Cerebrospinal Fluid Leakage to the Chest Subcutaneous Pocket Due to Aggressive Brain Edema around the Leads for Deep Brain Stimulation: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Cerebral edema around the lead has been reported as a complication of deep brain stimulation; however, the causes remain unknown. Herein, we present a rare case of sudden cerebral edema around the lead occurring after deep brain stimulation. This was accompanied by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage into the subcutaneous thoracic pocket around the implantable pulse generator in a 53-year-old man with Parkinson's disease.

Biomass energy, particulate matter (PM), and the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among Congolese women living near of a cement plant, in Kongo Central Province.

This study investigated whether the individual and combined effects of using biomass energy and living in the neighborhood of a cement plant were associated with the risk of COPD and respiratory symptoms among Congolese women. A total of 235 women from two neighborhood communities of a cement plant participated in this cross-sectional study. Participants were classified into the more exposed group (MEG = 137) and a less exposed group (LEG = 98), as well as into biomass users (wood = 85, charcoal = 49) or electricity users (101 participants).

Texture analysis of sonographic muscle images can distinguish myopathic conditions.

Given the recent technological advent of muscle ultrasound (US), classification of various myopathic conditions could be possible, especially by mathematical analysis of muscular fine structure called texture analysis. We prospectively enrolled patients with three neuromuscular conditions and their lower leg US images were quantitatively analyzed by texture analysis and machine learning methodology in the following subjects :  Inclusion body myositis (IBM) [N=11] ; myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) [N=19] ; polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM-DM) [N=21]. Although three-group analysis achieved up to 58.

PMP22-related disease: A novel splice site acceptor variant and intrafamilial phenotype variability.

PMP22 is the most frequent mutated gene in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) type 1A. Another phenotype, hereditary neuropathy with pressure palsies (HNPP), could be caused by PMP22 mutations. PMP22 encodes a peripheral myelin protein with molecular weight 22-kDa.

Deep learning for waveform identification of resting needle electromyography signals.

Objective: Given the recent advent in machine learning and artificial intelligence on medical data analysis, we hypothesized that the deep learning algorithm can classify resting needle electromyography (n-EMG) discharges.

Methods: Six clinically observed resting n-EMG signals were used as a dataset. The data were converted to Mel-spectrogram.

Distinct Incidence of Takotsubo Syndrome Between Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Synucleinopathies: A Cohort Study.

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute cardiac syndrome characterized by regional left ventricular dysfunction with a peculiar circumferential pattern, which typically results in apical ballooning. Evidence indicates a pivotal role of catecholamines in TTS, and researchers have discussed multiple hypotheses on the etiology, including multivessel coronary spasm, myocardial stunning, excessive transient ventricular afterload, and cardiac sympathetic overactivity with local noradrenaline spillover. Although central nervous system disorders, such as stroke and epilepsy, are known to trigger TTS, the incidence and clinical features of TTS in neurodegenerative disorders are poorly understood.

Effect of crocetin on quality of sleep: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of crocetin on sleep architecture and subjective sleep parameters in healthy adult participants with mild sleep complaints.

Design: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with two intervention periods of 14 days each, separated by a 14-day wash-out period.

Interventions: Thirty participants were randomly assigned to one of two sequence groups.

Classification of needle-EMG resting potentials by machine learning.

Introduction: The diagnostic importance of audio signal characteristics in needle electromyography (EMG) is well established. Given the recent advent of audio-sound identification by artificial intelligence, we hypothesized that the extraction of characteristic resting EMG signals and application of machine learning algorithms could help classify various EMG discharges.

Methods: Data files of 6 classes of resting EMG signals were divided into 2-s segments.

Age-dependent texture features in skeletal muscle ultrasonography.

Texture analysis characterizes regions in an image by their texture content and has been utilized to infer the underlying structures of medical images such as skeletal muscles. Although potentially useful in tissue diagnosis and assessing disease progression of neuromuscular diseases, the use of texture analysis in such purposes are limited, due to lack of information such as effects of aging. Thus, we performed texture analysis of medial gastrocnemius in healthy individuals form their 20s to late 80s.

Diacylglycerol Enhances the Effects of Alpha-Linolenic Acid Against Visceral Fat: A Double-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To investigate the effect of alpha-linolenic acid-rich diacylglycerol (ALA-DAG) compared with alpha-linolenic acid-rich triacylglycerol (ALA-TAG) on visceral fat area (VFA) in people with overweight.

Methods: Subjects with overweight were recruited to a randomized, double-blind, controlled, parallel-group designed trial and randomly allocated to two groups that consumed either 2.5 g/d ALA-TAG or ALA-DAG for 12 weeks.

Neurogenic and Myogenic Diseases: Quantitative Texture Analysis of Muscle US Data for Differentiation.

Purpose To assess the multiple texture features of skeletal muscles in neurogenic and myogenic diseases by using ultrasonography (US). Materials and Methods After institutional review board approval, muscle US studies of the medial head of the gastrocnemius were performed prospectively in patients with neurogenic diseases (n = 25 [18 men]; mean age, 66.0 years ± 12.

Sonographic evaluation of peripheral nerves in subtypes of Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Background: Sonography of peripheral nerves can depict alteration of nerve sizes that could reflect inflammation and edema in inflammatory and demyelinating neuropathies. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Information on sonographic comparison of an axonal subtype (acute motor [and sensory] axonal neuropathy [AMAN and AMSAN]) and a demyelinating subtype (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy [AIDP]) has been sparse.

Sonographic evaluation of cervical nerve roots in ALS and its clinical subtypes.

Morphological assessment of peripheral nerves in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been available by sonography. Detection of possible axonal atrophy could be important in predicting progression. Research on correlation between sonographic findings and clinical presentation has been sparse.

Which muscle shows fasciculations by ultrasound in patients with ALS?

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the relative frequencies of fasciculations assessed by sonography in a large number of muscles in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The patients diagnosed as having ALS were retrospectively assessed by muscle sonography. The frequencies of having fasciculations were compared among the 15 muscles and the subtypes according to the initially affected body region.

Impaired Axonal Na(+) Current by Hindlimb Unloading: Implication for Disuse Neuromuscular Atrophy.

This study aimed to characterize the excitability changes in peripheral motor axons caused by hindlimb unloading (HLU), which is a model of disuse neuromuscular atrophy. HLU was performed in normal 8-week-old male mice by fixing the proximal tail by a clip connected to the top of the animal's cage for 3 weeks. Axonal excitability studies were performed by stimulating the sciatic nerve at the ankle and recording the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) from the foot.

Late-onset spastic paraplegia: Aberrant SPG11 transcripts generated by a novel splice site donor mutation.

We identified a novel homozygous mutation in the splice site donor (SSD) of intron 30 (c.5866+1G>A) in consanguineous Japanese SPG11 siblings showing late-onset spastic paraplegia using the whole-exome sequencing. Phenotypic variability was observed, including age-at-onset, dysarthria and pes cavus.

Age-dependent effects on sensory axonal excitability in normal mice.

Serial recordings were performed to measure sensory excitability in peripheral nerves and elucidate age-dependent changes in neuronal ion currents in the peripheral sensory nervous system. The threshold tracking technique was used to measure multiple excitability indices in the tail sensory nerves of five normal male mice at four time points (6, 10, 14, and 19 weeks of age). A separate group of four mice was also measured at 43 weeks and at 60 weeks of age.

Varicella-zoster virus-specific cell-mediated immunity in Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

Objectives/hypothesis: The etiology of Ramsay Hunt syndrome (Hunt syndrome) is reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the geniculate ganglion of the facial nerve, leading to neuritis. Although the mechanism of the VZV reactivation is unclear, one possibility is that the reactivation involves a low level of VZV-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI). The aim of this study was to clarify the characteristics of the VZV-specific CMI in Hunt syndrome compared to that in Bell's palsy, and to obtain clues to its role in the development of Hunt syndrome.

Focal nerve enlargement is not the cause for increased distal motor latency in ALS: Sonographic evaluation.

Objective: To elucidate the mechanism of focal conduction slowing in the median nerve in ALS.

Methods: The patients with ALS and CTS and normal control subjects were tested with sonography of the median and ulnar nerves. The cross-sectional areas (CSAs) and the wrist-forearm CSA ratios were compared with the parameters of nerve conduction study.

Thinning of cervical nerve roots and peripheral nerves in ALS as measured by sonography.

Objective: Progressive atrophy and loss of motor axons is a hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Limited sonographic data are available on potential detection of atrophy of peripheral nerves and nerve roots in ALS.

Methods: Patients with either definite or probable ALS and control subjects underwent sonographic evaluation of the cervical roots (C5, C6, and C7) and peripheral nerves (median and ulnar nerves) on the right.