0000000000234096
AUTHOR
Alberto Albanese
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid in the treatment of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Background and purpose: Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) is a hydrophilic bile acid that is produced in the liver and used for treatment of chronic cholestatic liver diseases. Experimental studies suggest that TUDCA may have cytoprotective and anti-apoptotic action, with potential neuroprotective activity. A proof of principle approach was adopted to provide preliminary data regarding the efficacy and tolerability of TUDCA in a series of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: As a proof of principle, using a double-blind placebo controlled design, 34 ALS patients under treatment with riluzole who were randomized to placebo or TUDCA (1 g twice daily for 54 weeks) were e…
Early DEtection of wEaring off in Parkinson disease: The DEEP study
Assessing the frequency of Wearing-Off (WO) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, and its impact on Quality of Life (QoL). METHODS: Consecutive ambulatory patients, who were on dopaminergic treatment for ≥ 1 year, were included in this multicentre, observational cross-sectional study. In a single visit, WO was diagnosed based on neurologist assessment as well as using the validated Italian version of a patient self-rated 19-question Wearing-Off Questionnaire (WOQ-19); WO was defined for scores ≥ 2. QoL was evaluated by the 8-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8). RESULTS: 617 subjects were included, with a mean anti-Parkinson treatment duration of 6.6 ± 4.6 years, 87.2% were on lev…
Positional brain ischemia with MCA occlusion successfully treated with extra-intracranial bypass.
408 Positional cerebral ischemia (PCI) is an extremely rare condition in which dramatic central nervous system deficits are triggered by standing in patients with severe stenosis or occlusion of the major brain-supplying blood vessels [1] . Because PCI is generally associated with orthostatic hypotension [2, 3] , a hemodynamic mechanism has been proposed [4] . However, PCI has been reported even in patients without orthostatic hypotension [1] . The treatment is medical, but surgery can be considered in refractory cases (endarterectomy for carotid artery stenosis or either highor low-flow extra-intracranial bypass – for carotid occlusion) [3] . We report a case of PCI associated with middle …
Reply to Dr Michaudet al.
There is no abstract
Clinical Correlates of Functional Motor Disorders: An Italian Multicenter Study
Background\ud Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are abnormal movements that are significantly altered by distractive maneuvers and are incongruent with movement disorders seen in typical neurological diseases.\ud \ud Objective\ud The objectives of this article are to (1) describe the clinical manifestations of FMDs, including nonmotor symptoms and occurrence of other functional neurological disorders (FND); and (2) to report the frequency of isolated and combined FMDs and their relationship with demographic and clinical variables.\ud \ud Methods\ud For this multicenter, observational study, we enrolled consecutive outpatients with a definite diagnosis of FMDs attending 25 tertiary movement …