Egyptian Journal of Neurology, Psychiatry and Neurosurgery

BACKGROUND: Suicidal poisoning is a major concern during the COVID-19 pandemic that has several physical and mental hazards. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of suicidal poisoned patients admitted to a tertiary poison control center during the pandemic lockdown and assess COVID-related knowledge and attitude among those patients to identify the high-risk group for suicide. This cross-sectional study was conducted on acutely poisoned patients admitted to Tanta University Poison Control Center from June to December 2020...

BACKGROUND: Cognitive remediation (CR) therapy provides an effective way to improve cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. With the advent of telehealth services, especially during COVID 19 pandemic, a suitable alternative can be found in computer and cell phone-based mental health interventions. Previous studies have proven that remote mental health interventions have by and large been successful. Remote psychotherapy/CR services can now be accessed through smartphone apps, iPads, laptops and wearable devices...

BACKGROUND: On 11 March 2020, WHO declared COVID-19 has become a pandemic. This had an impact on everyday activity for every person. For special groups such as multiple sclerosis patients, the situation is a little bit confusing. In this study, COVID-19 infection impact on MS patients, willingness for vaccination, percentage of vaccinated patients and adverse effects of different vaccines were investigated. This cross-sectional descriptive study included 160 Egyptian MS patients. Demographic and clinical characteristics of all patients were extracted from their files MS unit archives...

Inherited neurotransmitter diseases are a subset of rare neurometabolic disorders characterized by hereditary deficiencies in neurotransmitter metabolism or transport. Non-ketotic hyperglycinaemia (NKH), called glycine encephalopathy, is an autosomal recessive glycine metabolism disorder characterized by an abnormal accumulation of glycine in all bodily tissues, including the CNS. The SLC6A9 gene, which codes for the GLYT1 protein, a biochemical abnormality in the GCS, and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase enzymes, which function as a GCS component, are responsible for the neonatal form's symptoms, which include progressive encephalopathy, hypotonia, seizures, and occasionally mortality in the first few days of life...

Pandemic represents challenging medical emergency as it is usually associated with high rates of mortalities and morbidities. Along the last 2 and half years the world has faced the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 pandemic that caught medical agencies and health authorities by surprise and costed more than half billion morbidities and 6 million mortalities. Unfortunately, the way developed countries contained the novel corona virus was unsatisfactory in means of early quarantines as well as obtaining and distributing an effective vaccine...

Epilepsy, a neurological illness, is characterized by recurrent uncontrolled seizures. There are many treatments of options that can be used as the therapy of epilepsy. However, anti-seizure medications as the primary treatment choice for epilepsy show many possible adverse effects and even pharmacoresistance to the therapy. High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) as an initiator and amplifier of the neuroinflammation is responsible for the onset and progression of epilepsy by overexpressing P-glycoprotein on the blood brain barrier...

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of tuberculomas can be difficult in the absence of pulmonary involvement due to numerable mimics. CASE REPORT: We report an immunocompetent 20-year-old female patient, who was admitted with new-onset generalized seizure. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple ring-enhancing lesions. There was no reported systemic symptom such as weight loss, fever or night sweating. Polymerase chain reaction for SARS-COV-2 was negative. Computed tomography of thorax was normal...

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a pandemic disease which predominantly affects the respiratory system with high critical care mortality and morbidity, yet it also causes multiple organs dysfunction in affected patients. There is a strong evidence that it increases the susceptibility of cerebrovascular strokes in such patients. Besides this prothrombotic complication, arterial dissection can be one of its mechanisms increasing the risks of stroke. Case presentation: Herein, we report a case of spontaneous isolated subclavian artery dissection in a COVID-19 patient...

Background: The spectrum of reported neurological sequelae associated with SARS-CoV-2 is continuously expanding, immune mediated neuropathies like Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and exacerbations of preexisting chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) being among them. However, respective cases of acute onset CIDP (A-CIDP) are rare. Case presentation: We hereby report two cases of A-CIDP after COVID-19 infection and Ad26.COV2.S vaccination that presented with flaccid paraparesis and acroparesthesias (Case presentation 1; female, 52) and facial diplegia accompanied by acroparesthesias (Case presentation 2; male, 62), respectively...

Neurodegenerative dementias such as the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease dementia are linked to various behavioral and psychological abnormalities. Whether these abnormalities precede, coincide or follow the onset of cognitive symptoms is still controversial in existing literature, with trajectories available so far dependent on types of dementia. The authors aim to review the different kinds of premorbid behavioral symptoms/personality traits associated with an increased risk of developing specific types of neurodegenerative dementia...

Background: Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological morbidity. It is, however, a frequently underdiagnosed medical condition. This study was hence done to assess the occurrence and severity of RLS among participants and to study its determinants and its association with quality of sleep. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among the general population of Mangalore in July 2021. Data were collected using a Google Form. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Rating Scale was used to diagnose RLS and its severity...

Background: Dysmenorrhea has significantly increased in prevalence. There is also evidence of the coexistence of dysmenorrhea and psychological disorders. This study aims to explore the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and investigate its correlation with depressive symptoms among Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) students. All participants ( N  = 487) in this cross-sectional study provided sociodemographic data, menstrual and medical history, and completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) scale and (working ability, location, intensity, days of pain, dysmenorrhea [WaLIDD]) scale on a self-administered online questionnaire...

Background: Peripheral neuropathies constitute a common complaint in general and neurology practice, and are a source of handicap to patients. Epidemiological data in the Middle East and North Africa region as well as in the African continent are sparse. Nevertheless, regional etiological profiles are crucial in navigating the diagnostic maze of neuropathies. This study outlines the etiological profile of peripheral neuropathies in an academic hospital in southern Morocco. Results: A total of 180 cases were recorded in a span of 8 years (22...

Background: COVID-19 increases the risk of acute ischemic stroke. The objective of this study is to identify the risk factors, comorbidities, and outcomes in COVID-19 patients with acute ischemic stroke at University of Indonesia Hospital. Results: The clinical condition of COVID-19 patients with ischemic stroke is more severe for patients older than 55 years ( p  < 0.05), patients at the critical COVID-19 clinical stage, and patients with atrial fibrillation ( p  < 0...

Background: The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has spread rapidly around the globe with considerable morbidity and mortality. Coexistence of comorbidities with COVID-19 had consistently been reported as risk factors for unfavorable outcome. We aimed to evaluate the impact of comorbidities in COVID-19 patients on the outcome and determine predictors of prolonged hospital stay, requisite for intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Four hundred and thirty-nine adult patients who are admitted through (June and July 2020) in our University Hospitals were included in the study...

Background: Depression and low perceived social support (PSS) have been found to deleteriously affect quality of life (QoL) among myocardial infarction (MI) survivors. The complex relationship between these variables has not been assessed. We wanted to assess first the prevalence of depression among MI survivors and whether depression mediates the effect of PSS on QoL and, second, whether the physical and social domains of QoL mediated the effect of depression and PSS on the emotional domain...

Background: Headache is considered a common health problem affecting physicians during Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic and has direct impact on their productivity. Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), stress and lack of sleep are common factors affecting their headache. Results: Out of 165 participants, 38(23%) experienced new onset headache. Participants using Combined Face and eye PPE usage were at higher risk of developing headache compared to single PPE users, Participants wearing face shield were at higher risk of developing headache compared to eyewear non users...

Background:  Nearly 55 percent of patients are said to be affected by the neurological effects of COVID-19. COVID-19 was shown to be related with stroke in 0.9 to 5% of people. It's critical to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke. The goal of this study was to look at the outcomes and characteristics of patients who had an acute ischemic stroke due to covid-19 infection. Results:  The participants in this study were 399 people who had had a stroke...

Introduction: Viral infection such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can exacerbate and aggravate neurological disorders due to autoimmune etiology like myasthenia gravis (MG). Experimental therapies used in COVID-19 are also factors that can cause the worsening of MG symptoms. This review aimed to assess and conclude the research-based study systematically to analyze the relationship of MG and COVID-19. Method: This study was conducted in accordance to Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews and the guideline of preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) and synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) in systematic reviews: reporting guideline...

BACKGROUND: Even though stroke is rare in children, it is associated with serious or life-threatening consequences. Despite its rarity, the occurrence of stroke in children has age-related differences in risk factors, etiopathogenesis, and clinical presentations. Unlike adults, who have arteriosclerosis as the major cause of stroke, risk factors for pediatric strokes are multiple, including cardiac disorders, infection, prothrombotic disorders, moyamoya disease, moyamoya syndrome, and others...