Correlation between motor symptoms, cognitive function, and optical coherence tomography findings in Parkinson's disease.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the total macular thickness as well as the thickness of the inner and outer retinal layers in patients with Parkinson's disease. It also aimed to verify the correlation of these parameters with motor symptoms and cognitive function.

Methods: A total of 46 eyes of 23 patients with Parkinson's disease and 40 eyes of 20 healthy controls were included in the study.

Optic disc edema and visual loss from paracentral acute middle maculopathy mimicking optic neuritis.

Optic neuritis is an important cause of unilateral and acute visual loss in young adults, but other differential diagnoses should be considered, especially when the disease has an atypical presentation. This report presents the case of a young woman with reduced visual acuity in her right eye, associated with optic disc edema and a relative afferent pupillary defect, that was initially misdiagnosed as optic neuritis and subsequently found to have paracentral acute middle maculopathy, possibly secondary to subtle impending central retinal vein occlusion. This case emphasizes the need to remember that retinal vascular diseases can occasionally mimic optic neuritis.

Initial clinical evidence on biperiden as antiepileptogenic after traumatic brain injury-a randomized clinical trial.

There is currently no efficacious intervention for preventing post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). Preclinical studies support the potential use of anticholinergics for this condition. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of biperiden as an intervention for preventing PTE.

Choroiditis following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection in unvaccinated identical twins.

Unvaccinated identical twins developed bilateral anterior uveitis soon after the onset of coronavirus disease 2019 symptoms. During follow-up, both patients developed choroiditis, and one twine developed posterior scleritis and serous retinal detachment. Prompt treatment with oral prednisone ameliorated the lesions, and no recurrence was observed at the 18-month follow-up.

Posttraumatic epilepsy: Integrating clinical, inflammatory, and genetic profiles in traumatic brain injury patients.

Objective: This study aims to assess the clinical, inflammatory, and genetic profiles of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients over a 2-year follow-up period, focusing on the development of posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE).

Methods: Fifty-nine patients with acute TBI were recruited in the emergency unit of a hospital in Brazil. Clinical data and blood samples were collected after 10 days of hospitalization for posterior genetic profile (Apolipoprotein E- ApoE and Glutamic Acid Descarboxylase-GAD sequencing) analyses.

What we have learned from non-human primates as animal models of epilepsy.

Non-human primates (NHPs) have played a crucial role in our understanding of epilepsy, given their striking similarities with humans. Through their use, we have gained a deeper understanding of the neurophysiology and pathophysiology of epileptic seizures, and they have proven invaluable allies in developing anti-seizure therapies. This review explores the history of NHPs as natural models of epilepsy, discusses the findings obtained after exposure to various chemoconvulsant drugs and focal electrical stimulation protocols that helped uncover important mechanisms related to epilepsy, examines diverse treatments to prevent and manage epilepsy, and addresses essential ethical issues in research.

Discrimination ability of central visual field testing using stimulus size I, II, and III and relationship between VF findings and macular ganglion cell thickness in chiasmal compression.

Purpose: To compare the relationship between macular ganglion cell layer (mGCL) thickness and 10-2 visual field (VF) sensitivity using different stimulus sizes in patients with temporal hemianopia from chiasmal compression.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 30 eyes from 25 patients with temporal VF loss on 24-2 SITA standard automated perimetry due to previous chiasmal compression and 30 healthy eyes (23 controls). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the macular area and 10-2 VF testing using Goldmann stimulus size I (GI), II (GII), and III (GIII) were performed in the Octopus 900 perimeter.

Soil surface roughness impacts the risk arising from a hypothetical urban radiological dispersive device activation.

This study considers a deliberate hypothetical release of radioactive material over an inhabited urban zone. The event is initiated by the activation of a radiological dispersion device. The main threat is the deposition of radioactive material onto the soil's surface.

Long-term Effects of Cannabidiol and/or Fentanyl Exposure in Rats Submitted to Neonatal Pain.

The current study aimed to evaluate anxiety behavior, hippocampal ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) and cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) gene expression, and nociceptive response in adulthood after a combination of fentanyl and cannabidiol (CBD) for nociceptive stimuli induced during the first week of life in rats. Complete Freund's adjuvant-induced inflammatory nociceptive insult on postnatal day (PN) 1 and PN3. Both fentanyl and CBD were used alone or in combination from PN1 to PN7.

Anticholinergics: A potential option for preventing posttraumatic epilepsy.

Interest in the use of anticholinergics to prevent the development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury (TBI) has grown since recent basic studies have shown their effectiveness in modifying the epileptogenic process. These studies demonstrated that treatment with anticholinergics, in the acute phase after brain injury, decreases seizure frequency, and severity, and the number of spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS). Therefore, anticholinergics may reduce the risk of developing posttraumatic epilepsy (PTE).

Visual Hallucinations as a Major Manifestation of Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome: Case Report and Literature Review.

We evaluated a 48-year-old woman who had visual hallucinations (VHs) as a major presenting sign of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES). Despite her mild loss of vision, she described various hallucinations after awakening from a comatose state days after a motorcycle collision. VHs are usually accompanied by more severe loss of vision, yet our case and literature review indicate that sudden onset of formed VHs should suggest a possible diagnosis of PRES in patients who have large fluctuations in blood pressure, renal failure, or autoimmune dysfunction, as well as in patients taking cytotoxic agents.

Simultaneous Unilateral Abducens Nerve Palsy and Contralateral Anterior Ischaemic Optic Neuropathy as the Presenting Signs of Giant Cell Arteritis.

Ischaemic optic neuropathy is the most common, feared, and recognised ocular manifestation of giant cell arteritis (GCA), while extraocular muscle palsy rarely occurs in the disease. Overlooking the diagnosis of GCA in aged patients with acquired diplopia and strabismus is not only sight- but also life-threatening. Here, we present, for the first time, a case of unilateral abducens nerve palsy and contralateral anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy as the presenting signs of GCA in a 98-year-old woman.

A prospective and randomized study comparing the use of alarms, desmopressin and imipramine in the treatment of monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis.

Background: Monosymptomatic enuresis (MNE) results from a pathogenic triad that may include lack of vasopressin secretion during sleep, reduced functional bladder capacity and inability to wake up during sleep. The treatment of MNE can be performed through behavioral therapy, use of alarms or medications such as desmopressin and imipramine.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of different treatments of MNE.

Early life nociceptive stimulus and fentanyl exposure increase hippocampal neurogenesis and anxiety but do not affect spatial learning and memory.

This study aimed to determine whether preemptive fentanyl administration in neonatal rats reduces the impact of a nociceptive stimulus initiated during the first day of life (P1) on hippocampal neurogenesis, behavior, and learning. At P1, Wistar rat pups received either a subcutaneous injection of fentanyl (F) before intraplantar injection of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) (CFA + F group), an isolated injection of CFA (CFA group), or subcutaneous injection of fentanyl without CFA injection (F). Control animals received saline injections using the same route and volume as the treatment groups.

A standardized method to quantitatively analyze optical coherence tomography angiography images of the macular and peripapillary vessels.

Background: Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a relatively new non-invasive imaging technique to evaluate retinal vascular complexes. However, there is still a lack of standardization and reproducibility of its quantitative evaluation. Furthermore, manual analysis of a large amount of OCTA images makes the process laborious, with greater data variability, and risk of bias.

Biperiden for prevention of post-traumatic epilepsy: A protocol of a double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial (BIPERIDEN trial).

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most important causes of acquired structural epilepsy, post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE), however, efficient preventative measures and treatment are still not available to patients. Preclinical studies indicated biperiden, an anticholinergic drug, as a potential drug to modify the epileptogenic process. The main objective of this clinical trial is to evaluate the efficacy of biperiden as an antiepileptogenic agent in patients that suffered TBI.

Chorioretinal abnormalities in idiopathic intracranial hypertension: case reports.

Background: Papilledema is the main ocular finding in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) although several chorioretinal abnormalities may also occur and contribute to visual loss. The purpose of this paper is to describe two cases of chorioretinal abnormalities associated with idiopathic intracranial hypertension: one with choroidal folds and another with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, an extremely unusual ocular complication in the disease.

Case Presentation: Case 1: A 47-year-old woman previous diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension treated with weight loss and acetazolamide that over the following 6 months had optic disc edema gradually resolved.

Electroretinography reveals retinal dysfunction in Parkinson's disease despite normal high-resolution optical coherence tomography findings.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated inner retinal abnormalities, particularly the retinal ganglion cells (RGC) layer, on optical coherence tomography (OCT) have recently gained importance as a biomarker of non-motor involvement of the disease but functional RGC evaluation using photopic negative response (PhNR) has not yet been determined. This study aims to compare structural and functional findings of the retina and optic nerve in PD with healthy controls (CT) including PhNR and OCT.

Methods: Forty-one eyes of 21 PD patients and 38 eyes of 19 CT underwent ophthalmic examination including visual contrast sensitivity test (CS), OCT, light-adapted full-field electroretinography (ffERG), and PhNR.

Choroidal Thickness in Eyes with Band Atrophy of the Optic Nerve from Chiasmal Compression.

Background: The choroid is a vascular tissue that helps maintain retinal and prelaminar optic nerve head function. Choroidal thickness has been previously studied in diseases accompanied by retinal neural loss, but the relationship between the two sets of measurements is not clear. In eyes with temporal hemianopia as a result of chiasmal compression lesions (CCL), retinal neural loss tends to be greater in the nasal than the temporal hemiretina, a fact that may be useful in evaluating the effect of inner retinal layer loss on choroidal thickness.

Metastatic and aggressive renal cell carcinoma mimicking a unilateral choroidal tuberculoma.

Ocular metastases from systemic tumors are uncommon. The choroid is the most frequent target, with a preference for elderly individuals. Lung cancer is the predominant primary tumor that metastasizes to the eyes in males, although other ocular conditions such as uveitis and retinal lesions can mimic secondary tumor implants in ocular tissues.

Trends in global greywater reuse: a bibliometric analysis.

The increase in water demand in recent years led to the expansion of research and public policies on the reuse of water, especially greywater (GW). Given the diversity of research in the area, this paper proposes an analysis of the evolution of the area through an objectivity metric. Metadata of 1,524 publications indexed in the Scopus database between 1974 and 2021 were analyzed using the VOSviewer tool, and showed exponential growth in publications from 2013.

Bruch Membrane Opening Minimum Rim Width and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Helps Differentiate Compressive Optic Neuropathy From Glaucoma.

Purpose: To compare optical coherence tomography-measured Bruch membrane opening minimum rim width (MRW), peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) measurements, and MRW:pRNFL ratios in eyes with compressive optic neuropathy (CON) and glaucoma and controls, and evaluate the ability of these parameters to differentiate CON from glaucoma.

Design: Prospective, cross-sectional study.

Methods: Setting: Single-center tertiary hospital and outpatient clinic.

Unilateral papilledema and peripapillary polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy as the presenting manifestations of intracranial hypertension.

We have reported here the case of a 54-year-old woman with intracranial hypertension that presented with the unique features of unilateral papilledema and peripapillary polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy. Our investigations lead to the diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and an incidental small right frontal meningioma. The patient was accordingly treated with oral acetazolamide, followed by three consecutive monthly intravitreal injections of bevacizumab, which resulted in the inactivation of the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, marked reduction of lipid exudation, and complete absorption of the subretinal fluid.