Bmc Neurol
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Total antioxidant capacity is associated with mortality of patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Previously, circulating total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients has been scarcely studied and only in studies of small sample size (lower than 55 TBI patients). In one study were found higher serum TAC in non-survivor than in survivor TBI patients; however, an association between circulating TAC and mortality in patients with TBI has not been previously reported. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association between circulating TAC, peroxidation state and mortality in patients with severe TBI. ⋯ To our knowledge, our series is the largest reporting data on circulating TAC in patients with severe TBI. The most relevant and new findings of our study were that there is an association between circulating TAC and peroxidation state and mortality in patients with severe TBI.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Serum caspase-3 levels and mortality are associated in patients with severe traumatic brain injury.
Different apoptosis pathways activate caspase-3. In a study involving 27 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), higher caspase-3 levels were found in contusion brain tissue resected from non-survivors than from survivors. The objective of this study was to determine whether there is an association in TBI patients between serum caspase-3 levels (thus using an easier, quicker, less expensive and less invasive procedure) and mortality, in a larger series of patients. ⋯ The association between serum caspase-3 levels and mortality in TBI patients was the major novel finding of our study.
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Case Reports
PTPN11 mutation manifesting as LEOPARD syndrome associated with hypertrophic plexi and neuropathic pain.
LEOPARD syndrome (LS) belongs to the family of neuro-cardio-facio-cutaneous syndromes, which include Neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), Noonan syndrome, Costello Syndrome, cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome, Noonan-like syndrome with loose anagen hair and Legius syndrome. These conditions are caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins involved in the RAS-MAPK cellular pathway. Clinical heterogeneity and phenotype overlaps across those different syndromes is already recognized. ⋯ LS caused by PTPN11 mutations may be associated with hypertrophic roots and plexi. Consequently, clinicians should be aware of the possible development of neuropathic pain and consider specific diagnostic work-up and management.
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Measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) is a fast and non-invasive method in detecting elevated intracranial pressure. However, the reported normal range of ONSD was inconsistent. The objective of the study was to determine the normal range of ONSD in healthy Chinese adults. ⋯ The median and the 95% percentile of sonographic measurement of ONSD are 5.1 mm and 5.9 mm in healthy Chinese adults. The ONSD is correlated with OND, while independent of gender, age, height, weight and ETD. The median OND/ONSD ratio is 0.63 and this parameter warrants further investigation in patients with brain injury.
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Multicenter Study
The Dutch Parelsnoer Institute--Neurodegenerative diseases; methods, design and baseline results.
The Parelsnoer Institute is a collaboration between 8 Dutch University Medical Centers in which clinical data and biomaterials from patients suffering from chronic diseases (so called "Pearls") are collected according to harmonized protocols. The Pearl Neurodegenerative Diseases focuses on the role of biomarkers in the early diagnosis, differential diagnosis and in monitoring the course of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease. The objective of this paper is to describe the design and methods of the Pearl Neurodegenerative Diseases, as well as baseline descriptive variables, including their biomarker profile. ⋯ The Pearl Neurodegenerative Diseases is an ongoing large network collecting clinical data and biomaterials of more than 1000 patients with cognitive impairments. The project has started with data analyses of the baseline characteristics and biomarkers, which will be the starting point of future specific research questions that can be answered by this unique dataset.