The influence of sex on non-motor wearing-off in Parkinson's disease: A WORK-PD post-hoc study.

Introduction: The wearing-off phenomenon is characterized by the recurrence of motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinsonism during a period free from levodopa. It is a pivotal aspect marking the end of the pharmacological "honeymoon" period in Parkinson's disease (PD). A growing body of literature is connecting sex with the likelihood of developing fluctuations.

Harmonic ratio is the most responsive trunk-acceleration derived gait index to rehabilitation in people with Parkinson's disease at moderate disease stages.

Background: Harmonic ratios (HRs), recurrence quantification analysis in the antero-posterior direction (RQA), and stride length coefficient of variation (CV) have recently been shown to characterize gait abnormalities and fall risk in people with Parkinson's disease (pwPD) at moderate disease stages.

Research Question: This study aimed to i) assess the internal and external responsiveness to rehabilitation of HR, RQA, and CV, ii) identify the baseline predictors of normalization of the gait stability indexes, and iii) investigate the correlations between the gait indexes modifications (∆) and clinical and kinematic ∆s in pwPD at Hoehn and Yahr disease staging classification 3.

Methods: The trunk acceleration patterns of 21 pwPD and 21 age- and speed-matched healthy subjects (HSmatched) were acquired during gait using an inertial measurement unit at baseline (T0).

Ability of a Set of Trunk Inertial Indexes of Gait to Identify Gait Instability and Recurrent Fallers in Parkinson's Disease.

The aims of this study were to assess the ability of 16 gait indices to identify gait instability and recurrent fallers in persons with Parkinson's disease (pwPD), regardless of age and gait speed, and to investigate their correlation with clinical and kinematic variables. The trunk acceleration patterns were acquired during the gait of 55 pwPD and 55 age-and-speed matched healthy subjects using an inertial measurement unit. We calculated the harmonic ratios (HR), percent recurrence, and percent determinism (RQAdet), coefficient of variation, normalized jerk score, and the largest Lyapunov exponent for each participant.

L-Acetylcarnitine in dysthymic disorder in elderly patients: a double-blind, multicenter, controlled randomized study vs. fluoxetine.

Introduction: L-Acetylcarnitine (LAC), the acetyl ester of carnitine naturally present in the central nervous system and involved in several neural pathways, has been demonstrated to be active in various animal experimental models resembling some features of human depression. The aim of the study is to verify whether LAC can have an antidepressant action in a population of elderly patients with dysthymic disorder in comparison with a traditional antidepressant such as fluoxetine.

Methods: Multicentric, double-blind, double-dummy, controlled, randomized study based on a observation period of 7 weeks.