Gradient edge map features for frontal face recognition under extreme illumination changes

Our aim in this paper is to robustly match frontal faces in the presence of extreme illumination changes, using only a single training image per person and a single probe image. In the illumination conditions we consider, which include those with the dominant light source placed behind and to the side of the user, directly above and pointing downwards or indeed below and pointing upwards, this is a most challenging problem. The presence of sharp cast shadows, large poorly illuminated regions of the face, quantum and quantization noise and other nuisance effects, makes it difficult to extract a sufficiently discriminative yet robust representation. We introduce a representation which is based on image gradient directions near robust edges which correspond to characteristic facial features. Robust edges are extracted using a cascade of processing steps, each of which seeks to harness further discriminative information or normalize for a particular source of extra-personal appearance variability. The proposed representation was evaluated on the extremely difficult YaleB data set. Unlike most of the previous work we include all available illuminations, perform training using a single image per person and match these also to a single probe image. In this challenging evaluation setup, the proposed gradient edge map achieved 0.8% error rate, demonstrating a nearly perfect receiver-operator characteristic curve behaviour. This is by far the best performance achieved in this setup reported in the literature, the best performing methods previously proposed attaining error rates of approximately 6–7%.

Beta-lactam antibiotics as a possible novel therapy for managing epilepsy and autism, a case report and review of literature

Autism is a disorder of unknown etiology. There are few FDA approved medications for treating autism. Co-occurring autism and epilepsy is common, and glutamate antagonists improve some symptoms of autism. Ceftriaxone, a beta-lactam antibiotic, increases the expression of the glutamate transporter 1 which decreases extracellular glutamate levels. It is hypothesized that modulating astrocyte glutamate transporter expression by ceftriaxone or cefixime might improve some symptoms of autism. This case report of a child with autism and epilepsy suggests a decrease in seizures after taking cefixime

A neuropsychological study of prefrontal lobe function in the positive and negative subtypes of schizophrenia.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are frequently divided into positive and negative subtypes. It has been suggested that the negative symptoms are similar to those seen with prefrontal lobe cortical dysfunction. Several neuropsychological investigations of that hypothesis have been carried out, but none have directly compared a negative symptom group with a positive symptom group on the same test battery. In the present study, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS; Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler, 1987) was used to distinguish two groups of 20 patients with schizophrenia with predominant positive or negative symptoms. A battery of 7 neuropsychological tests considered capable of isolating prefrontal lobe dysfunction was administered. A significant group difference was noted on 6 of the tests; the negative symptom group performed much worse than the positive symptom group. The results of this study support the hypothesis that a relationship exists between the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and prefrontal lobe dysfunction.

Response of obsessive compulsive disorder to carbamazepine in two patients with comorbid epilepsy.

An association between epilepsy and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) has been noted. The response of two patients with OCD and comorbid epilepsy to carbamazepine is reported. It is hypothesized that obsessive compulsive symptoms may be a variant of epileptiform forced thinking in a subgroup of patients, and may be preferentially responsive to anticonvulsant therapy.

Burden of epilepsy: a prevalence-based cost of illness study of direct, indirect and intangible costs for epilepsy

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to gauge the burden of epilepsy in China from a societal perspective by estimating the direct, indirect and intangible costs. METHODS: Patients with epilepsy and controls were enrolled from two tertiary hospitals in China. Patients were asked to complete a Cost-of-Illness (COI), Willingness-to-Pay (WTP) questionnaires, two utility elicitation instruments and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Healthy controls only completed WTP questionnaire, and utility instruments. Univariate analyses were performed to investigate the differences in cost on the basis of different variables, while multivariate analysis was undertaken to explore the predictors of cost/cost component. RESULTS: In total, 141 epilepsy patients and 323 healthy controls were recruited. The median total cost, direct cost and indirect cost due to epilepsy were US$949.29, 501.34 and 276.72, respectively. Particularly, cost of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) (US$394.53) followed by cost of investigations (US$59.34), cost of inpatient and outpatient care (US$9.62) accounted for the majority of the direct medical costs. While patients' (US$103.77) and caregivers' productivity costs (US$103.77) constituted the major component of indirect cost. The intangible costs in terms of WTP value (US$266.07 vs. 88.22) and utility (EQ-5D, 0.828 vs. 0.923; QWB-SA, 0.657 vs. 0.802) were both substantially higher compared to the healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Epilepsy is a cost intensive disease in China. According to the prognostic groups, drug-resistant epilepsy generated the highest total cost whereas patients in seizure remission had the lowest cost. AED is the most costly component of direct medical cost probably due to 83% of patients being treated by new generation of AEDs.

Health-related quality of life and willingness to pay per quality-adjusted life-Year threshold—A study in patients with epilepsy in China

Objectives
To assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and willingness to pay (WTP) per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) amount of patients with epilepsy in China.
Methods
Adults with epilepsy and a healthy control were recruited in two tertiary hospitals in China. Participants completed two indirect utility elicitation instruments (Quality of Well-being Scale-self administered version and EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire) and a WTP questionnaire. Correlations between sociodemographic or epilepsy-specific variables (age of epilepsy onset, duration of epilepsy, seizure types, types of antiepileptic drug treatment, etc.) and HRQOL or WTP/QALY were assessed to identify the candidate predictor. Multiple linear regression models were adopted to investigate the predictive performances of identified candidate predictors. Data analyses were performed on SPSS 20.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL).
Results
For utilities of both the Quality of Well-being Scale-self administered version and the EuroQol five-dimensional questionnaire, patients with epilepsy had statistically lower values than did the control group (P < 0.0001). In terms of the WTP/month, the percentage of WTP accounting for the monthly income and the WTP/QALY values from the epilepsy group were substantially higher than those from the control group (P < 0.0001).
View the MathML sourceWTP/QALY=12×WTPMonth1−Utility(CurrentHealth)
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The multiple linear regression model identified working status (P = 0.05), seizure types (P = 0.022), income (P = 0.006), and self-rating health state (P < 0.05) as predictors of HRQOL while income (P = 0.000) and self-rating health state (P < 0.05) statistically contributed to the variations in WTP/QALY value for the epilepsy group.
Conclusions
Patients with epilepsy had substantially lower HRQOL than did the healthy population.

Emerging drugs for partial-onset epilepsy: a review of brivaracetam

There are more than 12 new antiepileptic drugs approved in the last 2 decades. Even with these newer agents, seizure remission is still unachievable in around 30% of patients with partial-onset seizures (POS). Brivaracetam (BRV) is chemically related to levetiracetam (LEV) and possesses a strong binding affinity for the synaptic vesicle protein 2A tenfold above that of LEV, and other possible modes of antiepileptic actions. BRV is now under Phase III development for POS, but data from one Phase III trial also suggested its potential efficacy for primary generalized seizures. The purpose of this review is to provide updated information on the mechanisms of action of the available antiepileptic drugs, with a focus on BRV to assess its pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, safety, and tolerability in patients with uncontrolled POS. To date, six Phase IIb and III clinical trials have been performed to investigate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BRV as an adjunctive treatment for patients with POS. Generally, BRV was well tolerated and did not show significant difference in safety profile, compared to placebo. The efficacy outcomes of BRV, although not consistent across trials, did indicate that BRV was a promising add-on therapy for patients with POS. In conclusion, the many favorable attributes of BRV, like its high oral efficacy, good tolerability, dosing regimen, and minimal drug interaction, make it a promising antiepileptic therapy for patients with uncontrolled partial-onset epilepsy.