Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology
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This study was conducted to investigate whether albumin-adjusted ischemia-modified albumin index (IMA index) is more sensitive and accurate than ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) as early detection marker of ischemic stroke, and to compare IMA and IMA index in progression and non-progression of ischemic stroke. This case-control study was done at an emergency medical center of a university hospital. 52 patients with neurological symptoms were enrolled (28 Ischemic Stroke Group and 24 Non-Stroke Group). ⋯ The AUC for IMA value was 0.928 (cutoff value 98 U/ml; 95% CI 0.857-0.999; sensitivity 89.3%; specificity 88.5%). [corrected] The difference between progression (n = 12) and non-progression group (n = 16) in IMA and IMA index were statistically insignificant (p > 0.01). IMA index was more sensitive than conventional IMA value as diagnostic biomarker of stroke, however, arguable as a predictive biomarker for progression of ischemic stroke.
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Case Reports
A case of strictly unilateral migraine without aura transformed in an episodic hemicrania continua.
According to the diagnostic criteria of International Headache Society classification, hemicrania continua is a strictly unilateral continuous headache of moderate intensity with painful exacerbations associated with ipsilateral autonomic signs without pain-free periods. We report a case of a 42-year-old woman suffered of a remitting form of hemicrania continua evolved from a strictly unilateral migraine without aura.
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Brain death (BD) diagnosis is the clinical assessment of the irreversible loss of function of the entire brain, including the brainstem. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) examination is used in several countries as a confirmatory test to assess cerebral circulatory arrest (CCA). A total of 1,400 TCD examinations were performed in 623 patients (pts) admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) of our hospital during the last 6 years. ⋯ TCD patterns of CCA were detected in 56 pts. In 25 pts, deeply sedated with barbiturate therapy, TCD was employed as confirmatory test for BD diagnosis and 14 of them could become organ and/or tissue donors. TCD is a safe and inexpensive tool that can be performed at the bedside, and it allows to shorten the diagnostic process of BD, which is the prerequisite for organ donation.
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This study was designed to assess the potential therapeutic efficacy of gene-modified mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), MSCs-TH and MSCs-GDNF, in PD rats. Fifty-nine PD rat models were divided into five groups and then the gene-modified MSCs were transplanted into the striatum of rats according to the design. Apomorphine-induced rotational behavior in rats was observed weekly; rats which received both MSCs-TH and MSCs-GDNF showed the most significant improvement compared with those in other groups (P < 0.01). ⋯ Eight weeks later, PD rats were killed. HPLC and ELISA results showed DA and GDNF content in striatum of rats which received both MSCs-TH, and MSCs-GDNF was considerably higher compared with those of other groups (P < 0.01),respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that combined transplantation of MSCs expressing TH and GDNF can lead to remarkable therapeutic effects in a rat model of PD.