Outcome prediction value of nerve conduction studies for endoscopic carpal tunnel surgery.

Objective: Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common entrapment neuropathy. We explore the clinical use of nerve conduction study in the outcome prediction and preoperative selection for endoscopic carpal tunnel syndrome surgery.

Methods: Sixty-seven patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were prospectively enrolled.

Treatment outcome correlates with knowledge of disease in hemifacial spasm.

Objectives: Hemifacial spasm (HFS), a potentially disabling facial condition affects quality of life (QOL) and botulinum toxin is an effective treatment. No studies have examined whether a better level of knowledge of the disease would lead to an improved quality of life and treatment response in HFS. We examined the relationship between knowledge of disease with improvement in QOL following botulinum toxin treatment in HFS patients.

Evidence of increased odds of essential tremor in Parkinson's disease.

In a case control study using a standardized protocol, 600 subjects were evaluated for essential tremor (ET). We demonstrated that ET was significantly more frequent in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) (12/204, 5.9%) compared to diseased controls (2/206, 1%) and healthy controls (1/190, 0.

Case-control study of anxiety symptoms in hemifacial spasm.

In a case-control study, we evaluated symptoms in nine different psychological domains in hemifacial spasm (HFS; using the Symptom Checklist-90R [SCL-90R]) and found the anxiety score to be significantly greater in HFS compared to healthy controls in both the univariate (P = 0.004) and multivariate analysis (adjusted for sex, age, marital status, and educational level; P = 0.002).

Functional COMT variant predicts response to high dose pyridoxine in Parkinson's disease.

Pyridoxal-5-phosphate, the biological active form of pyridoxine, is a cofactor for dopa-decarboxylase (DDC) enzyme. Pyridoxine may augment the conversion of levodopa to dopamine in the periphery and therefore decrease availability of levodopa to the brain. However, this effect can be negated in the presence of a DDC inhibitor, which potentiates plasma levodopa level.

Behind the facial twitch: depressive symptoms in hemifacial spasm.

Background: Depression impairs psychosocial and occupational functioning and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality. Hemifacial spasm (HFS) causes social embarrassment and visual and verbal disability.

Objective: We examined; (1) the prevalence and predictive factors of depressive symptoms (Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) and clinical assessment) in HFS and (2) the sensitivity and specificity of BDI as a screening and diagnostic tool in HFS.

Botulinum toxin improves quality of life in hemifacial spasm: validation of a questionnaire (HFS-30).

Background: Hemifacial spasm (HFS) can be disabling and affect quality of life. There is a lack of a validated scale for evaluating botulinum toxin (BTX) response in HFS.

Objective: We examined the validity and reliability of a self-rating health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaire (HFS-30) in HFS and investigated the correlation of this questionnaire with the neurologists' assessment of severity of HFS and response to botulinum toxin (BTX) treatment.

Dopamine D2 receptor TaqIA and TaqIB polymorphisms in Parkinson's disease.

In a case control study, we examined the association of DRD2 Taq1A and Taq1B polymorphisms and risk of PD, and evaluated the strength of linkage disequilibrium of the polymorphisms. The Taq1A and Taq1B polymorphisms were in strong linkage disequilibrium. There was, however, no significant association of the two polymorphisms with PD.

Alpha synuclein promoter and risk of Parkinson's disease: microsatellite and allelic size variability.

Polymorphism of the alpha synuclein promoter region (non-amyloid component of plaques (NACP)-Rep1) is associated with an increased risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) in three separate studies. We studied NACP-Rep1 polymorphism in two independent case control studies in our population. In study one, 104 PD and 104 age, gender and race matched controls; and in study two, 102 PD and 102 age, gender and race matched controls were examined separately.