Bing Liang*, Haiying Xu, Xinyuan Du, Yushuang Cao, Lichen Guo, Linlin Su, Tong Zhang, Qing Yuan and Limin Hu
DOI: 10.4172/2329-6895.13.1.630
A pericyte is a wall cell enclosed in the vascular basement membrane, an essential component of blood vessels and the central nervous system. It is closely related to endothelial cells and has the roles of vascular remodeling, maintaining the stability of the blood-brain barrier, controlling cerebral blood flow, and protecting the central nervous system. More and more studies have begun to focus on the mechanism of pericytes in different diseases to provide therapeutic significance to the clinic. In this paper, we summarize the functional roles of pericytes from the origin and identification of pericytes, focusing on the part of pericytes in cancer, diabetic retinopathy, neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Arun S* and S A Jabeen
DOI: 10.4172/2329-6895.13.1.631
Introduction: Patients with degenerative neurological diseases involving the basal ganglia may present with functional abnormalities of brainstem reflexes, resulting from disturbed activity of loops between the thalamus and the investigated circuits. The Somatosensory Evoked Blink Reflex is a release phenomenon transmitted via the brainstem reticular formation. This response may be clinically relevant in disorders associated with brainstem lesions.
Materials and methods: A total of 54 subjects were included. We performed somatosensory evoked blink response in these patients.
Inclusion criteria:
• Age between 18 and 80 years.
• PD patients diagnosed according to the MDS criteria.
• Parkinson plus syndrome (DLB, PSP, MSA) patients.
Exclusion criteria:
• Patients with associated peripheral neuropathy.
Results: We observed that the presence of somatosensory evoked blink reflex was more common in IPD patients and dyskinesia, postural instability, dysarthria, dysphagia and bowel/bladder abnormality showed positive correlation with SSEBR.
Conclusion: In Parkinson's disease patients the presence of SSEBR was associated with increased probability of dyskinesia, postural instability, dysarthria, dysphagia and bowel/bladder abnormality.
Menachem Sadeh*, Yakov Fellig and Ron Dabby
DOI: 10.37421/2161-0959.2025.13.631
Late-Onset Sporadic Nemaline Myopathy (SLONM) is a rare, treatable or potentially life-threatening, muscle disorder that typically manifests late in life and is characterized by the presence of nemaline rods within muscle fibers, serving as the hallmark of the disease and the key to diagnosis. We report a case of an elderly patient with sub-acute onset of severe weakness affecting the upper and lower limbs, neck extensors and abdominal muscles. Muscle biopsies showed nonspecific myopathic changes without inflammation, and electron microscopy did not reveal rods or aggregates. The laboratory workup was unremarkable except for the detection of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS). Steroid treatment was ineffective; however, there was a notable positive response to intravenous immunoglobulins. The neurological findings, subacute course, normal CK levels, presence of MGUS, and responsiveness to immunoglobulin treatment but not to steroids align with the characteristics of SLONM. We propose that the diagnosis of SLONM should be considered even in the absence of nemaline rods in muscle biopsy, and this should not impede the consideration of immunomodulatory treatment. Future progress in understanding the pathogenetic basis of SLONM may reduce reliance on pathological findings in muscle biopsies for establishing the diagnosis.
Helmut Acker*, Wilhelm Ehleben and Jorn M. Horschig
The functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) method was introduced in general medical practice to assess brain blood oxygenation alongside other physiological parameters such as 4-channel EEG, heart rate, blood oxygenation, blood volume changes, and autonomic nerve activity. An Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was employed to adjust the brain blood oxygenation data and analyze changes in these parameters. This approach shows potential for early detection of cerebral blood flow abnormalities linked to cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this study, acupuncture at the Hegu (LI4) point was used to stimulate brain neuronal networks in 5 healthy Control Patients (CPs) and 5 patients with Brain Disorders (BDPs). The main findings were:
fNIRS recordings of brain hemoglobin oxygenation provide insights into brain microcirculation and oxygen supply effectiveness.
Central brain acupuncture stimulation identifies deficits in brain microcirculation and oxygen supply in BDPs.
A 20-second acupuncture stimulation induced brain hypoxia in BDPs but not in CPs, likely due to mismatched arterial and venous microcirculation.
Combining fNIRS with ANN analysis to assess brain oxygen supply proves effective and user-friendly for detecting early signs of brain microcirculation dysregulation and monitoring therapeutic progress.
Beliz Yegencik*, Beth Bell and Emre Deniz
Children with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience various challenges that affect their quality of life such as difficulties in concentrating on tasks, staying still or seated, and controlling impulsive actions. Such challenges become more apparent once children reach school age due to increased daily tasks that require attention and impulse control. Thus, school-based interventions have been one of the key strategies to improve attentional and behavioural difficulties experienced by these children. While many systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted to test the efficacy of such trials, there has been no systematic investigation of recent trials, showing how these interventions contribute to the earlier discussions. To close this gap in the literature, we conducted a rapid review and meta-analysis of recent randomised controlled trials published between 2018 and 2023. In total, seven trials met the inclusion criteria and were carried into the meta-analysis. Overall, we found that school-based interventions were effective in improving the core difficulties of ADHD (g=.34, .04~.64) and accompanying impairments (g=.47, .07~.86). It is important to note that, similar to previous evaluation studies, we found high levels of heterogeneity in the included school- based interventions. There were also warning signs indicating potential selective-outcome or reporterrelated bias in the meta-analysis of included trials. Overall, school-based interventions are promising to improve the core difficulties of ADHD and accompanying behavioural impairments for school-aged children with ADHD. Implications of high heterogeneity and potential selective outcome/reporter-related bias are further discussed.
Kamile Silay* and Fatmagul Gursoy
Aim: Our study aims to determine the factors affecting sleep disorders and quality through a comprehensive geriatric assessment in individuals aged 65 and over living in nursing homes.
Materials and methods: 107 older individuals (67 women and 49 men) who applied to the geriatric outpatient clinic and lived in a nursing home between May and July 2016 were included in the study. A comprehensive geriatric assessment was performed and their information was recorded. SF-36 quality of life scale score, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and sleep Stanford scale score tests were performed to evaluate sleep quality.
Results: 35 (34.7%) of the individuals had a Sleep Pittsburgh scale score of less than 5 (no sleep disorder), and 66 (65.3%) had more than 5 (sleep disorder). When the cases were grouped with SF-36 scores, a negative, weak linear relationship was detected between the Stanford sleepiness scale scores and the SF-36 scale subscales of physical function, general health status, vitality, social function, and emotional function scores. (respectively; rho=-0.307, p=0.002, rho=-0.274, p=0.006, rho=-0.349, p<0.001, rho=-0.242, p=0.015, rho=-0.248, p=0.012) a positive, statistically significant relationship was found between PSQI scores and all sub-dimensions of the SF-36 scale (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Our study showed that poor sleep quality is a common problem in older individuals living in nursing homes. We determined that one of the important risk factors for poor sleep quality is the quality of life level of older people.
Neurological Disorders received 1343 citations as per Google Scholar report
Spanish 
Chinese 
Russian 
German 
French 
Japanese 
Portuguese 
Hindi 