Neurology

BACKGROUND: Prenatal and postnatal exposure to drugs such as cocaine is a public health problem that causes deficits in brain development and function in humans and animals. One of the main effects of prenatal and postnatal cocaine exposure is increased vulnerability to developing the substance use disorder at an early age. Furthermore, the negative emotional states associated with cocaine withdrawal increase the fragility of patients to relapse into drug abuse. In this sense, prenatal and postnatal cocaine exposure enhanced the cocaine- and nicotine-induced locomotor activity and locomotor sensitization, and rats exposed prenatally to cocaine displayed an increase in anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors in adulthood (PND 60-70)...

IMPORTANCE: Fear of cancer recurrence is common among survivors of adult-onset cancer and associated with increased distress, functional impairment, and health care utilization. However, little is known about the prevalence and risk factors of fear of cancer recurrence among adult survivors of childhood cancer who are also at high risk for subsequent malignant neoplasms. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the prevalence of and risk factors for clinically significant fear of cancer recurrence in adult survivors of childhood cancer...

OBJECTIVES: In the recent years, in-situ hydrogel based on gellan gum has been investigated for delivery of various drug molecules particularly to treat neurological disorders via intranasal route. The major objective of the present manuscript is to review the recent research studies exploring gellan gum as ionic triggered in-situ gel for intranasal administration to enhance absorption of drugs and to increase their therapeutic efficacy. METHODS: This review include literature from 1982 to 2023 and were collected from various scientific electronic databases like Scopus, PubMed and Google Scholar to review source, chemistry, ionotropic gelation mechanism, and recent research studies for gellan gum based in-situ hydrogel for intransasl administration...

INTRODUCTION: The treatment of spinal chordomas presents a significant challenge due to their resistance to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as the complexity of the surgical procedures required. This study presents a series of cases of primary spinal chordomas, focusing on the development of a personalized therapeutic strategy that is tailored to each patient's unique clinical status. This approach aims to ensure that treatments are optimally aligned with the patient's overall prognosis and surgical eligibility...

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence supports the value of neurofilament light (NfL) as a prognostic biomarker in premanifest Huntington's disease (HD). To date, however, there has been no longitudinal study exceeding 3 years examining either its serial dynamics or predictive power in HD. We aimed to conduct the first such study. METHODS: Serum NfL was sampled using ultrasensitive immunoassay at four timepoints across a 14-year period in a cohort of HD gene carriers (n = 21) and controls (n = 14)...

INTRODUCTION: Gulf War illness (GWI) is characterized by a constellation of symptoms, including, but not limited to, diarrhea, fatigue, and memory problems that affect Gulf War veterans. Currently, there are no objective biomarkers for GWI. Previous studies have identified differences in optical coherence tomography (OCT) metrics between individuals with GWI symptoms and those without. However, there are limited data on how these metrics change over time. Therefore, in this current study, we conducted a prospective case-control investigation to determine if OCT metrics show longitudinal changes in those affected by GWI...

PURPOSE: To document the pre-operative rate of clinical deterioration in a cohort of patients with split cord malformation type 1 (SCM 1) and the early- and long-term surgical outcome in these patients. METHODS: Data from 41 patients with SCM 1 operated upon by the same surgeon (VR) between January 2008 to June 2023 were retrospectively reviewed with respect to history of clinical deterioration prior to surgery and early and long-term surgical outcomes. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients at presentation was 79...

Hippocampal neuronal plasticity is a fundamental process underpinning learning and memory formation and requiring elaborate molecular mechanisms that result in the dynamic remodelling of synaptic connectivity. The neurotrophic properties of midkine (Mdk) have been implicated in the development and repair of the nervous system, while Mdk knockout resulted in deficits in the formation of certain types of memory. The role of Mdk in the process of memory-associated neuronal plasticity, however, remains poorly understood...

The utilization of biomarkers for the diagnosis and management of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains a relatively unexplored frontier in clinical practice. Proteomics and metabolomics are important tools for revealing key biomarkers and evaluating biological pathways in ASD. We conducted an individual meta-analysis to compare the consistency of biomarkers of ASD from central nervous system (brain and cerebrospinal fluid), circulatory system (blood), and non-invasive samples (urine, saliva, and faeces) and performed pathway enrichment analyses to identify pathways enriched in ASD...

Swimmer puppy syndrome (SPS) is a rare condition that affects neonatal animals. The affected puppies are unable to stand, remain in sternal recumbency with their legs splayed laterally and ambulate with typical swimmer-like movements. This study reports the clinical findings and discusses the treatments and outcomes in four puppies of various breeds with clinical signs of SPS. Previous medical records of the animals were reviewed for history, clinical features, radiographic findings and choice of treatment...

BACKGROUND: Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a widely recognized therapeutic approach for the treatment of hemifacial spasm (HFS). Abnormal muscle response (AMR) is a distinctive electromyographic finding exclusively in patients with HFS. The purpose of our investigation was to determine the correlation between changes in intraoperative AMR and surgical efficacy, as well as the incidence of postoperative complications in patients with HFS after undergoing MVD. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we evaluated 145 patients with HFSs treated with MVD, which was maintained for 1 year postoperatively...

BACKGROUND: As people living with HIV (PWH) age, they face new challenges that can have a negative impact on their quality of life (QOL) and mental health. SETTING: This study enrolled PWH at the end of life (EOL) who were actively engaged in cure-related research in Southern California, United States. EOL was defined as having a prognosis of six months or less to live. We examined the relationship between QOL, mental health, and research participation. METHODS: Structured assessments were used to collect comprehensive data on QOL and mental health...

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a global hemoglobinopathy; approximately 300 000 individuals are diagnosed annually. Acute chest syndrome (ACS), a common complication, leads to significant hospitalization and mortality, particularly in cases of severe respiratory distress. ECMO outcomes in this specific population are poorly described. METHODS: This retrospective observational study, utilizing data from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) registry, focuses on children and young adults (<40 years) with SCD undergoing ECMO from 1998 to 2022...

BACKGROUND: Unfractionated heparin is used as the most common anticoagulation for venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) patients. However, it is accompanied by frequent bleeding and thrombotic complications. The aim of the study was to demonstrate the feasibility of Enoxaparin anticoagulation for VV ECMO patients. METHODS: This study is a retrospective analysis of VV ECMO patients on continuous intravenous Enoxaparin anticoagulation. The primary outcome was the incidence of bleeding, thrombotic, and neurological complications during ECMO support...

BACKGROUND: Large-scale epidemics in countries with high birth rates can create a concerning scenario where pregnant people are more likely to transmit the virus. Additionally, increased international mobility has made arboviruses a growing problem for travelers. The increased risk of vertical transmission has been related to maternal viremia near delivery. Such transmission leads to severe infection of newborns and may be associated with subsequent neurological impairment including cerebral palsy...

OBJECTIVE: Language is one of the most celebrated hallmarks of human cognition. With the continuous improvement of medical technology, functional MRI (fMRI) has been used in aphasia. Although many related studies have been carried out, most studies have not extensively focused on brain regions with reduced activation in aphasic patients. The aim of this study was to identify brain regions normally activated in healthy controls but with reduced activation in aphasic patients during fMRI language tasks...

We describe a case of severe accidental hypothermia of a kayaker with preserved consciousness and shivering despite a rectal temperature of 22.9°C following a 50-min immersion in 3°C water with an estimated core temperature cooling rate of 10.6°C/h. Based on survival at sea prediction curves and cooling rates from physiology studies, cold water (eg, 0-5°C) immersion is expected to drop core temperature by 2 to 4°C/h. Furthermore, accidental hypothermia classification systems predict that severely hypothermic patients are usually unconscious and not shivering...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Most patients with isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) progress to a parkinsonian alpha-synucleinopathy. However, time to phenoconversion shows great variation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cholinergic and dopaminergic dysfunction in iRBD patients was associated with impending phenoconversion. METHODS: Twenty-one polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients underwent baseline 11 C-donepezil and 6-Fluoro-(18 F)-l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (18 F-DOPA) positron emission tomography (PET)...

Migraine is a common neurological disorder globally. Migraines, with or without aura, are episodic and recurring with symptom-free periods. Frequent and prolonged attacks can lead to chronic migraine. This pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate feasibility of therapist-guided, acceptance-based internet cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) as an adjunct to standard medical care for migraine patients in Swedish primary healthcare settings using a mixed methods approach. Participants (treatment n = 15, control n = 14) underwent qualitative and quantitative assessments to evaluate feasibility, acceptance, and initial treatment effects...

BACKGROUND: Dural sinus arteriovenous malformation is an uncommon intracranial vascular malformation. The affected cases may suffer from severe neurological injury. Prenatal ultrasound has been used to diagnose fetal intracranial vascular abnormality, but prenatal three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound presents a very rare anomaly; an arteriovenous malformation of the dural sinus has not been reported. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to emphasize the diagnostic value of 3D ultrasound in the fetus with dural sinus arteriovenous malformation...