Evaluating the Differential Effects of Dopamine Agonists and Clonazepam on Large Muscle Group Movements in Restless Legs Syndrome.

Study Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of dopamine agonists (DA) and Clonazepam on Large Muscle Group Movements during sleep (LMM), a distinct motor phenomenon, in Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 51 drug-free adult patients with RLS, divided into three groups: 33 received a DA (pramipexole or ropinirole), 15 received clonazepam, and 18 received a placebo. Each patient underwent two consecutive nocturnal polysomnographic (PSG) recordings: one baseline and one following treatment administration.

REM sleep atonia in patients with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS): implications for pathophysiology.

Study Objectives: Sleep disorders and/or disordered sleep represent common clinical presentations of pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS), occurring in up to 80% of affected children, with REM sleep motor disinhibition being a prevalent feature. To date, limited polysomnographic (PSG) studies have been conducted. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the PSG characteristics of a cohort of children with PANS, focusing particularly on REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) as assessed by the REM atonia index (RAI), and to compare these characteristics with those of a control group.

The Role of ETNPPL in Dopaminergic Neuron Stability: Insights from Neuromelanin-Associated Protein Expression in Parkinson's Disease.

More than six million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson's disease (PD), a multifactorial disorder characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). Several immunohistochemical studies suggest that neuromelanin (NM), found in these neurons, plays a key role in their degeneration. In this study, twelve formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) brain sections were analyzed, comprising six samples from PD patients and six from healthy controls.

Addressing COVID-19 Screening Delays: The Impact of HPV Self-Sampling on Non-Attenders in a Cervical Cancer Screening Program.

: Self-sampling is recognized as a viable alternative to clinician-sampling for HPV primary screening. This study aimed to assess, within an Italian organized cervical cancer screening program, the acceptance and ease of use of self-sampling and the adherence to follow-up. The prevalences of HPV infection, cervical dysplasia, and cancer were contextually evaluated.

Intersection of Sleep Disorders and Parkinson Disease: Unveiling the Bidirectional Relationship.

Background: Patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) frequently exhibit non-motor symptoms, particularly sleep disturbances. Sleep disorders in PD patients are intricately linked to the pathogenesis and progression of PD itself, exacerbating neurodegenerative processes and worsening patient quality of life.

Objectives: This review underscores the significance of sleep disorders in PD, highlighting their prevalence, impact on disease progression, and the bidirectional relationship between sleep disruption and neurodegeneration.

Echocardiographic left atrial stiffness index predicts high left ventricular filling pressures in patients with acute heart failure: an observational study.

Background: In acute heart failure (AHF) patients, non-invasive estimation of left ventricular filling pressures (LVFPs) appears crucial to guide management. Although poorly investigated, left atrial (LA) mechanics play a pivotal role in this setting. This report sought to assess the correlation of echocardiographic LA stiffness index with invasive LVFPs and its diagnostic accuracy as compared to other parameters used in clinical practice.

Characteristics and Outcome of Patients with or without Previous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Interventions Undergoing Ablation for Ventricular Tachycardia.

Catheter ablation (CA) is a well-established treatment in patients with ventricular tachycardia and appropriate implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) therapies. We enrolled 57 consecutive carriers of ICD undergoing CA for electrical storm (ES). Our aim was to investigate differences in clinical, device-related, and electroanatomic features among patients who had history of appropriate ICD interventions before the ES compared to those who had not.

Sex-based disparities in dopamine agonist response in patients with restless legs syndrome.

This study aimed to investigate sex-related differences in the response to ropinirole and pramipexole in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS). By analysing clinical parameters and polysomnographic (PSG) findings, we sought to elucidate the potential factors related to sex disparities modulating treatment responses and sleep quality in RLS. A total of 41 drug-free patients with RLS, aged ≥18 years, underwent two consecutive nocturnal PSG recordings, without medication at baseline; before the second night, 26 patients received an oral dose of 0.

Response to iron supplementation is similar between boys and girls with pediatric sleep movement disorders.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate sex differences in response to iron supplementation in children and adolescents suffering from sleep-related movement disorders such as Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD), and Restless Sleep Disorder (RSD).

Methods: Data were retrieved and reanalyzed from previous studies involving children with RLS, PLMD, or RSD. The analysis included 54 patients treated with intravenous (IV) ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and 31 patients treated with oral ferrous sulfate (FS).

The Triad of Sleep, Immunity, and Cancer: A Mediating Perspective.

The triadic interplay between sleep, immunity, and cancer represents a growing area of biomedical research with significant clinical implications. This review synthesizes the current knowledge on how sleep influences immune function, the immune system's role in cancer dynamics, and the direct connections between sleep patterns and cancer risk. After a comprehensive overview of the interrelationships among these three domains, the mechanisms of sleep in immune function are described, detailing how sleep regulates the immune system, the effects of sleep duration and quality on immune responses, and the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms.

COVID-19 and Mental Health: A "Pandemic Within a Pandemic".

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant changes in daily life for humanity and has had a profound impact on mental health. As widely acknowledged, the pandemic has led to notable increases in rates of anxiety, depression, distress, and other mental health-related issues, affecting both infected patients and non-infected individuals. COVID-19 patients and survivors face heightened risks for various neurological and psychiatric disorders and complications.

Transcriptome Study in Sicilian Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

ASD is a complex condition primarily rooted in genetics, although influenced by environmental, prenatal, and perinatal risk factors, ultimately leading to genetic and epigenetic alterations. These mechanisms may manifest as inflammatory, oxidative stress, hypoxic, or ischemic damage. To elucidate potential variances in gene expression in ASD, a transcriptome analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was conducted via RNA-seq on 12 ASD patients and 13 healthy controls, all of Sicilian ancestry to minimize environmental confounds.

Early cardiac mechanics abnormalities in patients with mitochondrial diseases.

Background: Evidence about early cardiac mechanics abnormalities in patients with mitochondrial diseases (MDs) before overt cardiomyopathy is limited.

Methods: In this prospective study, we performed a comparative analysis of conventional and speckle tracking echocardiographic parameters between patients with genetically identified MDs and no overt cardiomyopathy vs controls matched for age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors. The Newcastle mitochondrial disease adult scale (NMDAS) was calculated, using a threshold of > 21 as indicator of high disease severity.

Assessment of the Ischaemic Effects of Myocardial Bridge by Echocardiographic Exercise Stress Test.

Background: Detection of myocardial bridge (MB) at angiography suggests it has a role in ischaemic-related symptoms in patients with angina without obstructive coronary artery disease. However, evidence that MB may cause myocardial ischaemia is limited.

Methods: We studied 41 patients with MB of the left anterior descending coronary artery and otherwise normal coronary arteries.

Transcriptome Analysis in Patients With Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

Background/aim: Bladder cancer (BC) is the most prevalent malignant tumor in the urinary tract, classified mainly into muscle-invasive BC (MIBC) and non-MIBC (NMIBC). Recent studies highlight the important role of changes in transcriptome activity in carcinogenesis, aiding in the identification of additional differentially regulated candidate genes, improving our understanding of the molecular basis of gene regulation in BC. This study aimed to evaluate the transcriptome of MIBC patients compared with normal subjects.