Effect of meteorological factors and lunar phases on occurrence of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.

BACKGROUND: Psychogenicnonepilepticseizures (PNES) lack the abnormal electrographical discharges in electroencephalogram seen in epileptic seizures. The notion of the effects of meteorological factors and lunar phases onoccurrence of seizures in patients with PNES has been the subject of very few research studies and the available evidence in the literature is equivocal. In this study, we aimed to study the influence oflunarphases and meteorological factors on the frequency of PNES and its semiological categories. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients discharged with a diagnosis of PNES from our epilepsy monitoring unit in a 3-year period. The 119 patients who met the inclusion criteria were categorized into hypermotor, hypomotor, or intact sensorium based on semiology of their seizures. The occurrence of PNES, in total and in each semiological category, was correlated with the daily average temperature, atmospheric pressure, and the 4 lunar phases. RESULTS: There were 31.8% and 11.1% more-than-expected captured seizures when the average daily atmospheric pressure was lower or higher, respectively, of what is generally considered a comfortable atmospheric pressure. No consistent relation was found between the full moon phases and occurrence of PNES. CONCLUSION: A significant association between atmospheric pressure and the occurrence of nonepileptic seizures was found, whereas no consistent increase in PNES was observed during the full moon phases. There is still an open debate about the effect of the lunar phases on human behavior and neurological disorders such as PNES.

Short-term mortality of patients with saddle pulmonary embolism: A single-center study.

OBJECTIVE: Although hemodynamic instability has been identified as the most established mortality predictor in acute pulmonary embolism (PE), the debate is still open about the prognostic significance of saddle pulmonary embolism (SPE). This study determined the in-hospital mortality rate of SPE patients diagnosed via computed tomographic pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and compared these cases with non-SPE patients. METHODS: The presence of SPE observed on CTPA was used to classify 492 consecutive patients into SPE and non-SPE groups. Different features were compared between the 2 groups, and independent predictors of in-hospital mortality in acute PE were identified. RESULTS: A total of 70 patients (14.2%) had SPE. In univariate analysis, the SPE group was seen to have a higher in-hospital mortality rate, as well as a lower oxygen saturation level and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in comparison with the non-SPE group (all p values <0.005). Multivariate analysis revealed that SPE was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in acute PE patients (Odds ratio: 9.21, 95% confidence interval: 3.40-24.89; p value <0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that SPE had a statistically significant importance in predicting in-hospital mortality and adverse events in PE patients. These findings were not consistent with many prior studies.

Index of Theta/Alpha Ratio of the Quantitative Electroencephalogram in Alzheimer's Disease: A Case-Control Study.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder in human beings associated with cognitive, behavioral and motor impairments. The main symptom of AD is dementia, which causes difficulties in carrying out daily practices. Brain waves are altered in people with AD. Relative indices of brain waves can be beneficial in the diagnosis of AD. In this case-control study, 50 patients with AD and 50 matched healthy individuals were enrolled in case and control groups respectively. With recording and analyzing of brain waves with the utilization of quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG), index of theta/alpha ratio was assessed in both groups. The index of theta/alpha ratio was significantly higher in patients with AD in comparison to healthy individuals (P<0.05). Index of theta/alpha ratio obtained by QEEG provides a non-invasive diagnostic marker of AD, which may be helpful in identification of non-advanced disease in susceptible individuals.

Vitamin D Deficiency among Female Nurses of Children's Medical Center Hospital and Its Related Factors.

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the most preventable challenges worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among female nurses working at Children's Medical Center Hospital in Tehran, Iran, due to the risk factor of being a notably long period indoors and the fact that their health status may have consequences on the process of patients' treatment. A total of 114 female nurses who were at least 20 years old entered the study voluntarily, and a questionnaire was applied to collect information on lifestyle and other factors associated with vitamin D deficiency. A sample of blood was taken to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD) and cut off value to indicate deficiency was considered below 10 ng/ml, and the amounts of 10-29 ng/ml were declared insufficient. The mean of 25-OHD was 11.7±9.3 ng/ml. A total of 79 subjects (69.3%) had a deficient level of vitamin D, 28 subjects (24.6%) had an insufficient level and only 7 subjects (6.1%) had sufficient level of vitamin D. The deficiency was more noticeable in the age group of 26-35 years old. Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency had a significant correlation with younger subjects (P<0.001). There was no significant association among other factors such as body mass index (BMI), health status complications, regular exercise, and duration of sun exposure. High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in the study population leads to emphasise the need to screen health care workers for vitamin D levels.