Acta neurologica Scandinavica
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Jan 2010
Evaluation of multiple sclerosis diagnostic criteria in Suzhou, China--risk of under-diagnosis in a low prevalence area.
To evaluate the discharge diagnosis of demyelinating diseases in the central nervous system (CNS) and analyze the predictive value of the new diagnostic criteria in Suzhou, China. ⋯ Under-diagnosis of MS could be one of the explanations for the low prevalence of MS in China. Compared to the Poser criteria, the McDonald criteria had a higher sensitivity for the diagnosis of MS.
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Motor cortex disinhibition has a role in the mechanism of neuropathic pain. The duration of the cortical silent period (CSP) is used as a measure of excitability in cortical inhibitory circuits. We investigated cortical disinhibition in diabetic patients with and without neuropathic pain. ⋯ Our findings demonstrate that diabetic patients with neuropathic pain have a cortical disinhibition.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Nov 2009
Depression, anxiety and quality of life in parents of children with epilepsy.
To assess the impact of childhood epilepsy on parental quality of life (QOL) and psychological health, and to investigate possible correlations between parental QOL and background variables as well as parental anxiety and depression. ⋯ Childhood epilepsy has a severe impact on parental QOL and psychological health, and recognition of possible correlations between parental QOL and background variables will be helpful to improve parental QOL.
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Acta Neurol. Scand. · Nov 2009
Freezing of Gait Questionnaire: validity and reliability of the Swedish version.
Patient-reported assessments of freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson's disease (PD), such as the FOG questionnaire (FOGQ), are needed because FOG is difficult to assess objectively. However, the measurement properties of the FOGQ have been sparsely assessed. ⋯ Data support the measurement properties of the Swedish FOGQ by replicating and extending previous psychometric reports.
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The aim of this study was to screen for and quantify the neurotoxic amino acid beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) in a cohort of autopsy specimens taken from Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington's disease (HD), and non-neurological controls. BMAA is produced by cyanobacteria found in a variety of freshwater, marine, and terrestrial habitats. The possibility of geographically broad human exposure to BMAA had been suggested by the discovery of BMAA in brain tissues of Chamorro patients with ALS/Parkinsonism dementia complex from Guam and more recently in AD patients from North America. These observations warranted an independent study of possible BMAA exposures outside of the Guam ecosystem. ⋯ The occurrence of BMAA in North American ALS and AD patients suggests the possibility of a gene/environment interaction, with BMAA triggering neurodegeneration in vulnerable individuals.