Silent brain infarcts and white matter lesions in patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

The association of carotid atherosclerosis with silent brain infarcts (SBIs) and white matter lesions (WMLs) currently remains unknown. This study aims to compare SBIs, deep white matter lesions (DWMLs), and periventricular white matter lesions (PWMLs) in ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres to internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis, and investigate their association with stenosis grade in patients with asymptomatic ≥ 50% unilateral extracranial ICA stenosis. Patients without previous history of stroke and/or transient ischemic attack who had ≥ 50% stenosis in unilateral ICA on carotid color Doppler ultrasound were enrolled in the study.

Structural neuroimaging findings in migraine patients with restless legs syndrome.

Purpose: One out of three migraine patients might have accompanying restless legs syndrome (RLS). In our study, we aimed to compare the volumes of the brain structures of migraineurs with and without RLS.

Methods: We had 37 female patients with migraine and 17 females as the control group.

Association of freezing of gait and clinical features in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom that affects the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and its pathophysiology is not fully understood yet. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the relationship between FOG and other clinical characteristics in patients with PD. The clinical characteristics, modified Hoehn and Yahr (mHY) stages, Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores, and total Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (FOG-Q) scores of the patients with PD were recorded.

Evaluation of optic nerve head changes with optic coherence tomography in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

In the case of mild papilledema, fundoscopy findings may sometimes be insufficient, leading to false and misleading indices in the diagnosis of early-stage idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). This study aims to evaluate these patients through optic coherence tomography (OCT). The study included 54 individuals diagnosed with IIH and 48 healthy individuals in the control group.

Diabetic polyneuropathy, deep white matter lesions, and carotid atherosclerosis: is there any association?

The morphologic and functional damages of diabetes mellitus (DM) on microcirculation can play a role in the pathogenesis of both polyneuropathy and cerebral white matter lesions. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between polyneuropathy and cerebral deep white matter lesions (DWMLs) and carotid atherosclerosis in patients with type 2 DM. Sixty-six patients with type 2 DM without any disorder that may cause polyneuropathy, and vascular risk factors except for DM and hyperlipidemia were included in the study.

Migraine and Yawning.

Background: Yawning is considered to be a symptom that reflects dopaminergic activity, although its pathophysiological mechanism is not yet fully understood. Interestingly, repetitive yawning is seen in some patients during migraine attacks. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the frequency of yawning during migraine attacks and its association with different characteristics of migraine.

Clinical characteristics of menstrually related and non-menstrual migraine.

Migraine attacks increase during the perimenstrual period in approximately half of female migraineurs. There are differences in the pathogenesis and clinical features of menstrually related and non-menstrual migraine attacks. The objective of this study was to compare the characteristics of migraine in patients with menstrually related and non-menstrual migraine, and to investigate the differences between premenstrual, menstrual, and late-menstrual migraine attacks.

Epilepsy and headaches: Further evidence of a link.

Objective: Epilepsy and primary headaches are two of the most common neurologic conditions that share some common clinical characteristics, and can affect individuals of all age groups around the world. In recent years, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms potentially common to both headaches and epileptic seizures have been the subject of scrutiny. The objective of this study was to determine the frequencies and types of headaches in patients with epilepsy, and evaluate any temporal relationship with epileptic seizures.

The Effect of Hyperhomocysteinemia on Motor Symptoms, Cognitive Status, and Vascular Risk in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Factors related with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) and the impact of HHcy in Parkinson's disease (PD) are not well understood. We investigated the factors associated with increased levels of homocysteine (Hcy) and the relationship between HHcy and motor symptoms, cognitive status, and vascular risk in patients with Parkinson's disease. Among 60 patients (29 males, 48.

Homocysteine Levels in Parkinson's Disease: Is Entacapone Effective?

Plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels may increase in levodopa-treated patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) as a consequence of levodopa methylation via catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). Results from previous studies that assessed the effect of COMT inhibitors on levodopa-induced hyperhomocysteinemia are conflicting. We aimed to evaluate the effects of levodopa and entacapone on plasma Hcy levels.

Is West Nile Virus infection associated with myasthenia gravis?

Background: Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease which is characterised by disruption of signal transmission at neuromuscular junction. We aimed to search about a newly reported association between MG and West Nile Virus (WNV) infection.

Methods: We searched WNV IgG by ELISA in serum samples of 50 available MG patients and 38 controls.

Tear levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Neuroinflammatory events mediated by the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) cause progressive neurodegeneration in dopaminergic neurons, and play an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this study was to determine TNF-α levels in tear samples obtained from patients with PD and to analyze the relationship between TNF-α values and PD characteristics. Eighteen patients with PD and 17 healthy control subjects were included in the study.

Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials, clinical evaluation, and imaging findings in multiple sclerosis.

Vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), short-latency electromyographic responses elicited by acoustic stimuli, evaluate the function of vestibulocollic reflex and may give information about brainstem function. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential contribution of VEMP to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Fifty patients with MS and 30 healthy control subjects were included in this study.

The value of C-reactive protein in symptomatic versus asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis.

Inflammatory markers may help establish the diagnosis of carotid atherosclerotic disease and predict the progression and outcomes. We evaluated inflammatory markers in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with moderate to severe carotid artery stenosis, including high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), leukocyte count, leukocyte subgroups and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. There were 32 symptomatic and 16 asymptomatic patients (age ≥50 years) with moderate to severe carotid stenosis detected by color Doppler ultrasonography, and 22 individuals without atherosclerotic findings on Doppler ultrasonography.

Cutaneous allodynia in patients with episodic migraine.

Cutaneous allodynia may be observed in patients with migraine and this reflects the central sensitization of the trigeminal neurons. We aimed to investigate the frequency of cutaneous allodynia in patients with episodic migraine and to compare clinical characteristics of migraine patients with and without allodynia. One hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients with episodic migraine attacks were prospectively included in the study.

Unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms in patients with migraine.

The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms during migraine attacks, and to compare the clinical characteristics of migraine patients with and without unilateral cranial autonomic symptoms. One hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients with episodic migraine attacks were prospectively included. Cranial autonomic symptoms of the patients occurred during headache, frequency, duration, severity and character of headache, disease duration, presence of aura, laterality of headache, accompanying symptoms, relation of migraine attacks with menstruation, lesions detected on magnetic resonance images, and family history of migraine were recorded.

Association of serum calcium levels with clinical severity of acute ischemic stroke.

Background: Calcium (Ca) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic cell damage. Intracellular Ca accumulation leads neuronal damage by triggering the cycle of cytotoxic events, however the relationship of serum Ca levels and the pathways involved in ischemic injury is unclear. To investigate the effect of serum Ca on clinical features of ischemic stroke; the association of serum Ca levels measured in the first 24 hours with the severity of clinical symptoms on admission and short-term prognosis is evaluated.

A case report about CADASlL: mutation in the NOTCH 3 receptor.

CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy) is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disease characterized with recurrent stroke, migrainous headache, cognitive deficits, and psychiatric symptoms associated with mutations in the NOTCH 3 gene on chromosome 19. Here, we report a case of CADASIL who presented with migrainous headache, behavioral disorder, and familial history of stroke and the diagnosis was established by the findings of head magnetic resonance images revealing characteristic white matter lesions and a mutation in the NOTCH 3 gene.

Abdominal wall haematoma in cardioembolic stroke due to enoxaparine therapy: a report of two cases.

Abdominal wall haematomas are uncommon and often misdiagnosed entities. Most of the time the haematoma is produced by rupture of the epigastric vessels, deep circumflex iliac artery or tear in the rectus or lateral oblique muscle. Predisposing factors such as arteriosclerosis of vessels, old age, straining while urinating and coughing and use of anticoagulant agents make bleeding more likely.

Transient lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum due to carbamazepine.

Keeping in mind that lesions located in the splenium of the corpus callosum can sometimes be temporary may help us avoid invasive diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Transient lesion in the splenium of the corpus related to using or withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs are rarely encountered. In this article, we present a non-epileptic patient found to have a centrally located isolated lesion in the splenium of the corpus callosum on the tenth day following the sudden withdrawal of carbamazepine after two weeks of use.