MicroRNAs as potential biomarkers of response to modified Atkins diet in treatment of adults with drug-resistant epilepsy: A proof-of-concept study.

Background: Accurate predictors of response to modified Atkins diet (MAD) are needed. MicroRNAs are potential biomarkers in epilepsy. This study aimed to explore the value of circulating miR-146a, miR-155, miR-22, miR-21 and miR-134 levels in predicting response to MAD.

DRD3 Predicts Cognitive Impairment and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease: Susceptibility and Protective Effects.

Background: A possible genetic contribution of dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) to cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) has yet to be investigated.

Objective: To explore the effects of rs6280 (Ser9Gly) genotype on PD patients' cognitive performance and to clarify possible interactions with psychopathology.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-three consecutive PD patients underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluations, which included: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn & Yahr scale (H&Y), Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Trace Element Imbalances in Acquired Hepatocerebral Degeneration and Changes after Liver Transplant.

Brain manganese (Mn) accumulation is a key feature in patients with acquired hepatocerebral degeneration (AHD). The role of trace elements other than Mn in AHD needs to be clarified. In this study, using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, we aimed to evaluate blood levels of trace elements in patients with AHD before and after liver transplantation (LT).

Long-Term Headache and Cognitive Complaints Among Health Care Workers Who Acquired SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction Neurological manifestations are frequent after acquiring COVID-19 and may persist long-term as part of post-COVID-19 syndrome. Cognitive impairment, chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, and headache complaints are the most reported neurological features. During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers were particularly vulnerable due to the high workload and levels of stress associated with this period, but acquiring severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) may also contribute.

Predictors of cognitive dysfunction one-year post COVID-19.

Objectives: (a) To characterize the frequency of objective cognitive deficits and self-perceived cognitive difficulties and (b) to explore demographic and clinical predictors of cognitive dysfunction and cognitive complaints.

Method: One hundred and ten adults diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and November 2020, aged ≤ 74 years underwent a brief neuropsychological evaluation 12 months after infection, which included: Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised, California Verbal Learning Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test. T scores < 38 were considered abnormal performance; cognitive dysfunction was defined as ≥ 2 abnormal tests.

Predictors of cognitive dysfunction in hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with liver transplant.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is part of the broad spectrum of clinical manifestations in older untreated hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis patients with peripheral polyneuropathy.

Objective: The objective of this study is to systematically explore cognitive dysfunction in ATTRV30M amyloidosis patients whose disease course was modified by liver transplant (LT).

Methods: A series of 269 carriers of TTRVal30Met mutation treated with LT underwent a neuropsychological assessment.

Auditory verbal learning test can lateralize hippocampal sclerosis.

The ability of the Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) to lateralize hippocampal sclerosis (HS) in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) was explored in a sample of 50 patients with MTLE-HS (23 right and 27 left). Patients' AVLT scores were adjusted to the demographic characteristics of each individual in accordance with the Portuguese normative data. The laterality of the HS was determined by consensus by two neuroradiologists.

Customizable Serious Speech Therapy Games with Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment for Children with Sigmatism.

Children with speech sound disorders should attend speech and language therapy and should practice the speech exercises regularly to surpass their speech difficulties. Since doing the speech exercises often may be tedious, there is the need to motivate children to practice them. During the COVID-19 pandemic, speech and language pathologists had the need to adapt their procedures to others with less physical contact.

The BioVisualSpeech Serious Game with Voice Exercises for People with Parkinson's Disease with Hypokinetic Dysarthria.

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) can have dysarthria, a voice disorder that affects speech intelligibility. To fight this disorder people may resort to speech and language therapy. Unfortunately, weekly speech therapy sessions may not be enough, because to achieve and maintain good voice quality, intensive training is required.

Ovine footrot in Southern Portugal: Detection of Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum in sheep with different lesion scores.

The Mediterranean climate region of Alentejo in the Southern of Portugal is an important sheep production centre but little is known about the presence and characteristics of Dichelobacter nodosus in association with Fusobacterium necrophorum in the different footrot lesion scores. DNA from 261 interdigital biopsy samples, taken from 14 footrot affected flocks and from three non-affected flocks, were analysed for the presence of D. nodosus and F.

Cognitive dysfunction and mortality in multiple sclerosis: Long-term retrospective review.

Background: Cognitive dysfunction as a predictor of clinical progression and mortality in multiple sclerosis (MS) is still a matter of debate.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the long-term outcome associated with neuropsychological performance in a cohort of patients with MS.

Methods: A series of 408 MS patients had previously undergone a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment and a contemporaneous neurological evaluation (T1).

Novel KMT2B mutation causes cerebellar ataxia: Expanding the clinical phenotype.

Hereditary cerebellar ataxias comprise a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders affecting the cerebellum and/or cerebellar pathways. Next-generation sequencing techniques have contributed substantially to the expansion of ataxia-causing genes, including genes classically described in alternative phenotypes. Herein, we describe a patient with adult-onset cerebellar ataxia, minor dystonia, neuropathy, seizure and ophthalmological pathology, who bears a novel variant in KMT2B (NM_014727.

Depression and anxiety in multiple sclerosis patients: The role of genetic variability of interleukin 1β.

Background: Mood disorders, as depression and anxiety, are frequent in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. High pro-inflammatory cytokine levels (e.g.

Congenital ataxia due to novel variant in ATP8A2.

Congenital ataxias are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by congenital or early-onset ataxia. Here, we describe two siblings with congenital ataxia, who acquired independent gait by age 4 years. After 16 years of follow-up they presented near normal cognition, cerebellar ataxia, mild pyramidal signs, and dystonia.

Prognostic value of odor identification impairment in multiple sclerosis: 10-Years follow-up.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction has been linked to clinical severity variables in multiple MS populations. Though, its prognostic value is still unknown.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the long-term outcome associated with Brief-Smell Identification Test (B-SIT) performance in a cohort of MS patients.

Acquired hepatocerebral degeneration and hepatic encephalopathy: one or two entities?

Background And Purpose: Acquired hepatocerebral degeneration (AHD) and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are neurological complications of chronic liver disease (CLD) with portosystemic shunt. While HE is common, AHD is a rare entity, and the clinical imaging relationships observed in small series lack validation in large patient cohorts. The aim of this study was to characterize a cohort of AHD patients and to explore possible associations with HE coexistence.

User Experience of Interactive Technologies for People With Dementia: Comparative Observational Study.

Background: Serious games (SGs) are used as complementary approaches to stimulate patients with dementia. However, many of the SGs use out-of-the-shelf technologies that may not always be suitable for such populations, as they can lead to negative behaviors, such as anxiety, fatigue, and even cybersickness.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate how patients with dementia interact and accept 5 out-of-the-shelf technologies while completing 10 virtual reality tasks.

Past appendectomy may be related to early cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: The vermiform appendix is a potential site of initiation of Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. We hypothesized that the appendectomy earlier in life may alter the clinical expression of PD.

Objective: To explore the effects of appendectomy prior to onset of PD motor symptoms on patients' symptoms, in particular on cognitive dysfunction.

Sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease are associated with central parkinsonian pain.

Introduction: Sleep disturbances and pain are common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the association between these two symptoms in a cohort of patients with PD.

Materials And Methods: The Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS-2) was used to identify sleep disturbances in a series of 229 PD patients.

Unveiling the relationship between central parkinsonian pain and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and heterogeneous non-motor symptom. Although the characteristics and predictors of pain in general and of central pain in particular are still largely unknown.

Methods: A semi-structured interview, the Brief Pain Inventory and the Pain Disability Index were used to identify and characterize pain in a consecutive series of 292 PD patients.

Proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the CSF of patients with Alzheimer's disease and their correlation with cognitive decline.

Cumulative data suggest that neuroinflammation plays a prominent role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. The purpose of this work was to assess if patients with AD present a specific cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytokine profile and if it correlates to disease progression. We determined the levels of 27 cytokines in CSF of patients with AD and compared them with patients with frontotemporal dementia and nondemented controls.

Long-term psychological outcome after discharge from intensive care.

Objective: To investigate the longterm psychological outcome in survivors of critical illness after intensive care unit discharge.

Methods: A prospective cohort of survivors admitted to a mixed intensive care unit between January and September 2010 was evaluated six months and five years after hospital discharge. The Dementia Rating Scale-2, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Posttraumatic stress syndrome 14-questions inventory, the Euro Quality of Life 5 Dimensions (EQ-5-D), and the Visual Analogue Scale (EQ VAS) were assessed at both follow-up periods.