Early Clinical Variables Associated With Refractory Convulsive Status Epilepticus in Children.

Background And Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine patient-specific factors known proximate to the presentation to emergency care associated with the development of refractory convulsive status epilepticus (RSE) in children.

Methods: An observational case-control study was conducted comparing pediatric patients (1 month-21 years) with convulsive SE whose seizures stopped after benzodiazepine (BZD) and a single second-line antiseizure medication (ASM) (responsive established status epilepticus [rESE]) with patients requiring more than a BZD and a single second-line ASM to stop their seizures (RSE). These subpopulations were obtained from the pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group study cohort.

KCND2 variants associated with global developmental delay differentially impair Kv4.2 channel gating.

Here, we report on six unrelated individuals, all presenting with early-onset global developmental delay, associated with impaired motor, speech and cognitive development, partly with developmental epileptic encephalopathy and physical dysmorphisms. All individuals carry heterozygous missense variants of KCND2, which encodes the voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channel α-subunit Kv4.2.

Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus in Children: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: To characterize the pediatric super-refractory status epilepticus population by describing treatment variability in super-refractory status epilepticus patients and comparing relevant clinical characteristics, including outcomes, between super-refractory status epilepticus, and nonsuper-refractory status epilepticus patients.

Design: Retrospective cohort study with prospectively collected data between June 2011 and January 2019.

Setting: Seventeen academic hospitals in the United States.

Clinical presentation of new onset refractory status epilepticus in children (the pSERG cohort).

Objective: We aimed to characterize the clinical profile and outcomes of new onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) in children, and investigated the relationship between fever onset and status epilepticus (SE).

Methods: Patients with refractory SE (RSE) between June 1, 2011 and October 1, 2016 were prospectively enrolled in the pSERG (Pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group) cohort. Cases meeting the definition of NORSE were classified as "NORSE of known etiology" or "NORSE of unknown etiology.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Firefighters: Initial Results of a Multi-Phased Study.

Objective: To address which body composition (BC) measures best correlate with cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in firefighters and develop a model for accurate CRF estimation compared with traditional methods.

Methods: Career firefighters had body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) measured in addition to body fat percentage (FM%) by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). CRF as maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) was estimated by rowing machine and measured by indirect calorimetry in a treadmill exercise test.

The VOICES Typology of Curatorial Decisions in Narrative Collections of the Lived Experiences of Mental Health Service Use, Recovery, or Madness: Qualitative Study.

Background: Collections of lived experience narratives are increasingly used in health research and medical practice. However, there is limited research with respect to the decision-making processes involved in curating narrative collections and the work that curators do as they build and publish collections.

Objective: This study aims to develop a typology of curatorial decisions involved in curating narrative collections presenting lived experiences of mental health service use, recovery, or madness and to document approaches selected by curators in relation to identified curatorial decisions.

The NEALS primary lateral sclerosis registry.

Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive upper motor neuron dysfunction. Because PLS patients represent only 1 to 4% of patients with adult motor neuron diseases, there is limited information about the disease's natural history. The objective of this study was to establish a large multicenter retrospective longitudinal registry of PLS patients seen at Northeast ALS Consortium (NEALS) sites to better characterize the natural progression of PLS.

Association of guideline publication and delays to treatment in pediatric status epilepticus.

Objective: To determine whether publication of evidence on delays in time to treatment shortens time to treatment in pediatric refractory convulsive status epilepticus (rSE), we compared time to treatment before (2011-2014) and after (2015-2019) publication of evidence of delays in treatment of rSE in the Pediatric Status Epilepticus Research Group (pSERG) as assessed by patient interviews and record review.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected dataset from June 2011 to September 2019 on pediatric patients (1 month-21 years of age) with rSE.

Results: We studied 328 patients (56% male) with median (25th-75th percentile [p-p]) age of 3.

The onset of pediatric refractory status epilepticus is not distributed uniformly during the day.

Purpose: To evaluate whether the onset of pediatric refractory status epilepticus (rSE) is related to time of day.

Method: We analyzed the time of day for the onset of rSE in this prospective observational study performed from June 2011 to May 2019 in pediatric patients (1 month to 21 years of age). We evaluated the temporal distribution of pediatric rSE utilizing a cosinor analysis.

Automated detection of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy risk factors in electronic medical records using natural language processing.

Objective: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is an important cause of mortality in epilepsy. However, there is a gap in how often providers counsel patients about SUDEP. One potential solution is to electronically prompt clinicians to provide counseling via automated detection of risk factors in electronic medical records (EMRs).

Ictal onset patterns of subdural intracranial electroencephalogram in children: How helpful for predicting epilepsy surgery outcome?

Aims: We aimed to classify ictal onset patterns (IOPs) in pediatric patients undergoing intracranial electroencephalography (IEEG) to guide surgery for refractory epilepsy. We aimed to determine if morphology of IOPs can predict surgical outcome.

Materials And Methods: We performed a retrospective review of pediatric patients who underwent epilepsy surgery guided by subdural IEEG from 2007 to 2016.

Hospital Emergency Treatment of Convulsive Status Epilepticus: Comparison of Pathways From Ten Pediatric Research Centers.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate and compare the status epilepticus treatment pathways used by pediatric status epilepticus research group (pSERG) hospitals in the United States and the American Epilepsy Society (AES) status epilepticus guideline.

Methods: We undertook a descriptive analysis of recommended timing, dosing, and medication choices in 10 pSERG hospitals' status epilepticus treatment pathways.

Results: One pathway matched the timeline in the AES guideline; nine pathways described more rapid timings.

Factors associated with treatment delays in pediatric refractory convulsive status epilepticus.

Objective: To identify factors associated with treatment delays in pediatric patients with convulsive refractory status epilepticus (rSE).

Methods: This prospective, observational study was performed from June 2011 to March 2017 on pediatric patients (1 month to 21 years of age) with rSE. We evaluated potential factors associated with increased treatment delays in a Cox proportional hazards model.

Common terms for rare epilepsies: Synonyms, associated terms, and links to structured vocabularies.

Identifying individuals with rare epilepsy syndromes in electronic data sources is difficult, in part because of missing codes in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) system. Our objectives were the following: (1) to describe the representation of rare epilepsies in other medical vocabularies, to identify gaps; and (2) to compile synonyms and associated terms for rare epilepsies, to facilitate text and natural language processing tools for cohort identification and population-based surveillance. We describe the representation of 33 epilepsies in 3 vocabularies: Orphanet, SNOMED-CT, and UMLS-Metathesaurus.

Prediction of Future Epilepsy in Neonates With Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy Who Received Selective Head Cooling.

Epilepsy outcomes after therapeutic hypothermia for neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy are understudied. The authors used multivariable logistic regression to predict epilepsy in neonates after selective head cooling. Sensitivity analyses used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) interpretations by different clinicians.

Triplet exciton dissociation and electron extraction in graphene-templated pentacene observed with ultrafast spectroscopy.

We compare the ultrafast dynamics of singlet fission and charge generation in pentacene films grown on glass and graphene. Pentacene grown on graphene is interesting because it forms large crystals with the long axis of the molecules "lying-down" (parallel to the surface). At low excitation fluence, spectra for pentacene on graphene contain triplet absorptions at 507 and 545 nm and no bleaching at 630 nm, which we show is due to the orientation of the pentacene molecules.

Refractory status epilepticus in children with and without prior epilepsy or status epilepticus.

Objective: To compare refractory convulsive status epilepticus (rSE) management and outcome in children with and without a prior diagnosis of epilepsy and with and without a history of status epilepticus (SE).

Methods: This was a prospective observational descriptive study performed from June 2011 to May 2016 on pediatric patients (1 month-21 years of age) with rSE.

Results: We enrolled 189 participants (53% male) with a median (25th-75th percentile) age of 4.

Recent Advances in Neonatal Seizures.

Purpose Of Review: This article strives to review and summarize selected recent literature and topics contributing to a greater understanding of the diagnosis and treatments of neonatal seizures that have emerged in the past several years.

Recent Findings: Continuous EEG is recommended as the gold standard for neonatal seizure monitoring as it can provide additional information that may stratify patients by etiology, as well as identify at-risk groups of newborns for neuromonitoring. Investigations are moving beyond traditional antiepileptic agents in search of treatments with better efficacy and with less concern for developmental effects.

Ultrafast Exciton Hopping Observed in Bare Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Thin Films with Two-Dimensional White-Light Spectroscopy.

We observe ultrafast energy transfer between bare carbon nanotubes in a thin film using two-dimensional (2D) white-light spectroscopy. Using aqueous two-phase separation, semiconducting carbon nanotubes are purified from their metallic counterparts and condensed into a 10 nm thin film with no residual surfactant. Cross peak intensities put the time scale for energy transfer at <60 fs, and 2D anisotropy measurements determine that energy transfer is most efficient between parallel nanotubes, thus favoring directional energy flow.

Energy transfer pathways in semiconducting carbon nanotubes revealed using two-dimensional white-light spectroscopy.

Thin film networks of highly purified semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are being explored for energy harvesting and optoelectronic devices because of their exceptional transport and optical properties. The nanotubes in these films are in close contact, which permits energy to flow through the films, although the pathways and mechanisms for energy transfer are largely unknown. Here we use a broadband continuum to collect femtosecond two-dimensional white-light spectra.