Evaluation of MR-Tractography Findings in Hemifacial Spasm Patients Injected with Botulinum Neurotoxin.

Background And Introduction: Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is a potent biological toxin extracted from Clostridium Botulinum bacteria. BoNT injection is mainly used for medical purposes; it is frequently used for cosmetic purposes as well. The hypothesis that frequent application of this treatment modality may also affect the central nervous system constitutes the subject of our study.

Evaluation of cognitive deficits in patients infected with COVID-19.

Objective: COVID-19 infection can cause impairments in many cognitive areas. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cognitive functions of patients who had been infected with COVID-19.

Patients And Methods: The demographic and infection-related characteristics of patients who had been infected with COVID-19 were determined.

Embryonic Crude Oil Exposure Impairs Growth and Lipid Allocation in a Keystone Arctic Forage Fish.

As Arctic ice recedes, future oil spills pose increasing risk to keystone species and the ecosystems they support. We show that Polar cod (Boreogadus saida), an energy-rich forage fish for marine mammals, seabirds, and other fish, are highly sensitive to developmental impacts of crude oil. Transient oil exposures ≥300 μg/L during mid-organogenesis disrupted the normal patterning of the jaw as well as the formation and function of the heart, in a manner expected to be lethal to post-hatch larvae.

Linking a compound-heterozygous Parkin mutant (Q311R and A371T) to Parkinson's disease by using proteomic and molecular approaches.

Parkin is an E3-protein ubiquitin ligase, which plays an important role as a scavenger in cell metabolism. Since the discovery of the link between Parkin and Parkinson's disease, Parkin was placed in the center of Parkinson's disease research. Previously, we isolated a mutant form of the Parkin protein (Q311R and A371T) from a Parkinson's disease patient.

The effect of etanercept and methylprednisolone on functional recovery of the facial nerve after crush injury.

Objective: To establish whether etanercept, a TNF-α antagonist, is an alternative and effective treatment on facial nerve after crush injury.

Method: Fifty-four rats underwent exposure of the left main trunk of the facial nerve followed by a standard crush injury. Animals were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group, methylprednisolone-treated group, and etanercept-treated group.