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Background@#and Purpose Perampanel (PER) is an α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid antagonist used to treat focal and generalized epilepsy. Comprehensive data from real-world settings with long-term follow-ups are still scarce. This study aimed to determine the factors related to PER retention and the polytherapy pattern with PER. @*Methods@#We reviewed all patients with epilepsy with a history of PER prescription during 2008–2017 and over a follow-up of >3 years. PER usage patterns and associated factors were analyzed. @*Results@#Among the 2,655 patients in the cohort, 328 (150 females, 178 males) were enrolled.The ages at onset and diagnosis were 21.1±14.7 years and 25.6±16.1 years (mean±standard deviation), respectively. The age at the first visit to our center was 31.8±13.8 years. Seizure types were focal, generalized, and unknown onset in 83.8%, 15.9%, and 0.3% of patients, respectively. The most common etiology was structural (n=109, 33.2%). The maintenance duration of PER was 22.6±19.2 months (range=1–66 months). The initial number of concomitant antiseizure medications was 2.4±1.4 (range=0–9). The most common regimen was PER plus levetiracetam (n=41, 12.5%). The median number of 1-year seizures before PER usage was 8 (range=0–1,400). A seizure reduction of >50% was recorded in 34.7% of patients (52.0% and 29.2% in generalized and focal seizures, respectively). The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year retention rates for PER were 65.3%, 50.4%, 40.4%, 35.3%, and 21.5%, respectively. A multivariate analysis indicated that lower age at onset was associated with longer retention (p=0.01). @*Conclusions@#PER was safely used in patients with diverse characteristics and was maintained for a long time in a real-world setting, especially in patients with a lower age at onset.
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Background@#and Purpose Zolpidem is one of the most common hypnotics prescribed to treat insomnia worldwide. However, there are numerous reports of a positive association between zolpidem and mortality, including an association with increased cancer-specific mortality found in a Taiwanese cohort study. This study aimed to determine the association between zolpidem use and brain-cancer-specific mortality in patients with brain cancer. @*Methods@#This population-based, retrospective cohort study analyzed data in the National Health Insurance Service database. All incident cases of brain cancer at an age of ≥18 years at the time of brain cancer diagnosis over a 15-year period (2003–2017) were included. A multivariate Cox regression analysis after adjustment for covariables was performed to evaluate the associations of zolpidem exposure with brain-cancer-specific and all-cause mortality. @*Results@#This study identified 38,037 incident cases of brain cancer, among whom 11,823 (31.1%) patients were exposed to zolpidem. In the multivariate Cox regression model, the brain-cancer-specific mortality rate was significantly higher in patients who were prescribed zolpidem than in those with no zolpidem prescription (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]=1.14, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.08–1.21, p<0.001). Zolpidem exposure was significantly associated with increased brain-cancer-specific mortality after adjustment in younger adults (age 18– 64 years; adjusted HR=1.37, 95% CI=1.27–1.49) but not in older adults (age ≥65 years; adjusted HR=0.94, 95% CI=0.86–1.02). @*Conclusions@#Zolpidem exposure was significantly associated with increased brain-cancerspecific mortality in patients with brain cancer aged 18–64 years. Further prospective studies are warranted to understand the mechanism underlying the effect of zolpidem on mortality in patients with brain cancer.
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OBJECTIVES@#The purpose of this study is to confirm restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptom aggravation during menstrual period and verify factors related to symptom aggravation.@*METHODS@#A total of 20 premenopausalfemale RLS patients were classified into two groups according to symptom aggravation during menstrual period (menstrual RLS group and non-menstrual RLS group). They answered a questionnaire including duration and quantity of menstruation, other medical conditions, and premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Laboratory tests including iron panel and hemoglobin levels were done.@*RESULTS@#Six out of 20 patients (30%) complained of symptom aggravation during menstrual period. RLS symptoms were aggravated by 40±33.47% compared to non-menstrual period in menstrual RLS group. One patient was taking additional medication for aggravated symptoms. Menstrual duration, quantity of menstrual bleeding showed no difference between menstrual RLS and non-menstrual RLS groups. On laboratory tests, two patients from non-menstrual RLS group were diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. Serum iron levels, total iron binding capacity, serum iron saturation, and serum ferritin levels did not show difference between the two groups, while hemoglobin levels were significantly lower (13.8 vs. 12.4 g/dL) in non-menstrual RLS group (p=0.044).@*CONCLUSIONS@#RLS symptoms aggravate during menstrual period in 30% of premenopausal RLS patients. Low ferritin levels were not related to menstrual RLS symptom aggravation. Further study is required to verify other factors such as hormonal fluctuations.