Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used to treat severe refractory CCH, but assessment of its efficacy has been limited to open studies. We performed a prospective crossover, double-blind, multicenter study assessing the efficacy and safety of unilateral hypothalamic DBS in 11 patients with severe refractory CCH. The randomized

phase compared active and sham stimulation during 1-month periods, and was followed by a 1-year open phase. The Vorinostat solubility dmso severity of CCH was assessed by the weekly attacks frequency (primary outcome), pain intensity, sumatriptan injections, emotional impact (HAD) and quality of life (SF12). Tolerance was assessed by active surveillance of behavior, homeostatic and hormonal functions. During the randomized phase, no significant change in primary and secondary outcome measures was observed between active and sham stimulation. At the end of the open phase, 6/11 responded to the chronic stimulation (weekly frequency of attacks decrease > 50%), including three pain-free patients. There were three serious adverse events, including subcutaneous infection, transient loss of consciousness and micturition syncopes. No significant change Torin 1 chemical structure in hormonal functions or electrolytic balance was observed. Randomized phase findings of this study did not support the efficacy of DBS in refractory CCH, but open phase findings suggested long-term efficacy in more

than 50% patients, confirming previous data, without high morbidity. Discrepancy between these findings justifies additional controlled find more studies (clinicaltrials.gov number NCT00662935).”
“Deep body temperature in mammals is generally but incorrectly regarded as uniform. Alterations of temperature in oviducts and preovulatory Graafian follicles may play a vital role in gamete maturation, fertilization and early embryonic development. At a molecular level, the conformation of regulatory proteins is susceptible to changes in temperature. Deviation from physiological temperature during IVF procedures could thereby exert a profound influence on patterns of gene expression as the embryonic genome unfolds during early cleavage stages and act

to generate specific anomalies. Systematic studies are urgently required. (C) 2012, Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The majority of patients with migraine headaches are treated in non-specialized institutions though data on treatment outcomes are largely derived from tertiary care centers. The current non-interventional study explores efficacy and tolerability outcomes of patients with episodic migraines receiving topiramate as preventive agent in a general practice setting. A total of 366 patients (87% female, mean age 41.8 +/- A 11.6 years) were eligible for migraine prevention and treated with flexible dose topiramate for 6 months (core phase), and optionally for a total of 12 months (follow-up phase). Overall, 261 patients (77.