Stiripentol for the treatment of super-refractory status epilepticus.

Background: To determine whether stiripentol (STP) might be a treatment option in super-refractory status epilepticus (SRSE).

Methods: Medical records of patients treated due to a status epilepticus in Marburg between January 2013 and June 2014 were reviewed for administration of STP. Primary outcome measures were resolution of SE after initiation of STP.

Evaluation of costs of epilepsy using an electronic practice management software in Germany.

Purpose: This study used an electronic practice management software in daily routine to gather long-term disease and cost-of-illness (COI) data in patients with epilepsy in Germany.

Methods: Data on socio-economic status, course of epilepsy as well as direct and indirect costs were recorded using practice software-based questionnaires.

Results: In 2011 we enrolled 359 patients (170 male (47.

Biological evaluation and molecular modelling study of thiosemicarbazide derivatives as bacterial type IIA topoisomerases inhibitors.

In the present article, we describe the inhibitory potency of nine thiosemicarbazide derivatives against bacterial type IIA topoisomerases, their antibacterial profile and molecular modelling evaluation. We found that one of the tested compounds, compound 7, significantly inhibits activity of Staphylococcus aureus DNA gyrase with an IC(50) below 15 μM. Besides, this compound displays antibacterial activity on reference Staphylococuss spp.

Association of time-to-levodopa with initial Parkinsonian medication: a retrospective cohort study.

Objectives: To determine the initial distribution of medication in patients with de novo Parkinson's disease (PD), to estimate the share of patients who not receive a recommended initial therapy according to current German guidelines, and to compare the time-to-levodopa.

Methods: We used the Disease Analyzer database (IMS HEALTH), containing basic medical data from ~20 million patients in Germany. The primary outcome was the therapy change rate from initial treatment to levodopa estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses.

Structure-activity relationship studies of microbiologically active thiosemicarbazides derived from hydroxybenzoic acid hydrazides.

Forty-five derivatives of thiosemicarbazide were synthesized, and their antibacterial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was evaluated. Some of the described compounds exhibited interesting activity against reference strains of Gram-positive bacteria, whereas only two derivatives had the ability to inhibit the growth of Gram-negative species (Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Proteus mirabilis ATCC 12453). The most potent antimicrobial activity was observed in the cases of salicylic acid hydrazide derivatives.

[New aspects in the field of epilepsy].

Regarding epilepsy several new developments can be reported. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) has suggested a new definition of epilepsy, for the first time including a definition of epilepsy resolution. Progress in the diagnosis relates to new genetic findings, improvements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the increasing use of stereo electroencephalograms (sEEG).

Evaluation of health-care utilization in patients with Dravet syndrome and on adjunctive treatment with stiripentol and clobazam.

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a rare, severe childhood epilepsy syndrome that imposes a substantial burden on patients and their caregivers. This study evaluated health-care utilization over a 2-year period in patients with DS at an outpatient clinic of a German epilepsy center. Data on the course of epilepsy, anticonvulsant treatment, and direct costs were recorded using the electronic seizure diary Epivista and patients' files.

[Bacterial biofilm as a cause of urinary tract infection--pathogens, methods of prevention and eradication].

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the common chronic and recurrent bacterial infections. Uropathogens which are able to form biofilm constitute a major etiological factor in UTI, especially among elder patients who are subject to long-term catheterization. It is caused by the capacity of the microorganisms for efficient and permanent colonization of tissues and also adhesion to diverse polymers used for urological catheter production such as propylene, polystyrene, silicone, polyvinyl chloride or silicone coated latex.

Molecular properties prediction, docking studies, and antimicrobial screening of 1,3,4-thiadiazole and s-triazole derivatives.

A series of 1,3,4-thiadiazoles and s-triazoles were subjected to Molinspiration, ALOGPS 2.1, and Osiris programs to predict their molecular properties that are important for drug candidates. Subsequently, all of them were docked into the active sites of enzymes namely glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase (GlcN-6-P), VIM-2 metallo-β- lactamase (VIM-2), chitinase A1 (ChiA1), and sterol 14 alpha-demethylase (CYP51) that were considered in antimicrobial studies of thiadiazole and s-triazole derivatives.

Inpatient treatment costs of status epilepticus in adults in Germany.

Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) is an important neurological emergency and a significant source of direct costs related to hospitalization; however, no cost-of-illness (COI) studies have been performed in Europe. The objective of this study was to determine and characterize hospital costs related to the acute inpatient treatment of SE and to provide national estimates of SE hospitalization costs.

Methods: Adult inpatient treatment costs related to SE and costs attributable to epilepsy-related hospital admissions were derived from billing data of participating hospitals.

Early detection of bone metabolism changes under different antiepileptic drugs (ED-BoM-AED)--a prospective multicenter study.

Purpose: To determine early changes in bone turnover markers induced by treatment with oxcarbazepine or valproate.

Methods: In this prospective study, 31 adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy were included who were started on therapy with either oxcarbazepine (OXC, n=16, mean age 45.6 years, 37.

Counseling and social work for persons with epilepsy: observational study on demand and issues in Hessen, Germany.

The goal of the social management of epilepsy is to decrease the physical, psychological, and social consequences for persons with epilepsy (PWEs). The objective of this observational study was to determine the needs and issues of PWEs in the utilization of epilepsy counseling services between 2008 and 2012 in the German state of Hessen. Sociodemographic data, employment status, counseling issues, and characteristics were collected at first and follow-up visits.

Synthesis and evaluation of antimicrobial activity of hydrazones derived from 3-oxido-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazides.

In this work we reported the synthesis and evaluation of in vitro antimicrobial activities of hydrazones 6 obtained from 3-oxido-1H-imidazole-4-carbohydrazides 4. All new compounds were characterized by spectroscopic methods. Hydrazones 6 were tested for their in vitro antimicrobial activity against four Gram-positive and four Gram-negative strains of bacteria as well as one fungal species.

Sustained seizure remission on perampanel in progressive myoclonic epilepsy (Lafora disease).

Aim: The aim of this report is to provide initial evidence that add-on treatment with perampanel might be highly effective in progressive myoclonic epilepsy such as Lafora disease.

Case Report: We report on a 21-year-old woman suffering from persistent myoclonus and generalized tonic-clonic seizures for more than seven years. Additionally, ataxia, a disturbance in speech and gait, as well as a cognitive decline were rapidly progressing.

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in a patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 13 (SCA13).

We report a female patient of German descent with a molecular diagnosis of SCA13 who presented with a history of cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy. The underlying mutation R420H had been shown to cause a dominant negative effect on the functional properties of the voltage-gated potassium channel KCNC3. Despite widespread KCNC3 expression in the central nervous system, the patient presented with a left mesiotemporal electroencephalogram focus and left hippocampal sclerosis.

The LaLiMo Trial: lamotrigine compared with levetiracetam in the initial 26 weeks of monotherapy for focal and generalised epilepsy--an open-label, prospective, randomised controlled multicenter study.

Background: Of the newer antiepileptic drugs, lamotrigine (LTG) and levetiracetam (LEV) are popular first choice drugs for epilepsy. The authors compared these drugs with regard to their efficacy and tolerability in the initial monotherapy for epilepsy.

Methods: A randomised, open-label, controlled, parallel group, multicenter trial was conducted to test the superiority of the LEV arm over the LTG arm.

Prevalence, utilization, and costs of antiepileptic drugs for epilepsy in Germany--a nationwide population-based study in children and adults.

Nationwide analyses of drug use can provide a prevalence estimate of the underlying disease and can help in understanding the characteristics of treatment. This study aimed for such analyses regarding the utilization of antiepileptic drugs (AED) for epilepsy in Germany. In 2009, all 4,115,705 AED prescriptions of all German patients with statutory health insurance (70,011,508 persons) were retrospectively analyzed.

A female adult with Sandifer's syndrome and hiatal hernia misdiagnosed as epilepsy with focal seizures.

Sandifer's syndrome is a rare, probably underdiagnosed, and usually pediatric movement disorder associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Often, it is misdiagnosed as epilepsy or paroxysmal dyskinesia. We report the case of an adult female with Sandifer's syndrome initially diagnosed as focal epilepsy and treated inefficiently with anticonvulsants for two years.

Evaluation of health-care utilization among adult patients with epilepsy in Germany.

This study evaluated the resource use of patients with epilepsy in the German district of Marburg-Biedenkopf. A cross-sectional cohort of consecutive adults with epilepsy, irrespective of seizure severity, duration of illness and epilepsy syndrome, was investigated in all health-care sectors. Costs of inpatient and outpatient treatment were derived from billing data of participating hospitals and office-based physicians.

Minocycline as potent anticonvulsant in a patient with astrocytoma and drug resistant epilepsy.

Minocycline, a tetracycline family antibiotic, is known to inhibit microglial activation and proinflammatory cytokine release in animal models. Experimental data show that these immune processes may play a role in epilepto- and ictogenesis. We present the case of a patient with marked reduction in seizure frequency during minocycline therapy with severe symptomatic epilepsy due to an astrocytoma.

Postictal increase in T-wave alternans after generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

Purpose: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurs most frequently in people with chronic uncontrolled epilepsy. Tonic-clonic seizures are a well-recognized risk factor for SUDEP. T-wave alternans (TWA) is a novel independent marker of risk of sudden cardiac death and cardiovascular mortality.