JAMA neurology
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Older age is associated with increased risk of pregnancy-associated stroke (PAS). Data are limited on age-specific incidence ratios of PAS compared with stroke risk in nonpregnant women. ⋯ Younger women, but not older women, have an increased stroke risk during pregnancy and post partum compared with their nonpregnant contemporaries. These results suggest that pregnancy does not increase the risk of stroke in older women.
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Recent studies have reported an increase in the number of fetuses and neonates with microcephaly whose mothers were infected with the Zika virus (ZIKV) during pregnancy. To our knowledge, most reports to date have focused on select aspects of the maternal or fetal infection and fetal effects. ⋯ Combined findings from clinical, laboratory, imaging, and pathological examinations provided a more complete picture of the severe damage and developmental abnormalities caused by ZIKV infection than has been previously reported. The term congenital Zika syndrome is preferable to refer to these cases, as microcephaly is just one of the clinical signs of this congenital malformation disorder.
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Calcium is a key cofactor of the coagulation cascade and may play a role in the pathophysiology of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). ⋯ Hypocalcemia correlates with the extent of bleeding in patients with ICH. A low calcium level may be associated with a subtle coagulopathy predisposing to increased bleeding and might therefore be a promising therapeutic target for acute ICH treatment trials.
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Multicenter Study
Neurochemical Aftermath of Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.
Evidence is accumulating that repeated mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) incidents can lead to persistent, long-term debilitating symptoms and in some cases a progressive neurodegenerative condition referred to as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. However, to our knowledge, there are no objective tools to examine to which degree persistent symptoms after mTBI are caused by neuronal injury. ⋯ Increased cerebrospinal fluid neurofilament light proteins and reduced amyloid β were observed in patients with PCS, suggestive of axonal white matter injury and amyloid deposition. Measurement of these biomarkers may be an objective tool to assess the degree of central nervous system injury in individuals with PCS and to distinguish individuals who are at risk of developing chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
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Review Meta Analysis
Aberrations in Peripheral Inflammatory Cytokine Levels in Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
The association of nonmotor features and Parkinson disease (PD) is increasingly recognized. Evidence suggests that inflammation may play a role in PD pathologic features and symptoms. ⋯ The findings of the meta-analysis demonstrated higher peripheral concentrations of IL-6, tumor necrosis factor, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-10, C-reactive protein, and RANTES in patients with PD, strengthening the clinical evidence that PD is accompanied by an inflammatory response.