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Migraine is a complex disabling condition which is associated with dysregulation of several pathways particularly those being associated with immune responses. In order to assess contribution of protein inhibitor of activated STAT (PIAS) in the pathogenesis of migraine, we quantified expression levels of PIAS1–PIAS4 genes in the circulation of patients with migraine compared with controls. Expression of PIAS1 was substantially lower in total migraineurs compared with controls (ratio of mean expressions (RME) = 0.18, SE = 0.29, P value

Background: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) due to the degenerative intervertebral disk diseases is one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions in contemporary societies. A variety of pharmacological, non-pharmacological and surgical options is available for treatment of CLBP. The use of non-pharmacological methods have drastically increased in recent years, offering fewer complications and expenses. This study was conducted to compare the efficacy of the neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and electro acupuncture (EAP) with exercise therapy alone in patients with chronic low back pain. Materials and Methods: This was a randomized case-controlled clinical trial. Sixty patients with CLBP were randomly assigned to 3 groups (20 cases each) of the EAP with exercise therapy, NMES with exercise therapy, and exercise therapy only. Severity of pain and disability improvement were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Quebec back pain disability scale respectively. Results: A total of 66 individuals were enrolled, out of which 6 were excluded due to patients’ lack of cooperation. A significant decline in the amounts of Quebec and VAS was observed in the three groups (p

Introduction. Vitamin D insufficiency is highly prevalent and is a negative predictor for survival in ischemic stroke patients. We evaluated the effect of a high dose of vitamin D3 on the Neuron-Specific Enolase (NSE) level, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and Barthel Index (BI) scoring system in moderate ischemic stroke patients. Methods. This prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial (RCT) study was conducted from April 2020 to March 2021. Patients with moderate ischemic stroke (NIHSS 5 to 15) who had vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-OH vitamin D ≤30 ng/mL) were recruited and randomized into intervention and control groups. Subjects in the intervention group received a single dose, intramuscular (IM) injection of 600000 international unit (IU) vitamin D3, in addition to the standard treatment. NSE level and NIHSS were evaluated at baseline and 48 hours after the intervention. The BI was monitored three months after discharge. Results. During the study period, 570 patients were assessed; finally, forty-one patients completed the study. Except for the age which was higher in the control group ( p = 0.04 ), there were no statistically significant differences in other baseline characteristics between the two groups. After 48 hours, the NIHSS score was significantly lower in the intervention group (median 8 vs. 6.5, p = 0.008 in the control and intervention groups, respectively), but there was no significant difference in the NSE level ( p = 0.80 ). Three months after discharge, the BI was significantly higher in the intervention group (median 8 vs. 9, p = 0.03 in the control and intervention groups, respectively). Conclusions. Administration of a single 600000 IU of vitamin D3 could have neuroprotective effects in patients with moderate ischemic stroke, according to its significantly positive effects on functional clinical outcomes (NIHSS and BI), but this effect on the biomarker related to neural damage (NSE) was not significant.

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic immune-mediated demyelinating disease. The prevalence and incidence of MS in Iran is high and is rising over time. This study was conducted to compare the demographic, clinical features and MRI findings of MS patients with history of the disease in the first-degree family members (fMS) with sporadic MS patients (sMS) to determine the importance of genetic or non-genetic factors in the development of the disease and its effect in diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Methods Among the 185 patients admitted to the study, 62 were fMS patients and 123 were sMS patients. All patients underwent clinical examination and data was gathered on age, sex, age of onset, symptoms, number of attacks, disease course, family history, disease-modifying drugs, and other accompanying diseases as well as MRI findings and EDSS scores. Results In this study, we demonstrated that the frequency of plaques in the periventricular area was significantly higher in sMS patients (97.56% vs 88.71%, p = 0.01) while the callosal plaques were more common in fMS patients (62.9% vs 47.97%, p = 0.05) which was statistically borderline and nonsignificant. In other evaluated parameters, no significant difference was observed. Conclusion In our study, no significant difference was observed between the demographic and clinical characteristics of fMS and sMS patients, while there was a significant difference between the two groups in MRI findings.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected more than 22 million people worldwide. Although much has been learned about COVID-19, we do not know much about its neurological features and their outcome. This observational study was conducted on the patients of Imam Hossein Hospital, and 361 adult patients (214 males) with confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 from March 5, 2020 to April 3, 2020, were enrolled. Data was gathered on age, sex, comorbidities, initial symptoms, symptoms during the disease course, neurological symptoms, and outcome. The mean age of the patients was 61.90 ± 16.76 years. The most common initial symptoms were cough, fever, and dyspnea. In 21 patients (5.8%), the initial symptom was neurological. History of dementia was associated with severe COVID-19 disease (odds ratio = 1.28). During the course of the disease, 186 patients (51.52%) had at least one neurological symptom, the most common being headache (109 [30.2%]), followed by anosmia/ageusia (69, [19.1%]), and dizziness (54, [15%]). Also, 31 patients had neurological complications (8.58%). Anosmia, ageusia, dizziness, and headache were associated with favorable outcome (P

Migraine is a prevalent disorder in humans and represents one of the top 10 causes of years lived with disability. Several genetic and environmental factors are involved in the pathobiology of migraine. A number of studies have underscored the role of dysregulated immune reactions. We compared the expression levels IL-2, IL-4, CXCL8, IL-17, IFN-γ, TGF-β and TNF-α cytokines in blood specimens of patients with migraine and those of healthy persons to identify any possible dysregulation in their expression and to propose mechanisms for this disorder. Expression of INF-γ was suggestively higher in migraine cases than in healthy individuals (posterior beta = 0.35, adjusted P value = 0.017). In addition, expression of this cytokine was lower in female subjects than in male subjects (posterior beta = −0.712, adjusted P value = 0.012). Expression of IL-4, TGF-β and TNF-α was also higher in cases compared with controls (posterior beta = 1.34, adjusted P value = 0.04; posterior beta = 0.849, adjusted P value = 0.036; posterior beta = 0.451, adjusted P value = 0.042, respectively). On the other hand, CXCL8 expression was lower in migraine cases than in controls (posterior beta = −0.78, adjusted P value = 0.039). Expression levels of IL-1B, IL-17 and IL-2 were not meaningfully different between cases and controls. The current study highlights the dysregulation of cytokine-coding genes in the blood of patients with migraine.

Background Sleep disturbance is a frequent finding in patients with epilepsy. As evaluation of sleep disorders and quality of sleep in patients with epilepsy may provide better management of these patients, we aimed to assess the prevalence of common sleep disorders in patients with epilepsy. Methods Patients with epilepsy referred to an outpatient epilepsy clinic in Tehran during one year were included. Validated Persian questionnaires were used by an interviewer to assess Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), Restless leg syndrome (RLS), and insomnia. Also, patients’ demographic features and clinical seizure-related characteristics were recorded. Results Seventy patients (35 males) aged between 18 and 75 were enrolled. Among patients, 61.4, 35.7, and 28.6% suffered from insomnia, EDS, and RLS, respectively (mild to severe). When considering seizure characteristics, there was no significant correlation between either seizure frequency or its type and the prevalence of sleep disturbance (although sleep disturbance was more common among patients with higher seizure frequency and patients with generalized seizure). Interestingly, age had a positive correlation with EDS. Conclusion This study showed that sleep disturbance is a common finding in patients with epilepsy, which may become severe in some cases. Taking this into consideration, we suggest that routine evaluation of sleep disorders may help physicians to boost patients’ sleep quality.

Objective The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected healthcare systems around the globe and massively impacted patients with various non-infectious, life-threatening conditions. Stroke is a major neurological disease contributing to death and disability worldwide, and is still an ongoing issue during the pandemic. Here we investigate the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak on stroke manifestations, treatment courses, the outcome of stroke patients, and the hospitalization rate in a referral center for stroke management in Tehran, Iran. Methods We extracted data regarding 31 stroke patients (10 patients with laboratory-confirmed coronavirus disease 2019) and compared the demographic and pathological characteristics of the patients with or without coronavirus disease 2019 infection. The association of demographic/pathological characteristics of stroke patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and a corresponding period during the previous year (49 patients) and an earlier period during the same year as the pandemic (50 patients) was also evaluated. Results The absolute number of admissions decreased about 40% during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Except for the stroke severity (P = 0.002), there were no significant changes in the demographic and pathological characteristics of the stroke patients during the three studied periods. A significantly higher mean of age (75.60 ± 9.54 versus 60.86 ± 18.45; P = 0.007), a significant difference in the type of stroke (P = 0.046), and significantly higher stroke severity (P = 0.024) were observed in stroke patients with coronavirus disease 2019 compared with those of stroke patients without coronavirus disease 2019. Treatment approaches, duration of hospitalization, and mortality rates did not differ significantly. Conclusions This report shows that the pandemic caused the number of acute stroke admissions to plummet compared to other periods. Although the pandemic did not affect the treatment plans and care of the patients, stroke cases with coronavirus disease 2019 had higher age, more large vessel ischemic stroke, and more severe stroke. Further studies are urgently needed to realize the probable interaction of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and the neurologic disease.

Introduction: Migraine is a common disorder which can be seen in approximately 18% of women. The highest prevalence of this disorder has been reported vastly in the women of age between 18 and 49, when they are in the menstrual period and this is supposed to be associated with the same. Aim: To study the menstrual disorders in women with and without migraine. Materials and Methods: A case-control study was conducted with total population of 175 women (Jan 2018-Feb 2019), diagnosed with migraine, using International Headache Society criteria. Age and sex-matched control group was included in the present study. A semi-structured questionnaire about migraine and migraine-related disabilities, menstrual and headache history was conducted. All results were evaluated by SPSS version 22.0 statistical software; Independent t-test and to investigate the relationship between quantitative variables, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used. Results: In case group, 25.6% of women had menstrual cycle 38 days, which was significantly more than control group. The proportion of women with period lasting

Background and aim: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in pregnancy, which is associated with increased maternal and fetal adverse outcomes. This study aimed to explore the reproductive healthcare needs of women with epilepsy before, during and after childbirth. Methods: This was a qualitative study using a content analysis method. The study population was marital women with epilepsy in reproductive age (15-45 years) referred to Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, Iran. Participants were 16 women chosen using purposive sampling with the consideration of maximum variation in sampling. Semi-structured interviews were held with the participants until data saturation was reached. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method. The MAXQDA software, version 2010, was used for the management of data. Results: The data analysis led to the development of two categories. The first one is named 'resilience against threats to safe pregnancy' and has the following subcategories: (1) real physical complications and perceived (mental) conditions due to unwanted pregnancies, (2) the predisposing factors of anxiety related to safe pregnancy, (3) perceived consequences of pregnancy', and (4) the approach to encounter perceived consequences of pregnancy. The second category is called 'adverse experiences under inefficient supportive systems' and has the following subcategories: (1) the insufficiency of reproductive healthcare services for women with epilepsy, (2) doubt about the advantages and disadvantages of breastfeeding, (3) stigma as a block to the treatment of the postpartum depression, and (4) playing the motherhood role under the shadow of self-esteem to lack of self-esteem. Conclusion: In the prenatal, natal and postnatal duration, because of supportive system disruption and not receiving proper consultation, participants were often worried about not being able to get favorable conditions for safe pregnancy and controlling process of their pregnancy. Therefore, they often experienced unwanted pregnancy. They were also concerned about the adverse fetal outcomes. In postpartum period, they often experienced postpartum depression and were very doubtful about breastfeeding.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most prevalent form of peripheral neuropathy. There are various treatments for carpal tunnel. Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture and exercise on pinch and grip strength and wrist range of motion in patients with mild to moderate CTS. Methods: Sixty patients with carpal tunnel syndrome were evaluated in this study, only five of whom were male. In this study, patients were divided into three groups. The control group consisted of 20 patients who only used splints in the second group, in addition to splints, special exercises were administered, and the third group, electroacupuncture, and brace were prescribed for 12 sessions of 40- minute duration. study time was 6 weeks. The parameters of pinch force, grip force, ROM (flexion and extension) were evaluated at baseline and after the treatment. Results: In this study, 55 women and 5 men with an average age of 49.23 ± 8.96 were enrolled. At the final follow up, significant improvements in all parameters were found in third groups (P < 0.05), except flexion of the wrist in the control group (P = 0.098). Our findings indicate that exercise therapy had more effect on ROM of flexion than acupuncture and acupuncture had more effect on pinching than exercise therapy but the effect sizes were weak. Also, the efficacy of splint alone was less than intervention groups in all parameters. Conclusions: Results of this study demonstrated that adding exercise or acupuncture to nocturnal splinting, the functional improvement is more in patients with mild to moderate carpal tunnel syndrome and these interventions could be adopted in the management of these patients.

Gullian–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy with many variants and distinct presentations. Although cranial neuropathy is a common feature in GBS, third nerve palsy is a rare presentation. Herein, we describe a case of GBS patient who has presented by acute flaccid quadriparesis coexisting bilateral third nerve palsy. We tried to highlight the importance of other cranial nerve involvement in the natural history of GBS.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) includes a number of inherited disorders which are characterized by stiffness in the lower extremities and progressive gait disturbance. Mutations in terms of spastic gait genes (SPGs) are responsible for occurrence of different types of HPS with autosomal recessive, X-linked recessive, and autosomal dominant modes of inheritance. In the current case report, we identified a mutation in SPG11 gene in a female patient with progressive stiffness of lower extremities and atrophy of corpus callosum and the “lynx ear” sign in brain MRI. Whole exome sequencing (WES) revealed a homozygote frameshift deletion variant in SPG11 gene (NM001160227: exon 28: c.4746delT, p.N1583Tfs*23). This variant is a null variant classified as a pathogenic variant (PVS1) according to ACMG standards and guidelines. The frequency of this variant in 1000G, ExAC, and Iranome databases was 0. This study shows the role of WES in the identification of disease-causing mutations in a disease such as HSP which can be caused by diverse mutations in several genes.

A novel type of brainstem-predominant encephalomyelitis was first described as chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) in 2010 by Pittocket al and then few additional patients were reported. Here we report a 50-year-old Iranian male who presented with a number of clinical features described as typical for CLIPPERS. The association of typical clinical presentation and typical MR imaging could be sufficient for a reliable diagnosis of CLIPPERS.

Major depression is common among people with epilepsy (PWE), but it is underdiagnosed. The aim of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (P-NDDI-E) as a screening tool for major depression in patients with epilepsy.A total of 210 patients suffering from epilepsy have been assessed using the NDDI-E and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) with no difficulty in understanding or answering the Persian version of the questionnaire. Patients identified as depressed under BDI-II underwent a psychiatric evaluation to confirm depression according to 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) criteria.According to the BDI-II and the ICD-10 criteria, major depression was diagnosed in 75 patients (32% men, 68% women). Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.826, suggesting a very good internal consistency. The receiver operating characteristic analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.86-0.94, standard error [SE]: 0.02, p 0.001). A cutoff of ≥14 resulted in an 83% sensitivity, an 80% specificity, a 70.1% positive predictive value, and an 88.6% negative predictive value. A significant and positive correlation between the P-NDDI-E and the BDI-II was shown (Spearman's ρ = 0.604, p 0.001).The P-NDDI-E could be used as a reliable and valid instrument in detecting major depression in PWE.

Patients suffering from headache, particularly migraine type, are among the most dissatisfied patients. The aim of this study was comparing the efficacy of pregabalin with valproate sodium, in preventing migraine headache. In a randomized, double-blinded study, adult patients eligible for prophylactic treatment (i.e., patients with 4-15 attacks per month in last two months) were recruited. Patients’ demographic data, duration of symptoms, headache frequency (attacks per month) and intensity (based on visual analogue scale) and also drugs used to relief headache were recorded. The patients were randomly assigned to two groups; valproate sodium (200 mg two times daily) and pregabalin (50 mg two times daily). The patients were examined by neurology specialist monthly for three months and the related data were recorded. The Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, with related statistical tests. Total number of 140 patients with recurrent migraine were entered into the study. Sixty-nine patients were assigned to group A and 71 to group B by the randomizing table. Inter-group analysis of data in two arms of the study showed that two medications were equally effective except that pregabalin was not significantly effective in reducing number of attacks during first month of therapy compared to baseline. This differences were not significant at second and third month of the study. Our study showed that pregabalin, has comparable efficacy with valproate sodium in reducing migraine frequency, intensity, and duration of attacks and could be an alternative for migraine prophylaxis.

Objectives To evaluate the prophylactic effects of atorvastatin on frequency, intensity, and duration of migraine attacks compared with sodium valproate. Methods In this randomized, double-blind, single-center controlled trial, patients with 6 to 15 migraine attacks per month, which were candidates of preventive treatment, were recruited. The patients were randomly allocated into 2 groups. The first group (A) received atorvastatin 40 mg daily, and the second group (B) received sodium valproate 500 mg daily. All patients were visited each month and followed up for 3 months. The characteristics of migraine headaches including frequency, intensity, and duration of attacks were recorded, as well as the number of analgesics taken per each attack and probable adverse effects. Results From 100 patients enrolled in the study, 18 cases were excluded owing to adverse effects (2 cases) or lost to follow-up (16 cases). From 82 patients who completed the trial, 46 and 36 were in group A (atorvastatin) and group B (sodium valproate), respectively. Mean age of the patients was not significantly different in the 2 arms of the study (33.56 ± 8.51 in group A and 33.25 ± 9.91 years in group B, P = 0.877). Number, duration, and intensity of attacks and number of analgesics taken during attacks decreased significantly in both groups in monthly follow-ups. However, there was no statistically significant difference between 2 arms of the study in terms of attenuation in the characteristics of migraine attacks. On the other hand, patients in group A suffered fewer adverse effects compared with group B. Conclusions This study indicates that atorvastatin could be an alternative for sodium valproate in migraine prophylaxis with comparable efficacy and fewer adverse effects. Multicenter studies with larger sample size are recommended.

Stroke makes up a significant part of causes for emergency department (ED) visits. This complication can be accompanied by a desirable outcome in case of rapid diagnosis and proper treatment intervention. However, in case of delay in treatment, it will bring about many costs for the individual, his or her family and the health care system. Therefore, timely diagnosis is the first and major step in managing these patients in ED and after that, choosing the proper treatment method is the priority. Currently, various treatment methods are available for managing these patients, from palliative care to thrombolytic therapy and endovascular interventions and one of the major questions in treatment of acute brain stroke in ED is which patient is suitable for receiving which treatment? Endovascular intervention is a relatively new treatment method that can extract the blood clot from the brain vessels and various studies have shown that it is one of the most effective treatment interventions in management of brain stroke. Various studies have been published in favor of its benefits in recent years, which have resulted in changes in treatment guidelines of stroke patients in America and Europe and highlighting the role of endovascular interventions in them. However, this interventional treatment is considered an invasive method that can be accompanied by side effects and thus, for reaching maximum success in this method, efforts should be made to select patients who have a higher probably to benefit from this intervention. It has been said that if obstruction of a big vessel is the reason for brain stroke, the patient is the best candidate for intervention and endovascular treatment. In this situation, the most important duty of the ED physician is to identify the obstructed arteries. The most important diagnostic method that existing guidelines suggest in this regard is performing computed tomography (CT) angiography that shows the status of big arteries from the beginning of Aorta to the smallest arteries inside the brain. Some treatment centers do this only for cases with the probability of extensive brain stroke, but it is suggested to perform both brain CT scan and CT angiography for all stroke cases including mild cases; because these patients might be at risk of an upcoming extensive stroke. Some centers add CT perfusion technique to the brain CT scan and CT angiography (CTA) duo. Unfortunately, this technique is not available in most centers in Iran. However, in the advanced centers around the world it can be performed at the same time as brain CT scan and can show an accurate picture regarding the extent of the brain tissue involved and even the reversibility of the tissue involved in the stroke. Proper arteries for thrombectomy are the middle cerebral artery (MCA) branch of intracranial carotid, especially its horizontal part (M1) and in some cases after branching of the carotid (M2). In addition, with the advances made, extracranial carotid thrombectomy can also be done today. But anterior and posterior cerebral arteries (ACA and PCA) are almost never intervention candidates. Extensive studies including IMS-3, MR-CLEN, ESCAPE, EXTEND-IA, SWIFTPRIME, and PREVASCAT have been done with the aim of selecting the proper vessels and candidates of endovascular interventions, almost none of which have evaluated the possibility of performing thrombectomy of basilar artery. However, a study called BASICS has been done in this regard that has even reported the time of thrombectomy for basilar artery and its prognosis even better than the other arteries and most interventionist and stroke neurologists have gained a positive view to performing it. Overall, in the above-mentioned studies about 1700 patients underwent emergency thrombectomy and the success rate without performing CTA was about 40% and if aware of the artery involved via CTA, the success rate has been reported to be about 70%. Regarding processing the situations in which CTA cannot be performed it should be noted that after enabling thrombolytic therapy, using thrombectomy even without knowing the status of the arteries involved with techniques such as CTA, the success rate of treating patients with stroke increased from about 23% to at least 40%. Therefore, it seems that preparing the equipment for performing CTA before emergency thrombectomy should be seriously supported, at least in major hospitals of Iran. In addition, the presently available equipment such as CT scan device and neurology and angiography departments and the specialists in these fields should be employed effectively. If the CT scan device can be programmed in a way that when performing brain CT scan, CT angiography can also be performed simultaneously, the candidate patients for undergoing thrombectomy can be selected more properly and by using these solutions the rate of improvement in patients with brain stroke and thus, being relieved from paralysis and long-term problems might increase to 70%.

استروک بخش قابل توجهی از علل مراجعات به بخش اورژانس را شامل می شود. این عارضه در صورت تشخیص سریع و مداخله درمانی مناسب می تواند با پیامد مطلوبی همراه باشد، ولی در صورت تاخیر در درمان با هزینه های فراوانی برای فرد، خانواده وی و همچنین سیستم بهداشت جامعه همراه خواهد بود. بنابراین تشخیص به موقع قدم اول و اساسی در برخورد با این بیماران در بخش اورژانس محسوب می شود و بعد از آن انتخاب روش درمانی مناسب در الویت خواهد بود. امروزه روش های درمانی مختلفی در برخورد با این بیماران، از اقدامات حمایتی تا ترومبولیتیک تراپی و مداخلات اندوواسکولار، در دسترس می باشند و یکی از سوالات اصلی در درمان سکته مغزی حاد در بخش اورژانس این است که کدام بیمار برای دریافت کدام درمان مناسب است؟ مداخلات اندوواسکولار روش درمانی نسبتا جدیدی است که می تواند لخته را از داخل عروق مغزی بیرون آورده و در مطالعات مختلف نشان داده شده است که یکی از موثرترین مداخلات درمانی در برخورد با سکته مغزی می باشد. مطالعات مختلفی در حمایت از فواید آن در سالهای اخیر منتشر شده اند که باعث تغییر گایدلاین های درمانی بیماران دچار استروک در امریکا و اروپا شده و نقش مداخلات اندوواسکولار پررنگ تر گردیده است. البته این مداخله درمان، روشی تهاجمی به شمار می رود که می تواند با عوارضی نیز همراه باشد و بنابراین برای دستیابی به حداکثر موفقیت در درمان با این روش باید تلاش شود تا بیمارانی که با احتمال بیشتری از این مداخله سود می برند به این منظور انتخاب شوند. گفته می شود اگر دلیل سکته مغزی انسداد یک رگ بزرگ باشد بهترین کاندید برای اینترونشن و درمان آندوواسکولار می باشد. در این شرایط مهمترین وظیفه پزشک بخش اورژانس، شناسایی عروق مسدود شده است. مهمترین روش تشخیصی که گایدلاینهای موجود در این زمینه پیشنهاد می دهند انجام سی تی آنژیوگرافی می باشد که وضعیت عروق بزرگ را از ابتدای شریان آئورت تا کوچکترین عروق داخل مغز نشان می دهد. بعضی از مراکز درمانی این اقدام را فقط برای موارد با احتمال سکته های وسیع مغزی انجام می دهند ولی پیشنهاد می شود که هم سی تی اسکن مغزی و هم سی تی آنژیوگرافی برای همه موارد استروک حتی موارد خفیف نیز انجام گیرد؛ چرا که ممکن است این بیماران در معرض بروز یک سکته وسیع قریب الوقوع باشند. در بعضی از مراکز تکنیک CT Perfusion را به دوگانه سی تی اسکن مغزی و سی تی آنژیوگرافی (CTA) اضافه می کنند. متاسفانه این تکنیک تقریبا در اغلب مراکز کشور ایران در دسترس نیست. ولی در مراکز پیشرفته دنیا در همان مقطعی که سی تی اسکن مغزی انجام می شود قابل انجام بوده و می تواند وضعیت دقیقی از حجم درگیری بافت مغزی و حتی برگشت پذیری بافت درگیر در استروک را نشان دهد. عروق مناسب برای ترومبکتومی شامل شاخه شریان مغزی میانی (MCA) کاروتید اینتراکرانیال، خصوصا قسمت افقی آن (M1) و در بعضی موارد بعد از دو شاخه شدن کاروتید (M2) می باشد. همچنین با پیشرفت های صورت گرفته، ترومبکتومی کاروتید اکستراکرانیال نیز امروزه قابل انجام است. ولی تقریبا هیچگاه شریان های مغزی قدامی (ACA) و شریان مغزی خلفی (PCA) در شرایط فعلی کاندید اینترونشن نیستند. مطالعات گسترده ای شامل IMS-3، MR-CLEN، ESCAPE، EXTEND-IA، SWIFTPRIME و PREVASCAT با هدف انتخاب عروق مناسب و کاندیداهای مداخله اندوواسکولار انجام گرفته اند که تقریبا هیچ یک امکان انجام ترومبکتومی شریان بازیلر را در مطالعه مربوطه بررسی نکرده اند. ولی مطالعه ای تحت عنوانBASICS در این زمین انجام گرفته است که در مجموع حتی زمان انجام ترومبکتومی برای شریان بازیلر و پروگنوز آن حتی بهتر از سایر عروق گزارش کرده است و بیشتر نورولوژیست های اینترونشنیست و استروک نسبت به انجام آن دید مثبتی پیدا کرده اند. در مجموع مطالعات فوق حدود 1700 بیمار تحت ترومبکتومی اورژانس قرار گرفتند که میزان موفقیت بدون انجام CTA حدود 40% و در صورت آگاهی از رگ درگیر در CTA میزان موفقیت حدود 70% گزارش شده است. در خصوص تحلیل شرایطی که امکانCTA وجود ندارد باید یادآوری شود که بعد از فراهم شدن امکان ترومبولیتیک تراپی، استفاده از ترومبکتومی حتی بدون اطلاع از وضعیت عروق درگیر با تکنیکی مانند CTA میزان موفقیت درمان بیماران دچار استروک از حدود 23% به حداقل40% افزایش یافته است. بنابراین به نظر می رسد که فراهم آوری امکانات انجام CTA قبل از ترومبکتومی اورژانسی باید حداقل در تمام بخش های اورژانس بیمارستانهای مرجع کشور مورد حمایت جدی قرار گیرد. همچنین از امکانات فعلی موجود نیز در کشور مثل دستگاه سی تی اسکن و بخشهای نورولوژی و آنژیوگرافی و متخصصین مربوطه به شکل مطلوبی بهره برداری شود. چنانچه بتوان دستگاه سی تی اسکن را به شکلی برنامه ریزی نمود که همزمان با انجام سی تی اسکن مغزی، همزمان سی تی آنژیوگرافی را هم انجام دهد، در نتیجه انتخاب بیمار کاندید انجام ترومبکتومی به نحوی مناسب تر انجام خواهد گرفت و با این تمهیدات ممکن است میزان بهبودی بیمار دچار سکته مغزی و در نتیجه رهایی از یک فلج و مشکل طولانی و ناتوان کننده را به 70% ارتقا داد.

Background: Migraine affects about 16% of the worldwide population. The pathogenesis of the disease consists of a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Given that, according to different polymorphism studies, ethnicity has a role in the gene diversity of migraine, this study was designed to determine the role of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism in people from Tehran, Iran, who suffer from migraine headaches. Materials and methods: In this case control study, we determined the prevalence of common MTHFR C677T polymorphism in 132 migraine patients in line with IHS criteria (37 migraine patients with aura and 95 migraine patients without aura) and compared it to that in 142 matched healthy controls. The correlation between migraine and genotype was investigated using the chi-square test. The Bonferroni adjusted P-value was also used for pairwise comparison. Results: Our findings demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the frequencies of the TT genotype or T allele distributions between the migraine patients with aura and the control subjects. On the other hand, the frequency of the TT genotype among migraine patients without aura was significantly lower than those in the control group or the patients with aura group. Conclusion: MTHFR C677T polymorphism, which is responsible for reducing MTHFR activity in the folate metabolism, is not a major genetic susceptibility factor for migraine in the investigated population.

Background: Migraine is one of the most debilitating medical conditions and has a high socioeconomic burden. As conventional therapeutic methods do not entirely alleviate the symptoms, new alternatives are being considered. Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of zonisamide compared with sodium valproate in the management of migraine headaches. Patients and Methods: In the current double-blind, parallel, randomized, controlled trial, 96 patients with a migraine diagnosis based on the international headache society (HIS) criteria were selected. They were divided randomly into two groups; the case group was given zonisamide, and sodium valproate was given to a control group. In addition to the side effects of the drugs, the severity, duration, and frequency of migraine attacks were evaluated at baseline and at three months. Results: The 96 selected patients were divided randomly into two treatment groups (zonisamide n = 48, sodium valproate n = 48). Seven patients were excluded from analysis because of early dropout, leaving 89 (n = 45; n = 44) patients for analysis. While using zonisamide, six (13%) patients complained of fatigue, and two (4%) patients encountered noticeable appetite and weight loss. In the control group, five (11%) patients reported dizziness, and four (9%) patients faced obvious appetite and weight gain. Both drugs were considerably efficient in reducing further attacks. There was no statistically significant correlation between frequency or severity of migraine attacks and the drug used for treatment in three months of follow-up. Conclusions: Both medications are effective in reducing migraine attacks. It will be important to consider the drugs’ adverse effects and availability and patients’ medical and socioeconomic condition to select the appropriate treatment.

Introduction: Topiramate, a sulfa-derivative monosaccharide, is an antiepileptic drug which is administered in the control of migraine. It is reported to cause various ocular side effects such as visual field defect and myopic shift. To investigate the alterations in refractive error, properties of the cornea and changes in the anterior chamber in patients that receive Topiramate for migraine control. Materials and Methods: This is a hospital-based, noninterventional, observational study that is conducted at Imam Hossein Hospital, affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology, in collaboration with the department of Ophthalmology. Thirty three consecutive patients with the diagnosis of migraine that were candidate for Topiramate therapy were recruited. Patients with history of ocular trauma or surgery, keratoconus, glaucoma, congenital ocular malformations and any history of unexplained visual loss were excluded. After thorough ophthalmic examination, all the patients underwent central corneal thickness (CCT) measurement, and Pentacam imaging (Scheimpflug camera) at the baseline. Various parameters were extracted and used for analysis. Anterior chamber volume (ACV), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and anterior chamber angle (ACA) measurement was performed. These measurements were repeated on day 30th and 90th after the initiation of Topiramate therapy. According to the normality tests, parameters with normal distribution were analysed using the repeated measures test and the remaining parameters (with non-normal distribution) were analysed using the non-parametric k-sample test. A p-value< 0.05 was considered statistically significant, according to Bonferroni post hoc correction. Results: There were 66 eyes of 33 patients under the diagnosis of migrainous headache, that Topiramate was initiated for headache control, included in the study. The mean value of refractive error had a statistically significant myopic change, from −0.23 diopters (D) at the baseline to −0.61 D at the 90th day of follow-up period (p-value < 0.001). Mean CCT was 531.43 μm at the baseline and increased to 534.72 μm at the 30th day, and 537.51 μm at the 90th day after the administration of Topiramate (p-value=0.001). Mean value of other parameters, ACV, ACD, and ACA, did not reveal statistically significant change. Conclusion: Myopic shift and gradually increasing CCT in the patients after Topiramate administration should be considered before any refractive surgery. We found no gradual change in the anterior chamber and angle parameters in our patients in the 90 days of follow up. More studies with a longer duration of follow-up are needed to elucidate dose-dependent ocular manifestations.

Wolfram syndrome is one of the rare autosomal recessive, progressive, neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by diabetes mellitus and optic atrophy. Several other features are observed in patients including deafness, ataxia, and peripheral neuropathy. A gene called WFS1 is identified on chromosome 4p, responsible for Wolfram syndrome. We investigated a family consisted of parents and 8 children, which 5 of them have been diagnosed for Wolfram syndrome. WFS1 gene in all family members was sequenced for causative mutations. A mutation (c.376G>A, p.A126T) was found in all affected members in homozygous state and in both parents in heterozygous state. The bioinformatics analysis showed the deleterious effects of this nucleotide change on the structure and function of the protein product. As all of the patients in the family showed the homozygote mutation, and parents were both heterozygote, this mutation is probably the cause of the disease. We identified this mutation in homozygous state for the first time as Wolfram syndrome causation. We also showed that this mutation probably doesn't cause deafness in affected individuals.

Thalamic pain syndrome, a type of central post-stroke pain (CPSP), may develops after a hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke and results in impairment of the thalamus. There is limited experience about gabapentin in treatment of central pains like CPSP. In a prospective observational study, the intensity of pain was recorded using the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) at the entrance to the study. Patients eligible for treating with gabapentin, received gabapentin 300 mg twice-daily. The pain intensity was measured at entrance to the study and after one month using NRS. Decrease of 3 points from the initial NRS considered being clinically significant. From a total of 180 primarily screened patients, 84 (44 men and 40 women) were recruited. There was a significant difference between pre-treatment and post-treatment NRS (5.9 ± 2.51 vs. 4.7 ± 3.01; 95% CI: 0.442-1.962, p = 0.002). Fisher's exact test showed no statistically significant effect of clinical and demographic characteristics of patients on their therapeutic response to gabapentin. Given the safety, efficacy, well tolerability and lack of interaction with other drugs we suggest gabapentin to be more considered as a first line therapy or as add-on therapy for reducing the pain severity in patients with thalamic syndrome.

Objectives: The presence of the psychiatric disease and consumption of antiseizure medications are believed to be an underlying cause of suicides. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of suicide attempts in patients with epilepsy referred to Iranian seizure organization and neurology clinic of Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 200 patients with epilepsy were enrolled in this study and were interviewed. They were asked to fill the prepared questionnaire, which contained clinical variables and 4 specific questions regarding suicidal behaviors related to the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R). Results: The mean age of the participants was 34 ± 10.6 years. Ninety-one patients (45.5%) were male and 109 (54.5%) were female. Regarding the presence of psychiatric disorders; 25% had a history of depression, 3% bipolar disorders, 1% schizophrenia, 4% personality disorders and 65.5% had no psychiatric disorders. Conclusions: The results of the present study show a high prevalence of suicide attempt among patients with epilepsy and these patients should be considered as a high-risk population regarding the suicide attempt and should be thoroughly evaluated regarding psychiatric disorders and suicidal ideation.

Introduction: The role of diabetes mellitus in the pathogenesis of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is controversial. Underlying comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus may increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. In this study, we sought to assess the role of diabetes mellitus in the occurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was evaluated in 120 patients presenting with intracerebral hemorrhage and in a control group of 135 patients with low back pain. All patients were treated at the Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Shohadaye Tajrish University Hospital, Tehran, Iran between 2008 and 2012. T-test was applied for analysing the quantitative variables and chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to analyse qualitative variables. Results: The mean age was 67.5±12.7 y in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and 70.5±12.6 y in the control group (p=0.201). Diabetes mellitus was found in 39 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (33.1%) and 30 (22.2%) control subjects (p=0.054). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients younger than 60 y was 7.4% in the control group and 27.8% in the case group (p=0.042). Conclusion: In our study, no significant relationship was found between diabetes mellitus and intracerebral hemorrhage (except in patients younger than 60 years) and diabetes mellitus did not cause bleeding in certain brain areas. However, more studies are required on the correlation of diabetes mellitus and intracerebral hemorrhage in the same population to reach a definite conclusion.

Objective Epilepsy is a serious, potentially life-shortening brain disorder that occurs in patients of all ages and races. A total of 2–4% of people have experienced seizures at least once in their lifetime. Although treatment usually begins after a seizure, it is an important question whether the first cases of seizure do need to be treated by antiepileptic drugs. In this manner, we compare the recurrence rates of epilepsy in first seizure patients treated with sodium valproic acid as an antiepileptic drug versus a placebo. Material & Methods In a randomized clinical trial study, 101 first seizure patients were randomly divided into two groups: one group was treated with antiepileptic drugs (sodium valproate 200mg, three times a day) and the other group was given a placebo. The recurrence rate of seizures was evaluated and compared between the groups after 6 months of follow up. Results Eight recurrence cases were detected. All recurrence cases came from the placebo group, with four patients suffering an additional seizure after four months and between 4-6 month follow up. A comparison of recurrence rate detected a statistically significant difference between the drug group and placebo group. Conclusion Our data shows that the recurrences occurred only in the placebo group with the difference between the recurrence rates in the placebo versus drug-treated was significant. Our results suggest that drug therapy for people after their first seizure attack might reduce the probability of seizure recurrence.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders which a physician might come across in his career life. On the other hand, migraine is common disorders in society chronic headache such as migraine in epileptic patients give ride to difficulties in seizure treatment due to altering the sleeping pattern and calmness disarrangement. Therefore, early diagnosis and suitable treatment in epileptic patients is definitely inevitable, and it will help in a more desirable patients' treatment. So we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of migraine in epileptic patients and relation between these two disorders. Number of 150 epileptic patients attended to neurology clinic of Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital and Iranian Epilepsy Association between June 2010 to May 2011 were fulfilled the questionnaire, and the data has been assessed by SPSS software. In this study, we used MS-Q (migraine screening -questionnaire) designed for early diagnosis of migraine in the general population. From all patients filling the questionnaire, the prevalence of migraine (with or without aura) was as follows: 23 persons had criteria compatible with migraine with aura; 26 patients had migraine without aura. Migraine was more common in these patients: persons with academic degrees, women, patients who were used 2 antiepileptic drugs, and patients with high BMI. In this study, we showed that migraine in epileptic patients is more prevalent than the general population. Thus, early diagnosis and efficient treatment of migraine headache in these patients is mandatory. More studies are needed for evaluation of this issue.