Introduction: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a global burden with an unknown etiology. Reorganization of the cortical representation of paraspinal muscles in the primary motor cortex (M1) may be related to the pathology. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), commonly used to map the functional organization of M1, is not potent enough to stimulate the cortical maps of paraspinal muscles in M1 in CLBP patients with reduced corticospinal excitability (CSE) with intensities even as high as maximum stimulator output (100% MSO).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) considers a rare cause of ischemic stroke (IS). We reported a case of a newly diagnosed patient with acquired immune-mediated TTP (iTTP), in whom two IS events developed during 48 h.
Case Presentation: A 59-year-old diabetic male was presented to the hospital 24 h after symptoms onset, including left hemiparesis, dysarthria, and decreased consciousness.
Background: Door-to-needle (DTN) is the duration between patient's arrival at the hospital and receiving intravenous thrombolysis in ischemic stroke settings, for which studies have reported delays in women. The "D's of stroke care" describes 8 steps (D1 to D8) in patients' time tracker. We implemented simple modifications to the "D's of stroke care" by splitting D4 and D6 steps into these substeps: patients' arrival to the emergency room (D4-A), early assessment by a neurologist (D4-B), neurologist decision on patient's eligibility to receive recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (D6-A), and patient's transfer to the stroke unit (D6-B).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTime plays a crucial role in acute stroke management, particularly in patients eligible for vascular intervention. Currently, the stroke chain of survival for the management of acute stroke comprises the following 8 steps (the "8Ds"): detection (D1), dispatch (D2), delivery (D3), door (D4), data (D5), decision (D6), drug/device (D7), and disposition (D8). We aimed to provide a more feasible, simple, and convenient model for the stroke chain of survival to identify the noticeable areas of delay in the care process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Design: Randomized controlled trial.
Objective: To determine the effects of advanced weight-bearing mat exercises (AWMEs) with/without functional electrical stimulation (FES) of the quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscles on the ability of wheelchair-dependent people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to transfer and attain independence in activities of daily living (ADLs).
Setting: An outpatient clinic, Iran.
Iran J Allergy Asthma Immunol
February 2019
Invasion of auto-reactive CD4+ T cells especially Th17 into central nervous system (CNS) is an underlying pathogenic mechanism in multiple sclerosis (MS). CD4+ T cells release exosomes which are enriched in microRNAs, reflective of cell's physiological or pathological condition. Thus exosomes could be potent agents to provide quantitative and qualitative information about involved cells in MS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Stroke is one of the most important health problems around the world. Care quality improvement in the acute phase is significantly influential on stroke prognosis. An acute stroke quality registry that is integrated with a guideline-based support tool is a powerful system for measuring and improving care quality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Stroke is a serious health threat around the world, particularly in developing countries. As a preventive action, disease registries have long been used in developed countries. Based on the globally accepted evidence, disease registries have an impressive positive impact on different dimensions of health care systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease which is characterized by neuroaxonal degeneration in the central nervous system. Impaired function of regulatory T cells (Tregs) is believed to be an underlying pathogenic mechanism in MS. Tregs is able to release exosomes, which contain a considerable amount of protein and RNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFQuality registry systems are very useful and have many benefits for clinical experts. Assessing the user experience while working with such a system is one of the most important steps in their development. An evaluation of the quality of the user experience allows designers to improve the system's usability and efficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBACKGROUND It is hypothesized that migraine may be related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), therefore in this cross-sectional study we evaluated the prevalence of migraine in patients with IBD. METHODS In this cross-sectional study 80 patients with IBD and 80 patients without IBD referring to a private gastroenterology clinic from May to January 2014 were evaluated regarding the prevalence of migraine, severity of migraine based on Headache Impact Test (HIT-6), and habits related to headache. RESULTS 160 participants with the mean age of 35 years were evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Intracellular aspartic proteinase A enzyme is expressed by the APR1 gene and is one of the important factors in the development of systemic candidiasis caused by Candida albicans.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of the APR1 gene in C. albicans isolates obtained from patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and from controls.
The purpose of this study was to compare the specific activity of proteinase A in Candida albicans (C. albicans) between multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and controls. A total of 135 and 100 C.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Considering the higher activity of mirror neuron system in females, they frequently have better performance in empathy, interpersonal sensitivity, and emotional recognition compared to males.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess whether gender difference in neuroanatomy of the human mirror neuron system has any impact on functional recovery of ischemic hemiparetic patients.
Patients And Methods: This single-blind clinical trial was conducted on 24 patients with cerebrovascular accident (CVA) in the age range of 45 - 60 years, referring at a rehabilitation center in Tehran, Iran, during 2013 - 2014.
The new-AEDs, whose developments were motivated following the discovery of the valproate and its marketing in the U.S in 1978, have presented more therapeutic options. There are approximately twenty four FDA-approved antiepileptic drugs for use in patients with epilepsy, five of which were identified and have come on to the market between 2009 and 2012.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe aimed to compare the association of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score with mortality risk and to determine the optimal threshold of CRP for prediction of mortality in ischemic-stroke patients. A series of 162 patients with first-ever ischemic-stroke admitted within 24 h after onset of symptoms was enrolled. CRP and NIHSS score were estimated on admission and their predictive abilities for mortality at 7 days were determined by logistic-regression analyses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: The aim of the current study was to design a new simpler form of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for use in emergency settings, and compare its predictive ability with original NIHSS score for mortality.
Methods: A total of 152 consecutive patients with first ever ischemic stroke admitted to a university affiliated hospital were recruited. NIHSS score on admission was estimated and the predictive ability of NIHSS items for mortality at 28 days was evaluated by logistic regression.
Primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) is an idiopathic disorder (vasculitis) restricted to the central nervous system (CNS). It often presents with focal neurological deficits suggesting stroke or a combination of confusion and headache. We herein report three cases with various combinations of fever, partial seizure, encephalopathy, paresis, headache and ataxia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: High sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a systemic inflammatory marker that is produced in a large amount by hepatocytes in response to interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor after ischemic stroke.
Methods: Measurement of hs-CRP in the first 24 hours of onset in 162 patients suffering from ischemic stroke was done. Relation of CRP with the risk of early mortality, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), stroke subtypes and other factors was determined.
Spreading depression (SD) is an intrinsic bioelectrical property of the human central nervous system, which plays a key role in neurological disorders. In the present study, we investigated whether experimentally induced repetitive SD caused neuronal death in cortical and subcortical regions of the juvenile rat brain. The animals were anesthetized and the electrodes as well as a cannula were implanted over the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe underlying structure of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) as the most widely used scale in clinical trials has been the focus of little attention. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the clustering pattern of NIHSS items in ischemic stroke patients. A series of 152 consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic strokes admitted to a university affiliated hospital were enrolled.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress through the changes in the levels of reactive oxygen species and antioxidative parameters can cause various neurological disorders. The aim of the present study was to show antioxidant activity (AOA) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in affected people with Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) and multiple sclerosis (MS). A total of 15 GBS patients, 13 MS patients, and 15 age and sex matched controls were included in this study.
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