Validation of the Hebrew Version of the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale.

Background: The Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) is a well-established tool for producing comprehensive assessments of severity and disability associated with dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The scale was originally developed in English, and a broad international effort has been undertaken to develop and validate versions in additional languages. Our aim was to validate the Hebrew version of the UDysRS.

Validation of the Hebrew version of the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

Background: The Movement Disorders Society (MDS) published the English new Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) as the official benchmark scale for Parkinson's disease (PD) in 2008. We aimed to validate the Hebrew version of the MDS-UPDRS, explore its dimensionality and compare it to the original English one.

Methods: The MDS-UPDRS questionnaire was translated to Hebrew and was tested on 389 patients with PD, treated at the Movement Disorders Unit at Tel-Aviv Medical Center.

Relationship between Homocysteine and Muscle Strength Decline: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Background: Decreased muscle strength is strongly associated with future mobility limitations in older adults. Homocysteine is a risk factor for vascular disease and may exacerbate muscle strength decline. The present study aimed to examine the association between homocysteine levels and muscle strength in adults aged 50 years or older.

Autonomic and electrocardiographic findings in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms and signs. Many reports suggest that diminished heart rate variability occurs early, even prior to the cardinal signs of PD. In a longitudinal study of PD, we evaluated whether heart rate variability (HRV) obtained using a 10-second ECG tracing, and the electrocardiographic QT-interval would be associated with PD severity and progression.

Regular Exercise, Quality of Life, and Mobility in Parkinson's Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis of National Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiative Data.

Background: Research-based exercise interventions improve health-related quality of life (HRQL) and mobility in people with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To examine whether exercise habits were associated with changes in HRQL and mobility over two years.

Methods: We identified a cohort of National Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiative (NPF-QII) participants with three visits.

Predictors of intensive care unit length of stay and intracranial pressure in severe traumatic brain injury.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship of intracranial pressure (ICP) with intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay in a large cohort of severe traumatic brain injury patients and identify factors associating with prolonged ICU course.

Methods: This was a single-center database review of de-identified research data that had been prospectively collected; setting: neurosurgical ICU, Ben Taub General Hospital, Houston, TX.

Results: In a cohort of 438 severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, 149 (34%) had a motor Glasgow Coma Scale score of 1 to 3 on admission and 284 (65%) had 4 to 5.

Effect of creatine monohydrate on clinical progression in patients with Parkinson disease: a randomized clinical trial.

Importance: There are no treatments available to slow or prevent the progression of Parkinson disease, despite its global prevalence and significant health care burden. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Exploratory Trials in Parkinson Disease program was established to promote discovery of potential therapies.

Objective: To determine whether creatine monohydrate was more effective than placebo in slowing long-term clinical decline in participants with Parkinson disease.

Rankin scale as a potential measure of global disability in early Parkinson's disease.

We conducted an exploratory analysis of the utility of the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) as a global measure of disability in early Parkinson's diesase (PD) using the baseline data from a large cohort of PD patients enrolled in a longitudinal study of creatine. The mRS is scored 0-6 with lower scores reflecting less disability. For the analysis the mRS score was dichotomized at <2 versus ≥2.