The majority of posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms are usually found on the bifurcation of the vertebral artery (VA) - PICA junction. Aneurysms arising from more peripheral PICA segments named distal PICA aneurysm are uncommon. The major clinical manifestation is that of an intracranial bleeding and the site of hemorrhage is related to the PICA segment originating the aneurys...

Abstract: The phenomenon of pica has been described within the literature in many ways, from a socially acceptable practice to a life threatening behavior. Recent prevalence rates of pica indicate relatively low occurrence of this phenomenon that makes it difficult to easily identify trends in practices related to pica. Recent literature on pica (1990 to 2002) indicate a trend toward use of mor...

Pica (from the Latin pica, a magpie), or the compulsive intake of nonnutritive substances, has been associated with iron deficiency during pregnancy [1–4]. This study was conducted at a hospital in suburban Buenos Aires, Argentina, to determine whether there were differences in iron concentration between women with pica and controls during the postpartumperiod. Biochemical indicators of iron st...

Occipital artery (OA) to the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) bypass is indispensable for the management of complex aneurysms of the PICA that cannot be reconstructed with surgical clipping or coil embolization. Although OA-PICA bypass is a comparatively standard procedure, the bypass is difficult to perform in some cases because of the location and situation of the PICA. We describe...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The rate of PICA occlusion after flow-diverting stent placement for vertebral and vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms is not known. The purpose of this study is to determine the medium-term rate of PICA patency and risk factors for occlusion after such aneurysm treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients were identified who had vertebral or vertebrobasilar artery aneurysms a...

Among the variations of vertebral artery dissecting aneurysms (VDAs), VDAs involving the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA), especially ruptured and high-risk unruptured aneurysms, are the most difficult to treat. Because the PICA is an important structure, serious symptoms may occur after its occlusion. Retained PICAs are prone to re-bleeding because VDAs are difficult to completely o...

Anticancer agents, such as cisplatin, induce vomiting, nausea, and anorexia. Cisplatin primarily acts on vagal afferents to produce emesis, but little is known about how this drug generates nausea and anorexia. Electrophysiology indicates that cisplatin activates vagal afferents of the common hepatic branch (CHB). Rats lack an emetic response but do ingest kaolin clay (a pica response) when mad...

BACKGROUND Pica and Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) are rare disorders. We carried out a population survey of pica in our TSC patient population. FINDINGS Pica was identified in four percent of cases of TSC. It was associated with adult onset or persistence into adulthood, epilepsy, severe learning difficulties and anaemia. CONCLUSIONS Pica in TSC is a rare disorder and a coherent history ...

Dissecting Aneurysms Involving the Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery We read the article of Kim et al entitled “Stenting from the Vertebral Artery to the Posterior Inferior Cerebellar Artery” with special interest. In their series, 2 patients had vertebral artery (VA) dissecting aneurysms involving the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) origin. The authors used VA-to-PICA stent plac...

The duck virus hepatitis (DVH) caused by the duck hepatitis virus A (DHAV) has produced extensive economic losses to the duck industry. The currently licensed commercial vaccine has shown some defects and does not completely prevent the DVH. Accordingly, a new alternative treatment for this disease is urgently needed. Previous studies have shown that icariin (ICA) and its phosphorylated derivat...