• Conrad Figueroa posted an update 1 month, 3 weeks ago

    5 and 30.4 kg/m2, and decreased in obese women. Conclusion(s) The data suggested an “inverted U shape” association between BMI and CLBR. The CLBR increases in underweight women, plateaus in normal weight and overweight women, and then decreases in obese women. Copyright © 2020 Xue, Shi, Zhou, Tian, Zhao, Zhou and Shi.Background Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common cause of vertigo, especially in the elderly. Several studies have revealed a possible seasonality to BPPV. However, whether the seasonality of BPPV also exists in China is unclear. The characteristics of cardio-cerebrovascular risk factors for BPPV in the cold season have not yet been investigated. Objectives (1) To investigate the seasonality of BPPV; (2) To explore the relationship between cardio-cerebrovascular risk factors and seasonality of BPPV. Methods A retrospective observational study was performed in Beijing Tiantan Hospital from Jan 2016 to Dec 2018. The study included 1,409 new-onset BPPV patients aged 18-88 years. The demographic data, onset time, and medical history of BPPV were collected. HPPE price The meteorological data, including temperature, atmospheric pressure, rainfall, and insolation, was obtained from Beijing Meteorological service. The x 2 goodness of fit test was used to evaluate whether BPPV patients’ numbers were signespectively. As the number of cardio-cerebrovascular risk factors increased, the proportion of patients in the cold season of BPPV increased (P = 0.025). Conclusions BPPV patients are seen more in the months with low temperature, low rainfall, and high atmospheric pressure. Compared with the non-cold season, BPPV patients have more risk factors for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases in the cold season. Copyright © 2020 Cao, Zhao, Ju, Chen and Wang.Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a group of genetic disorders of neuromuscular transmission that is characterized by muscle weakness. A mutation in the gene encoding agrin (AGRN) is a rare cause of CMS, and only a few families or isolated cases have been reported. We reported a pediatric proband exhibiting muscle weakness in the trunk and limbs with skeletal malformation and intellectual disability and performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) of the proband parent-offspring trio. Results revealed a new compound heterozygous mutation in AGRN c.125A>C (p.Glu42Ala) in the N-terminal agrin domain (NtA) and c.4516G>A (p.Ala1506Thr) in the laminin G1 domain (LG1). Bioinformatic analysis predicted the mutation as possibly pathogenic. The new compound heterozygous mutation in AGRN may disrupt agrin’s known function of bridging laminin and α-dystroglycan and undermine the formation and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) via both muscular and neural agrin pathways. It may also induce secondary peripheral neuropathy and skeletal malformation. Copyright © 2020 Wang, Xiao, Huang, Liu, Xiong, Li, Mao and Liu.Background The specific serotonin type 3 (5-HT3)-receptor antagonist granisetron effectively reduces clinical as well as experimental muscle pain and hyperalgesia and with a duration that exceeds that of lidocaine. Hence, it may be an alternative to lidocaine as a local anesthetic. There are also some indications that granisetron in addition to 5-HT3 receptors blocks sodium channels. Thus, the local anesthetic effect by granisetron may resemble that of lidocaine, but this has not been tested. The aim of this study was therefore to compare the effect granisetron has on facial skin sensitivity to the effect of lidocaine and isotonic saline. Methods This was a randomized, controlled, and double-blind study, in which 1 ml of either granisetron (test-substance), lidocaine (positive control), or isotonic saline (negative control) was injected into the skin over the masseter muscle at three different occasions in 18 healthy males (27.2 ± 5.8 years old). Skin detection thresholds and pain thresholds for thermal stimunjection of granisetron and lidocaine shown in this study and the absence of paresthesia, in combination with the reduced pain intensity and pressure pain sensitivity shown in previous studies, indicate that granisetron might be a novel candidate as a local anesthetic. Copyright © 2020 Ernberg, Wieslander Fältmars, Hajizadeh Kopayeh, Arzt Wallén, Cankalp and Christidis.Objective This study aims to investigate the factors affecting the efficacy of first oral prophylaxis in patients with chronic migraine (CM) and to assess patient compliance with their medication regimens. Method To identify the therapeutic effect of prevention medication in 740 patients with newly diagnosed CM that did not receive any preventive treatments after 4 weeks in an open-label prospective study with retrospective baseline from January 2016 to January 2018, the factors that may affect the outcomes of preventive treatment were analyzed based on the demographic characteristics, migraine characteristics, family history of headache, and history of medication overuse. Moreover, the patients were followed up to evaluate their compliance with and the side effects of the medication at 4 weeks and at 12 weeks. Results After 4 weeks of prophylaxis, 94.3% (n = 698) of the patients persisted with taking the medicine. The treatment was effective for 61.7% of CM patients (n = 431) and ineffective for 38.3% (n = 267). The results showed that the effectiveness of the preventive treatment was related to the number of headaches per month, and the effect was better for patients with headaches for 15-20 days/month than for those with headaches for 26-30 days/month (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 1.26-5.75, P = 0.006). After 12 weeks of treatment, only 34.5% (n = 255) of the patients persisted with taking the medicine. The most common reason for non-compliance in CM patients is appointment difficulty in a headache clinic (31.8%). Conclusion The effect of CM prophylaxis was related to the frequency of headache. Only 34.5% of the patients continued to take medicine after 12 weeks of treatment, suggesting that patient compliance needs to be enhanced in the prophylaxis of CM. For the Chinese headache society, the best way to increase patient compliance should be treatment at dedicated headache centers and timely visits to headache specialists. Copyright © 2020 Yuan, Zhang, Li, Lv, Li, Yu, Li and Tan.