A retrospective observational analysis of the real-world care pathway of people with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis with polyneuropathy in Italy.

Background: This retrospective observational study described the epidemiology and the burden on the Italian healthcare service (SSN) of patients with polyneuropathy (PN) associated with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv).

Research Design And Methods: From the Fondazione ReS (Ricerca e Salute) administrative healthcare database (~5.5 million inhabitants in 2021), patients were identified as having ATTRv-PN in 2021 if they had received treatments for ATTRv-PN under SSN reimbursement (i.

Anti-Collapsin Response Mediator Protein 5(CV2/CRMP5) and Anti-Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase (GAD) Antibodies-Mediated Encephalopathy Mimicking Atypical Parkinsonism.

: Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNSs) are rare conditions characterized by immune-mediated pathogenesis, frequently associated with the presence of a neoplasm. Although a single antineuronal antibody mediates a specific syndrome, atypical manifestations mediated by the same antibody have been described. : The aim of this study was to report on an atypical case of PNS with dual positivity for anti-GAD65 and anti-CRMP5/CV2 antibodies, simultaneously characterized by cognitive decline associated with progressive ataxia and parkinsonism.

Generalizability and treatment with sodium-glucose co-trasporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) among patients with type 2 diabetes: an assessment using an Italian primary care database.

Aims: This study aimed to assess the proportions of type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects meeting cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs) criteria for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) and estimate SGLT2i utilization, along with associated demographic and clinical characteristics, in a primary care setting.

Methods: T2D patients in Italy were selected between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022, from The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database. Representativeness was determined by dividing patients meeting key inclusion criteria for four CVOTs (CANVAS, DECLARE-TIMI 58, EMPA-REG OUTCOME, VERTIS-CV) to the total T2D population.

Efficacy and Safety of Rescue Treatment with Plasma Exchange in Patients with Acute Inflammatory Neurological Disorders: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a highly effective rescue treatment for patients with acute exacerbation of neuroimmunological disease that removes circulating autoantibodies and inflammatory components from the bloodstream. The aims of this study are to explore the safety and the effectiveness of TPE in patients with autoimmune neurological disorders.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the frequency of adverse events (AEs) and the effectiveness of TPE using the modified Ranking Scale (mRS) in patients with acute neurological flares who underwent TPE at the University Hospital of Palermo.

Health and economic impact of dapagliflozin for type 2 diabetes patients who had or were at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the Italian general practitioners setting: a budget impact analysis.

Aim: In 2022, in Italy, general practitioners (GPs) have been allowed to prescribe SGLT2i in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) under National Health Service (NHS) reimbursement. In the pivotal clinical trial named DECLARE-TIMI 58, dapagliflozin reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure, CV death and kidney disease progression compared to placebo in a population of T2D patients. This study evaluated the health and economic impact of dapagliflozin for T2D patients who had or were at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the Italian GPs setting.

Real-world use of Safinamide in motor fluctuating Parkinson's disease patients in Italy.

Introduction: Safinamide is a recent antiparkinsonian drug that modulates both dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems with positive effects on motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we aimed to describe the efficacy and safety of safinamide in the Italian PD patients in real-life conditions.

Methods: We performed a sub-analysis of the Italian cohort of the SYNAPSES study, a multi-country, multi-center, retrospective-prospective cohort observational study, designed to investigate the use of safinamide in routine clinical practice.

Exergaming in the treatment of gait, balance, and quality of life in Parkinson's disease: Overview of systematic reviews.

Introduction: Postural instability and gait impairments are common in people with PD, both of which have a negative effect on their quality of life. Systematic reviews have demonstrated benefits of using exergaming in enhancing these outcomes. However, there is no consensus over whether exergaming therapy is better than conventional physical therapy for enhancing gait, balance, and quality of life.

ANXA1 mutation analysis in Italian patients with early onset PD.

Recently, a novel pathogenic variant in Annexin A1 protein (c.4G > A, p.Ala2Thr) has been identified in an Iranian consanguineous family with autosomal recessive parkinsonism.

Effects of a Resistance Training Protocol on Physical Performance, Body Composition, Bone Metabolism, and Systemic Homeostasis in Patients Diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments and it is correlated with loss of bone mineral density. This study aimed to analyze the effects of resistance training on bone metabolism, systemic homeostasis, body composition, and physical performance in people with PD. Thirteen subjects (age 64.

Vitamin D and Parkinson's Disease.

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble secosteroid, traditionally considered a key regulator of bone metabolism, calcium and phosphorous homeostasis. Its action is made possible through the binding to the vitamin D receptor (VDR), after which it directly and indirectly modulates the expression of thousands of genes. Vitamin D is important for brain development, mature brain activity and associated with many neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease (PD).

Assessment of the Kinematic Adaptations in Parkinson's Disease Using the Gait Profile Score: Influences of Trunk Posture, a Pilot Study.

Introduction: Postural abnormalities are common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and lead to gait abnormalities. Relationships between changes in the trunk posture of PD patients and gait profile score (GPS) and gait spatiotemporal parameters are poorly investigated. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationships between trunk posture, GPS, and gait spatiotemporal parameters, in patients with PD.

Clinical Onset and Multiple Sclerosis Relapse after SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been associated with several neurological disorders including headache, facial palsy, encephalitis, stroke, demyelinating disorders. The present report will discuss cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) onset and relapse both beginning early after SARS-CoV-2 infection. In both cases, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed widespread bilateral subcortical and periventricular active lesions.

Preoperative imaging findings in patients undergoing transcranial magnetic resonance imaging-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy.

The prevalence and impact of imaging findings detected during screening procedures in patients undergoing transcranial MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) thalamotomy for functional neurological disorders has not been assessed yet. This study included 90 patients who fully completed clinical and neuroradiological screenings for tcMRgFUS in a single-center. The presence and location of preoperative imaging findings that could impact the treatment were recorded and classified in three different groups according to their relevance for the eligibility and treatment planning.

Transcranial Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Focused Ultrasound with a 1.5 Tesla Scanner: A Prospective Intraindividual Comparison Study of Intraoperative Imaging.

Background: High-quality intraoperative imaging is needed for optimal monitoring of patients undergoing transcranial MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) thalamotomy. In this paper, we compare the intraoperative imaging obtained with dedicated FUS-Head coil and standard body radiofrequency coil in tcMRgFUS thalamotomy using 1.5-T MR scanner.

Lowering the recommended age for the free and active offer of influenza vaccination in Italy: clinical and economic impact analysis in the Liguria region.

Objective: we estimated the epidemiological and budget impact of lowering the recommended age for influenza immunization with quadrivalent vaccine actively offered and administered free of charge to persons over 50 years old by public immunization services.

Methods: a multi-cohort, deterministic, static Markov model was populated by real-world data on the clinical and economic impact of Influenza-Like Illness and Lower Respiratory Tract Infection over 1 year. Four scenarios featuring different vaccine coverage rates were compared with the base case; coverage rates in subjects with and without risk factors were considered separately.

Transcranial magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy as a safe treatment option in multiple sclerosis patients with essential tremor.

Transcranial magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound is a recently introduced incisionless treating option for essential tremor and tremor-dominant idiopathic Parkinson disease. There is preliminary evidence that it may result in a promising effective treatment option for other movement disorders too. Here, we report on two patients with multiple sclerosis with medication refractory debilitating essential tremor comorbidity who successfully underwent unilateral Vim tcMRgFUS thalamotomy for tremor control.

Stroke incidence and case fatality: a 9-year prospective population-based study in an elderly population of Bagheria, Italy.

Background: The incidence of stroke in high-income countries has been on the decline; however, few epidemiological surveys have been conducted in recent years to specifically estimate the incidence along with outcome of stroke, in Italy. This study aimed to examine the incidence and case fatality rates of stroke in an elderly Italian population.

Methods: A cohort of 2200 people > 65 years was randomly stratified from the total elderly population of Bagheria, Italy.

Analysis of the LRP10 gene in patients with Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies from Southern Italy.

Recently, the LRP10 gene has been associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of mutations of the LRP10 gene in patients with PD or DLB from Southern Italy. Sequencing analysis revealed only 2 missense and 3 synonymous variants in patients and control subjects and a rare variant p.

DCTN1 mutation analysis in Italian patients with PSP, MSA, and DLB.

DCTN1 encodes the largest subunit of dynactin complex essential in the retrograde axonal transport and cytoplasmic transport of vesicles; mutations in DCTN1 have been reported predominantly in individuals with Perry syndrome and, recently, in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy. Our genetic screening of DCTN1 in 79 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, 100 patients with multiple system atrophy, and 28 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies from Italy revealed only synonymous and intronic variants, suggesting that DCTN1 mutations do not have a key role in the development of atypical parkinsonism in the Italian population.

Intraoperative imaging findings in transcranial MR imaging-guided focused ultrasound treatment at 1.5T may accurately detect typical lesional findings correlated with sonication parameters.

Objectives: To assess the intraoperative neuroimaging findings in patients treated with transcranial MR-guided focused ultrasound (tcMRgFUS) thalamotomy using 1.5T equipment in comparison with the 48-h follow-up.

Methods: Fifty prospectively enrolled patients undergoing unilateral tcMRgFUS thalamotomy for either medication-refractory essential tremor (n = 39) or Parkinson tremor (n = 11) were included.

Effects of transcranial random noise stimulation combined with Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program (GRASP) on motor rehabilitation of the upper limb in sub-acute ischemic stroke patients: a randomized pilot study.

We evaluated the combined use of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) with the Graded Repetitive Arm Supplementary Program (GRASP) in sub-acute ischemic stroke patients suffering from arm impairment. Eighteen ischemic stroke patients with upper limb disability were randomly assigned to either the GRASP + tRNS or GRASP + Sham stimulation group. Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper extremity (FMA-UE) was performed to evaluate upper limb impairment before treatment (T0), after the last stimulation (T1) and after 30 days (T2).

Cognitive and motor effects of Kinect-based games training in people with and without Parkinson disease: A preliminary study.

Objective: Purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of training with six commercial Xbox Kinect games on cognitive and motor aspects in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and to compare the effects with a group of paired healthy subjects.

Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental, controlled trial. Eight individuals with PD (mean age 68.

Urological dysfunctions in patients with Parkinson's disease: clues from clinical and non-invasive urological assessment.

Background: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction, common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), causes significant morbidity and it is correlated with poor quality of life. To assess frequency of urinary symptoms in patients with PD, without conditions known to interfere with urinary function.

Methods: Non-demented PD patients were consecutively enrolled from the outpatients clinic of our department.