Leveraging deep single-soma RNA sequencing to explore the neural basis of human somatosensation.

The versatility of somatosensation arises from heterogeneous dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. However, soma transcriptomes of individual human (h)DRG neurons-critical information to decipher their functions-are lacking due to technical difficulties. In this study, we isolated somata from individual hDRG neurons and conducted deep RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to detect, on average, over 9,000 unique genes per neuron, and we identified 16 neuronal types.

Rapid differentiation of MOGAD and MS after a single optic neuritis.

Background: Optic neuritis (ON) is a common manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS) and myelin-oligodendrocyte-glycoprotein IgG-associated disease (MOGAD). This study evaluated the applicability of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for differentiating between both diseases in two independent cohorts.

Methods: One hundred sixty two patients from seven sites underwent standard OCT and high-contrast visual acuity (HCVA) testing at least 6 months after first ON.

Heterophoria in multiple sclerosis patients: a proof of principle cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The pathophysiology of multiple sclerosis (MS) involves inflammatory neurodegeneration in the brainstem, cerebellum, and retina. The clinical relevance of oculomotor involvement in MS, however, remains uncertain.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated heterophoria as a (sub)clinical tool in 54 MS patients and 55 age-matched healthy controls (HCs).

High socioeconomic impact on prescription behavior despite unrestricted access to disease-modifying therapies in people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Economic and health care restraints strongly impact on drug prescription for chronic diseases. We aimed to identify potential factors for prescription behavior in chronic disease. Multiple sclerosis was chosen as a model disease due to its chronic character, incidence, and high socioeconomic impact.

Enhancing Sepsis Outcomes: A 7-Year Multidisciplinary Endeavor.

Regulatory bodies in the United States have implemented quality metrics aimed at improving outcomes for patients with severe sepsis and septic shock. The current study was a quality improvement (QI) project in a community-based academic center aimed at improving adherence to sepsis quality metrics, time to antibiotic administration, and patient outcomes. Electronic health record systems were utilized to capture sepsis-related data.

Additional effect of erenumab for patients with chronic migraine treated with onabotulinumtoxin A-real-world data from a preliminary cohort study.

Background: This preliminary retrospective cohort study investigates the potential additive prophylactic effect of erenumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that blocks the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, in combination with ongoing onabotulinumtoxin A (onaBoNT-A) treatment in patients suffering from chronic migraine.

Methods: The study included 218 patients and investigated the effects of adding erenumab to the existing treatment regimen. The primary outcome was the MIDAS (Migraine Disability Assessment) score assessed 3 months after the introduction of erenumab.

Association of Clinical Relapses With Disease Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis Patients Older Than 50 Years.

Background And Objectives: Relapse and MRI activity usually decline with aging but are replaced by progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA) in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). However, several older PwMS continue to experience clinical relapses, and the impact on their disease remains undetermined. We aimed to determine the impact of an index relapse on disease outcomes in patients older than 50 years and to identify risk factors of disadvantageous outcomes.

Disease Course of Clinically Isolated Optic Neuritis.

Background And Objectives: Optic neuritis is the most common optic neuropathy in young adults and a frequent manifestation of multiple sclerosis. Its clinical course is pertinent to the design of visual pathway neuroprotection trials.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the TONE trial, which included 103 patients from 12 German academic tertiary centers with acute unilateral optic neuritis as a clinically isolated syndrome and baseline high-contrast visual acuity <0.

Experimenting With the New Frontier: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Chat Bots in Hand Surgery.

Increased utilization of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven search and large language models by the lay and medical community requires us to evaluate the accuracy of AI responses to common hand surgery questions. We hypothesized that the answers to most hand surgery questions posed to an AI large language model would be correct. Using the topics covered in Green's 8 Edition as a guide, 56 hand surgery questions were compiled and posed to ChatGPT (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA).

Cutaneous targets for topical pain medications in patients with neuropathic pain: individual differential expression of biomarkers supports the need for personalized medicine.

Introduction: Numerous potential cutaneous targets exist for treating chronic pain with topically applied active pharmaceutical ingredients. This preliminary human skin tissue investigation was undertaken to characterize several key biomarkers in keratinocytes and provide proof-of-principle data to support clinical development of topical compounded formulations for peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes, such as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Objectives: The study intended to identify objective biomarkers in PHN skin on a patient-by-patient personalized medicine platform.

Enduring Ethanol-Induced Behavioral Alterations in Caenorhabditis elegans After Developmental Lead Exposure.

The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has become a powerful tool to evaluate the deleterious effects of early-life exposure to xenobiotics, including metals. The present chapter describes a detailed protocol for developmental lead (Pb)-exposure in C.

The importance of pyramidal tract integrity for cortical plasticity and related functionality in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Cortical plasticity induced by quadripulse stimulation (QPS) has been shown to correlate with cognitive functions in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and to not be reduced compared to healthy controls (HCs).

Objective: This study aimed to compare the degree of QPS-induced plasticity between different subtypes of multiple sclerosis (MS) and HCs and to investigate the association of the degree of plasticity with motor and cognitive functions. We expected lower levels of plasticity in patients with progressive MS (PMS) but not RRMS compared to HCs.

The OSCAR-MP Consensus Criteria for Quality Assessment of Retinal Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Background And Objectives: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a noninvasive high-resolution imaging technique for assessing the retinal vasculature and is increasingly used in various ophthalmologic, neuro-ophthalmologic, and neurologic diseases. To date, there are no validated consensus criteria for quality control (QC) of OCTA. Our study aimed to develop criteria for OCTA quality assessment.