摘要:

We investigated an alleged association between ganglioside therapy and the risk of developing the Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in a historical cohort study. Using official medical records of the Local Health Unit No. 31 of Ferrara Province, northern Italy, we linked data on sales of gangliosides with information regarding hospital admissions and discharge diagnoses between January 1, 1988, and May 31, 1990. The number of incidence cases of GBS observed within 30 days of gangliosides administration in a cohort of 13,373 treated subjects (0.0 cases) was not significantly different from that expected in the general population (0.014). Our study suggests that patients receiving gangliosides are not at increased risk of developing GBS. However, because of sample size limitations, these findings should be confirmed in a larger cohort study

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110265

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

All amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases hospitalized over a 25-year period in the University Department of Neurology in Athens were surveyed, with emphasis given to the occupation of the patients and the geographic distribution of the disease. The results showed an overrepresentation of farmers among patients and an aggregation of cases in the region of Cephalonia. These findings might suggest that environmental factors could be involved in the etiology of the disease.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110266

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

A case-control study of risk factors in 512 cases of motor neuron disease (MND) and 512 controls, affected by other neurological diseases, was performed. Clinical history showed a significant increase in gastric ulcer and mechanical injuries among MND cases, whereas the frequencies of operations, poliomyelitis, malignancies and autoimmune diseases were similar for cases and controls. The women affected by MND had a later menarche and an earlier menopause; therefore, the reproductive period was significantly shorter, supporting a possible role of sexual hormones in the pathogenesis of MND. The analysis of occupations showed an increased number of farmers and also of subjects exposed to chemical products among MND cases.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110267

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We studied the prevalence of various types of progressive muscular dystrophy (PMD) in Okinawa, Japan on December 31, 1989 and the incidence of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) in 5-year periods from 1957 to 1985. We classified patients with PMD clinically, electrophysiologically, molecular biologically and immunohistochemically with antidystrophin antibody, especially for sporadic cases of DMD, Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LG). The prevalence for all PMD in Okinawa was 7.13 X 10–5 for DMD, 1.82 X 10–5 for BMD in the male population, 1.55 X 10–5 for LG, 1.14 X 10–5 for congenital muscular dystrophy, 2.03 X 10–5 for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSH), and 9.13 X 10–5 for myotonic dystrophy (MD) in the total population. The incidence of DMD in the period 1957–1985 was 15.41 X 10–5 live-born males (LBM) and 3.21 X 10–5 LBM for BMD. The incidence has apparently declined in Okinawa since 1975. The prevalence of BMD, FSH and MD was rather high in Okinawa compared with previous reports. Molecular biological techniques for classifying patients were indispensable for the epidemiolog

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110268

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

An investigation of the occurence of multiple sclerosis (MS) was undertaken in the City of Galion, Ohio, USA, because of a report of an increased number of cases. As of June 1,1987, there were 18 living cases of MS in Galion and Polk Township, for a prevalence rate of 112 cases per 100,000 population. The expected rate is approximately 65–170 cases per 100,000. In a case-control study, residents of Galion or Polk Township who had MS were compared to residents who did not have MS. The controls were matched to the cases on age and sex and had lived in Galion for at least as long as their matched case. The cases and controls did not differ in the distribution of their present or past Galion addresses, occupational histories or workplace exposures. Cases were more likely to have graduated from high school and college than controls. Cases were more likely than controls to report a history of allergies, to recall two or more relatives who had neurologic diseases that began before their first MS symptoms, to report owning a cat that died of unexplained causes and to recall having received oral polio vaccine. Cases and controls had similar levels of antibodies to measles, chickenpox, cytomegalovirus and the human T-cell lymphotrophic virus

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110269

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

In a cooperative study in The Netherlands 22 patients with lissencephaly type I were collected. In the period 1980–1988, the prevalence of lissencephaly type I in the Netherlands was 11.7 per million births (12.2 for females and 11.0 for males). The 5-year survival rate of patients with a complete or nearly complete agyria (grade 1 or 2) in this study was 54% compared to 91% in patients with a mixture of agyria with pachygyria or complete pachygyria (grade 3 or 4

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110270

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Parkinson''s disease (PD) rates were examined by province and by sex for Canada for the years 1979–1984. As seen with other studies, PD displayed an uneven geographic distribution in the average annual prevalence rates for both males and females. The distribution of prevalence rates indicated a higher prevalence of PD in the western-most provinces. Nationally, males had a statistically significantly higher prevalence than females. Three provinces displayed a statistically significant sex difference with 2 provinces having a higher prevalence rate among males and 1 with a higher prevalence among females. The uneven distribution of prevalence rates offers some support for the involvement of environmental influences in the etiology of P

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110271

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The purpose of this review is to evaluate literature published since 1978 on the association between smoking and stroke. Two cohort studies found a dose-response relationship between the amount of cigarettes smoked per day and the relative risk of stroke. Also, two of the cohort studies found that when smoking ceased, the risk of stroke lessened (p < 0.001). Nine case-control studies found a significant association between smoking and stroke for men and women. The biological association between smoking and stroke is plausible and several epidemiologic studies are supportive of this thesis. Additional, well-designed epidemiologic studies with a sufficient sample size to detect reasonably small odds ratios or relative risks (thus providing adequate statistical power) are warranted.

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110272

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110273

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger

ISSN:0251-5350    

DOI:10.1159/000110274

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1991

数据来源: Karger