Facial tremors in patients with and without parkinsonism.

Facial (lip and jaw) tremors can be an early sign of Parkinson's disease (PD), essential tremor and other parkinsonisms. Its response to acute dopaminergic therapy and further predictive clinical diagnosis has not been previously addressed. The aim of this study was to evaluate facial tremors response to acute dopaminergic therapy and further predictive value for clinical diagnosis.

Motor features in Parkinson's disease with normal olfactory function.

Background: Normosmic Parkinson's disease (PD) might be a unique clinical phenotype with a more benign course when compared with hyposmic PD.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate motor features and the acute levodopa response according to olfactory function.

Methods: A total of 169 de novo PD patients that underwent olfactory testing and acute levodopa challenge for clinical prediction of sustained long-term dopaminergic response were evaluated.

Analysis of four scales for global severity evaluation in Parkinson's disease.

Global evaluations of Parkinson's disease (PD) severity are available, but their concordance and accuracy have not been previously tested. The present international, cross-sectional study was aimed at determining the agreement level among four global scales for PD (Hoehn and Yahr, HY; Clinical Global Impression of Severity, CGIS; Clinical Impression of Severity Index, CISI-PD; and Patient Global Impression of Severity, PGIS) and identifying which of them better correlates with itemized PD assessments. Assessments included additional scales for evaluation of the movement impairment, disability, affective disorders, and quality of life.

The TAM family receptor tyrosine kinase TYRO3 is a negative regulator of type 2 immunity.

Host responses against metazoan parasites or an array of environmental substances elicit type 2 immunity. Despite its protective function, type 2 immunity also drives allergic diseases. The mechanisms that regulate the magnitude of the type 2 response remain largely unknown.

Influence of white matter MRI hyper-intensities on acute l-dopa response in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To determine whether brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) influence l-dopa response in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated 60 PD patients with an acute l-dopa challenge test, and assessed motor performance with the Movement Disorders Society revised Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) during "ON" and "OFF" medication states. Magnetic resonance images were examined using a visual semi-quantitative rating scale for quantification and distribution analysis of WMH.

Sphingosine 1-phosphate signaling in astrocytes: Implications for progressive multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent attacks against the central nervous system. After many years, certain patients enter a progressive disease phase, characterized by steady clinical deterioration. However, in 10-15% of patients, the disease is progressive from the beginning, and thus diagnosed as Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.

Comparison of Olfactory Identification Patterns among Parkinson's Disease Patients from Different Countries.

Olfactory function assessment is an important screening tool and also may differentiate Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from other parkinsonisms, including nondegenerative ones, such as, normal pressure hydrocephalus, vascular, drug induced, or infectious parkinsonism. Several authors in different countries have reported various sets of odors that best differentiate between these conditions. It is debated if distinctive patterns of "restrictive" or "selective" hyposmia in PD may be affected by cultural aspects.

Melatonin Contributes to the Seasonality of Multiple Sclerosis Relapses.

Seasonal changes in disease activity have been observed in multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disorder that affects the CNS. These epidemiological observations suggest that environmental factors influence the disease course. Here, we report that melatonin levels, whose production is modulated by seasonal variations in night length, negatively correlate with multiple sclerosis activity in humans.

Olfactory Dysfunction Evaluation Is Not Affected by Comorbid Depression in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Olfactory function assessment is an important screening tool for Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis. It is debated whether olfaction is affected by comorbid depression. We assessed the relationship between depression and olfaction in PD and determined whether depression may limit the usefulness of olfactory testing for PD diagnosis.

Stroke knowledge in Spanish-speaking populations.

Background: Spanish is the second most-spoken language in the world. Spanish-speaking populations (SSP) have heterogeneous cultural backgrounds, racial and ethnical origins, economic status, and access to health care systems. There are no published reviews about stroke knowledge in SSP.

Management of constipation in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Constipation is a frequent non-motor feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is the most common gastrointestinal symptom of the disease and it can precede motor symptoms by as much as 20 years. Constipation can produce discomfort and affect activities of daily living, productivity and quality of life, thus warranting early diagnosis and treatment.

Parkinson's disease severity levels and MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.

Background: Severity of PD is usually assessed by means of the motor and disability-based Hoehn and Yahr staging (HY), or clinician and patient global perceptions. Scores of more detailed assessments, as the MDS-UPDRS, have not been translated to a grading that allows assignment of score sections to severity levels. The objective of the present study is to determine cut-off points for PD severity levels based on the MDS-UPDRS.

Low familial risks for multiple sclerosis in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Background: Multiple sclerosis is a complex disease in which genetic susceptibility plays a role and familial occurrence has long been recognized. To date, no studies of familial occurrence have been conducted in Argentina, a country with low to intermediate prevalence.

Methods: As part of a cross-sectional study on multiple sclerosis in Buenos Aires, immediate and extended pedigree details were collected on 219 patients.

Sodium intake is associated with increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis.

Background: Recently, salt has been shown to modulate the differentiation of human and mouse Th17 cells and mice that were fed a high-sodium diet were described to develop more aggressive courses of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. However, the role of sodium intake in multiple sclerosis (MS) has not been addressed. We aimed to investigate the relationship between salt consumption and clinical and radiological disease activity in MS.

Decision-making impairment in patients with multiple sclerosis: a case-control study.

Objectives: To assess decision-making under explicit risk conditions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients and its relationship to decisions made under conditions of ambiguity. To assess cognitive functions related to decision-making performance in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Setting: MS center in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

White matter relapsing remitting disease: "Susac's syndrome"-An underdiagnosed entity.

Susac's syndrome is a treatable microangiopathy of unknown etiology affecting arterioles of the brain, retina, and cochlea. The typical clinical manifestation is the triad of encephalopathy, visual loss, and sensorineural hearing loss. One or more of these features may not be present at onset and therefore Susac's syndrome's diagnosis may be difficult.