CO Adsorption on a Single-Atom Catalyst Stably Embedded in Graphene.

Confined single metal atoms in graphene-based materials have proven to be excellent catalysts for several reactions and promising gas sensing systems. However, whether the chemical activity arises from the specific type of metal atom or is a direct consequence of the confinement itself remains unclear.

Headache onset after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis.

Background: Vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are used to reduce the risk of developing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Despite the significant benefits in terms of reduced risk of hospitalization and death, different adverse events may present after vaccination: among them, headache is one of the most common, but nowadays there is no summary presentation of its incidence and no description of its main features.

Methods: We searched PubMed and EMBASE covering the period between January 1 2020 and August 6, 2021, looking for record in English and with an abstract and using three main search terms (with specific variations): COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2; Vaccination; headache/adverse events.

Long-term Inhibition of Soleus H-reflex with Epidural Adhesiolysis and Pulsed Radiofrequency in Lumbosacral Neuropathic Pain.

Introduction: Scientific data about neurophysiological changes subsequent to pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are still lacking. The goal of this study was to evaluate sural nerve conduction and Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) in soleus muscle following adhesiolysis and PRF in patients with unilateral chronic lumbosacral L5-S1 neuropathic radiating pain.

Methods: Seventeen patients received two cycles of 240 seconds high-voltage PRF and epidural adhesiolysis.

Electrocatheter-mediated High-voltage Pulsed Radiofrequency of the Dorsal Root Ganglion in the Treatment of Chronic Lumbosacral Neuropathic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objectives: Despite the interest in scientific community, there is still poor evidence about pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In order to determine whether high-voltage PRF and epidural adhesiolysis (PRF-EA) showed better results than epidural adhesiolysis alone (EA), a randomized, double-blind, comparative-effectiveness study was conducted in patients with chronic lumbosacral radiating pain and neuropathic features.

Materials And Methods: A total of 41 patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups.

PACAP38 and PAC receptor blockade: a new target for headache?

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide-38 (PACAP38) is a widely distributed neuropeptide involved in neuroprotection, neurodevelopment, nociception and inflammation. Moreover, PACAP38 is a potent inducer of migraine-like attacks, but the mechanism behind this has not been fully elucidated.Migraine is a neurovascular disorder, recognized as the second most disabling disease.

Locked-in Syndrome and F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography: Observations from a Case of Basilar Artery Thrombosis.

We report the case of a 59-year-old male patient suffering from locked-in syndrome (LIS) following basilar artery thrombosis despite an attempt of thrombolysis. Neurological examination showed quadriplegia and aphonia and a state of coma requiring mechanical ventilation was diagnosed. The use of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) allowed to detect a normal F-FDG uptake in the main cerebral cortical areas and a significant reduction of F-FDG uptake in both cerebellar hemispheres, compatible with a functional deafferentation, helping confirming the clinical suspicion of LIS.

Blocking CGRP in migraine patients - a review of pros and cons.

Migraine is the most prevalent neurological disorder worldwide and it has immense socioeconomic impact. Currently, preventative treatment options for migraine include drugs developed for diseases other than migraine such as hypertension, depression and epilepsy. During the last decade, however, blocking calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) has emerged as a possible mechanism for prevention of migraine attacks.

Interventional treatment for neuropathic pain due to combined cervical radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome: a case report.

The coexistence of median and cervical nerve root damage might hide a complex pathophysiology. Here, we describe and discuss the case of a patient suffering from numbness and painful tingling of the hand, whose symptoms were effectively treated with pulsed radiofrequency and epidural administration of bupivacaine and morphine.

Combined epidural morphine and bupivacaine in the treatment of lumbosacral radicular neuropathic pain: a noncontrolled prospective study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of epidural morphine and bupivacaine in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular neuropathic pain after the cessation of treatment.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with chronic lumbosacral pain with neuropathic features were enrolled. An indwelling catheter was placed into the epidural space, and each patient received an epidural injection of morphine chlorhydrate and bupivacaine up to three times a day.

Effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency with multifunctional epidural electrode in chronic lumbosacral radicular pain with neuropathic features.

Background: Lumbosacral radicular pain is a common clinical finding with a statistical prevalence ranging from 9.9% to 25% in the general population.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain and neuropathic features.

Acute respiratory failure onset in a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome after Legionella-associated pneumonia: a case report.

A 69-year-old white man was admitted because of a clinical history of persistent cough and fever. Chest x-rays showed bilateral lung infiltrates with air bronchograms, whereas the urine antigen test resulted positive for Legionella pneumophila. The next day, he was transferred to the intensive care unit and intubated because of severe renal and respiratory distress.

Reduced threshold for inhibitory homeostatic responses in migraine motor cortex? A tDCS/TMS study.

Background And Objective: Neurophysiological studies in migraine have reported conflicting findings of either cortical hyper- or hypoexcitability. In migraine with aura (MwA) patients, we recently documented an inhibitory response to suprathreshold, high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (hf-rTMS) trains applied to the primary motor cortex, which is in contrast with the facilitatory response observed in the healthy subjects. The aim of the present study was to support the hypothesis that in migraine, because of a condition of basal increased cortical responsivity, inhibitory homeostatic like mechanisms of cortical excitability could be induced by high magnitude stimulation.

Cyclical changes of cortical excitability and metaplasticity in migraine: evidence from a repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

The primary brain dysfunctions leading to the onset of a migraine attack remain largely unknown. Other important open questions concern the mechanisms of initiation, continuation, and termination of migraine pain, and the changes in brain function underlying migraine transformation. Brief trains of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), when applied to the primary motor cortex at suprathreshold intensity (⩾120% of resting motor threshold [RMT]), elicit in healthy subjects a progressive, glutamate-dependent facilitation of the motor evoked potentials (MEP).

Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on esophageal motility in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on esophageal peristalsis in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: Patients with GERD preliminary diagnosis were included in a randomized double-blind sham-controlled study. Esophageal manometry was performed before and during transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the right precentral cortex.