Full- versus partial-thickness sutures: experimental models of corneal injury repair.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the performance of full-thickness (FT) versus partial-thickness (PT) sutures in a full-thickness corneal wound in an animal model. METHODS: This is a prospective, experimental, comparative, longitudinal study. A 6-mm linear, full-thickness corneal incision was performed on the right eye of eight domestic pigs. Eyes were randomly assigned for repair with interrupted PT (80-90% depth) sutures or FT 10-0 nylon sutures. Anterior segment OCT, corneal pachymetry and clinical photographs were obtained 1, 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively. Corneal thickness, depth of suture placement, perilesional edema, coaptation of wound edges and complications were noted. Histopathologic examination was performed at 8 weeks. RESULTS: 100% of the eyes with FT sutures developed a linear, less opaque scar. 100% of the eyes with PT developed a dense, opaque stromal scar (p = 0.02). Vascularization of the cornea was present in 75% of PT group and 25% in the FT group (p = 0.50). As the corneas healed, there was a marked trend toward thicker corneas in the PT group versus FT group with a median difference of - 63 µm at week 1 [median 788 µm vs. 725 µm, (p = 0.11)], - 38 µm at week 4, (724 µm vs. 686 µm, (p = 0.63)) and - 47 µm median difference at week 8 with (670 µm vs. 623 µm, (p = 0.06)). Histopathology showed disorganization of the collagen fibers and the formation of a retrocorneal fibrous membrane in the PT group. CONCLUSIONS: The FT group presented less corneal edema at week 8 with a more linear and less opaque scar. Histopathology showed a better-organized scar and endothelialization without the formation of a fibrous membrane.

Motor and non-motor wearing-off and its impact in the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVES: The wearing-off phenomenon is common in patients with Parkinson's disease. Motor and non-motor symptoms can fluctuate in relation to the "on/off" periods. To assess the impact of motor and non-motor wearing-off on activities of daily living and quality of life of patients with PD. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out. All patients were evaluated using the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Wearing-off was assessed using the Wearing-Off Questionnaire-19, and quality of life was assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8. RESULTS: A total of 271 patients were included; 73.4% had wearing-off; 46.8% had both motor and non-motor fluctuations. Patients with both motor and non-motor wearing-off had a worst quality of life compared with those with only motor fluctuations (p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Motor and non-motor fluctuations have an impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. Non-motor wearing-off may have a higher impact.

Motor and non-motor wearing-off and its impact in the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease / Flutuações motoras e não-motoras e seu impacto na qualidade de vida de pacientes com doença de Parkinson

ABSTRACT The wearing-off phenomenon is common in patients with Parkinson's disease. Motor and non-motor symptoms can fluctuate in relation to the "on/off" periods. Objective: To assess the impact of motor and non-motor wearing-off on activities of daily living and quality of life of patients with PD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out. All patients were evaluated using the Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. Wearing-off was assessed using the Wearing-Off Questionnaire-19, and quality of life was assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8. Results: A total of 271 patients were included; 73.4% had wearing-off; 46.8% had both motor and non-motor fluctuations. Patients with both motor and non-motor wearing-off had a worst quality of life compared with those with only motor fluctuations (p = 0.047). Conclusions: Motor and non-motor fluctuations have an impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. Non-motor wearing-off may have a higher impact.

RESUMO O fenômeno de encurtamento do fim de dose é comum em pacientes com doença de Parkinson. Tanto os sintomas motores quanto os não motores podem flutuar em relação aos períodos de "on/off". Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto das flutuações motoras e não-motoras nas atividades da vida diária e qualidade de vida em pacientes com doença de Parkinson. Métodos: Um estudo transversal foi realizado. Todos os sujeitos foram avaliados utilizando a escala unificada para a doença de Parkinson da Sociedade de Distúrbios do Movimento. O encurtamento do fim de dose foi avaliado através do questionário WOQ-19 e a qualidade de vida foi avaliada através do PDQ-8. Resultados: Um total de 271 pacientes foram incluídos, 73,4% tiveram deterioração de fim de dose. A maioria dos pacientes tiveram tanto flutuações motoras quanto não-motoras (46,8%). Os pacientes com ambos os tipos de flutuações motoras e não-motoras tiveram pior qualidade de vida do que pacientes apenas com flutuações motoras (p = 0.047). Conclusões: Pacientes com flutuações motoras e não-motoras tiveram impacto significativo nas atividades da vida diária e na qualidade de vida. As flutuações não-motoras parecem ter um impacto maior que as flutuações motoras sobre a qualidade de vida.

Premotor symptoms and the risk of Parkinson's disease: A case-control study in Mexican population.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of pre-motor symptoms and estimate the risk for developing Parkinson's disease in Mexican population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A case-control study was carried out with consecutive subjects with Parkinson's disease from two different referral centers in Mexico. Gender- and age-matched controls were randomly selected from the participating hospitals. All subjects were assessed using a structured questionnaire for the assessment of pre-motor symptoms (hyposmia, depression, anxiety, constipation, and sleep disorders). Odds ratios (OR) were calculated using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 430 subjects with PD and 430 healthy subjects were included. Premotor symptoms prevalence was 77.7% (n=334) for the PD group, compared to 41.3% (n=178) in the control group (p<0.001). After logistic multivariate analysis, previous history of hyposmia (OR 2.02 [95% CI 1.33-3.06]), depression (OR 2.52 [95% CI 1.67-3.84]), anxiety (OR 4.37 [95% CI 2.73-6.98]) and sleep disorders (OR 2.03 [95% CI 1.41-2.93]) were independently associated with Parkinson's disease. Overall prediction success of the model was 81.2% for controls and 61.2% for subjects with PD. CONCLUSION: All five premotor symptoms assessed were more commonly reported in PD subjects than healthy controls. The presence of non-motor symptoms yield a prediction success of 71.2% to discriminate between PD subjects and healthy controls.

Prevalence of epilepsy, beliefs and attitudes in a rural community in Mexico: A door-to-door survey.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to establish the prevalence of seizure history (SH) and epilepsy in a rural community in Hidalgo, Mexico and determine the patients' beliefs and attitudes towards the disease and its initial medical treatment. METHODOLOGY: A transverse, descriptive, door-to-door epidemiological study (April 2011-November 2012) was conducted with 863 inhabitants from Xocotitla, Huejutla, Hidalgo, Mexico (162 housing units). Patients with SH were identified with an adaptation of the WHO protocol for epidemiological studies of neurological diseases. Afterwards, the subjects identified with seizure history (SH) or epilepsy were interviewed with a 20-question Likert type questionnaire regarding the management and belief set of their SH. The interviews were conducted in Spanish and Nahuatl. RESULTS: The prevalence of epilepsy and isolated nonrecurring seizures was 38.2/1000 and 25.4/1000, respectively. Out of the total population of 863 inhabitants, 33/863 were identified with SH: only 39.3% were able to identify an epileptic seizure as such, 48.5% sought medical attention upon the first seizure, 33.3% used a traditional healer, 15.2% took no action, 3% sought a religious representative, 85% lacked any lab analysis, and 60% received no antiepileptic drugs. Only 39% received free local medical attention, 69.7% considered seizures and epilepsy to be a consequence of divine intervention, and 94% reported some type of discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of epilepsy and SH was found in this rural community in Mexico. Divine/religious beliefs, discrimination, scarce access to basic health services and inadequate medical management of epilepsy and SH persist.

Utility of electrocorticography in the surgical treatment of cavernomas presenting with pharmacoresistant epilepsy.

AIM: To describe the general aspects of cavernomas and epilepsy and review the available literature on the utility of electrocorticography (ECoG) in cerebral cavernoma surgery. METHODS: We searched studies in PubMed, MedLine, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar (from January 1969 to December 2013) using the keywords "electrocorticography" or "ECoG" or "prognosis" or "outcome" and "cavernomas". Original articles that reported utility of ECoG in epilepsy surgery were included. Four review authors independently selected the studies, extracted data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies using the recommendations of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, PRISMA guidelines, and Jadad Scale. A meta-analysis was not possible due to methodological, clinical, and statistical heterogeneity of included studies. We analysed six articles with a total of 219 patients. RESULTS: The most common surgical approach was lesionectomy using ECoG in the temporal lobe with Engel I outcome range from 72.7 to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Small controlled studies suggest that ECoG-guided resection offers the best functional results in seizure control for subjects undergoing cavernoma surgery, especially in the temporal lobe.