Optimization of cognitive assessment in Parkinsonisms by applying artificial intelligence to a comprehensive screening test.

The assessment of cognitive deficits is pivotal for diagnosis and management in patients with parkinsonisms. Low levels of correspondence are observed between evaluations assessed with screening cognitive tests in comparison with those assessed with in-depth neuropsychological batteries. A new tool, we named CoMDA (Cognition in Movement Disorders Assessment), was composed by merging Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB).

The impact of lifetime coffee and tea loads on Multiple Sclerosis severity.

Background And Aims: The association between lifestyle factors and Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease severity and progression has been investigated to a lesser extent compared with susceptibility to the disease. We aimed to assess the impact of lifetime coffee and tea consumption on MS severity.

Methods: Design: cross-sectional study.

Rehabilitation in movement disorders: From basic mechanisms to clinical strategies.

Movement disorders encompass a variety of conditions affecting the nervous system at multiple levels. The pathologic processes underlying movement disorders alter the normal neural functions and could lead to aberrant neuroplastic changes and to clinical phenomenology that is not expressed only through mere motor symptoms. Given this complexity, the responsiveness to pharmacologic and surgical therapies is often disappointing.

Pleuropulmonary Ultrasound in Pediatrics: Proposal of a Reporting Model From the Academy of Thoracic Ultrasound.

With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, pleuropulmonary ultrasound has become a very common tool in clinical practice, even in the pediatric field. Therefore, the clinicians' need to speak a common ultrasound language becomes increasingly necessary. The Italian scientific society AdET (Academy of Thoracic Ultrasound) has been carrying out the study and dissemination of pulmonary ultrasound in medical practice in Italy for years.

VPS13C-associated Parkinson's disease: Two novel cases and review of the literature.

VPS13C is a protein-coding gene involved in the regulation of mitochondrial function through the endolysosomal pathway in neurons. Homozygous and compound heterozygous VPS13C mutations are etiologically associated with early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). Moreover, recent studies linked biallelic VPS13C mutations with the development of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Safety and Effectiveness of Cell Therapy in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Take-Home Messages From a Pilot Feasibility Phase I Study of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells with anti-inflammatory properties. Here we tested the safety of MSCs in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01824121; Eudract No.

1-Year Results From a Prospective Experience on CAS Using the CGuard Stent System: The IRONGUARD 2 Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the 1-year safety and efficacy of a dual-layered stent (DLS) for carotid artery stenting (CAS) in a multicenter registry.

Background: DLS have been proved to be safe and efficient during short-term follow-up. Recent data have raised the concern that the benefit of CAS performed with using a DLS may be hampered by a higher restenosis rate at 1 year.

Efficacy and tolerability of bevacizumab in patients with severe Covid-19.

On the basis of Covid-19-induced pulmonary pathological and vascular changes, we hypothesize that the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug bevacizumab might be beneficial for treating Covid-19 patients. From Feb 15 to April 5, 2020, we conducted a single-arm trial (NCT04275414) and recruited 26 patients from 2-centers (China and Italy) with severe Covid-19, with respiratory rate ≥30 times/min, oxygen saturation ≤93% with ambient air, or partial arterial oxygen pressure to fraction of inspiration O ratio (PaO/FiO) >100 mmHg and ≤300 mmHg, and diffuse pneumonia confirmed by chest imaging. Followed up for 28 days.

Hypomania, Depression, Euthymia: New Evidence in Parkinson's Disease.

The field related to mood disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD) is fragmented. The aim of this cohort observational study was to evaluate whether the episodes of mood alteration could appear in different disease stages and to verify how nonmotor symptoms were led off into different stages. We enrolled 93 PD outpatients (three groups: drug naive-DN; not exhibiting motor fluctuations-n-MF; and exhibiting motor fluctuations-MF) and 50 healthy controls.

1-Month Results From a Prospective Experience on CAS Using CGuard Stent System: The IRONGUARD 2 Study.

Objectives: This study sought to evaluate 30-day safety and efficacy of dual-layer mesh-covered carotid stent systems for carotid artery stenting (CAS) in the clinical practice.

Background: When compared with carotid endarterectomy, CAS has been associated with a higher rate of post procedural neurologic events; these could be related to plaque's debris prolapsing through stent's mesh. Consequently, the need for increased plaque coverage has resulted in the development of dual-layer mesh-covered carotid stent systems.

Predictors of COVID-19 outcome in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Specific pre-existing medical conditions (e.g. hypertension or obesity), advanced age and male sex appear linked to more severe manifestations of SARS Co-V2 infection, thus raising the question of whether Parkinson's disease (PD) poses an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Sexual Dysfunction in Parkinson Disease: A Multicenter Italian Cross-sectional Study on a Still Overlooked Problem.

Background: Prevalence rates of sexual dysfunction (SD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are likely to be underestimated and their etiology is still unknown. More understanding of this issue is needed.

Aim: To investigate prevalence of SD and its variables, including gender differences, in a sample of PD patients.

Recommendations for the Organization of Multidisciplinary Clinical Care Teams in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Optimal management in expert centers for Parkinson's disease (PD) usually involves pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, delivered by a multidisciplinary approach. However, there is no guideline specifying how this model should be organized. Consequently, the nature of multidisciplinary care varies widely.

Motor-cognitive approach and aerobic training: a synergism for rehabilitative intervention in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) results in a complex deterioration of motor behavior. Effective pharmacological or surgical treatments addressing the whole spectrum of both motor and cognitive symptoms are lacking. The cumulative functional impairment may have devastating socio-economic consequences on both patients and caregivers.

How Cognition and Motivation "Freeze" the Motor Behavior in Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: Freezing of gait (FoG) is a debilitating problem in patients with PD. The multifactorial pathogenesis of FoG remains poorly understood. We aimed to find which factors are most strongly associated with the occurrence of FoG.

Occupational Therapy for Parkinsonian Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Hand functionality and finger dexterity are impaired in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). These disturbances lead to a dependency in activities of daily living (ADL) and poor quality of life (QoL).

Objective: We aimed to evaluate whether a specific occupational therapy (OT) program is effective in improving finger and hand dexterity and its impact on ADL in PD patients.

Severe Constipation in Parkinson's Disease and in Parkinsonisms: Prevalence and Affecting Factors.

constipation is one of the most common and disabling non-motor symptoms of Parkinson Disease (PD) and Parkinsonisms (PS). Few studies evaluate the difference of prevalence between PD and PS and the cause leading to a severe constipation in this diseases. Aim of our study is to evaluate the prevalence of constipation in a population of patients with PD and PS and to evaluate which factors influence the development of severe constipation.

Land Plus Aquatic Therapy Versus Land-Based Rehabilitation Alone for the Treatment of Freezing of Gait in Parkinson Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Freezing of gait (FOG) is one of the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD). Different land-based rehabilitation approaches based on motor and cognitive strategies can be effective in treating FOG. Although there are data about the efficacy of aquatic therapy in ameliorating this phenomenon, no study has explored the combined effect of land-based therapies plus aquatic therapy in patients with PD who have FOG.

Repeated Cerebrospinal Fluid Removal Procedure in Older Patients With Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Ineligible for Surgical Treatment.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of repeated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tap procedures in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) patients ineligible for surgical treatment.

Design: Prospective, monocentric, pilot study.

Setting: University hospital.

Asymmetric Dopaminergic Degeneration and Attentional Resources in Parkinson's Disease.

Attention is crucial to voluntary perform actions in Parkinson's disease (PD), allowing patients to bypass the impaired habitual motor control. The asymmetrical degeneration of the dopaminergic system could affect the attentional functions. To investigate the relationship between the asymmetric dopaminergic degeneration and the attentional resources in Parkinsonian patients with right-side (RPD) and left-side (LPD) motor symptoms predominance.

Unraveling gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonism.

Background: Although several studies have suggested that abnormalities in gut microbiota may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of PD, data are still extremely heterogeneous.

Methods: 16S gene ribosomal RNA sequencing was performed on fecal samples of 350 individuals, subdivided into idiopathic PD (n = 193, of whom 39 were drug naïve) stratified by disease duration, PSP (n = 22), MSA (n = 22), and healthy controls (HC; n = 113). Several confounders were taken into account, including dietary habits.