Biomedical subjects

R Laskawi

Publications and source records attributed to R Laskawi.

96 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Cortical transcranial magnetic stimulation of the frontalis muscle: characteristic features and details on motor-evoked potentials of the forehead.

The effect of coil position on the head surface along the interaural line on motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) of the frontalis muscle due to cortical transcranial magnetic stimulation was investigated in 16 healthy subjects. Bilateral reproducible responses could be observed in all subjects investigated at coil positions varying from 2 to 12 cm lateral to the vertex. MEP amplitudes of the frontalis muscle offered no significant side differences neither in amplitude nor in onset latency. Despite a considerable overlap, a statistically significant separation (p < 0.0001) of the two areas from which reproducible MEPs of upper and lower mimetic muscles could be elicited was evident for the calculated mediolateral center with the frontalis muscle area being placed more medially. Our findings are in accordance with anatomical studies indicating a predominance of corticonuclear descending fibers to lower but not to upper facial motoneurons.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Treatment of gustatory sweating with botulinum toxin: special aspects.

Botulinum toxin treatment is an efficient, well-tolerated technique for patients suffering from gustatory sweating, first described by our group. With the experience gained in recent years we were able to improve on some of our skills in the diagnosis and treatment of gustatory sweating and here we wish to focus on some interesting aspects: (1) the necessity for an exact anamnesis before treatment with botulinum toxin to ensure correct treatment; (2) the advantages of Minor's test in special situations, for example, when sweating occurs in regions of hairy skin, retroauricular, at the back of the auricle and in areas distant from the site of salivary gland surgery; (3) the reduction of pain during treatment using an anesthetic ointment containing lidocaine and prilocaine as active substances; (4) intracutaneous injections in areas anterior to the fascia-protected skin of the lateral face-covering mimetic muscles, and (5) the occasional necessity for short-time reinjection in small areas of persistent sweating.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Minimally invasive application of botulinum toxin type A in nasal hypersecretion.

We report on the effect of the local application of botulinum toxin A on nasal hypersecretion in a female patient with intrinsic rhinitis. 20 units of botulinum toxin A (Botox) was inserted into each nostril using a small sponge in close contact with the lower and middle turbinates. The effect was scored by the patient and by rhinomanometry. Nasal hypersecretion diminished clearly 5 days after the treatment. The rhinomanometric flow increased 2 weeks after the application. No side effects occurred. We conclude that this minimal invasive method of local botulinum toxin application might be a very effective and safe option for the treatment of nasal hypersecretion of different etiologies.

Administration, Intranasal↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Changes in the phosphorylation of neurofilament proteins in facial motoneurons following various types of nerve lesion.

This report defines the conditions for changes in the phosphorylation state of neurofilaments (NF) after facial nerve lesions. In adult control rats, few phosphorylated neurofilament (pNF) epitopes were stained (using SMI 31 antibodies) in a small subpopulation of facial motoneurons. After various types of mechanical lesion (nerve transection with and without attaching a metal clip to the proximal nerve trunk, nerve crush, combined trigeminal and facial nerve lesions) of the right facial nerve, pNF immunoreactivity transiently increased in most cell bodies of facial motoneurons on the operated side. This pNF 'reaction' started within 2 days after the operation and persisted up to 2 weeks but remained longer in those animals in which axonal regeneration had been prevented or delayed by attaching a metal clip to the proximal nerve stump. After botulinum toxin application into facial muscles (i.e. inhibition of synaptic transmission at motoric endplates) there was no increase in the amount of pNF after 4 and 10 days, but it appeared in facial nuclei 4 weeks after injection on both, the treated and the untreated side, i.e. during functional restitution. Selectively transecting the 'vibrissal part' of the trigeminal nerve induced no obvious changes in the pNF immunoreactivity in facial motoneurons, but a combined trigeminal-facial lesion did. Labeling nonphosphorylated epitopes (using SMI 32 antibodies) showed a slight decrease in immunoreactivity in the neuropil of the facial nucleus 15 days after nerve transection and fixing a metal clip on the proximal nerve stump.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Electron microscopical evidence of synaptic reorganization in the contralateral motor cortex of adult rats following facial nerve lesion.

Here we report on the rapid changes in the motor cortex of the rat following peripheral lesioning of a motor nerve. Facial nerve transection increases synaptic reorganization (autophagy, lysosomal degradation of synaptic components) already within 4 h after lesion. These changes occur in the motor cortex of both hemispheres, i.e. on the same and contralateral sides. An increase in the number of presynaptic lysosomes was transient and returned to below normal values within 24 h after facial nerve transection.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship between GAGE-1/-2 expression, EBV infection and interferon-gamma expression in undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type.

GAGE-1/-2 proteins are novel tumour markers, functionally related to tumour rejection. The objective of the present study was to identify the existence of a relationship between GAGE-1/-2 expression, Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) infection and viral infection-induced cytokine expression in cultivated tumour cells and archival specimens of undifferentiated carcinoma of nasopharyngeal type (UCNT). PCR and in situ hybridization techniques were employed. In cultivated UCNT cells, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) induced synthesis of GAGE-1/-2 mRNA. In archival tumour specimens (n = 10) however, GAGE-1/-2 gene expression was detected in only 3/8 cases with coincident EBV infection and IFN-gamma expression. In conclusion, EBV infection appears to induce IFN-gamma gene expression in most tumors, but GAGE-1/-2 expression in only some tumours. The role of IFN-gamma and other factors in triggering GAGE-1/-2 gene activation must be elucidated further. The relevance of GAGE-1/-2 gene expression and its detection by PCR for future immunotherapy is discussed.

Adolescent↗