Creation of a gene expression classifier for predicting Parkinson's disease rate of progression.

Parkinson's disease (PD) etiology is heterogeneous, genetic, and multi-factorial, resulting in a varied disease from a mild slow progression to a more severe rapid progression. Prognostic information on the nature of the patient's disease at diagnosis aids the physician in counseling patients on treatment options and life planning. In a cohort of PD patients from the PPMI study, the relative gene expression levels of SKP1A, UBE2K, ALDH1A1, PSMC4, HSPA8 and LAMB2 were measured in baseline blood samples by real-time quantitative PCR.

Inhibitors of MAO-A and MAO-B in Psychiatry and Neurology.

Inhibitors of MAO-A and MAO-B are in clinical use for the treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders respectively. Elucidation of the molecular structure of the active sites of the enzymes has enabled a precise determination of the way in which substrates and inhibitor molecules are metabolized, or inhibit metabolism of substrates, respectively. Despite the knowledge of the strong antidepressant efficacy of irreversible MAO inhibitors, their clinical use has been limited by their side effect of potentiation of the cardiovascular effects of dietary amines ("cheese effect").

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) combined with cognitive training is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: clinical experience.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia among the elderly. Common treatments available and non-pharmacological interventions have their limitations, and new therapeutic approaches are critically needed. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that generates an electric current-inducing modulation in cortical excitability.

Frequent misdiagnosis of adult polyglucosan body disease.

Adult polyglucosan body disease (APBD) is a rare glycogenosis manifesting progressive spastic paraparesis, sensorimotor polyneuropathy and neurogenic bladder. Misdiagnosis of APBD may lead to unnecessary investigations and to potentially harmful therapeutic interventions. To examine the frequency of misdiagnosis of APBD, we retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 30 patients diagnosed between 1991 and 2013.

Management of comorbidities in diabetics with renal cell carcinoma: past utilization and current outcomes.

Objectives: This study evaluated whether particular diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidemia, or hypertension pharmacotherapy was associated with improved renal cell carcinoma (RCC) outcomes in diabetics with emergent RCC.

Methods: All DM cases newly diagnosed with RCC at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (January 01, 2003-December 31, 2010) were included (n = 95). Baseline demographic information, clinical history, and cancer outcomes were documented after chart review.

Clinical and neurophysiological aspects of anatomical variants in dorsomedial hand innervation.

Objective: Three patients presented with painful paraesthesias in the dorsomedial aspect of the hand after removal of a ganglion cyst of the dorsal lower third of the forearm. This hand territory is usually innervated by the dorsal cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve (DCU) but here it was innervated by a branch of the radial superficial nerve (RS). Consequently, we aimed to examine the frequency of this variant in the general population.

Selecting deep brain stimulation or infusion therapies in advanced Parkinson's disease: an evidence-based review.

Motor complications in Parkinson's disease (PD) result from the short half-life and irregular plasma fluctuations of oral levodopa. When strategies of providing more continuous dopaminergic stimulation by adjusting oral medication fail, patients may be candidates for one of three device-aided therapies: deep brain stimulation (DBS), continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion, or continuous duodenal/jejunal levodopa/carbidopa pump infusion (DLI). These therapies differ in their invasiveness, side-effect profile, and the need for nursing care.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with cognitive training is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a randomized, double-blind study.

Cortical excitability can be modulated using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Previously, we showed that rTMS combined with cognitive training (rTMS-COG) has positive results in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The goal of this randomized double-blind, controlled study was to examine the safety and efficacy of rTMS-COG in AD.

A molecular signature in blood identifies early Parkinson's disease.

Background: The search for biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD) is crucial to identify the disease early and monitor the effectiveness of neuroprotective therapies. We aim to assess whether a gene signature could be detected in blood from early/mild PD patients that could support the diagnosis of early PD, focusing on genes found particularly altered in the substantia nigra of sporadic PD.

Results: The transcriptional expression of seven selected genes was examined in blood samples from 62 early stage PD patients and 64 healthy age-matched controls.

Decreased amplitude of detrusor overactivity by repetitive swallowing.

Purpose: We determined whether swallowing has an effect on the degree of urinary urgency and on the amplitude of detrusor contraction during filling cystometry in patients with detrusor overactivity.

Materials And Methods: Included in study were 20 consecutive patients with detrusor overactivity. During urodynamics the mean peak pressure of each contraction was documented and compared.

Rapid improvement of tardive dyskinesia with tetrabenazine, clonazepam and clozapine combined: a naturalistic long-term follow-up study.

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a complex involuntary movement disorder affecting about 23% of neuroleptic-treated patients. Our objective was to retrospectively analyze a combination of tetrabenazine (TBZ), clonazepam (CLONAZ) and clozapine (CLOZ) used simultaneously for TD in psychotic patients. Six patients with severe, unsuccessfully controlled TD were referred for treatment (mean age 51.

Hypoxemia correlates with attentional dysfunction in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

Purpose: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with cognitive impairment, but whether hypoxemia or repeated arousals and sleepiness are the underlying mechanism is controversial. Studies using a wide range of attention and executive functions tests in patients with severe sleep apnea are lacking.

Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 40 patients aged 30-70 years, diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index ≥5) were recruited.

Effect of rasagiline as adjunct therapy to levodopa on severity of OFF in Parkinson's disease.

Background: The LARGO study demonstrated that rasagiline 1 mg/day as adjunct to levodopa significantly reduces OFF time to the same magnitude as adjunct entacapone. This substudy of LARGO aimed to assess the effect of rasagiline and entacapone on the motor symptoms of PD during the practically defined OFF state.

Methods: LARGO was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial that assessed the efficacy and safety of rasagiline (1 mg/day), entacapone (200 mg with each levodopa dose), and placebo in 687 levodopa-treated PD patients with motor fluctuations.

Measles-vaccinated Israeli boy with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is a rare neurologic disorder of childhood and adolescence. We describe a 16-year-old boy who manifested the disease despite proper vaccinations. He was hospitalized because of bedwetting, involuntary limb movements, abnormal speech, and balance disturbances.

High prevalence of malignant melanoma in Israeli patients with Parkinson's disease.

The risk of melanoma is higher in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) than in the general population. Whether the association is disease related or treatment related is unclear. The objective of this study was to assess melanoma prevalence in PD patients in Israel using active dermatologic screening.

Beneficial effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with cognitive training for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: a proof of concept study.

The current drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is only partially and temporary effective. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive technique that generates an electric current inducing modulation in cortical excitability. In addition, cognitive training (COG) may improve cognitive functions in AD.

Long-term follow-up of patients with asymptomatic occlusion of the internal carotid artery with good and impaired cerebral vasomotor reactivity.

Background: Cerebral hemodynamic status might be prognostic for either the symptomatic or asymptomatic course of carotid occlusive disease. It is determined by evaluating cerebral vasomotor reactivity (VMR). We assessed VMR in asymptomatic patients with total occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and followed them to evaluate the role of impaired VMR in predicting ischaemic stroke (IS).

Hallucinations and psychosis in Parkinson's disease.

Although Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered mainly a movement disorder, robust information accumulated during the last 30 years has shown that about 30% of PD patients may also suffer from psychosis, which deeply affects their quality of life and eventually brings them to permanent hospitalization in nursing homes. PD psychosis (PDPsy) mainly occurs after 10 or more years of treatment. The main features of PDPsy include recurrent and continuous hallucinations and delusions for at least 1 month.

The effects of immediate and short-term retest on the latencies and amplitudes of the auditory event-related potentials in healthy adults.

Objective: To evaluate the immediate and short-term effects of repeated within session trials on N1, P2, N2 and P3 latencies and P2, N2 and P3 amplitudes in healthy adults.

Materials And Methods: ERPs were elicited by the auditory oddball paradigm and recorded over Fz, Cz and Pz in 18 healthy adults over two sessions, one to three days apart, and two within session trials with one to three minutes trial-retrial interval. The ERPs' latencies and amplitudes were blindly calculated and were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures.

Admission of Parkinsonian patients to a neurological ward in a community hospital.

Hospitalization is a significant factor contributing to health care costs related to management of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. We reviewed reasons for admission of PD patients to our Neurological Department over a 6-year period. Thereafter, we applied an "open door" policy to try to diminish the number of hospitalizations.

Cognitive evaluation of patients with chronic neurolathyrism.

Objective: The object of the present study was to evaluate whether patients with neurolathyrism (NL) have cognitive abnormalities, and whether the cognitive decline, if found, correlates with the motor deficit.

Background: NL is a neurological syndrome that develops following ingestion of the grass pea (Lathyrus Sativus). These beans have excellent nutritional properties but contain the neurotoxin beta-N-oxalylamino-l-alanine (BOAA), suggested to be responsible for the development of CNL with the main symptom being spastic paraparesis.

Survival in Parkinson's disease: the effect of dementia.

In order to evaluate the effect of dementia on survival in Parkinson 's disease (PD), we followed a series of 250 PD over a period of 5 years. Dementia was determined according to DSM-III-R criteria. Survival analysis of PD patients with dementia vs.