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Helena Gauffin,1 Gullvi Flensner,2 Anne-Marie Landtblom1,3 1Department of Neurology and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; 2Department of Nursing, Health and Culture, University West, Trollhättan, Sweden; 3Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Objective: Parents with epilepsy can be concerned about the consequences of epilepsy affecting their children. The aim of this paper is to describe aspects of what it means being a parent having epilepsy, focusing the parents’ perspectives and their thoughts on having children.Methods: Fourteen adults aged 18–35 years with epilepsy and subjective memory decline took part in focus-group interviews. The interviews were conducted according to a semi-structured guideline. Material containing aspects of parenthood was extracted from the original interviews and a secondary analysis was done according to a content-analysis guideline. Interviews with two parents for the Swedish book Leva med epilepsi [To live with epilepsy] by AM Landtblom (Stockholm: Bilda ide; 2009) were analyzed according to the same method.Results: Four themes emerged: (1) a persistent feeling of insecurity, since a seizure can occur at any time and the child could be hurt; (2) a feeling of inadequacy – of not being able to take full responsibility for one’s child; (3) acknowledgment that one’s children are forced to take more responsibility than other children do; and (4) a feeling of guilt – of not being able to fulfill one’s expectations of being the parent one would like to be.Conclusion: The parents with epilepsy are deeply concerned about how epilepsy affects the lives of their children. These parents are always aware that a seizure may occur and reflect on how this can affect their child. They try to foresee possible dangerous situations and prevent them. These parents were sad that they could not always take full responsibility for their child and could not live up to their own expectations of parenthood. Supportive programs may be of importance since fear for the safety of the child increases the psychosocial burden of epilepsy. There were also a few parents who did not acknowledge the safety issue of their child – the authors believe that it is important to identify these parents and provide extra information and support to them. Keywords: focus group interviews, qualitative research, secondary analysis, guilt, feeling of inadequacy, insecurity

Helena Gauffin1,2 Anne-Marie Landtblom1–4 1Department of Neurology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; 2Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden; 3Neurology Unit, Department of Medical Specialist, General Hospital, Department of Medicine and Health Sciences, IMM, County Council, Linköping University, Motala, Sweden; 4Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden Abstract: Historically, epilepsy has been associated with violence, but more recent studies have emphasized genetic and psychosocial factors as more important. The case series presented here aim to highlight the difficult situation the affected children are in. We report on three cases when children have been traumatized and, in one case, even been killed by their parent who was diagnosed with epilepsy. In the first case, we describe a woman with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy who was sentenced to forensic psychiatry care for killing her child. She lived under difficult psychosocial circumstances and a suicide attempt contributed to what happened. The second case describes a man with post-traumatic seizures who was sentenced for child abuse. Ictal or postictal violence was considered in these two cases but a causal link between the violence and epilepsy has not been established. In the third case, we describe a woman with focal epilepsy and psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNESs). Her child was hurt and frightened in relation to violent seizures, which were regarded as PNESs. This case series demonstrates that children of parents with epilepsy can be in a vulnerable situation. No causality has been established between the seizures and these events, so consequently other factors such as psychosocial stress, low cognitive function, and a suicide attempt must also be considered as important. When a child is hurt by a parent with epilepsy the patient must be closely examined to determine the role of the seizures. Children can also be affected by PNESs. It is essential to notice especially those children of parents with epilepsy who live under difficult psychosocial circumstances and offer extra support when necessary. Keywords: homicide, epilepsy, child abuse, children, psychosocial, crime, law

Objective: Since there are clinical and genetic differences between MS patients with intrathecal oligoclonal bands (OCB+) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) compared with those without (OCB−), the aim was to find out if OCB− patients showed a different pattern of cytokine immune activation compared with OCB+ patients.Methods: The study included 25 MS patients (10 OCB− and 15 OCB+) and 13 controls. A panel of cytokines was measured; IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8/CXCL8, IL-10, TNF and GM-CSF in serum, CSF and in supernatants from polyclonally stimulated blood mononuclear cells, where also levels of IL-12p40, IL-13, IL-15, IL-17 and IFN-γ were measured. The concentrations of soluble (s) VCAM-1 and sCD14 were measured in serum and CSF.Results: In general, there were no extensive differences in cytokine concentrations between the OCB− and OCB+ groups.Conclusion: OCB− MS patients do not seem to constitute a separate entity concerning inflammatory parameters measured as cytokine concentrations in CSF and blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The personal diary of Sir Augustus d'Esté, born 1794 grandson of King George III of England, reveals a medical history strongly suggesting that Augustus suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS). It could well be the first record of a person having this disease. Charcot coined the term sclérose en plaques 20 years after the death of this patient in 1848. The onset of this man's MS seems to have been in 1822 with bilateral optic neuritis, the disease gradually developing in the classic manner with bouts derived from different loci in the central nervous system and eventually a secondary progressive form with paraparesis, sphincter incontinence, urinary problems and impotence. In 1941, Firth highlighted the case of Augustus d'Esté and later wrote a description of the pathology including a discussion on the aetiology of MS. No previous medical records have given such a characteristic picture of MS as this. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]