Keiko Sugimoto

INTRODUCTION: High-frequency oscillation (HFO) in scalp electroencephalography is a promising new noninvasive prognostic epilepsy biomarker, but further data are needed to ascertain the utility of this parameter. The present work investigated the association between epileptic activity and scalp HFO in pediatric patients with various types of epilepsy, using multivariable regression models to correct for possible confounding factors. METHODS: The authors analyzed 97 subjects who were divided into groups with active epilepsy (within 1 year of seizure), seizure-free epilepsy (>1 year without seizure), and nonepilepsy. Regarding the frequency of seizure occurrence as an indicator of epileptic activity, we categorized subjects into four groups (Daily/Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, and Rarely). RESULTS: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the scalp HFO detection rate was significantly higher in patients with active epilepsy than in those with nonepilepsy (β [95% confidence interval] = 2.77 [1.79-4.29]; P < 0.001). The association between scalp HFO detection rate and frequency of seizure occurrence was highest in the Daily/Weekly group (β [95% confidence interval] = 3.38 [1.57-7.27]; P = 0.002), followed by Monthly and Yearly groups (β [95% confidence interval] = 2.42 [1.02-5.73]; P = 0.046 and 0.36 [0.16-0.83]; P = 0.017). In addition, HFO duration, number of peaks, and number of channels detected were significantly higher in patients with active epilepsy. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric patients with active epilepsy and high frequency of seizure occurrence exhibited a higher scalp HFO detection rate. These results may help to establish HFO detectable by noninvasive scalp electroencephalography as a biomarker of active epilepsy in pediatric patients.

Background: The increasing prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become a global health problem. NAFLD has few initial symptoms and may be difficult to detect early, so there is need for a minimally invasive early detection marker. We hypothesized that miR-122 and miR-20a levels combined, as the miR-122/miR-20a ratio might detect NAFLD more sensitively. Methods: This study involved 167 participants with low alcohol intake. Those who had an increase in echogenicity of the liver parenchyma and hepato-renal contrast on ultrasonography were classified as the NAFLD group (n = 44), which was further classified into mild (n = 26) and severe (n = 18) groups based on echogenic intensity and hepatic vessel and diaphragm visualization. Participants without fatty liver were included in the normal group, except for those with an abnormal body mass index, glycated hemoglobin, and systolic blood pressure (n = 123) values. Serum miR-122 and miR-20a expression levels in participants were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the miR-122/miR-20a was calculated. Results: In the NAFLD group, miR-122 expression was significantly higher and the miR-20a was significantly lower than in the normal group, in agreement with previous studies. miR-122/miR-20a was also significantly higher in the NAFLD group. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed with miR-122/miR-20a as an NAFLD detection marker, and the area under the curve of miR-122/miR-20a was significantly larger than that of miR-122 or miR-20a alone. Conclusions: The miR-122/miR-20a ratio, combined with miR-122 and miR-20a levels, is a useful biomarker to detect NAFLD with high sensitivity.