Exploring the art and experiences of painters with epilepsy / Explorando a arte e as experiências de pintores com epilepsia

This narrative review addresses the world of artists who linked their creative journeys alongside their battles with epilepsy, a neurological condition engineered by recurrent epileptic seizures, with multifaceted implications in biopsychosocial domains. By examining the lives and works of celebrated artists such as Vincent Van Gogh and contemporary painters, particularly those possibly affected by epilepsy, a narrative transcends clinical elucidations, investigating historical contexts, artistic expressions, and therapeutic interventions. The focus is on uncovering the transformative influence of engaging in artistic activities for individuals struggling with epilepsy. It investigates the profound impact of artistic pursuits on people affected by epilepsy, showing the resilience of the human spirit in harnessing adversity as a source of creativity. This exploration illuminates the potential of art, not only as a means of self-expression, but also as a therapeutic medium in the setting of epilepsy and associated neurorehabilitation.

Esta revisão narrativa aborda o mundo dos artistas que associaram as suas jornadas criativas paralelamente às suas batalhas contra a epilepsia, uma condição neurológica caracterizada por ataques epilépticos recorrentes, com implicações multifacetadas em domínios biopsicossociais. Ao examinar as vidas e obras de artistas célebres como Vincent Van Gogh e pintores contemporâneos, particularmente aqueles possivelmente afetados pela epilepsia, a narrativa transcende as elucidações clínicas, investigando contextos históricos, expressão artística e intervenções terapêuticas. O foco está em desvendar a influência transformadora do envolvimento em atividades artísticas para indivíduos que lutam contra a epilepsia. Ele investiga o profundo impacto das atividades artísticas nas pessoas afetadas pela epilepsia, mostrando a resiliência do espírito humano ao aproveitar a adversidade como uma fonte de criatividade. Esta exploração ilumina o potencial da arte, não apenas como meio de autoexpressão, mas também como meio terapêutico no cenário da epilepsia e da neurorreabilitação associada.

Neuropalliative care in a tertiary-level hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Palliative care in neurology is a recent specialty to improve the quality of life of patients with severe neurological diseases. This study aims to determine the frequency of neurological inpatients who had indication of palliative care, and evaluate the symptomatology, demographic profile, the need for supportive measures, advance directives for life and medical history of patients in a tertiary hospital in Brazil. METHODS: This cross-sectional analytical study evaluated all patients admitted to the neurological semi-intensive care unit (ICU) at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein with neurological conditions from February through August 2022. The Palliative Performance Scale (weight loss greater than 5% associated with body changes and a negative response to the question: 'Would you be surprised if the patient died within 1 year?') was used to indicate palliative care. Patients were divided into three groups: patients with palliative care needs (groupindication), patients without palliative care needs (groupwithout indication) and patients who received at least one assessment of a palliative care team (grouppalliative). Demographic data were analysed using the Χ2 test for qualitative and Kruskal-Wallis test for quantitative variables. RESULTS: Of the 198 patients included in the study, 115 (58%) had palliative care needs. Only 6.9% received assessment by the palliative care team, and 9.56% had advance directives in their medical records. Patients in groupindication had a higher prevalence of symptoms, such as fatigue, depression, shortness of breath and lack of appetite, and required more supportive measures, such as oxygen therapy, enteral/parenteral nutrition, admissions at ICU and days in hospital. CONCLUSION: Despite the high demand for palliative care in neurology, few patients receive this treatment, resulting in decreased quality of care. Therefore, greater integration and discussion of palliative care in neurology are needed.

Digital Alternative Communication for Individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: What We Have.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease that compromises the motor system and the functional abilities of the person in an irreversible way, causing the progressive loss of the ability to communicate. Tools based on Augmentative and Alternative Communication are essential for promoting autonomy and improving communication, life quality, and survival. This Systematic Literature Review aimed to provide evidence on eye-image-based Human-Computer Interaction approaches for the Augmentative and Alternative Communication of people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The Systematic Literature Review was conducted and guided following a protocol consisting of search questions, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and quality assessment, to select primary studies published between 2010 and 2021 in six repositories: Science Direct, Web of Science, Springer, IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, and PubMed. After the screening, 25 primary studies were evaluated. These studies showcased four low-cost, non-invasive Human-Computer Interaction strategies employed for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The strategies included Eye-Gaze, which featured in 36% of the studies; Eye-Blink and Eye-Tracking, each accounting for 28% of the approaches; and the Hybrid strategy, employed in 8% of the studies. For these approaches, several computational techniques were identified. For a better understanding, a workflow containing the development phases and the respective methods used by each strategy was generated. The results indicate the possibility and feasibility of developing Human-Computer Interaction resources based on eye images for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in a control group. The absence of experimental testing in people with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis reiterates the challenges related to the scalability, efficiency, and usability of these technologies for people with the disease. Although challenges still exist, the findings represent important advances in the fields of health sciences and technology, promoting a promising future with possibilities for better life quality.

Delayed radiation myelopathy: a case and treatment algorithm proposal.

Delayed radiation myelopathy is a rare but severe complication that causes progressive and irreversible patient deterioration. Although it is an exclusion diagnosis, there are factors associated with radiation doses and administration areas that may reduce the risk of its incidence. To date, there is no known first-line and effective treatment available to alleviate the symptoms.

NIH stroke scale and unfavourable outcomes in acute ischaemic stroke: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the determining factors of severe functional impairment (SFI) outcome at discharge and in-hospital mortality in patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke and thus favouring early implementation of primary palliative care (PC). METHODS: A retrospective descriptive study by the analysis of 515 patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke admitted at stroke unit, aged≥18 years, from January 2017 to December 2018. Previous clinical and functional status data, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission, and data related to the evolution during hospitalisation were evaluated, relating them to the SFI outcome at discharge and death. The significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: Of 515 patients included, 15% (77) died, 23.3%(120) had an SFI outcome and 9.1% (47) were evaluated by the PC team. It was observed that NIHSS Score≥16 is responsible for a 15.5-fold increase in the occurrence of death outcome. The presence of atrial fibrillation was responsible for a 3.5-fold increase in the risk of this outcome. CONCLUSION: NIHSS Score is an independent predictor of in-hospital death and SFI outcomes at discharge. Knowledge about the prognosis and risk of developing unfavourable outcomes is important for planning the care of patients affected by a potentially fatal and limiting acute vascular insult.

Biomedical signals and machine learning in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: The use of machine learning (ML) techniques in healthcare encompasses an emerging concept that envisages vast contributions to the tackling of rare diseases. In this scenario, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) involves complexities that are yet not demystified. In ALS, the biomedical signals present themselves as potential biomarkers that, when used in tandem with smart algorithms, can be useful to applications within the context of the disease. METHODS: This Systematic Literature Review (SLR) consists of searching for and investigating primary studies that use ML techniques and biomedical signals related to ALS. Following the definition and execution of the SLR protocol, 18 articles met the inclusion, exclusion, and quality assessment criteria, and answered the SLR research questions. DISCUSSIONS: Based on the results, we identified three classes of ML applications combined with biomedical signals in the context of ALS: diagnosis (72.22%), communication (22.22%), and survival prediction (5.56%). CONCLUSIONS: Distinct algorithmic models and biomedical signals have been reported and present promising approaches, regardless of their classes. In summary, this SLR provides an overview of the primary studies analyzed as well as directions for the construction and evolution of technology-based research within the scope of ALS.