Neurology Commons^™

Reasons For Ineligibility For Clinical Trials Of Patients With Medication-Resistant Epilepsy, Wesley T. Kerr, Hai Chen, Mariana Figuera Losada, Christopher Cheng, Tiffany Liu, Jaqueline French

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Selection criteria for clinical trials for medication-resistant epilepsy are used to limit variability and to ensure safety. However, it has become more challenging to recruit subjects for trials. This study investigated the impact of each inclusion and exclusion criterion on medication-resistant epilepsy clinical trial recruitment at a large academic epilepsy center. We retrospectively identified all patients with medication-resistant focal or generalized onset epilepsy who attended an outpatient clinic over a consecutive 3-month period. We assessed each patient's eligibility for trials with commonly required inclusion and exclusion criteria to evaluate the proportion of eligible patients and the most common reasons for …

Heterochronic Parabiosis Causes Dacryoadenitis In Young Lacrimal Glands, Kaitlin K Scholand, Alexis F Mack, Gary U Guzman, Michael E Maniskas, Ritu Sampige, Gowthaman Govindarajan, Louise D Mccullough, Cintia S De Paiva

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Aging is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress in the lacrimal gland (LG). We investigated if heterochronic parabiosis of mice could modulate age-related LG alterations. In both males and females, there were significant increases in total immune infiltration in isochronic aged LGs compared to that in isochronic young LGs. Male heterochronic young LGs were significantly more infiltrated compared to male isochronic young LGs. While both females and males had significant increases in inflammatory and B-cell-related transcripts in isochronic and heterochronic aged LGs compared to levels isochronic and heterochronic young LGs, females had a greater fold expression of some of these …

Mglu5 Inhibition In The Basolateral Amygdala Prevents Estrous Cycle-Dependent Changes In Cue-Induced Cocaine Seeking, Claire M. Corbett, Emily N. D. Miller, Jessica A. Loweth

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Drug associated cues are a common relapse trigger for individuals recovering from cocaine use disorder. Sex and ovarian hormones influence patterns of cocaine use and relapse vulnerability, with studies indicating that females show increased cue-induced craving and relapse vulnerability compared to males. In a rodent model of cocaine craving and relapse vulnerability, cue-induced cocaine seeking behavior following weeks of withdrawal from extended-access cocaine self-administration is higher in females in the estrus stage of the reproductive (estrous) cycle (Estrus Females) compared to both Males and females in all other stages (Non-Estrus Females). However, the neuronal substrates and cellular mechanisms underlying these …

Egr1 Drives Cell Proliferation By Directly Stimulating Tfeb Transcription In Response To Starvation, Marcella Cesana, Gennaro Tufano, Francesco Panariello, Nicolina Zampelli, Susanna Ambrosio, Rossella De Cegli, Margherita Mutarelli, Lorenzo Vaccaro, Micheal J Ziller, Davide Cacchiarelli, Diego L Medina, Andrea Ballabio

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

The stress-responsive transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master controller of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy and plays a major role in several cancer-associated diseases. TFEB is regulated at the posttranslational level by the nutrient-sensitive kinase complex mTORC1. However, little is known about the regulation of TFEB transcription. Here, through integrative genomic approaches, we identify the immediate-early gene EGR1 as a positive transcriptional regulator of TFEB expression in human cells and demonstrate that, in the absence of EGR1, TFEB-mediated transcriptional response to starvation is impaired. Remarkably, both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of EGR1, using the MEK1/2 inhibitor Trametinib, significantly reduced the …

New Mouse Models With Hypomorphic Sumf1 Variants Mimic Attenuated Forms Of Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency, Nicolina Cristina Sorrentino, Maximiliano Presa, Sergio Attanasio, Vincenzo Cacace, Martina Sofia, Aamir Zuberi, Jennifer Ryan, Somdatta Ray, Igor Petkovic, Karthikeyan Radhakrishnan, Lars Schlotawa, Andrea Ballabio, Cathleen Lutz, Nicola Brunetti-Pierri

Duncan NRI Faculty and Staff Publications

Multiple sulfatase deficiency (MSD) is an ultrarare lysosomal storage disorder due to deficiency of all known sulfatases. MSD is caused by mutations in the Sulfatase Modifying Factor 1 (SUMF1) gene encoding the enzyme responsible for the post-translational modification and activation of all sulfatases. Most MSD patients carry hypomorph SUMF1 variants resulting in variable degrees of residual sulfatase activities. In contrast, Sumf1 null mice with complete deficiency in all sulfatase enzyme activities, have very short lifespan with significant pre-wean lethality, owing to a challenging preclinical model. To overcome this limitation, we genetically engineered and characterized in mice two commonly …

Application Of Multiphase Ct Angiography In Acute Ischemic Stroke, Salman Mansoor

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

This article explores the use of multiphase CT angiography (CTA) as a valuable tool in acute stroke management. Unlike traditional imaging methods, multiphase CTA provides a more comprehensive view of the neurovascular system and can detect occlusions and aid in treatment decision-making. Recent studies have shown that multiphase CTA has high accuracy in identifying patients who are suitable for endovascular treatment. Furthermore, it has also been used to visualize intracranial aneurysms and track the development of collateral circulation during and after treatment. Despite concerns regarding radiation exposure and image interpretation, multiphase CTA remains an essential imaging modality in the management …

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Experience In Patients Presenting To A Tertiary Care Hospital: A Case Series, Zaid Waqar Waqar, Amina Sadiqa, Soban Khan, Muhammad Annas Farooq Farooq, Zeeshan Munawar, Maryam Khalil, Adil Awan

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare cause of rapidly progressive dementia, it is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the misfolding of prion proteins in the brain, and misfolded proteins further propagate by causing misfolding of other proteins. It presents with insidious onset of neurobehavioral symptoms that rapidly develop into cognitive and motor decline and uncontrolled seizures. The diagnosis is established with help of clinical signs and symptoms, and using imaging and lab investigations to rule out other treatable causes. Some imaging findings point to the diagnosis of CJD that will be viewed in the cases below. Diagnosis can be augmented …

Mutational Analysis Among Patients With Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Shumaila Rafique, Muhammad Asif Ibrahim, Natasha Ghani, Muhammad Athar Khalily, Syed Zubair Shah Shah, Tipu Sultan

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Background and objective: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is caused by mutations in dystrophin gene that include deletion, duplication and small mutations. Introduction to newer drug therapies in DMD is based on the type of mutation. The objective of this study was to assess distribution and percentage of different mutations among DMD patients. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Pediatric Neurology department of UCHS & Children Hospital Lahore. All the cases of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy confirmed through genetic analysis from January 2022 to June 2022 through MLPA method were enrolled in the study. Data was recorded on detailed history and …

Clinical Spectrum, Risk Factors & Electrophysiological Evaluation Of Sciatic Nerve Injury In Patients Presenting To A Tertiary Care Hospital, Maryum Khadim Khadim, Safia Bano, Ahsan Numan

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Frequency Of Tension-Type Headache In Patients With Migraine: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study, Haris Majid Rajput, Zahid Hussain Mir, Muhammad Fateen Rashed, Fiza Batool Almosvi, Mazhar Badshah

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

ABSTRACT Background and objective: Migraine is a common headache disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of moderate to severe headaches which are usually unilateral. Migraine is the second most common headache disorder after tension-type headache. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of tension-type headache in patients with migraine. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad for a period of six months between 1st July 2018 and 31st December 2018. This study enrolled patients above the age of 12 years that were diagnosed with “Migraine without aura” or “Migraine with aura”. …

Evidence Based Medicine Should Apply Equally To Resource-Limited Settings, Thirugnanam Umapathi

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

An Artificial Neural Network For Nasogastric Tube Position Decision Support, Ignat Drozdov, Rachael Dixon, Benjamin Szubert, Jessica Dunn, Darren Green, Nicola Hall, Arman Shirandami, Sofia Rosas, Ryan Grech, Srikanth Puttagunta, Mark Hall, David J Lowe

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To develop and validate a deep learning model for detection of nasogastric tube (NGT) malposition on chest radiographs and assess model impact as a clinical decision support tool for junior physicians to help determine whether feeding can be safely performed in patients (feed/do not feed).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A neural network ensemble was pretrained on 1 132 142 retrospectively collected (June 2007-August 2019) frontal chest radiographs and further fine-tuned on 7081 chest radiographs labeled by three radiologists. Clinical relevance was assessed on an independent set of 335 images. Five junior emergency medicine physicians assessed chest radiographs and made feed/do …

Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Leads To Injury And Altered Metabolism In The Lungs, Emily E. Huffman, Brittany E. Dong, Harrison A. Clarke, Lyndsay E. A. Young, Matthew S. Gentry, Derek B. Allison, Ramon C. Sun, Christopher M. Waters, Warren J. Alilain

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

High-cervical spinal cord injury often disrupts respiratory motor pathways and disables breathing in the affected population. Moreover, cervically injured individuals are at risk for developing acute lung injury, which predicts substantial mortality rates. While the correlation between acute lung injury and spinal cord injury has been found in the clinical setting, the field lacks an animal model to interrogate the fundamental biology of this relationship. To begin to address this gap in knowledge, we performed an experimental cervical spinal cord injury (N = 18) alongside sham injury (N = 3) and naïve animals (N = 15) to assess lung injury …

Impact Of Time To Treatment On Endovascular Thrombectomy Outcomes In The Early Versus Late Treatment Time Windows, Negar Asdaghi, Kefeng Wang, Hannah Gardener, Angus Jameson, David Z Rose, Ayham Alkhachroum, Carolina M Gutierrez, Hao Ying, Nils Mueller-Kronast, Nicole B Sur, Chuanhui Dong, Gillian Gordon Perue, Marissa Lepain, Sebastian Koch, Nastajjia Krementz, Erika Marulanda-Londoño, Ricardo Hanel, Brijesh Mehta, Dileep R Yavagal, Tatjana Rundek, Ralph L Sacco, Jose G Romano

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: The impact of time to treatment on outcomes of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) especially in patients presenting after 6 hours from symptom onset is not well characterized. We studied the differences in characteristics and treatment timelines of EVT-treated patients participating in the Florida Stroke Registry and aimed to characterize the extent to which time impacts EVT outcomes in the early and late time windows.

METHODS: Prospectively collected data from Get With the Guidelines-Stroke hospitals participating in the Florida Stroke Registry from January 2010 to April 2020 were reviewed. Participants were EVT patients with onset-to-puncture time (OTP) of ≤24 hours and …

Gender-Associated Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles And Health Behaviors In Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Analysis Of The Joint Asia Diabetes Evaluation (Jade) Program, Lee-Ling Lim, Eric S H Lau, Alice P S Kong, Amy W C Fu, Vanessa Lau, Weiping Jia, Wayne H H Sheu, Leorino Sobrepena, K H Yoon, Alexander T B Tan, Yook-Chin Chia, Aravind Sosale, Banshi D Saboo, Jothydev Kesavadev, Su-Yen Goh, Thy Khue Nguyen, Yotsapon Thewjitcharoen, Raymond Suwita, Ronald C W Ma, Elaine Y K Chow, Andrea O Y Luk, Juliana C N Chan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background

In Asia, diabetes-associated death due to cardiorenal diseases were 2–3 times higher in women than men which might be due to gender disparity in quality of care and health habits.

Methods

Adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) from 11 Asian countries/areas were assessed using the same protocol (2007–2015). We compared treatment target attainment (HbA_1c < 7%, blood pressure [BP] < 130/80 mmHg, risk-based LDL-cholesterol, lack of central obesity [waist circumference <90 cm in men or <80 cm in women), use of cardiorenal-protective drugs (renin-angiotensin system [RAS] inhibitors, statins), and self-reported health habits including self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) by gender. Analyses were stratified by countries/areas, age of natural menopause (<50 vs. ≥50 years), and comorbidities (atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease [ASCVD], heart failure, kidney impairment [eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²]).

Findings

Among 106,376 patients (53.2% men; median (interquartile range) diabetes duration: 6.0 (2.0–12.0) years; mean ± SD HbA_1c 8.0 ± 1.9%; 27% insulin-treated), women were older and …

A National, Electronic Health Record-Based Study Of Perinatal Hemorrhagic And Ischemic Stroke, Stuart Fraser, Samantha M Levy, Yashar Talebi, Sean I Savitz, Alicia Zha, Gen Zhu, Hulin Wu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Perinatal stroke occurs in approximately 1 in 1100 live births. Large electronic health record (EHR) data can provide information on exposures associated with perinatal stroke in a larger number of patients than is achievable through traditional clinical studies. The objective of this study is to assess prevalence and odds ratios of known and theorized comorbidities with perinatal ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.

METHODS: The data for patients aged 0-28 days with a diagnosis of either ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke were extracted from the Cerner Health Facts Electronic Medical Record (EMR) database. Incidence of birth demographics and perinatal complications were recorded. …

Properties Of A Combined Measure Of Reading And Writing: The Assessment Of Writing, Self-Monitoring And Reading (Awsm Reader), Anthony R Gioia, Yusra Ahmed, Steven P Woods, Paul T Cirino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

There is significant overlap between reading and writing, but no known standardized measure assesses these jointly. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the properties of a novel measure, the Assessment of Writing, Self-Monitoring, and Reading (AWSM Reader), that simultaneously evaluates both reading comprehension and writing. In doing so, we evaluate reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) and various aspects of construct-related validity, including separate criterion measures of reading and writing, and the AWSM Reader’s relations with other variables, including language and executive function (EF), both of which are implicated for both reading and writing. Participants were 377 3rd, 4th, and …

Smurf1 Attenuates Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress By Promoting The Degradation Of Keap1 To Activate Nrf2 Antioxidant Pathway, Amita Singh, Gabriel Bonnell, Justin De Prey, Natalie Buchwald, Kyrillos Eskander, Keith J Kincaid, Christina A Wilson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Cerebral small-vessels are generally located in the brain at branch points from major cerebral blood vessels and perfuse subcortical structures such as the white matter tracts, basal ganglia, thalamus, and pons. Cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) can lead to several different clinical manifestations including ischemic lacunar stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and vascular dementia. Risk factors for CSVD overlap with conventional vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia, as well as genetic causes. As in cardiovascular disease, treatment of CSVD involves both primary and secondary prevention. Aspirin has not been established as a primary prevention strategy for CSVD among the general …

World Health Organization Intersectoral Global Action Plan (Who-Igap); Implications And Impact On Neurological Care In Pakistan, Mohammad Wasay Wasay, Safa Younis, Abdul Malik, Akhtar Sherin

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

No abstract provided.

Myositis As A Complication Of Dengue Viral Infection, Amina Sadiqa, Usama Hayyan, Zaid Waqar, Taha Pasha

Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences (PJNS)

Dengue fever is a febrile illness caused by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. It occurs as a seasonal epidemic every year in Pakistan. Apart from febrile illness and its associated hemorrhagic complication, dengue fever is associated with multi-system involvement and their respective complications, including myriad neurological complications. In this case report we describe two patients who developed acute viral myositis.