Real-World Open-Label Experience with Rimegepant for the Acute Treatment of Migraine Attacks: A Multicenter Pilot Study.

The present open-label multicenter pilot study sought to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of rimegepant in treating migraine attacks. The primary endpoint was pain freedom at two hours post-dose, while the co-primary efficacy endpoints included a reduction in the headache intensity and freedom from the most bothersome symptoms (MBS) associated with migraine at the same time point. To test the potential efficacy of rimegepant, patients were asked to record in a questionnaire all the relevant changes with each migraine attack treated with rimegepant at two hours post-dose vs.

Repurposing chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy grading.

Background And Purpose: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is perceived differently by patients and physicians, complicating its assessment. Current recommendations advocate combining clinical and patient-reported outcomes measures, but this approach can be challenging in patient care. This multicenter European study aims to bridge the gap between patients' perceptions and neurological impairments by aligning both perspectives to improve treatment decision-making.

Menopause and its impact on the effectiveness of fremanezumab for migraine prophylaxis: post-hoc analysis of a prospective, real-world Greek registry.

Objective: This post-hoc analysis of data extracted from a prospective study aimed to explore for the first time if the efficacy of fremanezumab in preventing difficult-to-treat migraine, according to ICHD-III, would differ between pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women.

Methods: A total of 171 (aged 18-70 years) fremanezumab-treated female migraine patients for six consecutive months were classified to those at pre-menopausal ( = 82) or post-menopausal ( = 89). Monthly headache days (MHD), disability, and quality of life (QOL) outcomes were assessed at baseline and at week 24 post-fremanezumab within subgroups and were then compared between them.

Accuracy, precision and diagnostic accuracy of oral thermometry in pediatric patients.

Purpose: To determine the accuracy and precision of oral thermometry in pediatric patients, along with its sensitivity and specificity for detecting fever and hypothermia, with rectal thermometry as reference standard.

Design And Methods: This method-comparison study enrolled patients aged between 6 and 17 years, admitted to the surgical ward during a 21-month period. KD-2150 and IVAC Temp Plus II were used for oral and rectal temperature measurements respectively.

Patterns, Outcomes and Economic Burden of Primary vs. Secondary Bloodstream Infections: A Single Center, Cross-Sectional Study.

Bloodstream infections (BSIs) can be primary or secondary, with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Primary bloodstream infections (BSIs) are defined as infections where no clear infection source is identified, while secondary BSIs originate from a localized infection site. This study aims to compare patterns, outcomes, and medical costs between primary and secondary BSIs and identify associated factors.

Preferences and perceptions of 617 migraine patients on acute and preventive migraine treatment attributes and clinical trial endpoints.

Background: To identify the preferences and perceptions of migraine patients for acute and preventive treatment options and to investigate which treatment outcomes are the most important.

Design And Methods: The authors performed a choice-format survey in a cohort of migraine patients from Greece and Cyprus. A self-administered questionnaire developed in collaboration with the Greek Society of Migraine Patients was used.

Results of a Web-Based Survey on 2565 Greek Migraine Patients in 2023: Demographic Data, Imposed Burden and Satisfaction to Acute and Prophylactic Treatments in the Era of New Treatment Options.

The Greek Society of Migraine and Headache Patients conducted its third in-line population web-based survey in 2023 to ascertain if the burden of the disease and the patients' satisfaction with conventional and novel migraine therapies are changing compared to our previous findings from 2018 and 2020. The sampling process was based on a random call to participants to reply to a specific migraine-focused self-administered questionnaire, including 83 questions in Greek, which was distributed nationwide through the online research software SurveyMonkey. We eventually enrolled 2565 patients, the majority of which were females.

Reporting Quality and Risk of Bias Analysis of Published RCTs Assessing Anti-CGRP Monoclonal Antibodies in Migraine Prophylaxis: A Systematic Review.

Phase II/III randomized clinical trials (RCTs) are vulnerable to many types of bias beyond randomization. Insights into the reporting quality of RCTs involving migraine patients treated with monoclonal antibodies targeting the calcitonin gene-related peptide system (anti-CGRP MAbs) are currently lacking. Our aim was to analyze the reporting quality of phase II/III RCTs involving migraine patients treated with anti-CGRP MAbs.

Effects of OnabotulinumtoxinA on Allodynia and Interictal Burden of Patients with Chronic Migraine.

Background: We primarily aimed to ascertain whether treatment with OnabotulinumtoxinA (BoNTA) might influence the extent of the interictal burden and cutaneous allodynia in patients with chronic migraine (CM).

Methods: Seventy CM patients, who received three consecutive cycles of BoNTA, were studied. The interictal burden was assessed with the Migraine Interictal Burden Scale (MIBS-4), while cutaneous allodynia was examined with the Allodynia Symptom Checklist (ASC-12) together with PI-NRS VAS to obtain hair brushing scores, and then these were compared from baseline (T0) to the last efficacy evaluation follow-up (T1).

Incidence and risk factors for developing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain in 500 cancer patients: A file-based observational study.

Objective: To define the incidence and risk factors for developing chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain (CINP).

Methods: Retrospective, file-based analysis on cancer patients who received any type of conventional chemotherapy and for whom neurological evaluation was asked to reveal the extent of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN) with or without CINP. CINP was assessed by means of the PI-NRS and Douleur Neuropathique-4 questionnaire.

Nine-Month Continuous Fremanezumab Prophylaxis on the Response to Triptans and Also on the Incidence of Triggers, Hypersensitivity and Prodromal Symptoms of Patients with High-Frequency Episodic Migraine.

To investigate whether the incidence of triggers, prodromal symptoms, hypersensitivity symptoms accompanying headache and responses to triptans were modified during a continuous 9-month fremanezumab therapy for migraine prophylaxis. We studied 63 patients with high-frequency episodic migraine (HFEM). Enrolled patients received fremanezumab for nine consecutive months before defining the response rates and being stratified into treatment responders (≥50-74% reduction in monthly headache days (MHDs)), super responders (≥75%), partial non-responders (<50%) and super non-responders (<30%).

Single OnabotulinumtoxinA Session Add-On to Carbamazepine or Oxcarbazepine in Treatment-Refractory Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Case Series with 24-Week Follow Up.

We sought to assess the efficacy of combining onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNTA) as add-on therapy to carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine in treatment-refractory patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TGN) who failed to respond (less than 30% response rate) to adequate monotherapy. We conducted a retrospective study on 15 patients with a definite diagnosis of TGN, according to the established criteria, and underwent BoNTA as part of their treatment plan. A single BoNTA session was administered subcutaneously, according to patients' perceived zone of pain, at different dosages ranging from 30 to 200 units (mean ± standard deviation: 87.

Omicron variant dominance and anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination are key determinants for a milder course of COVID-19 in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine whether the introduction of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and the dominance of the omicron variant had a significant impact on the outcome of COVID-19 in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SAIRDs).

Methods: Using data entered to the Greek Rheumatology Society COVID-19 registry, we investigated the incidence of hospitalization and death due to COVID-19, during the successive periods of the pandemic according to the prevalent strain (wild-type, Alpha, Delta, Omicron) in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients. Variables independently associated with hospitalization and death were explored using multivariate regression analyses, while Kaplan-Meier curves were used to depict survival data.

The Perioperative Use of Levosimendan as a Means of Optimizing the Surgical Outcome in Patients with Severe Heart Insufficiency Undergoing Cardiac Surgery.

Background: Postoperative myocardial dysfunction following cardiac surgery is a relatively common occurrence. Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer and inotropic drug, has shown potential in improving outcomes for patients with low preoperative ejection fraction (EF) and myocardial dysfunction after cardiac surgery. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of levosimendan in optimizing the surgical outcome for such patients.

Perioperative Application of Levosimendan Optimizes Postoperative Renal Function and Organ Perfusion in Patients with Severe Heart Failure.

Renal dysfunction and impaired organ perfusion are common concerns following cardiac surgery. Levosimendan, a calcium sensitizer inotropic drug, is investigated in this study for its potential to improve postoperative renal function and organ perfusion in patients with low preoperative ejection fraction and severe myocardial dysfunction after cardiac surgery. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 314 patients with preoperative heart failure who underwent cardiac surgery.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Fragility Fractures of the Hip: An Interrupted Time-Series Analysis of the Lockdown Periods in Western Greece and Review of the Literature.

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on healthcare systems worldwide, prompting policymakers to implement measures of isolation and eventually adopt strict national lockdowns, which affected mobility, healthcare-seeking behavior, and services, in an unprecedented manner. This study aimed to analyze the effects of these lockdowns on hip-fracture epidemiology and care services, compared to nonpandemic periods in previous years. We retrospectively collected data from electronic patient records of two major hospitals in Western Greece and included patients who suffered a fragility hip fracture and were admitted during the two 5-week lockdown periods in 2020, compared to time-matched patients from 2017-2019.

Effects of Fremanezumab on Psychiatric Comorbidities in Difficult-to-Treat Patients with Chronic Migraine: Post Hoc Analysis of a Prospective, Multicenter, Real-World Greek Registry.

Objective: this post hoc analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of fremanezumab in difficult-to-treat chronic migraine (CM) patients with and without psychiatric comorbidities (PCs), mainly anxiety and/or depression.

Methods: We assessed data from CM patients with and without PCs who failed at least 3 preventives and eventually received at least 3 consecutive monthly doses of fremanezumab 225 mg. Outcomes included the crude response (≥50% reduction in monthly headache days (MHDs)) rates to fremanezumab from the baseline to the last clinical follow-up.

Predictors of Response to Fremanezumab in Migraine Patients with at Least Three Previous Preventive Failures: Post Hoc Analysis of a Prospective, Multicenter, Real-World Greek Registry.

Objective: To define, in a real-world population of patients with high-frequency episodic (HFEM) or chronic migraine (CM), the predictive role of socio-demographic or phenotypic profiling of responders to fremanezumab.

Patients And Methods: Two-hundred and four adult fremanezumab-treated patients with either HFEM or CM, who failed to at least three preventive treatments, provided data at baseline on several individual socio-demographic and phenotypic variables. These variables were analyzed for their ability to independently predict the response (50-74% response rates) or super-response (≥ 75% response rates) to fremanezumab.

A Survey of Greek Primary Care Physicians on Their Likeability in Treating Migraines and Other Common Diseases.

: Migraine is considered the most clinically important primary headache due to its high prevalence and significant burden. Although globally categorized as one of the leading causes of disability, it is still largely underdiagnosed and undertreated. Worldwide, migraine care is in most cases provided by primary care physicians.

Axonal degeneration in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity: clinical and experimental evidence.

Multiple pathological mechanisms are involved in the development of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity (CIPN). Recent work has provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced axonal degeneration. This review integrates evidence from preclinical and clinical work on the onset, progression and outcome of axonal degeneration in CIPN.