Prevalence of and risk factors for sarcopenia in patients with epilepsy.

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder with a burden of comorbidities. Knowledge regarding sarcopenia prevalence and associated risk factors in patients with epilepsy remains limited, which prompted us to conduct the present study.

Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients with epilepsy from our epilepsy clinic and controls from the staff at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.

The asymptomatic bacteriuria in the patients with epilepsy: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by repetitive unprovoked seizures. While certain anti-seizure medications have been linked to urinary tract infections, limited information exists on the occurrence and risk factors of asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) in individuals with epilepsy. This study aims to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with ASB in patients with epilepsy.

The Role of Epileptic Activity in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia. Epileptic seizures or epileptic activity have been detected in AD, and people with epilepsy have a higher risk of dementia compared to the general population. This suggests that seizures or epileptic activity might often coexist with AD.

ETFDH mutation involves excessive apoptosis and neurite outgrowth defect via Bcl2 pathway.

The most common mutation in southern Chinese individuals with late-onset multiple acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD; a fatty acid metabolism disorder) is c.250G > A (p.Ala84Thr) in the electron transfer flavoprotein dehydrogenase gene (ETFDH).

Recent progress in engineering to synthesize the biochemicals and biocommodities.

Excessive mining and utilization fossil fuels has led to drastic environmental consequences, which will contribute to global warming and cause further climate change with severe consequences for the human population. The magnitude of these challenges requires several approaches to develop sustainable alternatives for chemicals and fuels production. In this context, biological processes, mainly microbial fermentation, have gained particular interest.

The Primary Prevention of Poststroke Epilepsy in Patients With Middle Cerebral Artery Infarct: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Poststroke epilepsy poses a significant clinical challenge for individuals recovering from strokes, leading to a less favorable long-term outlook and increased mortality rates. Existing studies have primarily concentrated on administering antiseizure or anticonvulsant treatments only after the onset of late-onset seizures, without intervening during the epileptogenesis phase following a stroke.

Objective: This research protocol is designed to conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess whether the early, preventive introduction of low-dose antiepileptic drug therapy (levetiracetam [LEV] or perampanel [PER]) in patients who have experienced middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction can reduce the risk of developing poststroke epilepsy (primary prevention).

Advances in synthetic biology toolboxes paving the way for mechanistic understanding and strain engineering of gut commensal Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp.

The gut microbiota plays a significant role in influencing human immunity, metabolism, development, and behavior by producing a wide range of metabolites. While there is accumulating data on several microbiota-derived small molecules that contribute to host health and disease, our knowledge regarding the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolite-mediated microbe-host interactions remains limited. This is primarily due to the lack of efficient genetic tools for most commensal bacteria, especially those belonging to the dominant phyla Bacteroides spp.

Identification of New Antiseizure Medication Candidates in Preclinical Animal Studies.

Epilepsy is a multifactorial neurologic disease that often leads to many devastating disabilities and an enormous burden on the healthcare system. Until now, drug-resistant epilepsy has presented a major challenge for approximately 30% of the epileptic population. The present article summarizes the validated rodent models of seizures employed in pharmacological researches and comprehensively reviews updated advances of novel antiseizure candidates in the preclinical phase.

Unilateral non-lesional temporal lobe epilepsy presenting as isolated ictal vertigo: a case report.

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common focal epilepsy syndrome and has a broad spectrum of presentations. Nevertheless, isolated vestibular symptoms without other symptoms typical of temporal lobe seizures are relatively rare. Here, we report one female patient who suffered from chronic refractory vertigo and had inappropriate pharmacotherapy for several years.

Effectiveness and Safety of Lacosamide, A Third-generation Anti-seizure Medication, for Poststroke Seizure and Epilepsy: A Literature Review.

Advances in stroke treatment have resulted in a dramatic reduction in stroke mortality. Nevertheless, poststroke seizures and epilepsy are issues of clinical importance affecting survivors. Additionally, stroke is the most common cause of epilepsy in older adults.

The Role of Glutamate Receptors in Epilepsy.

Glutamate is an essential excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, playing an indispensable role in neuronal development and memory formation. The dysregulation of glutamate receptors and the glutamatergic system is involved in numerous neurological and psychiatric disorders, especially epilepsy. There are two main classes of glutamate receptor, namely ionotropic and metabotropic (mGluRs) receptors.

The Roles of Glutamate Receptors and Their Antagonists in Status Epilepticus, Refractory Status Epilepticus, and Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus.

Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency with a high mortality rate. When compared to chronic epilepsy, it is distinguished by the durability of seizures and frequent resistance to benzodiazepine (BZD). The Receptor Trafficking Hypothesis, which suggests that the downregulation of γ-Aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors, and upregulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors play major roles in the establishment of SE is the most widely accepted hypothesis underlying BZD resistance.

Rufinamide, a Triazole-Derived Antiepileptic Drug, Stimulates Ca-Activated K Currents While Inhibiting Voltage-Gated Na Currents.

Rufinamide (RFM) is a clinically utilized antiepileptic drug that, as a triazole derivative, has a unique structure. The extent to which this drug affects membrane ionic currents remains incompletely understood. With the aid of patch clamp technology, we investigated the effects of RFM on the amplitude, gating, and hysteresis of ionic currents from pituitary GH lactotrophs.

Brain Imaging in Epilepsy-Focus on Diffusion-Weighted Imaging.

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder; 1% of people worldwide have epilepsy. Differentiating epileptic seizures from other acute neurological disorders in a clinical setting can be challenging. Approximately one-third of patients have drug-resistant epilepsy that is not well controlled by current antiepileptic drug therapy.

Interventions for Body Composition and Upper and Lower Extremity Muscle Strength in Older Adults in Rural Taiwan: A Horizontal Case Study.

The purpose of this study was to understand the effects of a physical activity program and high-protein supplementation on body composition and upper and lower extremity muscle strength in male older adults in rural areas. In this study, 60 healthy male older adults (mean age 77.5 ± 4.

Immunity, Ion Channels and Epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder in modern society. One of the major unmet challenges is that current antiseizure medications are basically not disease-modifying. Among the multifaceted etiologies of epilepsy, the role of the immune system has attracted considerable attention in recent years.

Zingerone Modulates Neuronal Voltage-Gated Na and L-Type Ca Currents.

Zingerone (ZO), a nontoxic methoxyphenol, has been demonstrated to exert various important biological effects. However, its action on varying types of ionic currents and how they concert in neuronal cells remain incompletely understood. With the aid of patch clamp technology, we investigated the effects of ZO on the amplitude, gating, and hysteresis of plasmalemmal ionic currents from both pituitary tumor (GH) cells and hippocampal (mHippoE-14) neurons.

The Discordance between Network Excitability and Cognitive Performance Following Vigabatrin Treatment during Epileptogenesis.

Vigabatrin (VGB), a potent selective γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T) inhibitor, is an approved non-traditional anti-seizure drug for patients with intractable epilepsy. Nevertheless, its effect on epileptogenesis, and whether this effect is correlated with post-epileptogenic cognitive function remain unclear. Based on lithium-pilocarpine-induced seizure modeling, we evaluated the effect of VGB on epileptogenesis and neuronal damage following status epilepticus in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Status Epilepticus Mortality Risk Factors and a Correlation Survey with the Newly Modified STESS.

Background: Status epilepticus (SE) is a neurological emergency and is usually associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates. Several clinical scales have been proposed to predict the clinical outcome of such incidents, including the Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS), the modified STESS (mSTESS), and the Encephalitis-Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus-Diazepam Resistance-Image Abnormalities-Tracheal intubation (END-IT). Nevertheless, there is still a need for a more practical and precise predictive scale.

Prevalence and Initial Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy in Preterm and Term-Born Children in Taiwan: A Nationwide, Population-Based Cohort Study.

The aim of this long-term longitudinal study in Taiwan was to estimate and compare the prevalence of cerebral palsy (CP) and to identify the age of CP diagnosis of term-born and preterm children with different birthweights. Records of 1494 extremely low birth weight (ELBW, <1000 g), 3961 very low birth weight (VLBW, 1000-1499 g), 19,612 low birth weight (LBW, 1500-2499 g) preterm, and 100,268 matched term-born children were retrieved from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. According to a 12-year retrospective data review, the results showed the highest prevalence of CP in preterm ELBW children (147.

Gastrodin alleviates seizure severity and neuronal excitotoxicities in the rat lithium-pilocarpine model of temporal lobe epilepsy via enhancing GABAergic transmission.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Temporal lobe epilepsy remains one of the most drug-resistant focal epilepsy, leading to enormous healthcare burden. Among traditional herb medicine, some ingredients have the potential to treat seizure and alleviate the neuronal excitoxicity. The dried rhizome of Gastrodia elata Blume has been used to treat convulsive disorder, dizziness, dementia and migraine in eastern Asia.

The Specific Effects of OD-1, a Peptide Activator, on Voltage-Gated Sodium Current and Seizure Susceptibility.

OD-1, a scorpion toxin, has been previously recognized as an activator of voltage-gated Na currents. To what extent this agent can alter hippocampal neuronal Na currents and network excitability and how it can be applied to neuronal hyperexcitability research remains unclear. With the aid of patch-clamp technology, it was revealed that, in mHippoE-14 hippocampal neurons, OD-1 produced a concentration-, time-, and state-dependent rise in the peak amplitude of .

Telmisartan, an Antagonist of Angiotensin II Receptors, Accentuates Voltage-Gated Na Currents and Hippocampal Neuronal Excitability.

Telmisartan (TEL), a non-peptide blocker of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor, is a widely used antihypertensive agent. Nevertheless, its neuronal ionic effects and how they potentially affect neuronal network excitability remain largely unclear. With the aid of patch-clamp technology, the effects of TEL on membrane ion currents present in hippocampal neurons (mHippoE-14 cells) were investigated.

Characterization of the Inhibitory Effect of Gastrodigenin and Gastrodin on M-type K Currents in Pituitary Cells and Hippocampal Neurons.

Gastrodigenin (HBA) and gastrodin (GAS) are phenolic ingredients found in Gastrodia elata Blume (GEB), a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. These compounds have been previously used to treat cognitive dysfunction, convulsion, and dizziness. However, at present, there is no available information regarding their potential ionic effects in electrically excitable cells.

The Novel Direct Modulatory Effects of Perampanel, an Antagonist of AMPA Receptors, on Voltage-Gated Sodium and M-type Potassium Currents.

Perampanel (PER) is a selective blocker of AMPA receptors showing efficacy in treating various epileptic disorders including brain tumor-related epilepsy and also potential in treating motor neuron disease. However, besides its inhibition of AMPA-induced currents, whether PER has any other direct ionic effects in different types of neurons remains largely unknown. We investigated the effects of PER and related compounds on ionic currents in different types of cells, including hippocampal mHippoE-14 neurons, motor neuron-like NSC-34 cells and U87 glioma cells.