Ambient air pollution, covert cerebrovascular disease and cognition: results from the ISSYS study.

Background And Purpose: Although air pollution (AP) has been associated with stroke and dementia, data regarding its relationship with covert cerebrovascular disease (cCVD) and cognition over time are sparse. The aim of this study was to explore these relationships.

Methods: A prospective population-based study of 976 stroke-free and non-demented individuals living in Barcelona, Spain, was conducted during 2010-2016.

Implications of starting antiepileptic treatment prior to electroencephalography in first epileptic seizures.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine whether the administration of antiepileptic drugs (AED) alters the likelihood of detecting epileptiform abnormalities in electroencephalographies (EEG) performed early after a first epileptic seizure.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, observational study including patients with a first seizure attended at our centre's emergency department between July 2014 and November 2019. We collected clinical data, as well as technical data on the acquisition and interpretation of the EEG performed within the first 72 hours after the seizure, and the factors related with seizure recurrence.

Reponse of second-line treatment in focal status epilepticus: A tertiary hospital experience.

Objective: To investigate the response to various antiseizure medications (ASMs) in the treatment of focal status epilepticus (SE) in the established phase, and the effect of administering several ASMs prior to sedation.

Methods: All SE cases in patients aged > 16 years treated with non-BZDs ASMs were prospectively collected in our centre from February 2011 to April 2019. In total, 281 episodes were analysed.

Silent brain infarcts, peripheral vascular disease and the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with hypertension.

Background And Aims: We aimed to study the relationship between cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) lesions, as markers of subclinical target organ damage (TOD) in the brain, and incident cardiovascular events (CVE).

Methods: Data from the ISSYS (Investigating Silent Strokes in hYpertensives Study), which is a longitudinal and observational study conducted in patients with hypertension aged 50-70 years, and stroke-free at the inclusion. At the baseline visit, participants underwent a clinical interview, a brain MRI, urine and blood sampling collection and vascular testing studies.

[Weakness as a complication of COVID-19 in critically ill patients: clinical features and prognostic factors in a case series].

Introduction: Weakness is a frequent complication in those critically ill due to COVID-19. This study describes its characteristics and the factors that can condition and predict it.

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective, descriptive, observational study of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) due to COVID-19 between April and May 2020 with muscle weakness.

Implications of initiating antiseizure drugs prior to the performance of EEG in first epileptic seizures.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine whether the administration of antiepileptic drugs (AED) alters the likelihood of detecting epileptiform abnormalities in electroencephalographies (EEG) performed early after a first epileptic seizure.

Method: We performed a retrospective, observational study including patients with a first seizure attended at our centre's emergency department between July 2014 and November 2019. We collected clinical data, as well as technical data on the acquisition and interpretation of the EEG performed within the first 72hours after the seizure, and the factors related with seizure recurrence.

Factors associated with resistance to benzodiazepines in status epilepticus.

Objective: To investigate factors related to benzodiazepine (BZD) resistance in status epilepticus (SE) with a focus on their relationship with the etiology of the episode.

Methods: All SE cases in patients aged >16 years treated with BZDs were prospectively collected in our center from February 2011 to April 2019. The registry included demographics, SE type and etiology, the timing and duration of BZD administration, and the outcome.

Levetiracetam as first-line monotherapy for Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy in women.

Background: Levetiracetam (LEV) is effective in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE) and seems to be a good alternative to valproic acid in women of childbearing age. However, there is lack of approval for this indication as monotherapy. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of LEV as a first-line therapy in this population.

Headache: A striking prodromal and persistent symptom, predictive of COVID-19 clinical evolution.

Objective: To define headache characteristics and evolution in relation to COVID-19 and its inflammatory response.

Methods: This is a prospective study, comparing clinical data and inflammatory biomarkers of COVID-19 patients with and without headache, recruited at the Emergency Room. We compared baseline with 6-week follow-up to evaluate disease evolution.

How soon should urgent EEG be performed following a first epileptic seizure?

Purpose: Patients with a first unprovoked epileptic seizure are often seen in emergency services. Electroencephalography (EEG) is indicated for diagnosing epilepsy, but the optimal time to perform this test has not been defined. This study aimed to determine the time interval following a seizure within which EEG has the greatest diagnostic yield.

Psychiatric Symptoms and Benzodiazepine Use Mask a Patent Foramen Ovale-Related Stroke: A Cautionary Tale.

Unlabelled: Neurological and psychiatric diseases often present with overlapping features. Patients are sometimes seen by internal medicine, neurology and psychiatry clinicians and time can be important for determining whether a condition is organic or not. The authors present the case of a 31-year-old woman admitted to the emergency department with altered mental status and incomprehensible speech.