The Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) is a neurobehavioural disorder characterized by multiple motor and vocal tics. Accessory symptoms include coprophenomena, echophenomena and obsessive-compulsive behaviours. There is a significant genetic contribution to their aetiology. Simple tics may be mistaken for myoclonic epilepsy and complex tics for complex partial seizures. Like epilepsy, GTS is...

Deep brain stimulation of targets in both thalamus1 and globus pallidus interna (GPi)2 has been used successfully to control tics in severe cases of Tourette syndrome. Following placement of bilateral GPi stimulators, this 26-year-old-right handed man with a history of medically refractory motor and vocal tics experienced disappearance of vocal tics and marked improvement in neck movements. Mon...

Emerging evidence has implicated the role of tumor initiating cells (TICs) in the process of cancer metastasis. The mechanism underlying the conversion of TICs from stationary to invasive remains to be characterized. In this report, we employed less invasive breast cancer TICs, SK-3rd, that displays CD44(high)/CD24(low) with high mammosphere-forming and tumorigenic capacities, to investigate th...

Tumor infiltrated type II (M2) macrophages promote tumorigenesis by suppressing immune clearance, promoting proliferation, and stimulating angiogenesis. Interestingly, macrophages were also found to enrich in small foci of altered hepatocytes containing liver tumor-initiating cells (TICs). However, whether and how TICs specifically recruit macrophages and the function of these macrophages in tu...

Atomoxetine is a nonstimulant medication shown to be efficacious in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). There have been no reports to date of tics being precipitated or exacerbated by atomoxetine. We report four patients with ADHD who had developed tics on stimulants and in whom tics reappeared or were exacerbated on atomoxetine. Moreover, the tics resolved or abat...

Three cases of late onset Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome are presented. The motor tics were mainly induced by an unexpected startling stimulus, but the startle reflex was not exaggerated. The tics developed after physical trauma or a period of undue emotional stress. Reflex tics may occur in Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome, but have not been described in late onset Tourette's syndrome. Such ...

Recent evidence indicates that tumor-initiating cells (TICs), also called cancer stem cells (CSCs), are responsible for tumor initiation and progression, therefore representing an important cell population that may be used as a target for the development of future anticancer therapies. In the present study, Cryptotanshinone (CT), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, was demonstrated to regula...

The demands of a career in competitive sports can lead to chronic stress perception among athletes if there is a non-conformity of requirements and available coping resources. The Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress (TICS) (Schulz et al., 2004) is said to be thoroughly validated. Nevertheless, it has not yet been subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis. The present study aims (1) to evaluate...

The impulsivity of people with tic disorder has been a recent focus of attention. This study aimed to investigate this phenomenon in people with and without tics in a non-clinical setting, focusing on the subjective urge experienced prior to impulsive behavior. In Study 1, we created a scale to measure the strength of subjective urges. This scale, which was found to comprise three subscales, ha...

Research has shown that motor and vocal tics fluctuate in frequency, intensity, and form in response to environmental and contextual cues. Behavioral models have proposed that some of the variation in tics may reflect context-dependent interactive learning processes such that once tics are performed, they are influenced by environmental contingencies. The current study describes the results of ...