Efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil for steroid reduction in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: a prospective cohort study.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is a rare autoimmune inflammatory disease that can affect multiple generations and cause complications with long-term prednisolone treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in preventing NMOSD relapse while reducing prednisolone dosage. The trial involved nine patients with NMOSD who received MMF along with prednisolone dose reduction.

Efficacy and Safety of Cilostazol in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Recent evidence indicates the efficacy of β-amyloid immunotherapy for the treatment of Alzheimer disease, highlighting the need to promote β-amyloid removal from the brain. Cilostazol, a selective type 3 phosphodiesterase inhibitor, promotes such clearance by facilitating intramural periarterial drainage.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficacy of cilostazol in mild cognitive impairment.

Decreased circulating branched-chain amino acids are associated with development of Alzheimer's disease in elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

Background: Nutritional epidemiology has shown that inadequate dietary protein intake is associated with poor brain function in the elderly population. The plasma free amino acid (PFAA) profile reflects nutritional status and may have the potential to predict future changes in cognitive function. Here, we report the results of a 2-year interim analysis of a 3-year longitudinal study following mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants.

Immunotherapy-responsive Non-paraneoplastic Encephalitis with Antibodies against GAD, LGI1, and GABA Receptor.

A 62-year-old man showed abnormal behavior. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed multifocal lesions on T2-weighted images. Initial screening revealed that he was seropositive for antibodies against glutamate decarboxylase, which usually indicates treatment resistance to autoimmune encephalitis (AE).

Validation of the Guy's Neurological Disability Scale as a screening tool for cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.

Objectives: Cognitive impairment is a common symptom affecting daily activities of the patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Various cognitive evaluation tests are available, yet most of them are complex and time-consuming to perform in outpatient clinics. In this study, we aimed to validate a Japanese version of the Guy's Neurological Disability Scale (GNDS) as a user-friendly tool to evaluate comprehensive disabilities in MS including cognitive function.

The Difficulty of Diagnosing Invasive Aspergillosis Initially Manifesting as Optic Neuropathy.

Background: Invasive aspergillosis is often fatal. Here, we report a patient with invasive aspergillosis primarily involving the optic nerve diagnosed on autopsy.

Case Presentation: A 77-year-old female with underlying diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension presented with disc swelling of the left eye.

Japanese de novo mutation diagnosed by exome analysis: A case report.

A 40-year-old Japanese woman presented with slowly progressing parkinsonism in adulthood. She had a history of epilepsy with intellectual disability in childhood. In a head magnetic resonance scan, T2-weighted imaging showed low signal intensity areas in the globus pallidus and the substantia nigra; T1-weighted imaging showed a halo in the nigra.

Vascular Function in Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia.

We investigated vascular functioning in patients with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of either Alzheimer's disease (AD) or vascular dementia (VaD) and examined a possible relationship between vascular function and cognitive status. Twenty-seven patients with AD, 23 patients with VaD, and 26 healthy control patients underwent measurements of flow-mediated dilation (FMD), ankle-brachial index (ABI), cardioankle vascular index (CAVI), and intima-media thickness (IMT). The FMD was significantly lower in patients with AD or VaD compared to controls.

Adult-onset Krabbe disease presenting with an isolated form of peripheral neuropathy.

Introduction: Adult-onset Krabbe disease is clinically rare and usually affects the pyramidal tracts in the central nervous system. Patients develop a spastic gait, and peripheral neuropathy sometimes occurs simultaneously.

Methods: A 55-year-old woman with consanguineous parents developed slowly progressive, asymmetric muscle weakness and atrophy in her forearms, while her ability to walk remained unaffected without pyramidal tract signs after onset at age 51 years.

Association of the ASCO classification with the executive function subscores of the Montreal cognitive assessment in patients with postischemic stroke.

Background: The ASCO classification can evaluate the etiology and mechanisms of ischemic stroke more comprehensively and systematically than conventional stroke classification systems such as Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST). Simultaneously, risk factors for cognitive impairment such as arterial sclerosis, leukoaraiosis, and atrial fibrillation can also be gathered and graded using the ASCO classification.

Methods: Sixty patients with postischemic stroke underwent cognitive testing, including testing by the Japanese version of the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA-J) and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE).

[Cervical retro-odontoid pseudo-tumor treated with posterior decompression surgery].

A cervical retro-odontoid pseudo-tumor, which is considered as a reactive fibrocartilaginous mass, is a rare condition in cervical myelopathy. A 63-year-old male, with repeated neck axial movements by a long-term leisure-time cycling, developed subacute myelopathy. Cervical MRI showed a mass lesion at the retro-odontoid region, compressing to the upper spinal cord.