It has been proposed that death of inhibitory interneurons in the dorsal horn contributes to the neuropathic pain that follows partial nerve injury. In this study, we have used two approaches to test whether there is neuronal death in the dorsal horn in the spared nerve injury (SNI) model. We performed a stereological analysis of the packing density of neurons in laminas I-III 4 weeks after operation and found no reduction on the ipsilateral side compared with that seen on the contralateral side or in sham-operated or naive rats. In addition, we used two markers of apoptosis, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and immunocytochemical detection of cleaved (activated) caspase-3. Neither of these methods demonstrated apoptotic neurons in the dorsal spinal cord 1 week after operation. Although TUNEL-positive cells were present throughout the gray and white matter at this stage, they were virtually all labeled with antibody against ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1, a marker for microglia. All animals that underwent SNI showed clear signs of tactile allodynia affecting the ipsilateral hindpaw. These results suggest that a significant loss of neurons from the dorsal horn is not necessary for the development of tactile allodynia in the SNI model.

• PURPOSE: Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) confers a high risk of acute vascular ischemic events, including stroke and myocardial infarction (MI). Understanding the burden and risk factor profile of these ischemic events can serve as a valuable guide for ophthalmologists in the management and appropriate referral of these patients. • DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. • METHODS: The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried to identify all inpatient admissions with a diagnosis of CRAO in the United States between the years 2003 and 2014. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of in-hospital acute vascular ischemic events. • RESULTS: There were an estimated 17 117 CRAO inpatient admissions. The mean age was 68.4 ± 0.1 years and 53% of patients were female. The incidence of in-hospital stroke and acute MI were 12.9% and 3.7%. The incidence of stroke showed an increasing trend over the years, almost doubling in 2014 in comparison to 2003 (15.3% vs 7.7%). The combined risk of in-hospital Inquiries to Tahreem A

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is shown to be effective in many psychiatric illnesses, but its distorted projection by the Pakistani media and its unregulated use by many physicians across the country have adversely affected its acceptability. Given this situation we aimed to assess the awareness and perceptions regarding ECT as a treatment modality among the psychiatric patients.

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There is paucity of outcomes data on patients receiving fibrinolytic therapy (FT) for acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Indo-Asians. We conducted this study to determine survival as well as correlates of mortality in this population. Hospital charts of 230 patients receiving FT for acute STEMI between January 2002 and December 2004 were reviewed. Primary outcome variable was total mortality. Cox proportional hazards regression models were constructed. At a median follow-up of 717 days, 13.5% died, majority (23) during the in-hospital period. Multivariate predictors of mortality included (adjusted hazards ratio [HR], 95% confidence interval [CI]) age (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.13), ejection fraction (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.97), admission white cell count (HR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01-1.04) and change in ST-segment elevation (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.92-0.99). We conclude that patients receiving FT for acute STEMI in Pakistan are a relatively high-risk group with a 10% in-hospital mortality and high frequency of recurrent events. Comparison data with primary angioplasty as an alternative strategy are needed.

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