Contrast-enhanced MRI findings of patients with acute Bell palsy within 7 days of symptom onset: A retrospective study.

The brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings seen in patients with Bell palsy are abnormal contrast enhancement of affected facial nerves. Previous studies were conducted on a few patients, mainly those who had experienced palsy for several weeks. This study investigated the diagnostic usefulness of MRI by examining MRI findings of acute Bell palsy (within 7 days of symptom onset) in a large cohort. Among the patients with Bell palsy (idiopathic unilateral facial palsy) who visited the hospital, 123 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced MRI of the internal auditory canal within 7 days of symptom onset were reviewed retrospectively. MRI examination results were investigated along with the patient's clinical symptoms and electrodiagnostic test results. Based on the MRI results, the frequency of abnormal contrast enhancement and contrast-enhanced areas were investigated. Of the 123 patients, 13 (11%) had normal brain MRI results, and 110 (89%) had abnormal findings. The frequency of abnormal contrast enhancement was not significantly associated with test timing (P = .56). Of the 110 patients with abnormal findings, 65 (59%) showed contrast enhancement in the labyrinthine segment and 36 (33%) in both the labyrinthine segment and geniculate ganglion. Most patients with Bell palsy who are in the acute phase showed abnormal contrast enhancement in their facial nerves, and similar findings were even observed in the examination conducted on the day of symptom onset. Brain MRI helps in the diagnosis of acute Bell palsy.

Longitudinal Trends in Sleep and Related Factors Among South Korean Adults From 2009 to 2018.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Excess or insufficient sleep, irregular sleep-wake patterns, and an extreme early or late chronotypes adversely impact physical and mental health. Changes in sleep characteristics should therefore be tracked, and factors that contribute to poor sleep should be identified. We investigated the changes in sleep patterns among South Korean adults during 2009-2018. METHODS: Using data of a representative sample of South Korean adults from the 2009 (n=2,658, 48.5% males; age=44.5±15.0 years old [mean±standard deviation], age range=19-86 years) and 2018 (n=2,389, 49.1% males; age=47.9±16.3 years, age range=19-92 years) Korean Headache-Sleep Study, we explored changes in sleep timing, sleep duration, chronotype, and social jetlag (SJL). Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between average sleep duration and depression. RESULTS: From 2009 to 2018, bedtimes were advanced by 10 and 25 min on workdays and free days, respectively. Meanwhile, wake-up times were advanced by 13 min and delayed by 12 min on workdays and free days, respectively. The average sleep duration significantly decreased from 7.45 h to 7.13 h. The prevalence of short sleep duration (<7 h) increased, whereas that of long sleep duration (≥8 h) decreased. A circadian preference toward eveningness and SJL increased. The prevalence of depression increased from 4.6% to 8.4%, and there were significant reverse J-shaped and U-shaped associations between average sleep duration and depression in 2009 and 2018, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in sleep patterns and the association between sleep duration and depressive mood were determined from a representative sample of the South Korean adult population. Interventions to modify sleep behaviors might improve public health.

A multicenter study of altered level of consciousness in the emergency room.

New-onset altered level of consciousness (ALC) is a challenge in real-world clinical practice. Although its presentation is nonspecific and its etiology is intricate, the term ALC is frequently used in the emergency room (ER). This study aimed to clarify and classify the etiologies and outcomes of the ALC in the ER. We retrospectively investigated ALC patients in the ER of four tertiary referral centers from February 2018 to January 2020. The etiology of ALC was comprehensively analyzed by a consortium of university professors, board-certified clinicians in neurology, emergency medicine, or internal medicine. The time point to determine the etiology of ALC was at the time of discharge from the ER. A total of 315,526 patients who visited ER due to ALC were reviewed and found 7988 eligible patients, of which 4298 (53.8%) were male and 5282 (66.1%) were older than 60. The overall mortality was 13.5%. Except undetermined, the 9 etiologies (n = 7552) were categorized into extra- (n = 4768, 63.1%) or intracranial etiology (n = 2784, 36.9%). The most common etiology of ALC in the ER was metabolic cause (n = 1972, 24.7%), followed by systemic infection (n = 1378, 17.3%). The majority of ALC in the ER was derived from extracranial etiology. ALC in the ER is a neurological manifestation of diverse etiologies; not all can be confirmed in the ER. Not only neurological but also critical systemic illnesses should be considered to assess the protean manifestations of ALC in the ER.

Alterations of Functional Connectivity in Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological illness marked by a strong desire to move one's legs, usually in association with uncomfortable sensations. Recent studies have investigated brain networks and connectivity in RLS. The advent of network analysis has greatly improved our understanding of the brain and various neurological disorders. A few studies have investigated alterations in functional connectivity in patients with RLS. This article reviews functional connectivity studies of patients with RLS, which have identified significant alterations relative to healthy controls in several brain networks including thalamic, salience, default-mode, and small-world networks. In addition, network changes related to RLS treatment have been found, including to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcutaneous spinal cord direct-current stimulation, and dopaminergic drugs. These findings suggest that the underlying pathogenesis of RLS includes alterations in the functional connectivity in the brain and that RLS is a network disorder.

Etiologies of altered level of consciousness in the emergency room.

Altered levels of consciousness (ALCs) is a challenging issue; however, data describing its etiology and frequency are lacking. This study aimed to clarify and classify the etiologies of ALCs in the emergency room (ER) and to evaluate their destinations and the form of discharge. This retrospective study included patients with an ALC who visited the ER of a university hospital between January 2018 and December 2020. The cause and classification of the ALCs were carefully determined by a consortium of board-certified faculty members in emergency medicine, internal medicine, and neurology. The reference point for determining the etiology of ALC was discharge from the ER. In total, 2028 patients with ALCs were investigated. More than half (1037, 51.1%) visited the ER between 9:00 and 18:00. The most common etiology was systemic infection (581, 28.6%), followed by metabolic causes (455, 22.4%), and stroke (271, 13.4%). The two leading etiologies were extracranial and had a majority of the cases (1036, 51.5%). The overall mortality rate was 17.2%. This study provides fundamental information on ALC in the ER. Although intracranial etiologies have been foregrounded, this study demonstrated that extracranial etiologies are the main cause of ALC in the ER.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Restless Legs Syndrome in Korean Adults: A Study in Two Independent Samples of the General Population.

BACKGROUND: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder, although it has a low prevalence in Asian populations. However, the reported RLS prevalence in -Korean adults is mostly 4.5-12.1%, which is higher than that reported in other Asian populations. This study aimed to diagnose RLS and exclude mimicking conditions in 2 independent samples of Korean adults, and to compare its prevalence to that from previous studies performed in Asian countries. METHODS: Study populations included a (1) nationwide stratified random sample (n = 2,824; age 19-79 years) and (2) community-based cohort (n = 2,685; age 47-79 years). We applied the Cambridge-Hopkins diagnostic questionnaire to diagnose RLS and differentiate it from RLS mimics. Sleep-related symptoms, mood, and medical conditions were compared between the RLS and non-RLS groups. Prior studies of the RLS prevalence in Asia were systematically reviewed and compared to our findings. RESULTS: The adjusted RLS prevalence was 0.4 and 1.3% in populations 1 and 2, respectively. In both populations, subjects with RLS had more depression. The prevalence of RLS mimics was 5.1 and 2.6%, in populations 1 and 2, respectively. The RLS prevalence in Asia was higher when RLS was defined by the presence of essential clinical features and lower when a differential diagnosis was additionally implemented. CONCLUSIONS: The RLS prevalence in Korean adults considering RLS mimics is comparable to that in adults from other Asian countries (< 2%). The reported RLS prevalence varies depending on the diagnostic method employed.

The role of soluble epoxide hydrolase in preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy characterized by the development of vasospasm, hypertension and often associated with proteinuria after the 20th week of gestation. Because termination of pregnancy results in the most efficacious resolution of preeclampsia, it is a leading cause of premature delivery worldwide. In pregnancy, 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) have been shown to facilitate uterine blood flow during preeclampsia, in which the classic vasodilator agents such as nitric oxide and prostacyclin are reduced. EETs are converted to dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs) by the activity of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH). We tested the hypothesis that sEH activity is increased in preeclampsia by measuring urinary 14,15-DHET in healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women. Urine samples were collected and incubated with or without ß-glucuronidase to enable the measurement of both the glucuronidated and free forms of 14,15-DHET, which were quantified using a 14,15-DHET ELISA. Levels of total (free+glucuronidated) 14,15-DHET, which is a measurement of EET-dependent sEH activity, were higher in urine samples obtained from preeclamptic women compared to healthy pregnant women. Considering the fact that free+glucuronidated 14,15-DHET levels are increased in urine of preeclamptic women, we hypothesize that sEH expression or activity is augmented in these patients, reducing EET and increasing blood pressure. Moreover we suggest that novel anti-hypertensive agents that target sEH might be developed as therapeutics to control high blood pressure in women with preeclampsia.

Toll recognition signal activates oenocytoid cell lysis via a crosstalk between plasmatocyte-spreading peptide and eicosanoids in response to a fungal infection.

Plasmatocyte-spreading peptide (PSP) activates hemocyte-spreading behavior in response to various microbial pathogens. Its homolog, growth-blocking peptide, has several functions that activate immune cells and induce oenocytoid cell lysis (OCL). OCL is required for release of prophenoloxidase from oenocytoids in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Injection of PSP to S. exigua larvae significantly induced in vivo OCL and resulted in significant increase of phenoloxidase (PO) activity. A fungal infection induced PSP expression and also significantly increased OCL. RNA interference (RNAi) of PSP expression significantly suppressed OCL induction and subsequently inhibited PO activation. Interestingly, an addition of dexamethasone (a specific phospholipase A2 inhibitor) inhibited the PSP activity to induce OCL. Toll signal pathway was associated with PSP action on inducing OCL because RNAi of Toll expression suppressed PSP expression and subsequent OCL induction. However, an addition of PSP to the larvae under RNAi of Toll expression rescued the progress of OCL.

Phospholipase A2 inhibitors in bacterial culture broth enhance pathogenicity of a fungus Nomuraea rileyi.

An entomopathogenic fungus, Nomuraea rileyi, was isolated and its identity was confirmed by its internal transcribed spacer DNA sequence. The isolated N. rileyi exhibited a specific pathogenicity to lepidopteran species. This study was focused on enhancing the fungal pathogenicity by using immunosuppressive agents. In response to infection of N. rileyi, Spodoptera exigua larvae significantly induced catalytic activity of phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) in three immune-associated tissues, namely hemocytes, fat body, and hemolymph plasma. Furthermore, the infected S. exigua larvae induced transcription of several antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes. Two entomopathogenic bacteria, Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn) and Photorhabdus temperata subsp. temperata (Ptt), possessed specific PLA(2)-inhibitory activities and their culture broths significantly inhibited the enzyme activities in hemocytes, fat body, and plasma of S. exigua. In addition, the bacterial metabolites inhibited transcription of AMP genes in S. exigua that would normally respond to the immune challenge by N. rileyi. The immunosuppressive effect of Xn or Ptt bacterial broth resulted in significant enhancement of the fungal pathogenicity against late instar larvae of S. exigua and Plutella xylostella. The effect of such a mixture was confirmed by field assay against two lepidopteran species. These results suggest that the bacterial and fungal mixture can be applied to develop a novel biopesticide to control lepidopteran species.

Eicosanoid biosynthesis is activated via Toll, but not Imd signal pathway in response to fungal infection.

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) catalyzes hydrolysis of phospholipids at sn-2 position and usually releases arachidonic acid, which is oxygenated into various eicosanoids that mediate innate immune responses in insects. PLA(2) activities were measured in both immune-associated tissues of hemocyte and fat body in the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. Upon challenge of an entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, the PLA(2)s were significantly activated in both hemocyte and fat body. The fungal infection also induced gene expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), such as two attacins, cecropin, gallerimycin, gloverin, hemolin, and transferrin of S. exigua. RNA interference of Toll or Imd signal pathway using double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) specific to SeToll or SeRelish suppressed specific AMP gene expressions, in which dsRNA specific to SeToll suppressed two attacins, cecropin, gallerimycin, gloverin, hemolin, and transferrin I, while dsRNA specific to SeRelish suppressed only cecropin. Interestingly, dsRNA specific to SeToll also significantly inhibited the activation of PLA(2) in response to the fungal infection, but dsRNA specific to SeRelish did not. Eicosanoid-dependent hemocyte nodulation was inhibited by dsRNA specific to SeToll but was not by dsRNA specific to SeRelish. These results suggest that eicosanoid biosynthesis is activated via Toll, but not Imd signal pathway in response to fungal infection in S. exigua.

Effects of gender on white blood cell populations and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio following gastrectomy in patients with stomach cancer.

Alterations of absolute number or percentage of circulating white blood cell (WBC) subsets are associated with psychological and physical stress. Gender effects on the changes of circulating WBC subsets following surgical treatment have not been determined. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine whether circulating neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (N/L) are different following major surgery according to the gender. We studied 409 male patients and 212 female patients who underwent total or subtotal gastrectomy due to stomach cancer, from 1 January to 31 December in 2005. The WBC count and percentage of its subsets were obtained from database and N/L was directly calculated from the full blood count preoperatively, immediate postoperatively, and postoperative day 1, 3, 5 in a retrospective manner. Compared to preoperative values, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, monocytopenia, and increased N/L were associated with gastrectomy in all patients. In the comparison study between genders, there were significantly increased proportion of neutrophils, decreased lymphocytes and monocytes, and higher N/L in female patients than in male patients after gastrectomy. These findings indicate that female patients showed more immune-compromised response to gastrectomy than male patients.