Relations between epileptic seizures and headaches.

Purpose: To describe headaches in patients with epilepsy and try to identify relations between epileptic seizures and headaches.

Methods: Cross-sectional study, with 304 patients from the epilepsy out-patient section of University Hospital of Federal University of Alagoas (Brazil) between February 2007 and February 2008. The presence of headaches and their relationships with the epileptic seizures were analyzed.

New guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of insomnia.

The Brazilian Sleep Association brought together specialists in sleep medicine, in order to develop new guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of insomnias. The following subjects were discussed: concepts, clinical and psychosocial evaluations, recommendations for polysomnography, pharmacological treatment, behavioral and cognitive therapy, comorbidities and insomnia in children. Four levels of evidence were envisaged: standard, recommended, optional and not recommended.

Executive dysfunction and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

The aim of this study is to analyze executive function and motor symptoms in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The sample consisted of 44 subjects with PD between the ages of 45 to 75, who were examined consecutively. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the duration of the disease.

Effects of nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment on oxidative stress and adiponectin levels in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Background: Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are both associated with the prevalence of major cardiovascular illnesses and certain common factors they are considered responsible for, such as stress oxidative increase, sympathetic tonus and resistance to insulin.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on oxidative stress and adiponectin levels in obese patients with and without OSA.

Methods: Twenty-nine obese patients were categorized into 3 groups: group 1: 10 individuals without OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI or=20) who did not use CPAP; group 3: 9 patients with moderate to severe OSA (AHI >or=20) who used CPAP.

Study into the use of continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome patients with daytime drowsiness.

Background: Obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is a respiratory disorder with high morbidity and mortality. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most commonly prescribed conservative treatment for adults with OSAHS. CPAP therapy normalises or decreases OSAHS symptoms and can reduce and prevent OSAHS complications.

APOE-epsilon4 polymorphism and cognitive deficit among the elderly population of Fernando de Noronha.

Background: Polymorphism of the gene for apolipoprotein E (APOE) is an important risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease. The epsilon4 allele of the APOE gene has been linked with a number of neuropsychiatric illnesses, and also with stress and depression among geriatric populations.

Objective: To identify APOE-epsilon4 polymorphism and correlate this with cognitive deficit among the elderly population of the island of Fernando de Noronha.

[Obstructive sleep apnea contribution to oxidative stress in obesity].

Objective: The aim of this paper was to check the influence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on obesity oxidative stress and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) effect on oxidative stress and in these patients.

Methods: Twenty nine male patients considered obese (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)) were divided into 3 groups: a) Group I: 10 OSA free patients (apnea-hipopnea index (AHI) < 5); b) Group 2: 10 with moderate to serious OSA (AHI > 20); c) Group 3: 9 with OSA from moderate to serious (AHI > 20) using CPAP, minimum 4 hours/night for 2 months.

Results: Significant differences before and after CPAP usage were observed in group 3 in the following variables: reduction of superoxide (SO) production [13.

[The BCTRIMS Expanded Consensus on treatment of multiple sclerosis: III. Evidence and recommendation-based guidelines].

There has been unprecedented advances in knowledge of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the last few years. A new set of criteria for its diagnosis and a bunch of recent clinical trials with disease-modifying agents (DMA) have been published. All of that has made it necessary to update and expand the previous consensus for MS treatment as formulated by the Brazilian Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (BCTRIMS) two years ago.

[The BCTRIMS Expanded Consensus on treatment of multiple sclerosis: I. The evidences for the use of immunosuppressive agents, plasma exchange and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

Since the sixties immunosuppressive agents have been used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis as there was cumulating evidence of the inflammatory nature of the disease. Cyclophosphamide, azathioprine and methotrexate have been the most frequently employed drugs whereas other agents such as cyclosporine and cladribine have been recently tested for RRMS. Mithoxantrone, on the other hand, was approved by the FDA for treatment of aggressive forms of the disease.