The Effect of Pre-Exercise Caffeine and Glucose Ingestion on Endurance Capacity in Hypoxia: A Double-Blind Crossover Trial.

The impact of caffeine and glucose supplementation in a hypoxic environment on endurance exercise performance remains inconclusive. The current study examined the effect of pre-exercise carbohydrate and caffeine supplementation on endurance exercise performance in an acute hypoxic environment. Eight healthy active young males participated in this double-blind, within-subjects crossover study.

Fighting Against the Clock: Circadian Disruption and Parkinson's Disease.

Circadian disruption is being increasingly recognized as a critical factor in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). This review aims to provide an in-depth overview of the relationship between circadian disruption and PD by exploring the molecular, cellular, and behavioral aspects of this interaction. This review will include a comprehensive understanding of how the clock gene system and transcription-translation feedback loops function and how they are diminished in PD.

Epigenetic regulation of Parkinson's disease risk variant GPNMB cg17274742 methylation by sex and exercise from Taiwan Biobank.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with an elusive etiology that involves the interaction between genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors. Recently, epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, have been recognized to play an important role in the onset of PD. Glycoprotein non-metastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB), a type I transmembrane protein crucial for immune cell activation and maturation, has emerged as a potential biomarker for the risk of PD.

Case report: Steroid-responsive acute chorea as first presentation of the coexistence of Moyamoya and Graves' disease.

Background: Chorea is a movement disorder characterized by abrupt, rapid, and uncontrollable, random movements from one part of the body to another with motor impersistence. Sporadic chorea is rarely caused by either thyrotoxicosis or Moyamoya disease (MMD).

Methods And Results: In this case report, we describe a female patient with chorea with the rare coexistence of Graves' disease and Moyamoya disease.

Sustained response in early responders to safinamide in patients with Parkinson's disease and motor fluctuations: A analysis of the SETTLE study.

Safinamide is a selective, reversible, monoamine oxidase B inhibitor for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and motor fluctuations. This was a analysis of the SETTLE study, in which patients with PD and motor fluctuations were randomly assigned to 24-week treatment with safinamide (50 mg/day for 2 weeks, increased to 100 mg/day if tolerated) or placebo. In the present analysis, responders were defined according to their treatment responses at Week 2 and Week 24 based on changes in ON-time without troublesome dyskinesia from baseline with cutoffs of 1 hour.

Walking Exercise Reduces Postprandial Lipemia but Does Not Influence Postprandial Hemorheological Properties and Oxidative Stress.

A higher postprandial triglycerides response and hemorheological abnormalities may increase the incidence of metabolic disorders and negatively interfere with the aging process. A single session of preprandial endurance exercise was found to be effective in reducing triglyceride levels after a high-fat diet. However, whether the exercise-induced reduction in postprandial triglyceride levels influences hemorheological indicators remains unknown.

Clinical and genetic characterization of a Taiwanese cohort with spastic paraparesis combined with cerebellar involvement.

Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative disorders clinically characterized by progressive lower-limb spasticity. Cerebellar ataxia commonly co-occurs with complicated HSPs. HSP with concurrent cerebellar ataxia has significant clinical and genetic overlaps with hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA) and other inherited neurological diseases, adding to the challenge of planning genetic testing for the disease.

Effects of modern technology (exergame and virtual reality) assisted rehabilitation vs conventional rehabilitation in patients with Parkinson's disease: a network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Modern technological applications, including exergames and virtual technology-assisted rehabilitation (VTAR) programmes, are promising for Parkinson's disease (PD) rehabilitation. However, evidence regarding their efficacy for rehabilitation is inconclusive.

Objectives: This network meta-analysis (NMA) investigated the efficacy of exergames and VTAR on gait and balance outcomes and acceptability for patients with PD.

Neurological Sequela of Acute Pesticide Poisoning Among Adults in Central Taiwan.

Cases of acute pesticide poisoning account for significant morbidity and mortality in developing countries; however, its burden in Taiwan remains unknown. The study examined acute pesticide poisoning (APP) involving adults in the central region of Taiwan, which is a mainly agricultural sub-urban area. The retrospective study evaluated the outcome and neurological sequelae of patients with APP in a Taiwanese cohort between April 2002 and February 2019.

Motor Dysfunction Questionnaire and Dopamine Transporter Imaging Composite Scale Improve Differentiating Dementia With Lewy Bodies From Alzheimer's Disease With Motor Dysfunction.

Characteristic parkinsonism is the major comorbidity of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). We aimed to differentiate DLB from Alzheimer's disease (AD) with motor dysfunction using a composite scale with a characteristic motor dysfunction questionnaire (MDQ) and dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging. It could help detect DLB easily in healthcare settings without movement disorder specialists.

Effects of home-based exercise on motor, non-motor symptoms and health-related quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients: A randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To explore the effect of home-based exercise on motor symptoms (MS), non-motor symptoms (NMS), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: This study was a randomized control trial with a convenience sample of 98 PD patients. Data were collected at baseline and interventions after 4 and 8 weeks.

EIF2AK2 Missense Variants Associated with Early Onset Generalized Dystonia.

Objective: The study was undertaken to identify a monogenic cause of early onset, generalized dystonia.

Methods: Methods consisted of genome-wide linkage analysis, exome and Sanger sequencing, clinical neurological examination, brain magnetic resonance imaging, and protein expression studies in skin fibroblasts from patients.

Results: We identified a heterozygous variant, c.

Retinal arterial occlusion with multiple retinal emboli and carotid artery occlusion disease. Haemodynamic changes and pathways of embolism.

Objective: To introduce a special subgroup, retinal artery occlusion (RAO) with multiple emboli, which is highly associated with ipsilateral carotid artery occlusion disease (CAOD).

Methods And Analysis: This is a cohort study. Cases of RAO with multiple retinal emboli were consecutively enrolled.

Growth hormone rescue cerebellar degeneration in SCA3 transgenic mice.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease for which no identified effective treatment or prevention methods exist. However, low-dose growth hormone (GH) therapy, as a potential off-label use, may deter the progress of SCA3. SCA3 15Q and SCA3 84Q transgenic mice harboring a YAC transgene that expresses the human ATXN3 gene with a pathogenic expanded 15 CAG repeat and 84 CAG repeat motif, respectively, were recruited.

Antidiabetic Agents for Treatment of Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

: Clinical and epidemiological studies suggest that two of the most common geriatric diseases, type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease (PD), are linked. These studies notably suggest that treatment of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes may beneficially modify the pathophysiology of PD and help to maintain motor and nonmotor function. In this meta-analysis, we evaluate the efficacy of new antidiabetic agents in the treatment of PD.

Dysphagia with fatal choking in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy: Case report.

Rationale: Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is an autosomal dominant late-onset progressive muscle disorder typically characterized by ptosis, difficulty in swallowing, and proximal limb weakness. Underdiagnosis of OPMD is common in Asian countries and results in delayed diagnoses and fatal events.

Patient Concerns: Here, we report the case of a 53-year-old female who suffered from progressive dysphagia and experienced several choking events involving solid material.

Far-infrared radiation protects viability in a cell model of Spinocerebellar Ataxia by preventing polyQ protein accumulation and improving mitochondrial function.

Far infrared radiation (FIR) is currently investigated as a potential therapeutic strategy in various diseases though the mechanism is unknown. Presently, we tested if FIR mediates beneficial effects in a cell model of the neurodegenerative disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3). SCA3 is caused by a mutation leading to an abnormal polyglutamine expansion (PolyQ) in ataxin-3 protein.

PDD-5S: A useful screening tool for Parkinson's disease dementia.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) contributes to poor quality of life and increases the mortality risk. Early detection and diagnosis of PDD are essential for clinical care.

Methods: We recruited patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), who underwent clinical assessments and neuropsychological tests, at 12 teaching hospitals in Taiwan.

Allogeneic/xenogeneic transplantation of peptide-labeled mitochondria in Parkinson's disease: restoration of mitochondria functions and attenuation of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurotoxicity.

Although restoration of mitochondrial function in mitochondrial diseases through peptide-mediated allogeneic mitochondrial delivery (PMD) has been demonstrated in vitro, the in vivo therapeutic efficacy of PMD in Parkinson's disease (PD) has yet to be determined. In this study, we compared the functionality of mitochondrial transfer with or without Pep-1 conjugation in neurotoxin (6-hydroxydopamine, 6-OHDA)-induced PC12 cells and PD rat models. We injected mitochondria into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of the PD rats after subjecting the nigrostriatal pathway to a unilateral 6-OHDA lesion for 21 days, and we verified the effectiveness of the mitochondrial graft in enhancing mitochondrial function in the soma of the substantia nigra (SN) neuron through mitochondrial transport dynamics in the nigrostriatal circuit.