Neurology Commons^™

Association Of Supine Hypertension In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease, Anam Anis, Iqra Athar, Mazhar Badshah

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting older age populations. There is variable evidence of its relationship with hypertension. To date most of the studies have targeted orthostatic hypotension, however, rare data regarding supine hypertension has been witnessed so far. This study aimed at determining the association of supine hypertension with Parkinson’s disease.

Gutka Associated Optic Neuropathy, Dureshahwar Kanwar, Mohammad Wasay

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Optic neuropathy may be multi factorial in origin. It’s association with gutka use in South East Asia is most likely under diagnosed and often overlooked, considering it is a diagnosis of exclusion. The Optic nerve toxicity is well known occurring due to medications, metals, organic solvents, methanol, and carbon dioxide.1 Over recent years the effect of smokeless tobacco has been highlighted as one of the common causes of toxic optic neuropathy (TON), as visual impairment is already a colossal global health issue. Nonetheless,as high as 80 percent of the total burden of cases of blindness globally are due to causes …

Declining Intensive Care Unit Mortality Of Covid-19: A Multi-Center Study, Sohaib Roomi, Syed Omar Shah, Waqas Ullah, Shan Abedin, Karyn L. Butler, Chiers, Kelly, Benjamin A. Kohl, Erika J. Yoo, Matthew Vibbert, Jack Jallo

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mortality has waned significantly over time; however, factors contributing towards this reduction largely remain unidentified. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the trend in mortality at our large tertiary academic health system and factors contributing to this trend. Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of intensive care unit (ICU) patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between March and August 2020 admitted across 14 hospitals in the Philadelphia area. Collected data included demographics, comorbidities, admission risk of mortality score, laboratory values, medical interventions, survival outcomes, hospital and ICU length of stay (LOS) and discharge disposition. …

Finger Drop Sign In Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Iqra Athar, Neelma Naz Khattak, Haris Majid Rajput, Mazhar Badshah, Zukhruf Zayian, Tashfain Shifa

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a post-infectious, immune-mediated disease that causes a rapidly progressing poly-radiculoneuropathy resulting in weakness and areflexia. It has several variant forms like AIDP, AMAN and AMSAN,

Common Peroneal Neuropathy In Harvesting Farmers, Harwindar Kumar, Syed Muhammad Anwar Shah, Jamita Kor, Sadaf Qazi, Jasvindar Kumar

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

In Pakistan harvesting season occurs from April to May and again from October to December. Thirteen farmers with a history of foot drop were studied in neurophysiology laboratory of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) during the period from March 2019 to December 2019. All the patients had nerve conduction study (NCS) while in some of the patients, electromyography (EMG) was also done to determine the duration of injury and to rule out other differential diagnoses.

A Case Of Acute Psychosis Following Dengue Fever, Waleed Shahzad, Omer Ismail Khalid, Neelam Sarwar, Muhammad Hassan, Tehmina Inayat, Mazhar Badshah

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Dengue fever has been infecting millions of people all around the world specially the rural areas of South East Asia according to World Health Organization. It is caused by an Arbovirus and transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes aegyptii mosquito. Dengue commonly presents with fever and thrombocytopenia; rare presentations include acute pancreatitis, dengue hemorrhagic stroke and encephalopathy. Common psychiatric complications of dengue fever include anxiety, depression, manic episodes and catatonia. We present a rare case of a 51 year old man who presented with an acute episode of psychosis including over talkativeness, irritability, authoritative and disinhibited behavior, …

Intra-Carpal Tunnel Steroid Injections Are Superior To Nsaids In Management Of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Saba Zaidi, Shafaq Abbas

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is caused by the compression of median nerve in carpal tunnel. Carpal bones make the floor of the carpal tunnel and the transverse carpal ligament forms the roof. Components include median nerve and the flexor tendons. The pain may be localized to the wrist or may radiate to forearm, arm or rarely shoulder. Effectiveness of treatment by intracarpal corticosteroid injection in comparison with NSAID has never been investigated. The objective of this study was to determine if corticosteroid injections for carpal tunnel syndrome are effective compared to NSAID.

Post Herpes Nmdar Encephalitis In A 8 Month Old Girl, Farida Jan, Shahnaz H Ibrahim

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Patients with Herpes Simplex virus Encephalitis are seen to have a relapse of symptoms namely seizures and choreoathetoid movements along with impairment of consciousness1. Though infective relapse is a possibility requiring extended antiviral therapy2, immune mediated mechanism is most probable.3 Although there is a similarity of symptoms between relapsing HSVE and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibody encephalitis, the most likely culprit is the latter.

Guillain‐Barre Syndrome In Covid-19: A Literature Review, Imran Ahmad, Farooq Azam Rathore

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can result in several neurological complications including Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS). It is an acute parainfectious paralytic neuropathy. This review summarizes the demographic features, clinical presentation, diagnostics workup, and management strategies of COVID-19 associated GBS reported in the literature. We searched Medline, PubMed Central, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar using pre-defined keywords. We included all kinds of manuscripts in the English language only. Demographics, clinical features, diagnostic workup, management, and outcomes were documented in the datasheet. We identified 24 cases of COVID-19 associated GBS. Most were reported from Italy, followed by the USA. The majority were males (18/24) …

Effectiveness Of Cidofovir In Treating Natalizumab-Associated Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (Pml), Salman Mansoor

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Natalizumab (Nz) a monoclonal antibody has been in medicinal use for treatment of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) since 2004. Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) is one of its serious risks which is a demyelinating disorder of brain associated with John Cunningham Virus (JCV). There have been 801 cases up till December 2018 which were reported with its use1. Lack of prospective trials and retrospective studies due to small number of these cases there is no consensus on Nz-associated PML treatment. To date there is no cure for this condition and there is a debate on effectiveness of different modalities2. Cidofovir …

Effect Of Listening To A Relaxing Water Sound For Fifteen Minutes On Traumatic Stress Subjects’ Immediate Stress Levels And Electroencephalograms, S. Farah Jafri, S. Farah Batool, Shamoon Noushad

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

BACKGROUND: Music and calmness are noteworthy stimulators that significantly affect mental health. Listening to relaxing sounds activates the feeling of wellbeing. The present study aimed to analyze the effect of closed eyes brief exposure to a relaxing water sound on Electroencephalogram (EEG) in pre and post-test states. METHODOLOGY: A total of 20 traumatic stress subjects were included to participate in this study. The subjects were requested to be seated with eyes closed while the sound of water flowing was played for 15 min in between (before and after) the EEG recordings. A subsection of the Sadaf Stress Scale (SSS) i.e. …

Covid-19 Vaccines And Cerebral Venous Thrombosis, Sajid Hameed, Mohammad Wasay

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Biomechanics Of Circumferential Cervical Fixation Using Posterior Facet Cages: A Cadaveric Study., Bernardo De Andrada Pereira, Joshua Pelta-Heller, Jennifer N Lehrman, Anna G U Sawa, Brian P Kelly

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common procedure for the treatment of cervical disease. Circumferential procedures are options for multilevel pathology. Potential complications of multilevel anterior procedures are dysphagia and pseudarthrosis, whereas potential complications of posterior surgery include development of cervical kyphosis and postoperative chronic neck pain. The addition of posterior cervical cages (PCCs) to multilevel ACDF is a minimally invasive option to perform circumferential fusion. This study evaluated the biomechanical performance of 3-level circumferential fusion with PCCs as supplemental fixation to anteriorly placed allografts, with and without anterior plate fixation.

METHODS: Nondestructive flexibility tests (1.5 Nm) …

Cases Of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder From The East Africa Region, Highlighting Challenges In Diagnostics And Healthcare Access, Dilraj Sokhi, Adil Suleiman, Soraiya Manji, Juzar Hooker, Peter Mativo

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an auto-immune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) associated with the IgG-antibody against aquaporin-4 (AQP4-IgG). There is little published epidemiology of NMOSD from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Methods: We retrospectively collated NMOSD cases admitted to our tertiary regional neurology centre.

Results: We identified 11 cases (10 female, average age 30 years). 64% (7/11) were seropositive for AQP4-IgG, measured using indirect immunofluorescence. The remaining cases could either not afford tests, or had patho-gnomonic radiological features. 57% (4/7) of seropositive cases had concurrent/recent CNS infection. All pa-tients were treated with high-dose intravenous …

The Efficacy And Tolerability Of Auto-Stimulation-Vns In Children With Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome., Sherouk A. Abdelmoity, Ayman Abdelmoity, Sean M. Riordan, Christian Kaufman, Jean-Baptist Lepichon, Ahmed Abdelmoity

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

OBJECTIVE: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a severe drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) of childhood. The Vagus Nerve Stimulator (VNS) is established as a safe and effective treatment for DRE. This study assesses efficacy and tolerability of the auto-stimulation VNS models in pediatric patients with LGS.

METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review of a cohort of pediatric patients (Age 1-18 years old) with LGS implanted with an auto-stimulation VNS model at a single level four pediatric epilepsy center. Patient responder's rate was measured as seizure reduction over baseline and improvements in five quality-of-life measures as reported by the patients and families. Efficacy …

A Biallelic Pathogenic Variant In The Ogdh Gene Results In A Neurological Disorder With Features Of A Mitochondrial Disease, Zheng Yie Yap, Klaudia Strucinska, Satoshi Matsuzaki, Sukyeong Lee, Yue Si, Kenneth Humphries, Mark A Tarnopolsky, Wan Hee Yoon

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

2-Oxoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) is a rate-limiting enzyme in the mitochondrial TCA cycle, encoded by the OGDH gene. α-Ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (OGDH) deficiency was previously reported in association with developmental delay, hypotonia, and movement disorders and metabolic decompensation, with no genetic data provided. Using whole exome sequencing, we identified two individuals carrying a homozygous missense variant c.959A>G (p.N320S) in the OGDH gene. These individuals presented with global developmental delay, elevated lactate, ataxia and seizure. Fibroblast analysis and modeling of the mutation in Drosophila were used to evaluate pathogenicity of the variant. Skin fibroblasts from subject # 2 showed a decrease in …

Differential Leukocyte And Platelet Profiles In Distinct Models Of Traumatic Brain Injury, William Brad Hubbard, Meenakshi Banerjee, Hemendra J. Vekaria, Kanakanagavalli Shravani Prakhya, Smita Joshi, Qingjun Wang, Kathryn E. Saatman, Sidney W. Whiteheart, Patrick G. Sullivan

Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center Faculty Publications

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects over 3 million individuals every year in the U.S. There is growing appreciation that TBI can produce systemic modifications, which are in part propagated through blood–brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction and blood–brain cell interactions. As such, platelets and leukocytes contribute to mechanisms of thromboinflammation after TBI. While these mechanisms have been investigated in experimental models of contusion brain injury, less is known regarding acute alterations following mild closed head injury. To investigate the role of platelet dynamics and bioenergetics after TBI, we employed two distinct, well-established models of TBI in mice: the controlled cortical impact (CCI) …

Gliosarcoma In Patients Under 20 Years Of Age. A Clinicopathologic Study Of 11 Cases And Detailed Review Of The Literature, Nasir Ud Din, Hira Ishtiaq, Shabina Rahim, Jamshid Abdul Ghafar, Zubair Ahmad

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: Gliosarcoma is a rare variant of IDH- wild type glioblastoma with both glial and mesenchymal differentiation. It accounts for approximately 2% of glioblastomas and has a poor prognosis similar to that of classic glioblastoma. It is seen mostly between 40 and 60 years of age with a mean age over 50 years. Pediatric gliosarcoma is even rarer than gliosarcoma in adults. We describe the clinicopathological features of gliosarcoma in patients under 20 years of age and determine whether there are significant differences from gliosarcoma in adults. We also present detailed review of published literature on pediatric gliosarcoma.
Methods: Slides …

Can Early Treatment Of Twitcher Mice With High Dose Aavrh10-Galc Eliminate The Need For Bmt?, Mohammad Rafi, Paola Luzi, David A Wenger

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

Introduction: Krabbe disease (KD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the galactocerebrosidase (GALC) gene resulting in neuro-inflammation and defective myelination in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Most infantile patients present with clinical features before six months of age and die before two years of age. The only treatment available for pre-symptomatic or mildly affected individuals is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). In the animal models, combining bone marrow transplantation (BMT) with gene therapy has shown the best results in disease outcome. In this study, we examine the outcome of gene therapy alone.

Methods: Twitcher (twi) mice …

Glioma Stem Cells As Immunotherapeutic Targets: Advancements And Challenges, Keenan Piper, Lisa Depledge, Michael Karsy, Charles Cobbs

Department of Neurosurgery Faculty Papers

Glioblastoma is the most common and lethal primary brain malignancy. Despite major investments in research into glioblastoma biology and drug development, treatment remains limited and survival has not substantially improved beyond 1–2 years. Cancer stem cells (CSC) or glioma stem cells (GSC) refer to a population of tumor originating cells capable of self-renewal and differentiation. While controversial and challenging to study, evidence suggests that GCSs may result in glioblastoma tumor recurrence and resistance to treatment. Multiple treatment strategies have been suggested at targeting GCSs, including immunotherapy, posttranscriptional regulation, modulation of the tumor microenvironment, and epigenetic modulation. In this review, we …