Higher latitude is known to be associated with higher prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated the degree of impact of latitude, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and sunshine on the prevalence of MS in Japan, which has 47 prefectures with a variety of climates. MS prevalence in each prefecture was collected from database of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare of Japan. Latitude of each prefecture was represented by that of the capital city. Data of UV radiation level and annual actual sunshine duration were obtained from databases of Japan Meteorological Agency. We performed linear correlation analyses of MS prevalence against latitude, UV radiation, and annual actual sunshine duration. MS prevalence significantly correlated to latitude (Pearson's correlation, r = 0.69, p < 0.001) and UV radiation level (r = -0.65, p < 0.001) but not to annual actual sunshine duration (r = -0.37, p = 0.011). Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses revealed significant correlation between MS prevalence and only latitude (p < 0.001). While our result shows that both latitude and the UV intensity have significant relationship to MS prevalence, the stronger relevance of the former suggests an existence of risk factors other than UV radiation.
Background:The cerebellum plays an important role in motor control, however, its involvement in epilepsy has not been fully understood. Arterial spin labelling perfusion magnetic resonance image (ASL) is a noninvasive method to evaluate cerebral and cerebellar blood flow. We investigated cerebellar perfusion in patients with epileptic seizures using ASL.Methods: Adult patients with epileptic seizures who underwent ASL in three post labeling delay (PLD) conditions (1525, 1800, and 2500 msec) and conventional electroencephalography (EEG) on the same day were investigated. Clinical and EEG characteristics of them were retrospectively analyzed.
Objective: To evaluate the relationship between late-onset epileptic seizures and non-cortical infarction (namely, lacunar infarction and branch atheromatous disease [BAD]) in Japanese patients. Methods: We reviewed the medical records and brain magnetic resonance imaging findings of all patients with ischemic stroke admitted to the Departments of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Stroke Unit at Kurashiki Central Hospital from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012. Patients with lacunar infarction and BAD were enrolled; those with cortical and brain stem ischemic lesions were excluded. We analyzed the clinical features of patients who developed late-onset epileptic seizures after cerebral infarction. Results: Eighty-five patients with lacunar infarction and 99 patients with BAD were enrolled. Four patients with BAD subsequently developed epileptic seizures (2.2% of total patients, 4.0% of patients with BAD), whereas no patients with lacunar infarction developed epileptic seizures. All patients with epileptic seizures had infarction involving the basal ganglia or thalamus. Three of them had multiple cerebral microbleeds, and two had dementia.
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