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome].

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy refers to a clinicoradiological syndrome observed in patients presenting with acute or subacute symptoms of various intensity including seizures, headache, vomiting, confusion and visual abnormalities. The radiological features are reversible bilateral white matter abnormalities predominantly located in the posterior regions of the cerebral hemispheres, demonstrated by computed tomography or, better, by magnetic resonance imaging. This syndrome mostly occurs in patients with hypertensive encephalopathy or in immunosuppressed patients. The recognition of this syndrome is critical as delay in the diagnosis or treatment can result in permanent neurological deficit while early prompt control of blood pressure or withdrawal of causative drugs can reverse the syndrome.

Adult↗