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Biomedical subjects

E Lahat

Publications and source records attributed to E Lahat.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Aminoaciduria resulting from vigabatrin administration in children with epilepsy.

Vigabatrin (gamma-vinyl gamma aminobutyric acid), a recently developed antiepileptic drug, has been extensively evaluated in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Several case reports demonstrated that vigabatrin affects urinary excretion of several amino and organic acids. Fourteen children were investigated for the presence of abnormal urinary amino acids before and after treatment with vigabatrin. All demonstrated increased urinary excretion of amino acids, particularly beta-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and beta-aminoisobutyric acid while on vigabatrin, which were not detected when off medication. These results emphasize the importance of obtaining urine for metabolic evaluation before the administration of vigabatrin.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Hypnotherapy: an effective treatment modality for trichotillomania.

This study describes a non-pharmacological treatment modality for children with trichotillomania. Three children with trichotillomania were treated using a hypnotherapy technique. All patients were observed in the outpatient clinic for 8 consecutive weeks and subsequently followed for 12-18 months. All children were cooperative in performing the hypnotherapy technique (relaxation/mental imagery). Two patients reported complete resolution of their complaints after 7-8 weeks and 1 patient after 16 weeks. The latter, reporting recurrence of the complaint after 4 weeks due to stressful school problems, was resolved after successful retreatment over 3 weeks. During a mean follow-up period of 16 months, there were no recurrences. In conclusion, hypnotherapy may be considered as a primary treatment modality for trichotillomania in children without associated emotional disorders.

Alopecia↗
PubMed1999

Long-term follow-up of children born after inadvertent administration of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist in early pregnancy.

Our objective was to evaluate long-term outcome of children born after inadvertent administration of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) in early pregnancy, compared to a control group of children born to matched women undergoing in-vitro fertilization and children born after spontaneous pregnancies. Six children from six pregnancies, exposed to a long-acting gonadotrophin agonist, comprised the study group and 20 children were included in the control groups. Pre-, peri- and postnatal data were collected and the children were followed and examined at a mean age of 7.8 +/- 2.0 years. All children underwent physical and neurological examination, and psychological tests. In the study group, one child was born with a major congenital malformation (cleft palate), and four children subsequently demonstrated neurodevelopmental abnormalities, including epileptic disorder (n = 1), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n = 3), motor difficulties (n = 3) and speech difficulties (n = 1). In the control groups, one child had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This observation of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in four of six children in the study group justifies the need for long-term follow-up of more children previously exposed to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist.

Abnormalities, Drug-Induced↗
PubMed1999

Long term neurological outcome of herpes encephalitis.

Twenty eight children with herpes simplex encephalitis were followed up for a mean of 5.5 years. Two children died and 26 survived, of whom 16 were left with no neurological sequelae and 10 had persistent neurological sequelae. Mean (SD) Glasgow coma score was significantly lower in the patients with neurological sequelae (7.7 (1.5)) and the patients who died (4.5 (0.7)), compared with the patients without neurological sequelae (11 (1.7)).

Acyclovir↗
PubMed1999

Abnormal visual evoked potentials in children with "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome due to infectious mononucleosis.

Visual illusions characterized by distortion of form, size, reciprocal position of objects, movement, or color, labeled as "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome, were discussed in children with infectious mononucleosis, as well as in other clinical conditions, such as migraine, epilepsy, use of certain hallucinogenic drugs, etc. The purpose of our study was to investigate for the first time visual evoked potential results in children with "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome associated with infectious mononucleosis. Five children with "Alice in Wonderland" syndrome associated with infectious mononucleosis underwent visual evoked potential studies during and after their clinical symptoms. Visual evoked potential results during the disease demonstrated statistically significant high amplitudes of P100-N145 in all children compared to the control group. A few weeks later, repeated studies after the resolution of the complaints were normal. Since the same findings can be observed in patients with migraine, we postulate that a common pathophysiologic underlying abnormality, which can cause transient focal decreased cerebral perfusion, could be involved in the disease process of these two conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

[Familial hemiplegic migraine of childhood].

Familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare autosomal, dominant, migraine subtype. It is characterized by acute episodes of hemiplegia and hemisensory deficits, and other neurological abnormalities occurring either before or together with severe headache, nausea and vomiting; episodes last several hours and then spontaneously subside. Intervals between episodes are relatively prolonged. Unless there is a relevant family history suggesting this syndrome, the diagnosis is usually delayed. Recently the gene for the syndrome was identified on chromosome 19. We report 3 boys and 1 girl, 11-15 years old with hemiplegic migraine.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Aurioscope earpieces--a potential vector of infection?

OBJECTIVES: to determine whether non disposable aurioscope earpieces used in community paediatric clinics harbored pathogenic micro-organisms, and to explore primary pediatrician perception of the possibility of cross infection from contaminated aurioscope earpieces and of how their aurioscope earpieced are cleaned. DESIGN: randomized survey. SETTING: four community pediatric clinics. MATERIALS: 42 pediatricians' aurioscope earpieces were cultured on blood agar and mannitol-salt-agar plates by two methods: (1) The earpieces were rolled for 5 s onto blood agar plates (TSA + 5% sheep blood, and a mannitol-salt-agar-plate). (2) The entire surface of the earpiece was swabbed with a sterile cotton tipped applicator moistened in sterile saline solution and was inoculated immediately onto a blood agar plate, and a mannitol-salt-agar-plate. The plates were incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 h and examined for colony growth at 24 and 48 h of incubation. Culture results were recorded as mean numbers of colony-forming units (CFUs). RESULTS: 36 from 42 (86%) of the aurioscope earpieces were colonized by micro-organisms. Heavily contaminated earpieces were found in six (14%). Staphylococci were isolated from 27 (64%) of the earpieces: 19 (45%) being Staphylococci aureus coagulase positive, 4 (9%) were methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA). CONCLUSIONS: Non disposable earpieces can harbor potentially pathogenic bacteria including MRSA. The increased trend for children with immunodeficiency to be managed in an ambulatory setting, often by physicians who also work in hospital, might be a risk of spreading potentially serious infections to such patients. Non disposable earpieces should be regularly disinfected to minimize the spread of infection.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

'Respiratory epilepsy'--does it exist?

Past literature suggests a possible relationship between two recurrent illnesses: bronchial asthma and epilepsy. Only one preliminary study, performed 30 years ago, demonstrated epileptiform EEG activity in patients with bronchial asthma who were treated successfully for their asthma with antiepileptic drugs. We demonstrated epileptiform activity in six out of 24 (25%) children with bronchial asthma who had no history of neurological illnesses or epilepsy, compared to one out of 24 (4.2%) children in the control group. This relatively high percentage of EEG abnormalities raises the possibility that there is a subgroup of patients with bronchial asthma, in whom the asthma might be considered as an 'epileptic equivalent'. These patients possibly deserve a different, unique therapeutic approach.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Parkinsonian syndrome complicating systemic lupus erythematosus.

Two girls with florid extrapyramidal parkinsonism complicating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are reported. One patient (15 years old) presented with extreme rigidity, irritability, and mutism initially diagnosed as acute psychosis. Examination revealed severe extrapyramidal akinetic mutism, along with marked restlessness. CT and MRI imaging of the brain were unremarkable. EEG revealed moderate generalized disturbance of background activity. 99mTc-HmPAO SPECT cerebral scanning detected decreased regional cerebral blood flow at the basal ganglia. Dopamine-agonist drugs led to complete recovery after 3 months, along with normalization of EEG and SPECT alterations. The second patient (16 years old) was assessed for progressive bradykinesia and apathy impeding her active daily activities, and she was suspected to have developed depression. Neurologic assessment revealed a parkinsonian syndrome that was less severe than that of the first patient. The EEG showed mild disturbance of background activity, and 99mTc-HmPAO SPECT demonstrated impaired regional cerebral blood flow over the basal ganglia. A parkinsonian extrapyramidal syndrome complicating SLE should therefore be taken into account in any patient with SLE presenting with marked behavioral alterations, rigidity, or akinetic mutism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Pseudotumor cerebri as a presenting symptom of acute sinusitis in a child.

Pseudotumor cerebri is a clinical syndrome characterized by increased intracranial pressure in the absence of an intracranial tumor. It is most frequently diagnosed in obese young women, but it is also reported in children of all age groups, including infants. A variety of medical conditions have been suggested as possible etiologic factors, including several infectious diseases. This study presents a child with pseudotumor cerebri as the only presenting symptom of acute frontal sinusitis. The possible association between these two conditions should be investigated in cases of pseudotumor cerebri to enable the appropriate treatment.

Acetazolamide↗
PubMed1998

Hereditary insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis.

Hereditary sensory neuropathy type IV is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by congenital insensitivity to pain and anhidrosis and resulting in recurrent hyperpyrexia, self-mutilation, recurrent infections, chronic osteomyelitis, bone and joint deformities, and limb amputations. Described is a child with signs as well as skin and nerve biopsy results compatible with this disease, emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis and appropriate medical and educational care to prevent complications.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1998

Rapid recovery from transverse myelopathy in children treated with methylprednisolone.

Acute transverse myelopathy is an uncommon disease that manifests with gradually developing weakness of the lower extremities associated with bladder or bowel dysfunction, sensory deficits, and pain localized in the back, legs, or abdomen. There are controversies in the literature regarding the role of steroids in the treatment of acute transverse myelopathy. Recently, a pilot open study of five children with acute transverse myelopathy treated with high-dose methylprednisolone demonstrated significant shortening of motor recovery when compared with an historic control group receiving either no treatment or low-dose steroids. The authors add their experience of 10 children with acute transverse myelopathy treated with high-dose methylprednisolone as soon as the diagnosis was confirmed. The median time of motor recovery in the present series was 5.5 compared with 23 days in the other study. No significant side effects were observed after treatment. This study provides further support that this treatment modality is safe and efficient and should be suggested for all children with acute transverse myelopathy after establishing the diagnosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Pseudotumour cerebri complicating varicella in a child.

Pseudotumour cerebri is a clinical syndrome characterized by increased intracranial pressure in the absence of intracranial pathology. The possible association between this condition and infections has already been mention in a few case series. This paper describes a 6-y-old girl with a classical picture of pseudotumour cerebri: which developed 1 week following varicella. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first description suggesting this association. Additional reports are required to support the possible relationship between the two conditions.

Chickenpox↗
PubMed1998

Gunshot wounds in brains of children: prognostic variables in mortality, course, and outcome.

A retrospective study of 51 children presenting with craniocerebral gunshot lesions was carried out to identify predictors of outcome. The patients ranged in age from 2 months to 17 years, with a mean of 14.5 years. The outcome was good in 20 patients, and seven and four were moderately and severely disabled, respectively. Twenty patients died. Statistical analysis showed prognostic significance of the admission Glasgow Coma Score (GCS), computerized tomographic findings of intraventricular hemorrhage and midline shift, and metabolic abnormalities, including hypokalemia and hyperglycemia. These prognostic factors may have implications regarding counseling of families, utilization of resources, and organ transplantation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Interleukin-1beta levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of children with febrile seizures.

We compared interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) levels in peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with febrile seizures with those of children with febrile illnesses without seizures (control). Twenty patients were included in the study, 10 with febrile seizures and 10 with febrile illness not complicated by seizures (control). Blood and CSF were obtained after the patients' admission to the hospital. IL-1beta levels were measured by a specific radioimmunoassay method. No significant differences were observed between mean IL-1beta levels in CSF (4.15 +/- 1.5 pg/ml) and blood (2.92 +/- 2.6 pg/ml) of the patients with febrile seizures group as compared with those in CSF (3.2 +/- 3.2 pg/ml) and blood (3.44 +/- 3.16 pg/ml) in the control group. These results do not support the hypothesis that increased production of IL-1beta or increased diffusion of IL-1beta through the blood-brain barrier is involved in the pathogenesis of febrile seizures in children.

Blood-Brain Barrier↗