Incidence and prevalence of epilepsy and associated factors in a health district in North-West Cameroon: A population survey.

This population-based cross-sectional survey with a follow-up case-control study assessed the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for epilepsy in a rural health district in the North-West Region of Cameroon. Community-based epilepsy screening targeted all inhabitants, six years and older, in all 16 health areas in the Batibo Health District. During door-to-door visits, trained fieldworkers used a validated questionnaire to interview consenting household heads to screen for epilepsy in eligible residents.

Epilepsy in a health district in North-West Cameroon: Clinical characteristics and treatment gap.

Introduction: Epilepsy is a common yet misunderstood condition in Cameroon, including in the Batibo Health district.

Methods: This cross-sectional study describes epilepsy clinical characteristics, the treatment gap, and associated factors in a rural district in Cameroon. After screening for epilepsy using a door-to-door survey, physicians confirmed suspected cases of epilepsy.

Parasites and epilepsy: Understanding the determinants of epileptogenesis.

There is a large body of evidence suggesting that parasites could be a major preventable risk factor for epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries. We review potentially important substrates for epileptogenesis in parasitic diseases. Taenia solium is the most widely known parasite associated with epilepsy, and the risk seems determined mainly by the extent of cortical involvement and the evolution of the primary cortical lesion to gliosis or to a calcified granuloma.

Factors affecting seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery: an observational series.

Importance: Surgical treatment can bring seizure remission in people with focal epilepsy but requires careful selection of candidates.

Objectives: To determine which preoperative factors are associated with postoperative seizure outcome.

Design: We audited seizure outcome of 693 adults who had resective epilepsy surgery between 1990 and 2010 and used survival analysis to detect preoperatively identifiable risk factors of poor seizure outcome.

An examination of biochemical parameters and their association with response to ketogenic dietary therapies.

Objective: In the absence of specific metabolic disorders, accurate predictors of response to ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs) for treating epilepsy are largely unknown. We hypothesized that specific biochemical parameters would be associated with the effectiveness of KDT in humans with epilepsy. The parameters tested were β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate, nonesterified fatty acids, free and acylcarnitine profile, glucose, and glucose-ketone index (GKI).

Somatic complications of epilepsy surgery over 25 years at a single center.

Introduction: Epilepsy surgery is an effective treatment for refractory focal epilepsy. Risks of surgery need to be considered when advising individuals of treatment options. We describe the frequency and nature of physical adverse events associated with epilepsy surgery in a single center.

The long-term course of temporal lobe epilepsy: From unilateral to bilateral interictal epileptiform discharges in repeated video-EEG monitorings.

Introduction: Bilateral interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) and ictal patterns are common in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and have been associated with decreased chances of seizure freedom after epilepsy surgery. It is unclear whether secondary epileptogenesis, although demonstrated in experimental models, exists in humans and may account for progression of epilepsy.

Material And Methods: We reviewed consecutive video-EEG recordings from 1992 to 2014 repeated at least two years apart (mean interval 6.

The Midterm Impact of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement on Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement in Michigan.

Background: We characterized the midterm impact of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) volume, patient profiles, and outcomes in Michigan.

Methods: We analyzed data obtained after SAVR (n = 15,288) and TAVR (n = 1,783) using the Michigan Society of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Quality Collaborative from 2006 to 2015. During this period, 17 of 33 hospitals developed TAVR programs.

Outcome of seizures in the general population after 25 years: a prospective follow-up, observational cohort study.

Objectives: We investigated long-term (to 25 years) seizure prognosis and survival in people with newly diagnosed epilepsy in the community. We explored whether prognosis is different in those with epilepsy (>2 unprovoked seizures) and those with a single seizure at presentation.

Methods: This is a prospective observational cohort study of people with newly diagnosed seizures.

Cause of death and predictors of mortality in a community-based cohort of people with epilepsy.

Objective: The risk of premature mortality is increased in people with epilepsy. The reasons for this and how it may relate to epilepsy etiology remain unclear.

Methods: The National General Practice Study of Epilepsy is a prospective, community-based cohort that includes 558 people with recurrent unprovoked seizures of whom 34% died during almost 25 years of follow-up.

Retinal nerve fibre layer thinning is associated with drug resistance in epilepsy.

Objective: Retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness is related to the axonal anterior visual pathway and is considered a marker of overall white matter 'integrity'. We hypothesised that RNFL changes would occur in people with epilepsy, independently of vigabatrin exposure, and be related to clinical characteristics of epilepsy.

Methods: Three hundred people with epilepsy attending specialist clinics and 90 healthy controls were included in this cross-sectional cohort study.

The performance of three mortality risk-adjustment comorbidity indices in a community epilepsy cohort.

Mortality risk-adjustment comorbidity indices are an efficient means of controlling for the important confounding effect of somatic and psychiatric comorbidities in observational mortality studies. We carried out an external validation study and compared the performance of the Charlson, Elixhauser and Epilepsy-specific (ES) indices using the National General Practice Study of Epilepsy, a community-based prospective cohort of 558 people with incident epilepsy followed for 23.3 years (median).

Red blood cells and mortality after coronary artery bypass graft surgery: an analysis of 672 operative deaths.

Background: Prior studies have implicated transfusion as a risk factor for mortality in coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). To further our understanding of the true association between transfusion and outcome, we specifically analyzed the subgroup of patients who died after undergoing CABG.

Methods: A total of 34,362 patients underwent isolated CABG between January 2008 and September 2013 and were entered into a statewide collaborative database; 672 patients (2.

Long term retention of retigabine in a cohort of people with drug resistant epilepsy.

Purpose: To assess the utility of retigabine (RTG) for epilepsy in clinical practice at a single UK tertiary centre.

Methods: We identified all individuals who were offered RTG from April 2011 to May 2013. We collected demographics, seizure types, previous and current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), starting and maximum attained daily dose of RTG, clinical benefits, side effects, and reason to discontinue RTG from in- and outpatient encounters until February 28, 2014.

An unknown quantity--the worldwide prevalence of epilepsy.

The reported incidence (rate of new cases in a population) of epilepsy is consistently lower in high-income than in lower-income economies, whereas opinions vary regarding comparative prevalence rates (proportion of the population with epilepsy). For any condition that does not influence mortality, lifetime prevalence should approximate to the cumulative incidence. We suspected that epilepsy prevalence might be uniform throughout the world, whereas incidence is higher in resource-poor countries.

Morbidity but not mortality is decreased after off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery.

Background: Off-pump coronary bypass surgery (CABG) has been advocated to avoid the physiologic perturbations related to cardiopulmonary bypass and improve outcomes compared with on-pump CABG. Previous reports have been inconsistent, and thus its benefits remain uncertain. This retrospective study compared outcomes between on-pump and off-pump CABG from a large multicenter cohort of propensity-matched patients.

Web-search trends shed light on the nature of lunacy: relationship between moon phases and epilepsy information-seeking behavior.

In old and modern times and across cultures, recurrent seizures have been attributed to the lunar phase. It is unclear whether this relationship should be classified as a myth or whether a true connection exists between moon phases and seizures. We analyzed the worldwide aggregated search queries related to epilepsy health-seeking behavior between 2005 and 2012.

Transfusion of 1 and 2 units of red blood cells is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.

Background: This study examined the relationship between transfusion of 1 or 2 units of red blood cells (RBCs) and the risk of morbidity and mortality after isolated on-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods: A total of 22,785 consecutive patients underwent isolated on-pump CABG between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011 in Michigan. We excluded 5,950 patients who received three or more RBC units.