Screening for late-onset Pompe disease in western Denmark.

Objective: Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare autosomal recessively inherited metabolic myopathy caused by reduced activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-glucosidase. In a previous screening study at two large neuromuscular university clinics in Denmark, three patients with LOPD were identified out of 103 patients screened. No systematic screening has been performed at the other neurological departments in the western part of Denmark.

Predictive value of the Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS) and its components for long-term survival.

Background: The "Status Epilepticus Severity Score" (STESS) is the most important clinical score to predict in-hospital mortality of patients with status epilepticus (SE), but its prognostic relevance for long-term survival is unknown. This study therefore examined if STESS and its components retain their prognostic relevance beyond acute treatment.

Methods: One hundred twenty-five non-anoxic patients with SE were retrospectively identified in two hospitals between 2008 and 2014 (39.

Serum Fragments of Tau for the Differential Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease.

Differential diagnosis of AD is still a challenge due to overlapping features with other types of dementia. Biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of AD can improve the diagnostic value of the disease and ensure an appropriate treatment of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of two neo-epitope fragments of Tau as serum biomarkers for differential diagnosis of AD.

Season is an unreliable predictor of Lyme neuroborreliosis.

Introduction: Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is a tick-borne infection of the nervous system caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. The primary symptoms are usually painful radiculitis, facial palsy and lymphocytic meningitis. The aim of this study was to provide data on the seasonal variation, anamnesis, symptoms, laboratory data and course of the disease in adults (≥ 16 years).

Anticoagulant treatment in patients with atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac dysrhythmia, with a lifetime risk of 25%, and it is a well-known independent risk factor for ischemic stroke. Over the last 15 years, efforts have been made to initiate relevant treatment in patients with AF. A retrospective study was set up to clarify whether this effort has resulted in a decreased proportion of patients with known AF experiencing an ischemic stroke.

Changing the needle for lumbar punctures: results from a prospective study.

Objective: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a common complication of diagnostic lumbar punctures. Both a non-cutting needle design and the use of smaller size needles have been shown to greatly reduce the risk of PDPH. Nevertheless, larger cutting needles are still widely used.

Sialorrhea in patients with Parkinson's disease: safety and administration of botulinum neurotoxin.

Sialorrhea may present as a troublesome symptom in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. Current options for treatment include anticholinergic drugs, irradiation, surgery, oral-motor and behavioural therapies, and injection of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in the salivary glands. The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and administration of BoNT as a treatment for sialorrhea in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) based on a review of the studies conducted so far in this field.

Chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy: major agents and assessment by questionnaires.

Chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy (CIPN) is a common, but underestimated, clinical challenge. Incidence varies depending on many factors that are equally as important as the type of chemotherapeutic agent itself. Moreover, the assessment of CIPN is still uncertain, as several of the most frequently used scales do not rely on a formal neurological evaluation and depend on patients' reports and examiners' interpretations.

Drug-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy can be caused by medication, and various descriptions have been applied for this condition. In this MiniReview, the term 'drug-induced peripheral neuropathy' (DIPN) is used with the suggested definition: Damage to nerves of the peripheral nervous system caused by a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention or diagnosis of a disease. Optic neuropathy is included in this definition.

Oxaliplatin-induced neuropathy in colorectal cancer: many questions with few answers.

Oxaliplatin is a chemotherapeutic agent effective against advanced colorectal cancer. Unlike with other platinum-based agents, the main side effect of oxaliplatin is polyneuropathy. Oxaliplatin-induced polyneuropathy (OIPN) has a unique profile, which can be divided into acute and chronic neurotoxicity.

Safety and administration of treatment with botulinum neurotoxin for sialorrhoea in ALS patients: review of the literature and a proposal for tailored treatment.

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is a second-line treatment of sialorrhoea in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) patients. This article is a review of the published literature concerning safety and administration of this treatment to ALS patients. A PubMed search was performed.

Sensory function and pain in a population of patients treated for breast cancer.

Background: Chronic pain is often reported after surgery for breast cancer. This study examined pain and sensory abnormalities in women following breast cancer surgery.

Methods: Sensory tests were carried out on the operated and contra-lateral side in 55 women with chronic pain after breast cancer treatment and in a reference group of 27 pain-free women, who had also undergone treatment for breast cancer.

The postmastectomy pain syndrome: an epidemiological study on the prevalence of chronic pain after surgery for breast cancer.

The prevalence of the postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS) and its clinical characteristics was assessed in a group of patients who had undergone surgery for breast cancer at the Department of Surgery, Odense University Hospital, within the period of 1 May 2003 to 30 April 2004. The study included 258 patients and a reference group of 774 women. A questionnaire was mailed to the patients 1 1/2 year after surgery and to the women in the reference group.

Effect of levetiracetam on the postmastectomy pain syndrome.

Background And Purpose: The aim of this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was to test whether levetiracetam relieves the postmastectomy pain syndrome (PMPS).

Methods: Postmastectomy pain syndrome was defined as pain of neuropathic character located in the area of the surgery and/or the ipsilateral arm. The inclusion criteria were: age more than 18 years, characteristic symptoms corresponding to PMPS more than 6 months after surgery for breast cancer, pain duration more than 3 months, peripheral nerve lesions confirmed by abnormal neurological and quantitative sensory tests, intensity of pain more than 4 on a numeric rating scale from 0 to 10 and pain present at least 4 days a week.

Effect of traditional Chinese acupuncture on severe tinnitus: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical investigation with open therapeutic control.

This study aims to determine the effect of intensive acupuncture on severe tinnitus. The structure of the study was a randomized, double-blind, clinical investigation with open therapeutic surveillance and included 54 patients. All were subjected to 25 treatment sessions over a period of two months, each treatment lasting 30 minutes.