Possible post-COVID epilepsy: A review of epilepsy monitoring unit admissions during the two years of COVID-19 pandemic.

Large scale healthcare data shows that new-onset epilepsy is noted in 0.3 % patients within 6 months of COVID-19 infection. We analyzed diagnostic epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) evaluations to identify and report such cases. We thoroughly reviewed our EMU database and identified patients having "COVID" or "Corona" virus mention in their medical record from 03/15/2020 to 02/28/2022. Patients with epilepsy prior to COVID infection were excluded. Among 62 patients without prior epilepsy evaluated in the EMU for new-onset spells after confirmed COVID-19 infection, three patients were diagnosed with focal epilepsy. These three women without epilepsy risk factors had seizure onset at the time of, or within one to three months of, COVID-19 diagnosis. Their 3 T MRI imaging was non-lesional but revealed bilateral enlarged perivascular spaces. The video EEG monitoring was consistent with temporal or fronto-temporal lobe epilepsy in all three patients. Two of them developed drug-resistant epilepsy within six months of seizure onset. Our thorough analysis of diagnostic EMU evaluations during the two years of pandemic reveals three cases of post-COVID-19 epilepsy after non-symptomatic to mild disease. Although coincidental epilepsy onset cannot be ruled out, larger multicenter or national database investigations are needed to further analyze the possibility of post-COVID epilepsy.

Acutely Administered Leptin Increases [Ca2+] i and BK Ca Currents But Does Not Alter Chemosensory Behavior in Rat Carotid Body Type I Cells.

Obesity related pathologies are the health care crisis of our generation. The fat cell derived adipokine leptin has been shown to be a central stimulant of respiration. Very high levels of leptin, however, are associated with the depressed ventilatory phenotype observed in obesity hypoventilation syndrome. Leptin receptors have been identified on carotid body type I cells but how their activation might influence the physiology of these cells is not known.The acute application of leptin evoked calcium signaling responses in isolated type I cells. Cells increased their Fura 2 ratio by 0.074 ± 0.010 ratio units (n = 39, P < 0.001). Leptin also increased the peak membrane currents in 6 of 9 cells increasing the peak macroscopic currents at +10 mV by 61 ± 14 % (p < 0.02). Leptin administered in the presence of the selective BK(Ca) channel inhibitor Paxilline (0.5 µM) failed to increase membrane currents (n = 5). Interestingly, leptin did not significantly alter the resting membrane potential of isolated type I cells (n = 9) and anoxic/acidic depolarizations were unaffected by leptin (n = 7, n = 6).These data suggest that leptin receptors are functional in type I cells but that their acute activation does not alter chemosensory properties. Future studies will use chronic models of leptin dysregulation.

Motivational enhancement therapy and self-help treatment for binge eaters.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to evaluate whether a single session of motivational enhancement therapy (MET) would increase participant readiness to change, improve the efficacy of self-help treatment for binge eaters, and improve participant compliance with the self-help manual. METHOD: Participants with bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder were randomly assigned either to attend a 1-hr MET session prior to receiving the self-help manual (n = 45) or to receive the self-help manual only (n = 45). Participants were followed for 4 months for assessment of self-reported eating disorder outcome and compliance. RESULTS: The MET intervention resulted in increased readiness to change for binge eating compared with the self-help-only (SH) condition. Few differences were found between the MET condition and the SH condition for changes in eating attitudes and frequency of binge eating and compensatory behaviors. No significant effects were found for compliance. DISCUSSION: This research adds to the literature regarding the use of brief motivational interventions to enhance readiness for change in populations with eating disorders.