Journal of Neurology

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The significance of white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in the setting of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) remains poorly documented. We assessed whether pre-existing WMHs burden was associated with baseline clinical and imaging factors and neurological outcome in patients undergoing MT. METHODS: This retrospective single-center study included consecutive acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients with stroke due to large vessel occlusion treated with MT...

BACKGROUND: Anti-MAG polyneuropathy (anti-MAG PN) is an immune-mediated peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy characterized by distal demyelination and ataxia. However, this disorder, unlike other immune-mediated neuropathies, is difficult to treat in most cases. METHOD: We retrospectively collected all anti-MAG PN patients followed in two hospitals for a period of 12 years to determine prognostic factors, especially those that indicated a good response to the various therapeutic strategies used...

BACKGROUND: Conflicting findings have been reported on the prognostic significance of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level in patients with stroke. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the prognostic utility of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in stroke patients. METHODS: PubMed and Embase databases were systematically searched for potentially eligible studies until October 16, 2019. Observational studies investigating the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level and prognosis of patients with stroke were eligible...

BACKGROUND: Studies of bilingual or multilingual patients with neurodegenerative diseases that disrupt language like the primary progressive aphasias (PPA) may contribute valuable information on language organization in the bilingual brain and on the factors affecting language decline. There is limited literature on bilingual PPA and in particular on semantic dementia, a type of PPA with selective loss of semantic memory. We studied the nature and severity of naming and comprehension deficits across languages in bilingual patients with semantic dementia (SD)...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) non-phosphorylated tau (non-p-tau) is increased in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), but its accuracy in the differential diagnosis has not been previously established. Here, we first used a retrospective cohort of non-CJD (n = 135) and CJD (n = 137) cases to determine the optimal cutoff point for the discrimination of CJD cases. Next, we prospectively quantified non-p-tau and 14-3-3 protein in a cohort of 1427 cases received for CSF testing at the German National Reference Center for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies...

BACKGROUND/METHODS: Monogenic diseases are important models for the study of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia. Notably, for some disorders, homozygosity is associated with a complex metabolic disease, while heterozygosity predisposes to late-onset neurodegeneration. For instance, biallelic glucocerebrosidase gene mutations cause Gaucher's disease, while heterozygous mutations are a common genetic risk factor for late-onset PD. Little is known about similar risks of related diseases, such as Niemann-Pick type C (NPC)...

OBJECTIVE: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare autosomal recessive disease characterised by high plasma phenylalanine levels inducing, if untreated, serious neurological manifestations in children but also, rarely, in adults who stopped their diet. The objective of the study was to describe the neurological manifestations observed in adults with PKU. METHODS: We analysed cases reported in French reference centres for inborn errors of metabolism and cases already reported in the literature...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the risk of recurrent ipsilateral ischemic stroke in patients with symptomatic near-occlusion with and without full collapse. METHODS: Included were consecutive patients eligible for revascularization, grouped into symptomatic conventional ≥ 50% carotid stenosis (n = 266), near-occlusion without full collapse (n = 57) and near-occlusion with full collapse (n = 42). The risk of preoperative recurrent ipsilateral ischemic stroke was analyzed, or, for cases not revascularized within 90 days, 90-day risk was analyzed...

INTRODUCTION: The importance of elucidating the relationships between pain, mood and quality of life (QoL) amongst people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease is evident to clinicians, yet the literature is limited and inconsistent. We explored the relationships between pain, depression, anxiety and QoL to reconcile the previous contrasting findings and inform future research and clinical practice. METHODS: Patient-reported outcomes were obtained as part of the Trajectories of Outcomes in Neurological Conditions study...

BACKGROUND: Silent brain infarction (SBI) may be associated with cognitive decline in the general population. We systematically reviewed prior literature on: (1) SBI and cognition cross-sectionally; (2) baseline SBI and future cognitive decline and risk for cognitive disorders including dementia, and (3) incident SBI and the emergence of cognitive decline or cognitive disorders. METHODS: The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant studies. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by deposition of intraneural inclusion bodies in the brain as well as the enteric nervous system. Emerging concepts regarding the brain-gut axis have been proposed for neurological disorders. Thus, the present study investigated the associations between colectomy and developing PD. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort of Korea...

INTRODUCTION: Although chronic low back pain (CLBP) is one of the most common pain syndromes, up to now, clear pathophysiological causes or specific treatment options are missing. Medication-overuse has been associated with chronic headache, but never with CLBP. HYPOTHESIS: Based on several similarities between CLBP and Medication-Overuse Headache (MOH), we hypothesized that medication-overuse might contribute to CLBP as well, maybe even as an own entity. Might there be something like Medication-Overuse Backpain (MOB)? METHODS: We substantiate our hypothesis with a preliminary case-series analyzing five patients suffering from CLBP with a marked medication-overuse...

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BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is closely related to our health, but whether high cardiorespiratory fitness could reduce stroke risk remains controversial. We used a meta-analysis to examine the overall association between cardiorespiratory fitness and stroke incidence. METHODS: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of science. We estimated the overall relative risk (RR) of stroke incidence for high levels of CRF individuals versus individuals with low levels of CRF...

INTRODUCTION: Polyneuropathy (PN) is a common condition with significant morbidity. We developed tele-polyneuropathy (tele-PN) clinics to improve access to neurology and increase guideline-concordant PN care. This article describes the mixed-methods evaluation of pilot tele-PN clinics at three community sites within the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System. METHODS: For the first 25 patients (48 scheduled visits), we recorded the duration of the tele-PN visit and exam; the performance on three guideline-concordant care indicators (PN screening labs, opiate reduction, physical therapy for falls); and patient-satisfaction scores...

BACKGROUND: Chemosensory loss is a symptom of Parkinson's disease starting already at preclinical stages. Their appearance without an identifiable etiology therefore indicates a possible early symptom of Parkinson's disease. Supervised machine-learning was used to identify parameters that predict Parkinson's disease among patients having sought medical advice for chemosensory symptoms. METHODS: Olfactory, gustatory and demographic parameters were analyzed in 247 patients who had reported for chemosensory symptoms...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

OBJECTIVE: Daytime sleepiness and fatigue are prominent symptoms of myotonic dystrophy type I (DM1) that exact a heavy toll on patients' quality of life, but information is scarce on their predictive factors. This study aimed to determine factors that may influence levels of daytime sleepiness and fatigue in a large cohort of DM1 patients followed for 9 years. METHODS: This study included 115 patients with DM1 at baseline (Time 1, T1) and at Time 2 (T2) who were questioned for daytime sleepiness, fatigue, history of depression, psychological distress, pain, hypothyroidism, and sleep habits...