Prognostic Factors in 26 Cats Undergoing Surgery for Extra-Hepatic Biliary Obstruction.

Surgical management of feline extra-hepatic biliary obstruction (EHBO) has poor survival rates with few prognostic factors reported in the literature. The etiology and clinical findings of feline EHBO and their influence on short-(2 weeks-6 months) and long-term (>6 months) survival and prognosis were examined in an observational clinical retrospective study of 26 client-owned cats undergoing surgery for biliary obstruction at one institution between 2012 and 2020. The etiology of EHBO was determined in 21/26 cats, which included inflammatory causes (14/21), neoplastic causes (6/21), and a duodenal foreign body (1/21).

Challenges of the Calgary-Cambridge Consultation Guide in Veterinary Multicultural and Multilingual Scenarios and the Role of Veterinary Translators.

The Calgary-Cambridge Guide is a widely recognised framework for teaching communication skills to healthcare professionals that has become a cornerstone of communication training programs in medicine and other healthcare fields. In the context of veterinary medicine, its integration into communication training programs has become an asset improving communication, education, interaction, and quality of service, enhancing the veterinary-client-patient relationship (VCPR). In veterinary medicine, however, a more challenging consultation dynamic involves the veterinarian, the owner, and the animal.

High frequency of cholecystitis in dogs with gallbladder mucocoele in Hong Kong.

The aims of this retrospective study were to characterise the epidemiological, clinical, histopathological, and microbiological findings as well as surgical outcomes in dogs admitted to a specialist veterinary hospital in Hong Kong for surgical management of gallbladder mucocoele (GBM). Inclusion criteria were cases with histopathological diagnosis of GBM and accompanying abdominal imaging, serum biochemistry, bile culture, and liver biopsy histology results. Fifty-six cases met the inclusion criteria.

Incomplete Home Health Care Referral After Hospitalization Among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Objectives: Patients who are referred to home health care after an acute care hospitalization may not receive home health care, resulting in incomplete home health referrals. This study examines the prevalence of incomplete referrals to home health, defined as not receiving home health care within 7 days after an initial hospital discharge, and investigates the relationship between home health referral completion and patient outcomes.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Botulinum neurotoxin treatment in jerky and tremulous functional movement disorders: a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial with an open-label extension.

Objective: To study the effect of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) treatment in jerky and tremulous functional movement disorders (FMD).

Methods: Patients with invalidating, chronic (>1 year) symptoms were randomly assigned to two subsequent treatments with BoNT or placebo every 3 months with stratification according to symptom localisation. Improvement on the dichotomised Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale (CGI-I) (improvement vs no change or worsening) at 4 months, assessed by investigators blinded to the allocated treatment was the primary outcome.

Randomised controlled trial of escitalopram for cervical dystonia with dystonic jerks/tremor.

Objective: Trials for additional or alternative treatments for cervical dystonia (CD) are scarce since the introduction of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). We performed the first trial to investigate whether dystonic jerks/tremor in patients with CD respond to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram.

Methods: In a randomised, double-blind, crossover trial, patients with CD received escitalopram and placebo for 6 weeks.

Lower serotonin transporter binding in patients with cervical dystonia is associated with psychiatric symptoms.

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) is often accompanied by depressive symptoms, anxiety, and jerks/tremor. The dopamine transporter (DAT) binding is related with both depressive symptoms and jerks/tremor in CD. Serotonergic and dopaminergic systems are closely related.

Intermittent cortical involvement in the preservation of tremor in essential tremor.

Cortical involvement in essential tremor, an involuntary action tremor supposedly of subcortical origin, is uncertain. Conflicting results of corticomuscular coherence studies in essential tremor suggest an intermittent corticomuscular coupling. On the basis of the literature, we hypothesized that corticomuscular coupling is influenced by bilateral motor synchronization and "cognitive states" such as awareness of tremor.

The relationship between the dopaminergic system and depressive symptoms in cervical dystonia.

Purpose: Cervical dystonia (CD) is associated with tremor/jerks (50%) and psychiatric complaints (17-70%). The dopaminergic system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of CD in animal and imaging studies. Dopamine may be related to the motor as well as non-motor symptoms of CD.

Clinical Practice: Evidence-Based Recommendations for the Treatment of Cervical Dystonia with Botulinum Toxin.

Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most frequent form of focal dystonia. Symptoms often result in pain and functional disability. Local injections of botulinum neurotoxin are currently the treatment of choice for CD.

The Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale is Age-Dependent in Healthy Children.

Background: The Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale is a universally applied instrument for the quantitative assessment of dystonia in both children and adults. However, immature movements by healthy young children may also show "dystonic characteristics" as a consequence of physiologically incomplete brain maturation. This could implicate that Burke-Fahn-Marsden scale scores are confounded by pediatric age.

Bilateral cerebellar activation in unilaterally challenged essential tremor.

Background: Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common hyperkinetic movement disorders. Previous research into the pathophysiology of ET suggested underlying cerebellar abnormalities.

Objective: In this study, we added electromyography as an index of tremor intensity to functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (EMG-fMRI) to study a group of ET patients selected according to strict criteria to achieve maximal homogeneity.

Cerebellar Atrophy in Cortical Myoclonic Tremor and Not in Hereditary Essential Tremor-a Voxel-Based Morphometry Study.

Essential tremor (ET) presumably has a cerebellar origin. Imaging studies showed various cerebellar and also cortical structural changes. A number of pathology studies indicated cerebellar Purkinje cell pathology.

Motor network disruption in essential tremor: a functional and effective connectivity study.

Although involvement of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network has often been suggested in essential tremor, the source of oscillatory activity remains largely unknown. To elucidate mechanisms of tremor generation, it is of crucial importance to study the dynamics within the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network. Using a combination of electromyography and functional magnetic resonance imaging, it is possible to record the peripheral manifestation of tremor simultaneously with brain activity related to tremor generation.

Rhythmic finger tapping reveals cerebellar dysfunction in essential tremor.

Introduction: Cerebellar circuits are hypothesized to play a central role in the pathogenesis of essential tremor. Rhythmic finger tapping is known to strongly engage the cerebellar motor circuitry. We characterize cerebellar and, more specifically, dentate nucleus function, and neural correlates of cerebellar output in essential tremor during rhythmic finger tapping employing functional MRI.

Structural changes in cerebellar outflow tracts after thalamotomy in essential tremor.

Background: This study set out to determine whether structural changes are present outside the thalamus after thalamotomy in patients with essential tremor (ET), specifically in the cerebellorubrothalamic tracts. We hypothesized that diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) would detect these changes.

Methods: We collected DTI scans and analyzed differences in Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Mean Diffusivity (MD) between the left and right superior and middle cerebellar peduncle in ET patients that have undergone unilateral, left, thalamotomy and ET patients that did not undergo thalamotomy (control group).

Selective peripheral denervation: comparison with pallidal stimulation and literature review.

Patients with cervical dystonia who are non-responders to Botulinum toxin qualify for surgery. Selective peripheral denervation (Bertrand's procedure, SPD) and deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus (GPi-DBS) are available surgical options. Although peripheral denervation has potential advantages over DBS, the latter is nowadays more commonly performed.

Evaluation of a porcine vascular model to assess the efficacy of various hemostatic techniques.

Background: A novel live porcine model replicated the endoscopic surgical field of a carotid arterial injury of the human skull base. Hemostatic techniques were applied to jugular venous and carotid arterial injuries, including muscle patches, hemoclips, and aneurysm clips. Doppler imaging distal to the injury assessed flow through the repaired vessel.

Postoperative displacement of deep brain stimulation electrodes related to lead-anchoring technique.

Background: Displacement of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes may occur after surgery, especially due to large subdural air collections, but other factors might contribute.

Objective: To investigate factors potentially contributing to postoperative electrode displacement, in particular, different lead-anchoring techniques.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 55 patients (106 electrodes) with Parkinson disease, dystonia, tremor, and obsessive-compulsive disorder in whom early postoperative and long-term follow-up computed tomography (CT) was performed.

Evolution of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease.

Objective: We examined the development of Parkinson disease (PD)-mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients with newly diagnosed PD over 5 years using recently proposed consensus criteria, and we assessed the reliability of the criteria.

Methods: Patients with PD (n = 123) underwent extensive neuropsychological testing at baseline and after 3 (n = 93) and 5 years (n = 59). Two neuropsychologists independently applied the PD-MCI criteria to examine the interrater and intrarater reliability.

Cognitive change in newly-diagnosed patients with Parkinson's disease: a 5-year follow-up study.

Cognitive change is frequently observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the exact profile and extent of cognitive impairments remain unclear due to the clinical heterogeneity of PD and methodological issues in many previous studies. In this study, we aimed to examine the severity, frequency, and profile of cognitive changes in newly diagnosed PD patients over 5 years.

Prognostic factors of motor impairment, disability, and quality of life in newly diagnosed PD.

Objective: In Parkinson disease (PD), the rate of clinical progression is highly variable. To date, there are conflicting findings concerning the prognostic factors influencing the rate of progression. Methodologic issues such as the use of selected patients from therapeutic trials, and short durations of follow-up probably underlie this problem.

How to tackle tremor - systematic review of the literature and diagnostic work-up.

Background: Tremor is the most prevalent movement disorder in clinical practice. It is defined as involuntary, rhythmic, oscillatory movements. The diagnostic process of patients with tremor can be laborious and challenging, and a clear, systematic overview of available diagnostic techniques is lacking.

Is there a role for combined EMG-fMRI in exploring the pathophysiology of essential tremor and improving functional neurosurgery?

Background: Functional MRI combined with electromyography (EMG-fMRI) is a new technique to investigate the functional association of movement to brain activations. Thalamic stereotactic surgery is effective in reducing tremor. However, while some patients have satisfying benefit, others have only partial or temporary relief.

Phenotypes and genetic architecture of focal primary torsion dystonia.

Background: The focal primary torsion dystonias (FPTDs) form a group of clinical heterogeneous syndromes and can be considered a genetic complex disease; it is thought to be primed by genetic variants with variable impact and triggered by non-genetic factors. Thorough clinical description of FPTDs cohorts is sparse but essential for further progress in genetic research.

Objective: To establish suggested relations between age at onset (AaO), site and family history in a large focal dystonias cohort and gain more insight into familial clustering for genetic research.