关键词： Brain Injuries   Adolescent   Neurobehavioral Manifestations   Signs and Symptoms  

摘要： Sensitive examination tools are needed to optimize evaluation after sports-related concussion. The Physical and Neurological Examination of Subtle Signs was preliminarily examined for sensitivity to motor changes in a pilot cohort of adolescents aged 13-17 yrs with sports-related concussion. A total of 15 adolescents (5 female adolescents) with sports-related concussion were evaluated up to three times: within 2 wks of injury, approximately 1 mo later (mean, 35 days between visits), and for those not recovered at the second visit, again after clinical recovery (mean, 70 days between the first and last visits for all participants). Comparison data were acquired from 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control athletes with no history of concussion who were evaluated twice (mean, 32 days apart). Main effects of group, time, and interaction effects were evaluated with an analysis of covariance, which controlled for socioeconomic status, times tested, and days between testing sessions. Adolescents with concussion had poorer Physical and Neurological Examination of Subtle Signs performance than controls did at all time points. Performance improved between visits within the concussion group, with no change within the control group. These findings suggest that the Physical and Neurological Examination of Subtle Signs merits additional study in larger cohorts and in combination with other markers of injury to facilitate an enhanced understanding of sports-related concussion and recovery.

关键词： ataxia and gait disorders   ataxia-telangiectasia   betamethasone   primary immunodeficiency   SARA scale  

摘要： Background and purposeAtaxia-telangiectasia (A-T) is a rare neurodegenerative disease, due to A-T mutated (ATM) gene mutations, which typically presents with signs of progressive neurological dysfunction, cerebellar ataxia and uncoordinated movements. A-T severely affects patients' quality of life. Successful treatment options are still not available. The aim of this multicenter study, performed with a blind evaluation procedure, was to define the minimal effective dosage of oral betamethasone, thus preventing the occurrence of side effects. MethodsNine A-T patients were enrolled to receive betamethasone at increasing dosages of 0.001, 0.005 and 0.01 mg/kg/day. Neurological assessment and the evaluation of quality of life were performed through the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia and the Italian version of the Childhood Health Assessment Questionnaire (CHAQ) at each time-point. The drug safety profile was evaluated. Patients were categorized as responders, partial responders and non-responders. ResultsFour of nine patients had a benefit at a dose of 0.005 mg/kg/day of oral betamethasone. Using the higher dosage, only one additional patient had a positive response. Conversely, a daily dose of 0.001 mg/kg was ineffective. A correlation between the serum adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and the clinical response was observed. Five of 30 CHAQ items improved in four patients. ConclusionsThese data suggest that a short-term betamethasone oral treatment, at a daily dosage of 0.005 mg/kg, is effective in some patients. Pre-existing risk factors for side effects should be taken into account before therapy.

关键词： Posttraumatic stress disorder   Terrorism   After effects   Stroke   Epilepsy   Neurodegenerative diseases  

摘要： The purpose of our review is to discuss current knowledge on long-term sequelae and neurological disorders in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. The specific aspects of both psychological and physical effects are mentioned in more detail in this review. Also, the outcomes such as stress-related disorders, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease are explained. Moreover, PTSD and posttraumatic structural brain changes are a topic for further investigations of the patients suffering from these attacks. Not only the direct victims are prone to the after effects of the terroristic attacks, but the rescue workers, physicians, witnesses and worldwide citizens may also be affected by PTSD and other neurological diseases as well. The determination of a whole series of risk factors for developing neurological disorders can be a means to set up early detection, preventative measures, to refine treatment and thus to gain better outcome in the future.

摘要： A review of the article 'Evidence of amyloid-beta cerebral amyloid angiopathy transmission through neurosurgery' is presented.

关键词： Cell Differentiation   Alzheimer Disease   Medicine   MEDICAL TREATMENT   Nervous System Diseases   Common Cold   COLD   Neurodegenerative Diseases   Neurons  

摘要： Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAPs) can enhance neural cell differentiation into neurons both in vitro and in vivo, which is of great interest for medical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease and traumatic injuries of the central nervous system. CAPs represent a promising method for future neurological disease therapy.

关键词： thyroid hormone   type 3 deiodinase   Dio3   environmental factors   Dlk1-Dio3 genomic imprinting   behavior   brain development   sensory function   neuroendocrine function   brain morphology  

摘要： Thyroid hormones (THs) influence multiple processes in the developing and adult central nervous system, and their local availability needs to be maintained at levels that are tailored to the requirements of their biological targets. The local complement of TH transporters, deiodinase enzymes, and receptors is critical to ensure specific levels of TH action in neural cells. The type 3 iodothyronine deiodinase (DIO3) inactivates THs and is highly present in the developing and adult brain, where it limits their availability and action. DIO3 deficiency in mice results in a host of neurodevelopmental and behavioral abnormalities, demonstrating the deleterious effects of TH excess, and revealing the critical role of DIO3 in the regulation of TH action in the brain. The fact the Dio3 is an imprinted gene and that its allelic expression pattern varies across brain regions and during development introduces an additional level of control to deliver specific levels of hormone action in the central nervous system (CNS). The sensitive epigenetic nature of the mechanisms controlling the genomic imprinting of Dio3 renders brain TH action particularly susceptible to disruption due to exogenous treatments and environmental exposures, with potential implications for the etiology of human neurodevelopmental disorders.

关键词： STROKE   DIAGNOSTIC errors   CAROTID artery stenosis -- Treatment  

摘要： Linked Article: Hu et al. Br J Dermatol 2018; 178:1246-1256.

关键词： Congenital heart defects   S100B   Brain injury   Pediatric intensive care unit   Neurology  

摘要： Introduction: Children undergoing cardiac surgery may suffer from brain injuries after surgery and develop neurological deficit. Early diagnosis of brain injury after surgery would enable early therapeutic interventions. The aim of the study is to test whether S100B can serve as a biomarker for brain injury after cardiac surgery. Methods: Seventy-five patients were enrolled in the study. Serum S100B was collected at the beginning of the surgery, and 6, 12, 24 h after surgery. S100B z-scores were calculated based on norms for age. Neurological evolutions were done before surgery and at discharge by the Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure (PSOM). New neurological deficit (NND) was defined as a 1 point increase on the PSOM scale. Results: Twenty patients had an NND after cardiac surgery. Medical background was similar between the groups with and without NND. S100B z-scores were significantly higher in the NND group at all time points after surgery. Using a cut-off of 3 z-score at 6 h after surgery, the positive predictive value was 79% and the negative predictive value was 90%. Conclusions: S100B is a potent early biomarker for brain injury after cardiac surgery. Hopefully, S100B could be used to prevent progression of brain injuries after cardiac surgery.

关键词： Human hervesviras 7   Polymerase chain reaction   Cerebrospinal fluid   Meningitis   Encephalitis   Myelitis  

摘要： Neurological manifestations associated with HHV-7 have been described in primary infection in children, and very occasionally in immunocompromised adult patients. However, the role of HHV-7 reactivation as a cause of central nervous system (CNS) diseases in immunocompetent adults has not yet been defined. We retrospectively analyzed clinical and microbiological features of adults with neurological symptoms who underwent lumbar puncture and a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for herpesviruses (HHV-1-8) and enteroviruses performed in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), during a 4-year period. A total of 251 subjects were included. Mean age was 55 years, ranging 15-89. Globally, HHV-7 DNA was detected in CSF in 14 patients (5.6%). It was detected in 1 of 36 patients with microbiologically confirmed CNS infections, and in 7 of 172 patients with diagnoses of non-infectious neurological disorders (Specificity 0.96, 95% confidence interval 0.93-0.99). Additionally, HHV-7 DNA was detected in 6 of 21 patients (28.6%) with probable CNS infections (compatible clinical syndrome and CSF changes) in the absence of other causative agent: four meningitis, one myelitis, and one encephalitis. Treatment with foscarnet was effective in achieving improvement of symptoms and clearance of HHV-7 DNA in CSF in the cases of encephalitis and myelitis, while ganciclovir was ineffective in the case of encephalitis. Our results show that HHV-7 reactivation may cause CNS disease in immunocompetent adults and that detection of HHV-7 DNA in CSF as a false-positive result or as asymptomatic reactivation in adult patients with neurological diseases is uncommon. Foscarnet seems the first-line treatment for HHV-7 CNS disease.