Neurosciences最新文献

Marchiafava-Bignami disease (MBD) is a rare neurological disorder typically occurring in alcoholic patients. The main disease mechanism is hypothesized to be vitamin B-complex deficiency due to malnutrition. In the literature, there have been few reported cases of the disease occurring in patients who have undergone bariatric surgery. This paper presents a case study of a 45-year-old non-alcoholic female who underwent a laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy presenting with progressive worsening weakness of her lower limbs and slurred speech. Her condition continued to deteriorate, and she became mute and bedbound. The MRI revealed distinctive characteristics consistent with MBD. The diagnosis was confirmed following the exclusion of all other possible diagnoses. She was treated with multivitamins and had a significant improvement. Additionally, we conduct a review of similar cases of this condition occurring after bariatric surgery. This report sheds light on the occurrence of this uncommon condition after the bariatric procedures.

Objectives: To investigate the potential utility of the C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) and the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) as a biomarker in distinguishing between BPPV and acute cerebellar infarction (ACI) due to posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) involvement.

Methods: The data of 2545 patients registered in our hospital database between 2017 and 2024 with a diagnosis of vertigo were retrospectively analyzed and 102 patients with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and 100 patients with ACI were included in the study. Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact test were used to compare variables between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to investigate the predictive value of the data.

Results: The CAR and SII values were significantly higher in the ACI group compared to the BPPV group (p<0.001, p<0.001, respectively). The areas under the ROC curve (AUC) were as follows: CAR=0.768 (95% CI, 0.705-0.832), white blood cell count (WBC)=0.735 (95% CI, 0.667-0.802), monocytes=0.622 (95% CI, 0.544-0.699), red cell distribution width-standard deviation (RDW-SD)=0.600 (95% CI, 0.522-0.678), SII=0.674 (95% CI, 0.599-0.748), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)=0.687 (95% CI, 0.613-0.761).

Conclusion: CAR and SII could be useful biomarkers to differentiate between ACI and BPPV in vertigo patients, but further validation is needed in larger studies.

Objectives: To identify a key Long chain non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) related to PD and provide a new perspective on the role of LncRNAs in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology.

Methods: Our study involved analyzing gene chips from the substantia nigra and white blood cells, both normal and PD-inclusive, in the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, utilizing a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The technique of WGCNA facilitated the examination of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the substantia nigra and the white blood cells of individuals with PD. When merged with clinical data, gene modules containing crucial clinical details were chosen for network integration in GO and KEGG enrichment analysis.

Results: A pair of LncRNA modules were identified. The crucial component in GSE7621 was the turquoise module. The DEGs were acquired using GSE133347. GO functions focused on phosphatidylinositol phosphate binding, inflammatory responses, and the regulation of nerves and synapses. KEGG analyses were largely enriched within the P13K-Akt, FaxO, mTOR, Oxytocin, and cGMP-PKG signaling pathways. A Venn diagram revealed that the two key LncRNA were CH17-189H20.1 and RP11-168O16.1.

Conclusion: Using the WGCNA method, we obtained PD-related modules, identified biologically significant gene modules, obtained core LncRNAs, and found potential target genes for enrichment analysis. The objective of our research was to advance more detailed and efficient treatment methods for lncRNAs associated with PD.

The hippocampus, noted as (HC), plays a crucial role in the processes of learning, memory formation, and spatial navigation. Recent research reveals that this brain region can undergo structural and functional changes due to environmental exposures, including stress, noise pollution, sleep deprivation, and microgravity. This review synthesizes findings from animal and human studies, emphasizing the HC's plasticity in response to these factors. It examines changes in volume, architecture, neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and gene expression and highlights critical periods of vulnerability to environmental influences impacting cognition and behavior. It also investigates underlying mechanisms such as glucocorticoid signaling, epigenetic alterations, and neural circuit adaptations. Understanding how the HC reacts to various environmental exposures is vital for developing strategies to enhance cognitive resilience and mitigate negative effects on this crucial brain region. Further research is needed to identify protective and risk factors and create effective interventions.

Objectives: To examine the occurrence and contributing factors of disordered eating patterns in individuals post-bariatric surgery. It also investigated the impact of these patterns on weight loss outcomes and long-term weight management, focusing on psychological and emotional factors. Additionally, the relationship between body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating patterns was explored.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted across multiple medical centers in Saudi Arabia, using self-administered questionnaires to evaluate the prevalence of eating disorders and self-esteem among patients who underwent bariatric surgery in the past five years. Out of 557 respondents, 452 met the inclusion criteria.

Results: The study found that 21.5% of participants experienced psychological disorders post-surgery. Notably, there was a significant improvement in mean self-esteem scores after surgery. Depression was the most frequently reported disorder (12.4%), followed by Generalized Anxiety Disorder (9.3%) and Eating Disorders (4.6%). The mean Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale score increased significantly from 28.17±6.2 pre-surgery to 31.7±5.3 post-surgery (p<0.001).

Conclusion: The findings highlight a notable prevalence of psychological disorders among post-bariatric surgery patients, with depression being the most common. Despite this, significant improvements in self-esteem were observed. Understanding the psychological and emotional factors contributing to disordered eating patterns and body image dissatisfaction is crucial for improving long-term weight management and patient outcomes post-surgery.

Objectives: To describe age-standardized incidence and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of ischemic stroke (IS), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) from 1990 to 2019 and forecast these variables using the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) data over the next years (2020-2030).

Methods: Poisson regression models were employed to identify significant changes in incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and DALY rates for different stroke types. For time series models, the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) and exponential smoothing state space (ETS) models were used for forecasting.

Results: The study demonstrated an increasing trend in the age-standardized incidence rate per 100,000 different types of strokes over the last 30 years, with a slight decrease in ICH and SAH types in 2015, followed by a continued increase. The prediction models indicated a sustained increase in the 3 types of strokes, accompanied by a decrease in DALYs. As regards DALYs, the trend for IS and ICH has been slowly and steadily increasing; however, there will be a modest decrease in DALYs rates for SAH during the next decade.

Conclusion: Stroke rates in KSA have increased over 3 decades, mainly among women and older individuals, and have a slow sustained increase over the forecasted period (2020-2030); thus, proactive strategies and healthcare interventions are required.

Objectives: To compare the effectiveness of preganglionic transforaminal epidural steroid injection (TFESI) with preganglionic plus postganglionic TFESI.

Methods: Patients with unilateral radicular pain and disc pathology were randomly assigned to either the preganglionic group or the preganglionic plus postganglionic group. All patients were evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS) and a patient satisfaction scale (PSS) at the third week and the third month after treatment.

Results: There were significant differences between the patients' NRS scores after TFESI for both groups. In terms of >50% pain relief at three weeks and 3 months post-treatment, no significant differences were found between the groups (p>0.05). The PSS scores of the preganglionic plus postganglionic group were significantly lower at third month than at the third week (p=0.046). The PSS scores of the two groups were similar at third week and third month (p>0.05). A weak negative correlation was found between age and meaningful pain relief at the third month (Rho=.278, p=0.024). A moderate positive correlation was found between meaningful pain relief at the third week and meaningful pain relief the third month (Rho=.465, p<0.001). Male gender showed a weak positive correlation with meaningful pain relief at the third week (Rho=.281, p=0.022) and the third month (Rho=.256, p=0.038) CONCLUSION: The combined preganglionic plus postganglionic approach for TFESI did not affect the outcomes in patients with unilateral discogenic radicular pain. The preganglionic TFESI approach alone at the disc level was sufficient to achieve pain relief.