Publications by authors named "Kwan P"

Background And Objectives: The most effective antiseizure medications (ASMs) for poststroke seizures (PSSs) remain unclear. We aimed to determine outcomes associated with ASMs in people with PSS.

Methods: We systematically searched electronic databases for studies on patients with PSS on ASMs.

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Current antiepileptic drugs are ineffective in one-third of patients with epilepsy; however, identification of genes involved in epilepsy can enable a precision medicine approach. Here, it is demonstrated that downregulating D-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase (D2HGDH) enhances susceptibility to epilepsy. Furthermore, its potential involvement in the seizure network through synaptic function modulation is investigated.

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Objective: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are necessary to evaluate the efficacy of novel treatments for epilepsy. However, there have been concerning increases in the placebo responder rate over time. To understand these trends, we evaluated features associated with increased placebo responder rate.

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Background And Objectives: Stereo-EEG-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFTHC) has been proposed as relatively safe from a cognitive perspective; however, there is a lack of evidence based on neuropsychological assessments supporting this. This study is the first prospective evaluation of neuropsychological outcomes associated with stereo-EEG-guided RFTHC in patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy.

Methods: This cohort study involved prospective recruitment of consecutive patients undergoing stereo-EEG from 2 Australian centers.

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Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning are increasingly being used in all medical fields including for epilepsy research and clinical care. Already there have been resultant cutting-edge applications in both the clinical and research arenas of epileptology. Because there is a need to disseminate knowledge about these approaches, how to use them, their advantages, and their potential limitations, the goal of the 2023 Merritt-Putnam Symposium and of this synopsis review of that symposium has been to present the background and state of the art and then to draw conclusions on current and future applications of these approaches through the following: (1) Initially provide an explanation of the fundamental principles of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning.

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Background: Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have a heightened risk of epilepsy. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well-understood.

Objective: We aimed to elucidate the role of the glutamate-glutamine cycle in this mechanism and test the effect of ceftriaxone, a glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) enhancer, on seizure susceptibility in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD.

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Epilepsy care generates multiple sources of high-dimensional data, including clinical, imaging, electroencephalographic, genomic, and neuropsychological information, that are collected routinely to establish the diagnosis and guide management. Thanks to high-performance computing, sophisticated graphics processing units, and advanced analytics, we are now on the cusp of being able to use these data to significantly improve individualized care for people with epilepsy. Despite this, many clinicians, health care providers, and people with epilepsy are apprehensive about implementing Big Data and accompanying technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

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Epilepsy affects approximately 1% of the world population. Patients have recurrent seizures, increased physical and psychiatric comorbidities, and higher mortality rate than the general population. Over the last 40 years, research has resulted in 20 new antiseizure medications (ASMs) approved between 1990 and 2018.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study introduces automated surgical planning for cranial vault remodeling (CVR) in cases of unicoronal synostosis, specifically focusing on the challenges posed by the asymmetric nature of this deformity.
  • Using software like Geomagic Freeform Plus, researchers developed virtual workflows that involved comparing reconstructed skull models to normal skull parameters through various measurements, resulting in different performance ratings.
  • The findings showed significant advancements in key skull areas with the highest performing model closely matching a normal skull, marking a groundbreaking approach to improving surgical outcomes in asymmetric craniosynostosis.
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Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has attracted significant attention for rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostics. However, integrating sample introduction, lysis, amplification, and detection steps into an easy-to-use, disposable system has so far been challenging. This has limited the uptake of the technique in practical applications.

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Article Synopsis
  • E2730 is a GABA transporter-1 inhibitor that shows significant anti-seizure effects in a rodent model of chronic temporal lobe epilepsy, specifically the kainic acid status epilepticus (KASE) rat model.
  • A randomized cross-over study revealed that E2730 treatment resulted in a notable reduction of spontaneous seizures, with 73% of the treated animals becoming seizure-free and alterations in various neuroimaging measures indicating changes in GABAergic function.
  • The study found that while E2730 lowered taurine levels and affected gamma frequency oscillations in the brain, it did not change GABA receptor affinity or density, highlighting its complex impact on brain neurotransmission during seizure management.
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Background: Cognitive impairment is a clinical manifestation that occurs in the course of dementia like Alzheimer's disease. The association between cognitive impairment and gut microbiota is unclear.

Objective: We aimed to identify gut microbiota characteristics and key gut microbiota biomarkers associated with cognitive impairment in a relatively large cohort of older adults in China.

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Objective: Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) Therapy is routinely indicated for people with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). We analyzed the baseline characteristics of individuals receiving the recently released VNS models and identified factors associated with early or late implantation.

Methods: The Comprehensive Outcomes Registry of subjects with Epilepsy (CORE-VNS), a prospective observational study evaluating the clinical and psychosocial outcomes of VNS Therapy®, is following participants for up to 60 months after VNS implantation.

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Introduction: Epilepsy surgery is the only curative treatment for patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) is the gold standard to delineate the seizure-onset zone (SOZ). However, up to 40% of patients are subsequently not operated as no focal non-eloquent SOZ can be identified.

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Purpose: Alternative high schools (AHS) are designed to provide individualized education, more flexible scheduling, and smaller class sizes for students referred out of traditional high school. AHS students report higher levels of substance use (SU) and face disproportionately higher levels of trauma and toxic stress than their traditional high school peers. We sought to examine whether generational immigration (GenIm) status modifies the association of mental health and SU among AHS students using a longitudinal study of 1,060 Southern California AHS students.

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Article Synopsis
  • Research indicates that neurofilament light chain protein (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) may serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosing epilepsy, as their levels rise in response to neuronal damage.
  • In a study involving 138 patients, those diagnosed with epilepsy showed significantly higher plasma levels of NfL and GFAP compared to patients with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) and other nonepileptic disorders.
  • Elevated NfL levels, especially above the 95th age-matched percentile, demonstrated a strong correlation with epilepsy diagnosis, particularly in younger adults, suggesting these biomarkers can help distinguish between epilepsy and PNES.
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The nervous system is the dominant regulatory system in the human body. The traditional theory is that tumors lack innervation. However, an increasing number of studies have shown complex bidirectional interactions between tumors and the nervous system.

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Accurate resection cavity segmentation on MRI is important for neuroimaging research involving epilepsy surgical outcomes. Manual segmentation, the gold standard, is highly labour intensive. Automated pipelines are an efficient potential solution; however, most have been developed for use following temporal epilepsy surgery.

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Introduction: This study aims to validate the Seizure-Related Impact Assessment Scale (SERIAS). This novel patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) compares the 'trade-off' between seizures and treatment-related adverse effects, and measures epilepsy disability qualitatively and quantitively. It fills an important gap in PROMs for epilepsy clinical trials and practice.

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Evaluators utilize a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to assess outcomes and make recommendations; however, we were unable to find any reference in the literature regarding the incorporation of oral histories for evaluation purposes. Based on our use of oral histories to evaluate a Critical Race Theory (CRT)-based undergraduate research and mentoring program, we learned how oral histories can be used effectively-and meaningfully-for evaluations seeking a deeper understanding of the program participants' lived experiences. By sharing our (and our narrators') experiences as we delved into this new methodology, as well as lessons learned about the benefits, limitations, and considerations when incorporating oral histories into evaluations, we show how both can be adapted to honor oral history while also meeting our evaluation needs.

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Importance: First-seizure clinics (FSCs) aim to deliver prompt specialist care to patients with new-onset undifferentiated seizure events.

Objective: To determine whether FSC attendance and time to FSC are associated with subsequent health care utilization and mortality and to investigate factors associated with FSC nonattendance.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a record-linkage, retrospective, cohort study of patients who booked appointments at 2 FSCs between 2007 and 2018.

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Background: Current procedures for thawing and issuing of cryopreserved platelets (CPPs) are laborious and have remained challenging in emergency settings such as blood banks and military operations. In this prospective study, a novel processing method designed to facilitate the rapid issuance of CPPs with no postthaw handling required was developed and functionally characterized in parallel with standard CPPs manufactured.

Study Design And Methods: Double-dose plateletpheresis units (n = 42) were cryopreserved at -80°C in 5%-6% dimethyl sulfoxide to produce matched pairs thawed successively over a 27-month period for comparison between two processing arms.

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Standing and lying are the fundamental behaviours of quadrupedal animals, and the ratio of their durations is a significant indicator of calf health. In this study, we proposed a computer vision method for non-invasively monitoring of calves' behaviours. Cameras were deployed at four viewpoints to monitor six calves on six consecutive days.

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Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) share similar pathological features, suggesting common genetic aetiologies between the two. Investigating gene associations between AD and AMD may provide useful insights into the underlying pathogenesis and inform integrated prevention and treatment for both diseases.

Methods: A stratified quantile-quantile (QQ) plot was constructed to detect the pleiotropy among AD and AMD based on genome-wide association studies data from 17 008 patients with AD and 30 178 patients with AMD.

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Background And Objectives: Although commonly used in the evaluation of patients for epilepsy surgery, the association between the detection of localizing fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose PET (F-FDG-PET) hypometabolism and epilepsy surgery outcome is uncertain. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether localizing F-FDG-PET hypometabolism is associated with favorable outcome after epilepsy surgery.

Methods: A systematic literature search was undertaken.

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