Multifunctional hybrid hydrogel for the prevention of post-surgery tumor recurrence.

In this study, we present a multifunctional hybrid hydrogel (MFHH) for the prevention of postoperative tumor recurrence. MFHH consists of two components; component A - containing a gelatin-based cisplatin, which destroys the residual cancer after surgery, and component B - containing macroporous gelatin microcarriers (CultiSpher) loaded with freeze-dried bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), which activates the wound healing process. We also evaluated the effects of MFHH in a subcutaneous Ehrlich tumor mouse model.

Prevalence of high affinity naturally occurring IgG2 antibodies against human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits in patients with ovarian cyst.

Naturally occurring antibodies to tumour antigens are gaining interest as clinically important cancer biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics. The glycoprotein αβ heterodimer hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its β subunit (hCGβ) are produced by various cancers, and their increased serum levels correlate with poor prognosis. We have previously reported that patients with benign ovarian cysts, but not the malignant tumours, were characterized by augmented serum levels of naturally-occurring IgG antibodies to hCG and hCGβ.

Impact of Baseline Characteristics on the Efficacy and Safety of Eptinezumab in Patients With Migraine: Subgroup Analyses of PROMISE-1 and PROMISE-2.

Purpose: In the PROMISE-1 (Prevention of Migraine via Intravenous ALD403 Safety and Efficacy-1) and PROMISE-2 (Prevention of Migraine via Intravenous ALD403 Safety and Efficacy-2) clinical trials, eptinezumab 100 mg and 300 mg met the primary efficacy end point, significantly reducing mean monthly migraine days across weeks 1 to 12. Clinical efficacy was also shown across key secondary end points. However, to determine if clinical efficacy varies across subgroups, it is necessary to determine efficacy in patients with different sociodemographic features and headache characteristics.

EVALUATION OF COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS USING GEORGIAN LANGUAGE MONTREAL COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT.

The main objective of the study was to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of cognitive impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis. Fifty-three patients with multiple sclerosis were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Study participants underwent neurological status examination and cognitive screening with Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

Screening of Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study in Georgia.

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS), with a significant negative impact on the occupational and social functioning of patients. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and characteristics of CI among MS patients in Georgia. Sixty-eight patients with MS attending a neurology outpatient clinic in Tbilisi, Georgia, were enrolled in the study.

Validity and reliability of the Georgian-language brief international cognitive assessment for multiple sclerosis (BICAMS).

Background: Cognitive impairment is one of the common features of multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite high prevalence, cognitive decline is often overlooked by neurologists. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) was therefore introduced by the international expert committee as a brief and effective tool for the assessment and monitoring of cognitive functions in patients with MS.

Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis Following Chemoradiotherapy in an Adult Patient With Nasopharyngeal Cancer.

Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is a monophasic demyelinating disorder predominantly affecting children. It typically follows a viral illness or vaccination. We present a case of a 34-year-old white male treated with chemo-radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal cancer who developed ADEM.

EVALUATION OF NOVEL PORCINE PERICARDIAL BIOMATERIAL FOR VENTRAL AND INGUINAL HERNIA REPAIR. THE RESULTS OF A NON-RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL.

Using the mesh for hernia repair is the most common type of hernia surgery. There are many types of meshes made of various synthetic materials, but all of these meshes have their own respective disadvantages. The aim of this study was to provide preliminary results of a non-randomized clinical trial evaluation of novel porcine grafts XI-S+® (Colorado Therapeutics LLC.

Eptinezumab for the Prevention of Episodic Migraine: Sustained Effect Through 1 Year of Treatment in the PROMISE-1 Study.

Purpose: The Prevention of Migraine via Intravenous ALD403 Safety and Efficacy 1 (PROMISE-1) study was a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study designed to evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic properties of repeat intravenous (IV) doses of the calcitonin gene-related peptide‒targeted monoclonal antibody eptinezumab (ALD403) for migraine prevention in adults with episodic migraine. Here we present the results of PROMISE-1 through 1 year of treatment (up to 4 doses).

Methods: Patients received up to 4 IV administrations of eptinezumab 30 mg, 100 mg, 300 mg, or placebo every 12 weeks.

Use of the universal pain assessment tool for evaluating pain associated with temporomandibular disorders in youngsters.

Aim: Determine, whether the UPAT could be used as an extra tool to collect data on functional TMJ pain and to assess orofacial pain levels related to temporomandibular disorder(s) (TMD) in youngsters.

Methods: Patients were screened at the N1 Dental Clinic of Tbilisi State Medical University. The clinical scores of possible functional jaw pain were collected using the UPAT, to indicate pain severity on a visual scale during different jaw movements (opening, closing and lateral).

Efficacy of percutaneous biliary and pancreatic duct drainage/stenting with double invaginated pancreatojejunostomy after pancreatoduodenectomy.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of preoperative percutaneous pancreatic duct drainage (PPDD) and improve the safety of pancreatojejunal anastomosis, we refer to our experience from 2013 to 2017 that include the last series of 27 cases of PD for 14 pancreatic and 13 ampullary tumors. Apart from the standard "classic" Whipple procedure in 17 cases, and the "modified"pylorus-preserving variant (ppPD) in 10 cases, in 26 cases a pancreaticojejunostomy and in 1 case a pancreatico gastrostomy was performed. In last series the percutaneous biliary drainage procedure in 18 cases and dual biliary + pancreatic duct decompression in 4 casas was performed.

Decellularized bovine placentome for portacavally-interposed heterotopic liver transplantation in rats.

Scaffolds from healthy placentae offer advantages for tissue engineering with undamaged matrix, associated cytoprotective molecules, and embedded vessels for revascularization. As size disparities in human placenta and small recipients hamper preclinical studies, we studied alternative of bovine placentomes in smaller size ranges. Multiple cow placentomes were decellularized and anatomical integrity was analyzed.

Mild Cognitive Impairment in Republic of Georgia.

The goal of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Georgia. A population-based study was conducted using Georgian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and its cognitive domain index score. Of the initial cohort of 1,000 subjects, 851 met inclusion criteria.

Use of the universal pain assessment tool for evaluating pain associated with TMD in youngsters with an intellectual disability.

Background: The Universal Pain Assessment Tool (UPAT) was used to assess the level of pain in people with limited communication skills. The UPAT enables clinicians to consult a specialized pain management team more often and lead to earlier interventions. The purpose of this study was to determine, whether the UPAT could be used as an extra tool to collect data on functional TMJ pain and to assess orofacial pain levels related to temporomandibular disorder(s) (TMD) in people with intellectual disabilities (ID).

Validity of the Georgian Montreal Cognitive Assessment for the Screening of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test has been shown to be a reliable tool to detect mild cognitive impairment (MCI), however, no Georgian language version exists. The goal of this study is to determine the validity, reliability, and accuracy of Georgian version of MoCA in the evaluation of amnestic MCI (aMCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Montreal Cognitive Assessment was translated into Georgian language and was administered to healthy participants (HP) and patients with aMCI and AD.

Eye movements in ephedrone-induced parkinsonism.

Patients with ephedrone parkinsonism (EP) show a complex, rapidly progressive, irreversible, and levodopa non-responsive parkinsonian and dystonic syndrome due to manganese intoxication. Eye movements may help to differentiate parkinsonian syndromes providing insights into which brain networks are affected in the underlying disease, but they have never been systematically studied in EP. Horizontal and vertical eye movements were recorded in 28 EP and compared to 21 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and 27 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects using standardized oculomotor tasks with infrared videooculography.

Application of sonography for evaluation of posterior circulation disorders.

Posterior circulation disorders (PCD) include a) vertebrobasilar insufficiency (VBI), which has a wide clinical manifestation such as vestibulocerebellar syndrome, cephalalgia, cochlear syndrome, vegetovascular dystonia, visual disturbances, "syndrome of vertebral artery compression" etc, b) vertebrobasilar TIA and c) stroke. All of them are caused by blood flow disturbances in vertebral (VA), basilar (BAS) and posterior cerebral arteries (PCA). Aim - evaluation of role of extracranial duplex-sonography (EDS), transcranial color-coded duplex-sonography (TCCD) and rotational functional tests (RFT) in PCD.

A distinct variant of mixed dysarthria reflects parkinsonism and dystonia due to ephedrone abuse.

A distinctive alteration of speech has been reported in patients suffering from ephedrone-induced parkinsonism. However, an objective assessment of dysarthria has not been performed in ephedrone users. We studied 28 young Caucasian men from Georgia with a previous history of ephedrone abuse and compared them to 25 age-matched healthy controls.

Temporomandibular joint disorder (review).

Etiopathogenesis and clinical management of TMJD integrates a number of medical disciplines. In particular, dentistry, oral - facial surgery, neurology, rheumatology and so on. Nowadays there is no unified strategy for the management of this disease.

Quantitative electroencephalography coherence and dipole source index during various cognitive tasks in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most important disorder of childhood and adolescence. Debates about diagnostic approaches requiring for the precise assessment of ADHD remains actual till nowadays. The role of neurophysiological methods for this purpose is controversial.

Quantative EEG during baseline and various cognitive tasks in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

It is known that attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a widely spread condition in school aged childhood population. Making of precise diagnosis is a serious problem of modern pediatric neurology. In spite of large amount of guidelines and questionnaires the unified consensus of diagnosis is still absent.

Primary headache disorders in the Republic of Georgia: prevalence and risk factors.

Objective: To estimate the 1-year prevalences of migraine and tension-type headache (TTH), and identify their principal risk factors, in the general population of the Republic of Georgia.

Methods: In a community-based door-to-door survey, 4 medical residents interviewed all biologically unrelated adult members (>/=16 years) of 500 adjacent households in Tbilisi, the capital city, and 300 in rural Kakheti in eastern Georgia, using a previously validated questionnaire based on International Headache Society diagnostic criteria.

Results: The target population included 1,145 respondents, 690 (60%) women, mean age 45.

Prevalence of cluster headache in the Republic of Georgia: results of a population-based study and methodological considerations.

We present a study of the general-population prevalence of cluster headache in the Republic of Georgia and discuss the advantages and challenges of different methodological approaches. In a community-based survey, specially trained medical residents visited 500 adjacent households in the capital city, Tbilisi, and 300 households in the eastern rural area of Kakheti. They interviewed all (n = 1145) biologically unrelated adult occupants using a previously validated questionnaire.