Evaluation of the relationship between idiopathic restless legs syndrome and serum hepcidin levels.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between restless legs syndrome (RLS) and iron deficiency is a well-known topic. However, the etiology of the disease has not been determined. As the central iron deficiency is the most critical biological abnormality for RLS, we planned a study examining the relationship between RLS and hepcidin, which is the only regulatory hormone of iron metabolism known so far. METHODS: International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group diagnostic criteria (2014) were taken as a basis. A total of 40 RLS patients and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. To avoid the potential variables that might cause secondary RLS, all the participants were asked to provide hemogram, ferritin, iron, thyroid function tests, and sedimentation analysis. The hepcidin levels were measured with a Human Hepcidin (Hepc 25) ELISA kit (MyBioSource). RESULTS: The statistically significant results of our analysis show that the red blood cell count, the neutrophil count, the percentage of lymphocytes and neutrophils, and, more distinctively, hepcidin levels were higher in RLS patients in comparison with the control group. CONCLUSION: In this study, no differences were found in iron and ferritin values. High levels of hepcidin, the main regulator of iron metabolism, in those with primary RLS support the possibility that hepcidin may play a role in the pathogenesis of RLS. We think that larger studies on this subject can give clearer ideas.

Investigation of the relationship between serum irisin level in the idiopathic restless legs syndrome: Could be a marker independent of physical activity?

INTRODUCTION: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common but underdiagnosed neurological syndrome. It is characterized by the feeling of discomfort and desire to move, especially in the lower extremities, which often occurs at night, and the cure or relief of symptoms with movement. Irisin is a hormonelike polypeptide that was first identified in 2012, weighs 22 kDa, consists of 163 amino acids, and is mainly synthesized in muscle. Its synthesis increases with exercise. Here in this study, we planned to investigate the relationship among serum irisin level, physical activity, lipid profile, and RLS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 35 patients with idiopathic RLS and 35 volunteers were included in the study. Then, venous blood was taken from the participants in the morning after 12 h of night fasting. RESULTS: The mean value of serum irisin level was 16.9 ± 14.1 ng/mL in the case group and 5.1 ± 5.9 ng/mL in the control group, which was statistically quite significant (p < .001). A significant efficiency (under the curve area 0.886 [0.804-0.967]) of irisin value was observed in the differentiation of patients in the case and control groups. DISCUSSION: Serum irisin level was significantly higher in the case group than in the control group. In conclusion, we suggest that irisin may play a role in the pathophysiology of RLS independently of the intensity and duration of physical activity and anthropometric data, such as body weight, body mass index, and waist/hip ratio.

Correlates of Zonulin and Claudin-5, markers of intestinal and brain endothelial permeability, in Parkinson's Disease: A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease that affects the substantia nigra pars compacta and dopaminergic neurons in the brain stem. Since zonulin and claudin-5 are involved in intestinal and brain endothelial permeability and it is hypothesized that the brain-gut axis is relevant in IPD, the aim of our study is to evaluate whether the relationship between Zonulin and Claudin-5 levels and Parkinson's Disease patients. METHODS: A total of 139 patients, including 34 mild, 33 moderate, 39 severe stage patients and 33 healthy controls were included. The patients' demographic data, age of onset, disease duration, disease type and drugs were noted. UPDRS and H&Y scores were evaluated. Prodromal stage symptoms and non-motor symptoms were noted. Zonulin and Claudin-5 levels in the serum were studied. RESULTS: The mean Zonulin value was significantly higher in the IPD group compared to the control one (16.0 ± 10.5 vs. 11.1 ± 4.3; p = 0.0012). Likewise, the mean Claudin-5 value in the IPD group was again significantly higher than in the control group (8.4 ± 5.5 vs. 6.2 ± 3.4; p = 0.0003). The combined ROC curve, though, showed only modest albeit significant discriminant ability. Moreover, neither zonulin nor claudin-5 related to age, phenotype or disease duration, and in terms of non-motor symptoms there was only a significant association between zonulin and urine problems and between claudin-5 and sleep symptoms. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest an association of these markers of intestinal and brain endothelial permeability and IPD, although these remain modest and preliminary and warrant further consideration in larger studies including prodromal cases.

[Evaluation of pre- and post-transplant electroencephalographic examination in hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients]. / A transzplantáció elotti és utáni elektroencefalográfiás vizsgálatok értékelése haematopoeticus ossejttranszplantált betegeknél.

Background and purpose:

Haemato­poietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is one of the most effective treatment methods for many malignant and non-malignant diseases. In this study, we aimed to detect electroencephalographic (EEG) anomalies at an early stage in patients who underwent allogeneic and autologous HSCT and required the management of potentially life-threatening non-convulsive seizures.

The study was conducted with 53 patients. The age, gender, HSCT type (allogeneic or autologous), and treatment regimens applied before and after HSCT were recorded. All patients underwent EEG monitoring twice, once on the first day of hospitalization and again one week after conditioning regimens began and HSCT was performed.

When the pre-transplant EEG findings were examined, 34 (64.2%) patients had normal EEGs and 19 (35.8%) had abnormal EEGs. After transplantation, 27 (50.9%) had normal EEG findings, 16 (30.2%) had a basic activity disorder, 6 (11.3%) had a focal anomaly, and 4 (7.5%) had a ge­ne­ra­lised anomaly. In the allogeneic group, the anomaly rate in post-transplant EEGs was significantly higher than that in the auto­lo­gous group (p<0.05).

It is important to consider the likelihood of epileptic seizures in the clinical follow-up of HSCT patients. EEG monitoring is crucial for the early diagnosis and treat­ment of such non-convulsive clinical ma­ni­festations. 

Hemiballism and chorea with acute/subacute onset: a retrospective series.

INTRODUCTION: Chorea is a hyperkinetic movement disorder with sudden, irregular, random, dance-like involuntary movements, and ballism is usually one-sided, high-amplitude movements at the proximal of the extremities. In the etiology of acute chorea/hemiballismus, it is necessary to distinguish drugs first and then focus on metabolic causes. The most important etiological causes that may provoke acute/subacute onset chorea/hemiballismus are hypo-hyperglycemia and electrolyte disorders. In this study, we aim to present 19 patients who were admitted to our clinic with movement disorder with acute/subacute onset and diagnosed with chorea/hemiballismus. METHODS: The study was completed with 19 patients. Routine biochemistry, HbA1c level, hemogram, sedimentation, CRP, hepatitis panels, detailed infective parameters, HIV, vitamin B12 level, folate levels, and thyroid function tests were studied. All patients underwent neuro-imaging. RESULTS: 16(84.2%) were female and 3(15.8%) were male. The lowest age of the patients was 48 years, the highest age was 89 years, and the mean age was 72.21 years. Thirteen (68.42%) patients had a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus in their history. The blood glucose levels of these patients at the time of admission: the lowest was 99 mg/dl and the highest was 1200 mg/dl. HbA1c values of 11(84.61%) of the 13 patients were also found elevated. Thirteen (68.4%) patients had hemiballismus, 4(21.1%) patients had bilateral choreoathetosis in the four extremities, and 2(10.2%) patients had ballism limited to one upper extremity. CONCLUSIONS: Chorea/hemiballismus is a movement disorder that is rare and can occur due to a wide range of etiologies. The most common metabolic cause is NKHHS.

The Role of De Ritis Ratio as a Clinical Prognostic Parameter in COVID 19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: The study aims to investigate whether the De Ritis ratio can also be used in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 as a follow-up parameter, such as NLR, which is used in the follow-up and treatment of many diseases. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients admitted to our hospital with suspected COVID-19 were included in the study. Demographic data of the patients, their history characteristics, presenting symptoms, filiation status, duration of clinical stay, and length of stay in intensive care unit, intubation, dialysis, and plasmapheresis needs were examined. The patients were divided into two groups: PCR positive and PCR negative. The presenting, 5th day, and the clinical discharge values of AST, ALT, LDH, urea, creatine, eGFR, De Ritis ratio, procalcitonin, CRP, WBC, NLR, ferritin, lymphocyte, and D-dimer levels of the patients in both groups were studied. RESULTS: The DM and CAD presence in the histories of PCR-positive patients was found to be statistically signifi-cantly higher (p = 0.05, p = 0.03, respectively). Presenting symptoms of headache, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, and taste loss were significantly higher in the PCR-positive patients (p = 0.04, p = 0.02, p = 0.03, p = 0.02, respectively). In the PCR-positive patients, a statistically significant correlation was found between the presenting De Ritis ratios and the presenting NLR, 5th day NLR, and NLR at discharge (p = 0.007, p = 0.02, p = 0.015, respectively). In the PCR-positive group, the 1st and 5th day De Ritis ratios of females were statistically significantly higher than males (p = 0.000, p = 0.006, respectively). Albumin, procalcitonin, length of stay in intensive care unit were significantly higher in the PCR-positive patients, while the presenting D-dimer, presenting WBC, and presenting and 5th day lymphocyte values were significantly higher in the PCR-negative patients. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that the De Ritis ratios can be used in PCR-positive patients as a parameter, such as NLR, to follow-up and determine the prognosis of many diseases.

Can high uric acid levels be an independent risk factor for acute ischemic stroke due to large-artery atherosclerosis?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Uric acid is a molecule that is known to act as a natural antioxidant in acute oxidative stress conditions such as acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Although there are several studies on the prognostic value of serum uric acid (UA) level, especially the AIS, its importance in ischemic stroke is still controversial. Our aim in this study is to investigate whether the serum UA level is an indicative biomarker in the large-artery atherosclerosis in the AIS etiology. METHODS: Of the patients admitted to Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital Department of Neurology between January 2017 and November 2017, 91 hospitalized patients, who had AIS diagnosis and had their uric acid levels measured, were analyzed retrospectively. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension (HT), smoking habit, obesity, gout, hyperlipidemia (HL) and renal failure were excluded from the study. Patients were classified as anterior system and posterior system infarct. Then, patients were divided into two groups, one with internal carotid artery (ICA) > 50% stenosis and the other with ICA < 50% stenosis according to carotid-vertebral artery doppler USG examination performed for etiology. Serum UA, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin levels of both groups were statistically compared. RESULTS: In the comparison of serum UA values of ICA>50% stenosis and ICA<50% stenosis group of AIS patients, a statistically significant difference was found between the UA levels (p<0.000), but there was no difference between total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin values (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: High uric acid levels can be considered an independent, indicative risk factor for large-artery disease in AIS.

Patients with primary restless legs syndrome have higher prevalence of autonomic dysfunction and irritable bowel syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Given the limited data on autonomic dysfunction in patients with primary restless legs syndrome (pRLS), we compared autonomic dysfunction and presence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) between patients with pRLS and control patients. METHODS: Consecutive adult drug-naïve patients with pRLS, and age- and gender-matched healthy control patients were enrolled in this study. Diagnoses, based on validated self-reported questionnaires, were made using the following guidelines: Rome III classification system for functional gastrointestinal disorders for IBS; Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for the presence of anxiety and depression, respectively; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for severity of sleep disturbances; and Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) for autonomic dysfunction. RESULTS: There were 88 patients with pRLS (18 male, 70 female) and 128 control patients (40 men, 88 women). The mean age of the pRLS patients and control patients was 50.3 ± 9.3 years and 49.7 ± 8.2 years, respectively. Overall, 41 (46.6%) of the patients with pRLS and 16 (12.5%) of the control patients had IBS. Among patients with pRLS, IBS was significantly more common and the total autonomic SCOPA-AUT scores were higher than those found among control patients. Among pRLS patients with IBS, total autonomic SCOPA-AUT, PSQI, BAI and BDI scores were significantly higher than among pRLS patients without IBS. The presence of IBS did not affect the severity of restless legs syndrome. CONCLUSION: The presence of autonomic nervous system impairment in patients with pRLS and the strong link between IBS and pRLS merit further, more extensive investigation.

The Association Between Childhood Traumatic Events and Headache-Related Parameters in Patients with Migraine: A Cross-Sectional Study in Turkish Population.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to investigate the association between childhood traumatic events and headache-related clinical parameters in migraine patients. METHODS: 95 patients diagnosed with migraine and 50 healthy controls were included in the study. A socio-demographic form, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were completed by all participants. Additionally, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Migraine Disability Assessment Test (MIDAS) were applied to migraine patients. RESULTS: Positive correlations were found between emotional abuse, physical abuse, physical neglect, CTQ total scores, and headache frequency (r=0.33, r=0.24, r=0.26 and r=0.28 respectively) in migraine patients. A positive correlation was found between physical neglect and headache duration (r=0.28). Positive correlations were also found between emotional abuse and physical neglect, and MIDAS total scores (r=0.22 and r=0.23, respectively). Emotional abuse and CTQ total scores were associated with younger mean age of headache onset (r=-0.24 and r=-0.23). CONCLUSION: Childhood traumatic events are associated with more frequent and more severe headache episodes, and younger headache onset in migraine patients.

Patient characteristics and the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin in patients with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to determine the diagnosis- and treatment-related characteristics in Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and to evaluate the effects of early intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) treatment on disability, mortality and prognosis. Materials and methods - Adult patients who were diagnosed with GBS in our clinic between January 2000 and January 2014 were retrospectively scanned. While the patients undergoing IVIg treatment were included in the study, the other neuropathic diseases were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups based on the administration time of the IVIg treatment; Group 1 (<7 days) and Group 2 (≥ 7 days) Group 1 consisted of patients undergoing IVIg treatment within 7 days after presentation of symptoms and Group 2 consisted of patients undergoing IVIg treatment on and after 7th day following presentation of symptoms. The scores from Hughes Functional Grading Scale (HFGS) on admission and one month laterwere recorded in all patients in order to evaluate the disability and prognosis in terms of demographic and clinical laboratory characteristics. Results - In this study, 49 GBS patients were included (31 patients in Group 1 and 18 patients in Group 2). Demyelinating form of GBS was determined in 22 (44.8%) patients.). While there was no difference between both groups (p: 0.288, p: 0.762, p: 0.693 respectively) in terms of intensive care and rehabilitation requirement and progression, only 2 patients in Group 1 died. While HFGS mean score on admission in all the patient groups was 3.27±0.974, their HFGS mean score at month 1 was 2.53±1.226. There was no difference between the groups in terms of HFGS mean scores on admission and at month 1. Within each groups, there was a significant improvement between initial (on admission) HFGS scores and HFGS scores acquired at month 1. Conclusion - In this study, demyelinating form was more frequent than axonal form. A total of 2 g/kg dose of IVIg treatment administered for 5 days as a standard in GBS patients ensured a significant improvement on both disability and early and late administration and early administration of the treatment does not lead to any difference in intensive care unit and rehabilitation requirements.