Long-term effects of vagus nerve stimulation therapy on cognitive functioning in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

Background: Despite the increasing use of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for drug-resistant epilepsy, its impact on cognitive functioning remains insufficiently investigated.

Objective: We aimed to comprehensively assess changes in cognition after long-term VNS therapy in a prospective sample of adults with epilepsy.

Methods: Between December 2019 and March 2023, patients scheduled for VNS implantation were invited for neuropsychological assessment, including tests of executive functions, working and short-term memory (recall of a verbal logical story and the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure (ROCF)), and social cognition.

Association between rs2476601, rs833070, rs6920220 Polymorphisms and Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Early Undifferentiated Arthritis Patients: A Pilot Study.

: About 40% of early undifferentiated arthritis (UA) progresses to rheumatoid (RA) or other chronic arthritis. Novel diagnostic tools predicting the risk for this progression are needed to identify the patients who would benefit from early aggressive treatment. Evidence on the role of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the development of RA has emerged.

The Use of Superb Microvascular Imaging in Evaluating Rheumatic Diseases: A Systematic Review.

: Superb microvascular imaging is an advanced Doppler algorithm that seems to be useful in detecting low-velocity blood flow without using a contrast agent. Increasing evidence suggests that SMI is a more sensitive tool than conventional Doppler techniques for evaluating rheumatic diseases, especially inflammatory arthritis. We aimed to assess the use of SMI in evaluating joints and extraarticular structures.

How Did the Two Years of the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect the Outcomes of the Patients with Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases in Lithuania?

: the COVID-19 pandemic globally caused more than 18 million deaths over the period of 2020-2021. Although inflammatory rheumatic diseases (RD) are generally associated with premature mortality, it is not yet clear whether RD patients are at a greater risk for COVID-19-related mortality. The aim of our study was to evaluate mortality and causes of death in a retrospective inflammatory RD patient cohort during the COVID-19 pandemic years.

Assessing scleroderma patterns with superb microvascular imaging: is it possible? New prospects for ultrasound.

Nailfold videocapillaroscopy is the gold standard for the early differentiation of primary and secondary Raynaud's phenomenon. Advances in high-frequency ultrasound with superb microvascular imaging show significant potential for exploring structural changes that were previously inaccessible. Ultrasound makes it possible to assess not only the superficial layers of the skin but also structural microvascular abnormalities in the deep layers of the nail fold.

Mortality in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: Lithuanian National Registry Data and Systematic Review.

Despite significant improvement in survival, rheumatic diseases (RD) are associated with premature mortality rates comparable to cardiovascular and neoplastic disorders. The aim of our study was to assess mortality, causes of death, and life expectancy in an inflammatory RD retrospective cohort and compare those with the general population as well as with the results of previously published studies in a systematic literature review. Patients with the first-time diagnosis of inflammatory RD during 2012-2019 were identified and cross-checked for their vital status and the date of death.

Tolerability of antiseizure medicines using Lithuanian version of the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile.

Objectives: To develop and validate a Lithuanian version of the Liverpool Adverse Events Profile (LT-LAEP), and to evaluate the main demographic, clinical, and pharmacological determinants of its score.

Materials And Methods: We developed the LT-LAEP and examined its psychometric properties. People with epilepsy (PWE) were asked to fill in the LT-LAEP, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7 (GAD-7), the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), and a questionnaire addressing key demographic and clinical information.

The Promising Role of a Superb Microvascular Imaging Technique in the Evaluation of Raynaud's Syndrome in Systemic Sclerosis: Theory and Practical Challenges.

In recent years, a novel Doppler ultrasonography (US) modality-superb microvascular imaging (SMI)-has been presented as a reliable method to evaluate small vessel blood flow with minimised motion artefacts. In this review, we present the challenges of incorporating SMI in daily practice with detailed and comparable US images of a fingertip. The main focus of this paper is the discussion of all tested US techniques, artefacts, and practical challenges for evaluating Raynaud's syndrome in systemic sclerosis.