The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of antiepileptic therapy on antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in the erythrocytes of children with epilepsy. For this purpose, the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase and the malondialdehyde concentration in 61 healthy children and 90 children with epilepsy were measured. The activities of all of these enzymes were insignificantly higher, whereas the malondialdehyde concentration was significantly lower in the patients treated with carbamazepine monotherapy. In patients treated with valproate monotherapy, the activities of all enzymes were insignificantly lower, whereas the malondialdehyde concentration was insignificantly higher. In patients treated with polytherapy, the activity of superoxide dismutase was insignificantly lower, whereas the activity of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase was insignificantly higher and the malondialdehyde concentration was lower. There were differences in glutathione reductase activity between the valproate monotherapy group and both the carbamazepine monotherapy and polytherapy groups and in malondialdehyde concentrations between the carbamazepine and valproate groups. The results indicate that the oxidant-antioxidant balance in children with epilepsy is modified by antiepileptic therapy.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of antiepileptic therapy on antioxidant enzyme activity and lipid peroxidation in the erythrocytes of children with epilepsy. For this purpose, the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase and the malondialdehyde concentration in 61 healthy children and 90 children with epilepsy were measured. The activities of all of these enzymes were insignificantly higher, whereas the malondialdehyde concentration was significantly lower in the patients treated with carbamazepine monotherapy. In patients treated with valproate monotherapy, the activities of all enzymes were insignificantly lower, whereas the malondialdehyde concentration was insignificantly higher. In patients treated with polytherapy, the activity of superoxide dismutase was insignificantly lower, whereas the activity of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase was insignificantly higher and the malondialdehyde concentration was lower. There were differences in glutathione reductase activity between the valproate monotherapy group and both the carbamazepine monotherapy and polytherapy groups and in malondialdehyde concentrations between the carbamazepine and valproate groups. The results indicate that the oxidant-antioxidant balance in children with epilepsy is modified by antiepileptic therapy.

The differences in VEPs and SEPs were determined between CP children and healthy children. The MRI findings were positively correlated with the CP severity and mental retardation.

Vigabatrin (VGB), a second-generation antiepileptic drug, is effective for the treatment of infantile spasms and focal seizures, primarily in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) patients. However, reports of adverse events of VGB, including VGB-associated visual field loss and brain abnormalities in neuroimaging, have raised concerns about the broader use of VGB and thus significantly limited its application.The goal of this review was to summarise the recent therapeutic guidelines, the use of VGB in focal seizures and new VGB applications as a disease-modifying treatment in TSC patients. Moreover, we discuss the current opinions on potential VGB-associated toxicity and the safety of VGB.

The aim of this study was to determine if there is any association between the findings of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the severity of motor deficits and cognitive impairments in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). The present study included 15 children with spastic diplegia and five children with spastic hemiplegic, and 42 healthy children as controls. SEPs were recorded in the CP children and compared with healthy controls. All MRI scans were obtained using a 1.5 T MRI scanner. A significant difference of N13-N20 conductions (SEPs) was found between the subjects with CP and the control group. SEPs were positively correlated with mental retardation in CP children. The brain lesions in MRI showed a significant correlation with the CP severity scores and mental retardation.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an acute inflammatory polyneuropathy, characterised by progressive, symmetrical muscle weakness and sensory disorder due to autoimmunologic myelin nerve sheats and/or peripheral nerves axonal damage. The course of the disease in children is usually milder than in adults. The most common variant of GBS is acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP). GBS is a rare disorder with morbidity rate of 0,5-1,5/100 000/ year, more often seen in males. The course of disease in children is usually milder than in adults. Early diagnosis and proper treatment enables complete recovery in 80% of cases, while approximately 10% of patients suffer from symptoms recurrence, mainly after infection. Almost 2/3 of GBS cases are preceded by upper respiratory or gastrointestinal infection. The emergence of antibodies in various mechanisms, which cross react with nerve sheats or axon antigens (through a phenomenon known as molecular mimicry), leads to development of the syndrome. Known triggers inducing GBS include viral and bacterial infections, injuries, surgery, bone marrow transplantation and rarely childhood vaccinations. In still rarer cases, GBS may develop in the course of paraneoplastic syndrome (PNS), and be the first symptom of an underlying neoplastic process.