Pain Characteristics of Parkinson's Disease Using Validated Arabic Versions of the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale and Questionnaire: A Multicenter Egyptian Study.

Objective: Pain is one of the most common nonmotor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), with variable characteristics among populations. This multicenter Egyptian study aimed to translate and validate the King's Parkinson's Disease Pain Scale (KPPS) and Questionnaire (KPPQ) into Arabic versions and to investigate the pain characteristics in Egyptian people with PD (PWP).

Methods: A total of 192 PWP and 100 sex- and age-matched controls were evaluated by the KPPS-Arabic and KPPQ-Arabic.

Prevalence of primary headaches in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It is characterized by symptoms such as visual disturbances, paresis with spasticity, paresthesia, numbness, and fatigue. However, several studies have shown a high prevalence of headaches in individuals with MS.

Reliability and validity of the Arabic version of brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis in Egyptian pediatric multiple sclerosis patients.

Background & Objectives: About one-third of pediatric-onset MS (POMS) patients report cognitive impairment. This case-control study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) in Egyptian POMS patients.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 30 POMS patients aged 9 to 17 years old and 30 healthy controls.

Predictors of severity and outcome of multiple sclerosis relapses.

Background: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). The most common type of MS is the relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) where relapses are the main component of the disease course. However, the relationship between the characteristics of the relapses on one hand and their severity and outcome on the other hand has not been fully characterized.

Neurological Manifestations in a Cohort of Egyptian Patients with COVID-19: A Prospective, Multicenter, Observational Study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has reached over 276 million people globally with 5.3 million deaths as of 22nd December 2021. COVID-19-associated acute and long-term neurological manifestations are well recognized.

Impact of Ramadan fasting on disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis: a multicenter study.

Background: The safety of Ramadan fasting for Muslim patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) is still a matter of debate. This work aimed to study the clinical course of MS during Ramadan fasting and to clarify the predictors of relapses and symptoms exacerbation.

Methods: This retrospective study included 153 Muslim patients with MS.

Changes in migraine characteristics over 30 days of Ramadan fasting: A prospective study.

Objective: To study Ramadan's effect on migraine from the start to the end of the month and the tolerability of patients with migraine to fasting.

Background: Fasting is a well-known trigger for migraine. Whether this effect on migraine is the same throughout the whole month, or whether it varies from the first to the last days of the month, has not been studied yet.

Could SARS-CoV-2 herald a surge of multiple sclerosis?

During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many queries are raised regarding its nature, outcome, and sequelae. This letter raises the concern of potential impact on increasing the incidence of multiple sclerosis whose pathology involves a possible viral etiology. Besides, the potential neurotropism of the acute respiratory distress syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is still not established, may raise concerns about the use of certain disease modifying therapies namely natalizumab.

The aquaporin4-IgG status and how it affects the clinical features and treatment response in NMOSD patients in Egypt.

Background: In Egypt, the characterization of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) is lacking.

Objectives: To determine the demographics, clinical features, aquaporin4 antibodies (AQP4-IgG) status, and neuroimaging of Egyptian NMOSD patients.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 70 NMOSD patients' records from the MS clinic, Kasr Alainy hospital, between January 2013 and June 2018.

Management Strategies of Patients with Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic Era.

The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is a global health emergency of international concern and has affected management plans of many autoimmune disorders. Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies are pivotal in the management of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), potentially placing patients at an increased risk of contracting infections such as COVID-19. The optimal management strategy of NMOSD during the COVID-19 era remains unclear.

Managing Disease-Modifying Therapies and Breakthrough Activity in Multiple Sclerosis Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Toward an Optimized Approach.

The emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a major public health challenge of global concern since December 2019, when the virus was recognized in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei province in China and epicenter of the COVID-19 epidemic. Given the novelty of COVID-19 and the lack of specific anti-virus therapies, the current management is essentially supportive. There is an absence of consensus on guidelines or treatment strategies for complex disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), in which the risk of infections is higher than in the general population.

Evaluating optic nerve diameter as a possible biomarker for disability in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Background And Purpose: The development of new biomarkers for multiple sclerosis (MS) is of paramount importance to improve our ability to predict disease progression and disability. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of the optic nerve diameter (OND) measured by ultrasonography as a biomarker of early disability in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).

Methods: Forty-nine RRMS patients, 23 with a history of optic neuritis (MS-ON) and 26 without a history of optic neuritis (MS N-ON), and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis in Egypt: a multi-center registry of 186 patients.

Introduction: Although the frequency of pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (POMS) has increased in recent decades, it is still highly uncommon, which creates a need for the involvement of more registries from various clinical centers.

Objective: To characterize the demographic, clinical, and paraclinical features of Egyptian patients with POMS.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective chart review study was undertaken on 237 Egyptian patients with demyelinating events which started before the age of 18 years who attended one of five tertiary referral centers in Cairo, Egypt.

Characteristics and predictors of progression in an Egyptian multiple sclerosis cohort: a multicenter registry study.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex autoimmune disease with a heterogeneous presentation and diverse disease course. Recent studies indicate a rising prevalence of MS in the Middle East.

Objective: To characterize the demographics and disease features of Egyptian patients attending four tertiary referral MS centers in Cairo.

Clinical patterns and outcomes of status epilepticus in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex.

Introduction: Refractory epilepsy is a common clinical manifestation in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), which can be complicated by many life-threatening conditions, such as status epilepticus (SE). However, very few reports mention the patterns and semiology of SE in those patients.

Objective: To study the clinical characteristics and outcomes of SE in TSC patients.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation versus botulinum toxin injection in chronic migraine prophylaxis: a pilot randomized trial.

Background: Chronic migraine is a prevalent disabling disease, with major health-related burden and poor quality of life. Long-term use of preventive medications carries risk of side effects.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) injection as preventive therapies for chronic migraine.

Interleukins 17 and 10 in a sample of Egyptian relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis patients.

Background: Cytokines are major contributors in the immune disruption in multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: Evaluating the proinflammatory (IL-17A) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in relapsing-remitting (RR) MS patients at time of relapse and during remission.

Subjects And Method: A case-control study including 30 RRMS patients and 15 controls.

Prevalence of primary headache disorders in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt.

Background: There is abundance of epidemiological studies of headache in developed and western countries; however, data in developing countries and in Egypt are still lacking. This study aims to detect the prevalence of primary headache disorders in both urban and rural sectors in Fayoum governorate, Egypt.

Methods: A total of 2600 subjects were included using multi-stage stratified systematic random sampling, with respondent rate of 91.

Corticobasal degeneration: clinical characteristics and multidisciplinary therapeutic approach in 26 patients.

Corticobasal syndrome (CBS) is a sporadic tauopathy that manifests by a various combination of motor and cognitive deficits, which makes its diagnosis challenging. Treatment of CBS is symptomatic and based on evidence from other similar disorders due to the lack of studies on CBS. The aim of the study was to investigate low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as a therapeutic tool in CBS.

Oromandibular dystonia in yemeni patients with khat chewing: a response to botulinum toxin treatment.

Khat-(Catha edulis)related oromandibular dystonia is a difficult-to-treat subset of movement disorders that involve masticatory muscles with diverse and incapacitating manifestations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Botulinum toxin-type A therapy in khat chewer Yemeni patients with oromandibular dystonia. This prospective study included 18 khat-chewers Yemeni patients with refractory oromandibular dystonia, who were subjected to Botulinum toxin-A injection and followed up for 3 months thereafter.

Botulinum toxin-type A: could it be an effective treatment option in intractable trigeminal neuralgia?

Background: Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) has been reported to have analgesic effects independent of its action on muscle tone, mostly by acting on neurogenic inflammatory mediators and controlling the neurotransmitter release of sensory and autonomic nerve terminals that are involved in many chronic painful conditions as chronic intractable trigeminal neuralgia (TN).The aim of our work was evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of BTX-A for the treatment of intractable idiopathic TN.

Methods: This was a randomized, single-blinded, placebo-control study carried out on 20 Egyptian patients with intractable TN.