[Study of the practice of prescribing phenosanic acid in epilepsy accompanied by asthenic disorders]. / Izuchenie effektivnosti primeneniya fenozanovoi kisloty pri epilepsii, soprovozhdayushcheisya astenicheskimi narusheniyami.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the experience of prescribing phenosanic acid in the practice of a neurologist/epileptologist when prescribing the second, third anticonvulsant drug (AED) as part of combination therapy for patients with manifestations of fatigue due to epilepsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 501 patients with focal epilepsy accompanied by asthenic disorders were included in the observational program. The observation program protocol included 5 visits, including visit 1, at which screening and inclusion in the OP took place. The observation period was 10 months. At baseline and at the end of the 10-month follow-up, the patients' condition was assessed according to the following indicators: frequency and transformation of attacks with focal onset, severity of fatigue (self-assessment scale MFI-20); quality of life (questionnaire QoLiE-10-P); frequency of attacks with focal onset. The safety of phenosanic acid (Dibufelon) was also assessed. RESULTS: In 10 months after the inclusion of Dibufelon as the 2nd, 3rd AED in the treatment regimen, a statistically significant (p<0.01) decrease in the frequency of seizures was observed: in general - in 88% of patients; by 50% or more - in 76% of patients; transition from the group with a large number of seizures to the group with a smaller number of seizures - 74% of patients. Also when taking phenosanic acid, a positive dynamics of seizure type was noted: a reliable decrease in the proportion of patients with seizures with secondary generalization from 70% to 56%; a decrease in the number of focal seizures with impaired consciousness from 65% to 53%. In addition, there was a 38% decrease in the severity of fatigue on the MFI-20 scale (the greatest decrease on the «Mental fatigue¼ scale), improvement in the quality of life - a 2.7-fold increase in the mean values of the QOLIE-10 questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The addition of phenosanic acid to antiepileptic therapy as a second or third AED allows for better control of seizures, leading to a decrease the frequency and severity of attacks and the severity of fatigue both, and an increase of the quality of life of patients with epilepsy.

[EEG changes in patients with Alzheimer's disease]. / Izmeneniya elektroentsefalogrammy u patsientov s bolezn'yu Al'tsgeimera.

The prevalence of cognitive impairment is steadily increasing compared to previous years. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people living with dementia will increase reaching 82 million in 2030 and 152 million in 2050. The most common cause is Alzheimer's disease (AD). The pathophysiological process in AD begins several years before the onset of clinical symptoms; so identifying it at an early stage would likely improve the clinical prognosis. The article presents EEG changes in patients with AD, and discusses the possibility of using EEG as a screening method for examining patients with cognitive impairment.

[Epilepsy syndromes associated with hearing loss]. / Epilepticheskie sindromy, assotsiirovannye so snizheniem slukha.

Patients with epilepsy who have also hearing loss represent a distinct group of patients, often with aggravated medical history, comorbidities and high potential for disability. The etiopathogenetic factors of epilepsy and hearing loss may be common to these conditions (neuroinfections, craniocerebral injuries, cerebral circulatory disorders, perinatal pathology, etc.). In addition, these two syndromes may occur as part of hereditary diseases, so their timely recognition and genetic diagnosis are important for determining further medical and genetic prognosis. This article provides an overview of orphan genetic diseases associated with epilepsy and hearing loss - MERRF syndrome, MELAS syndrome, EAST syndrome, Ayme-Grippsyndrome, epilepsy, hearing loss and mental retardation syndromes, associated with mutations in SPATA5 gene, DOOR syndrome, Gustavson syndrome.

[COVID-19-associated damage of the peripheral nervous system]. / COVID-19-assotsiirovannye porazheniya perifericheskoi nervnoi sistemy.

Based on the available literature data, the article discusses the prevalence of various forms of damage of the peripheral nervous system in COVID-19 and in the post-COVID period. Information about the clinical features and the course of individual cranial neuropathies, chronic dysimmune neuropathies, Guillain-Barré syndrome, drug-induced neuropathies, fine fiber neuropathy, myasthenia gravis and polyneuropathy of critical conditions was systemized in the context of coronavirus infection. SARS-CoV-2 can trigger various stages of pathogenesis, including neuroimmune ones, which cause long-term consequences of COVID-19, including those associated with the damage of the peripheral nervous system. Awareness of COVID-19-associated pathological conditions will allow assessment of the possible risks of damage of the peripheral nervous system, recognize them at early stages and develop more effective approaches for treatment.

[Clinical results and prospects for the use of phenosanic acid in patients with focal epilepsy]. / Klinicheskie rezul'taty i perspektivy primeneniya fenozanovoi kisloty u vzroslykh patsientov s fokal'noi epilepsiei.

OBJECTIVE: To study the efficacy and safety of using a new original synthetic antioxidant - phenosanic acid as an adjunct therapy in patients with focal epilepsy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study evaluated the efficacy and safety of phenosanic acid as an adjunct therapy to basic antiepileptic drugs in 120 patients with focal epilepsy. Primary purpose: to study the dynamic of seizure frequency. Secondary purposes: to study the dynamic of seizure-free days, the dynamics of bilateral tonic-clonic seizures, the results of questionnaires and scales (General Dynamics Assessment, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31-P), European Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Frontal Asstssment Battery (FAB), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)). RESULTS: Phenosanic acid (Dibufelon) showed statistically significant benefit over placebo in the primary indicator of efficacy (reduction in the frequency of epileptic seizures by at least 50%) and in the secondary indicators. The drug was safe and well tolerated by the patients. CONCLUSION: The addition of phenosanic acid (Dibufelon) to base antiepileptic drugs seems to be perspective because of its positive effect on reducing the number of epileptic seizures, as well as on comorbid disorders in the emotional and cognitive spheres.