We prospectively outlined circadian rhythms of patients admitted for long term EEG and video monitoring, using measurement of the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). Seizures during admission were recorded with continuous EEG and video monitoring. The DLMO ranged from 18:46h to 23:13h (mean 21:22h). One hundred and twenty-four seizures of 21 patients were analysed. Seizures of temporal lobe origin occurred
mainly between 11:00 and 17:00 h and frontal seizures were seen mostly between 23:00 and 05:00 h. When correlating seizure timing to the individual’s circadian phase as measured by the DLMO, the following was seen: temporal seizures occurred most frequently in the 6 h before DLMO and frontal seizures mainly in 6-12 h after the DLMO. The results of this pilot study suggest that temporal and frontal seizures occur in a non-random fashion synchronized to NVP-LBH589 a hormonal marker of the circadian timing system. 4-Hydroxytamoxifen (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“The mitotic spindle is a diamond-shaped molecular apparatus crucial for chromosomal segregation. The regulation of spindle length is well studied, but little is known about spindle width. Previous studies suggested
that the spindle can self-organize to maintain a constant aspect ratio between its length and width against physical perturbations. Here we determine the widths of metaphase spindles of various sizes observed during embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans, including small spindles obtained by knocking down the tpxl-1 or spd-2 gene. The spindle width correlates well with the spindle length, but the aspect ratio between the spindle length and spindle width is not constant, indicating an allometric relationship between these parameters. We characterize how DNA quantity (ploidy) affects spindle shape by using haploid and polyploid embryos. We find that the length of the hypotenuse, which corresponds to the distance from the apex of the metaphase plate to the spindle pole, remains constant in each cell stage, regardless of ploidy. On the basis of the quantitative data, we deduce an allometric equation that describes the Selleck XMU-MP-1 spindle width as a function
of the length of the hypotenuse and ploidy. On the basis of this equation, we propose a force-balance model to determine the spindle width.”
“Pathological gambling (PG,) has been identified in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but such gambling behaviors may also occur in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We sought to estimate the prevalence of PG amongst members of a web-based community, PatientsLikeMe.corn. A survey was constructed, consisting of demographic information, the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the K-6 measure of distress, and items related to motivation for gambling. Data were obtained from 236 ALS patients and 208 PD patients. Of the PD patients. 13% were classified as problem gamblers compared with 3% of ALS patients (S(2) = 14.005, P <= 0.001).