Innovative multidimensional gait evaluation using IMU in multiple sclerosis: introducing the semiogram.

Background: Quantifying gait using inertial measurement units has gained increasing interest in recent years. Highly degraded gaits, especially in neurological impaired patients, challenge gait detection algorithms and require specific segmentation and analysis tools. Thus, the outcomes of these devices must be rigorously tested for both robustness and relevancy in order to recommend their routine use.

Late-onset vascular complications of radiotherapy for primary brain tumors: a case-control and cross-sectional analysis.

Purpose: Radiotherapy (RT) is a recognized risk factor for cerebrovascular (CV) disease in children and in adults with head and neck cancer. We aimed to investigate whether cerebral RT increases the risk of CV disease in adults with primary brain tumors (PBT).

Methods: We retrospectively identified adults with a supratentorial PBT diagnosed between 1975 and 2006 and with at least 10 years follow-up after treatment.

Advances in treatments of patients with classical and emergent neurological toxicities of anticancer agents.

The neurotoxicity associated to the anticancer treatments has received a growing body of interest in the recent years. The development of innovating therapies over the last 20years has led to the emergence of new toxicities. Their diagnosis and management can be challenging in the clinical practice and further research is warranted to improve the understanding of their pathogenic mechanisms.

Peripheral neuropathies after BRAF and/or MEK inhibitor treatment: A pharmacovigilance study.

Reports suggested the potential occurrence of peripheral neuropathies (PN) in patients treated with BRAF (BRAFi) and/or MEK inhibitors (MEKi) for BRAF-activated tumours. We aimed to better characterize these PN. We queried the French pharmacovigilance database for all cases of PN attributed to BRAFi and/or MEKi.

Autoimmune cerebellar hypermetabolism: Report of three cases and literature overview.

We report three cases of vermian cerebellar hypermetabolism in patients with autoimmune encephalitis. One of our patients was positive for anti-Ma2 antibodies and one for anti-Zic4 antibodies while the remaining patient did not present any known antibodies. The seronegative patient deteriorated after immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and improved with immunosuppressive drugs, which is in favour of an underlying autoimmune mechanism.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome During Platinum-Based Chemotherapy: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is commonly associated with toxic sensory neuropathies, but also, although rarely, with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). We describe five patients who developed GBS while receiving platinum-based chemotherapy for a solid tumor and report the five cases published so far. Most patients had received cumulative platinum doses below known neurotoxic levels, and all of them had an optimal outcome after platinum discontinuation, associated in most cases with administration of intravenous immunoglobulin.

Environmental risk factors of primary brain tumors: A review.

Adult primary tumors of the central nervous system are rare, but the incidence is increased in some European countries. Several environmental exposures have been investigated as potential risk factors, but for most, scientific evidence is still lacking. Here we review studies of environmental factors potentially involved in the carcinogenesis of brain tumors: the potential association between primary central nervous system tumors and ionizing radiation, some toxic agents (N-nitroso compounds, pesticides), air pollution, and radiofrequency electromagnetic waves.

Quick, non-invasive and quantitative assessment of small fiber neuropathy in patients receiving chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) is a common, potentially severe and dose-limiting adverse effect; however, it is poorly investigated at an early stage due to the lack of a simple assessment tool. As sweat glands are innervated by small autonomic C-fibers, sudomotor function testing has been suggested for early screening of peripheral neuropathy. This study aimed to evaluate Sudoscan, a non-invasive and quantitative method to assess sudomotor function, in the detection and follow-up of CIPN.

Bevacizumab in late-onset radiation-induced myelopathy.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of bevacizumab for treatment of late radiation-induced myelopathy.

Methods: We studied all patients diagnosed with radiation-induced myelopathy presenting to 2 neuro-oncology centers between 2008 and 2012. All patients were treated with bevacizumab, after no clinical or radiologic improvement was achieved with conventional (in particular steroid) treatment.

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in the adult.

Purpose Of Review: This review focuses on the newest data on mechanistic aspects of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), its assessment and the current status of neuroprotection and treatment options.

Recent Findings: Several anticancer drugs are associated with CIPN. Rodent models showed that axons, dorsal root ganglia and terminal trees are affected, whereas myelin remains unaffected.

The comprehensive medical preparedness in chemical emergencies: 'the chain of chemical survival'.

Medical management of victims of chemical incidents includes supportive therapy, decontamination and antidote administration. Chemical weapons of mass destruction are available to many countries and are a possible alternative to conventional weapons for terrorist groups. During the last 5 years, some Italian institutions have made big efforts to establish a national system of antidote stockpiling and distribution.

Unusual presentation of leptospirosis in the late stage of pregnancy.

Here we report a case of leptospirosis without fever during the late stage of pregnancy in which the initial clinical presentation was more suggestive of a pregnancy-related liver dysfunction rather than an infectious disease. A 32-year-old primipara at 37 week of gestation was hospitalised with a 10-day history of nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain without fever. Initial routine blood tests showed hyperbilirubinemia, a moderate increase in transaminase levels, severe coagulopathy and an increased creatinine level.

[A relational database to store Poison Centers calls].

Italian Poison Centers answer to approximately 100,000 calls per year. Potentially, this activity is a huge source of data for toxicovigilance and for syndromic surveillance. During the last decade, surveillance systems for early detection of outbreaks have drawn the attention of public health institutions due to the threat of terrorism and high-profile disease outbreaks.

Ketamine: new indications for an old drug.

Ketamine is a non-competitive antagonist to the phencyclidine site of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor for glutamate, though its effects are mediated by interaction with many others receptors. It has been introduced in clinical use since 1960's but today it is not largely employed as a general anaesthetic for its undesired psychic effects (emergence reactions) occurring in approximately 12% of patients. In the last decade, there has been a renewed interest in the use of subanaesthetic doses of ketamine for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.

Anesthesiologic preoperative evaluation of drug addicted patient.

Even if there are few scientific data about preoperative management of drug addict patients, a careful anesthesiology evaluation facilitates the prevention of interactions between drugs and anaesthetics and avoids intraoperative and postoperative complications. Moreover it is important to earn the confidence of patient in order to know the abuse substances consumed and the frequency of consumption. This knowledge is necessary to the anaesthetist in order to manage possible withdrawal syndromes or overdose, which are the two greatest dangers for a drug addict patient during the hospital stay.

NIV treatment for acute exacerbation in COPD patients.

The authors review the clinical applications of non invasive ventilation (NIV) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), mostly focusing on NIV issues and possible solutions. After briefly reviewing the respiratory mechanics modification during an episode of COPD exacerbation, the authors describe the two crucial technical aspects (choice of the interface and leaks control) that are mostly involved in patient-ventilator interaction. Finally, they briefly review the most important clinical trials on NIV.

[Double mitral valve orifice. Apropos of a case discovered by echocardiography].

The authors report a case of isolated double orifice mitral valve in a 20-year old pregnant woman. This exceptional and seldom isolated anomaly is usually discovered at autopsy or surgery. In this particular case it was diagnosed by pulsed doppler ultrasound combined with echocardiography.

[Prognosis of ventricular tachycardia].

The prognosis of monomorphous, sustained, non-iatrogenic ventricular tachycardia was studied in 86 patients followed up for a mean period of 42.8 months. The patients were divided into three groups as follows: group I, 46 patients with myocardial infarction beyond the acute phase; group II, 30 patients with non-ischaemic heart disease; group III, 10 patients without heart disease detectable at angiography and/or echotomography.