Metal concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid, blood, serum, plasma, hair, and nails in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with progressive muscle wasting, paralysis, and respiratory failure. Whereas approximately 10-15 % of ALS cases are familial, the etiology of the remaining, sporadic ALS cases remains largely unknown. Environmental exposures have been suggested as causative factors for decades, and previous studies have found elevated concentrations of metals in ALS patients. PURPOSE: This meta-analysis aims to assess metal concentrations in body fluids and tissues of ALS patients. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases on December 7th, 2022 for cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies which measure metal concentrations in whole blood, blood plasma, blood serum, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), urine, erythrocytes, nail, and hair samples of ALS patients. Meta-analysis was then performed when three or more articles existed for a comparison. FINDINGS: Twenty-nine studies measuring 23 metals were included and 13 meta-analyses were performed from 4234 screened entries. The meta-analysis results showed elevated concentrations of lead and selenium. Lead, measured in whole blood in 6 studies, was significantly elevated by 2.88 µg/L (95 % CI: 0.83-4.93, p = 0.006) and lead, measured in CSF in 4 studies, was significantly elevated by 0.21 µg/L (95 % CI: 0.01 - 0.41, p = 0.04) in ALS patients when compared to controls. Selenium, measured in serum/plasma in 4 studies, was significantly elevated by 4.26 µg/L (95% CI: 0.73 - 7.79, p = 0.02) when compared to controls.Analyses of other metal concentrations showed no statistically significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: Lead has been discussed as a possible causative agent in ALS since 1850. Lead has been found in the spinal cord of ALS patients, and occupational exposure to lead is more common in ALS patients than in controls. Selenium in the form of neurotoxic selenite has been shown to geochemically correlate to ALS occurrence in Italy. Although no causal relationship can be established from the results of this meta-analysis, the findings suggest an involvement of lead and selenium in the pathophysiology of ALS. After a thorough meta-analysis of published studies on metal concentrations in ALS it can only be concluded that lead and selenium are elevated in ALS.

Bilateral primary synovial chondromatosis in the knee joint.

Primary synovial chondromatosis is a disorder characterized by the metaplasia of the synovial membrane and the formation of loose bodies floating in the joint. We described a 30-year-old woman without any past medical history complaining of bilateral progressive knee pain who was later discovered to have bilateral synovial chondromatosis.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on tubal ligation and breast cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: Based on previous studies, it has been hypothesized that tube sterilization may be associated with a lower risk of breast cancer. This study aims to investigate the relationship between tubal ligation and the risk of breast cancer through a systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for relevant non randomized studies published up to November 2020. Then, we screened the papers to include the eligible papers in the meta-analysis. Finally, we pooled the extracted results of individual studies to estimate the summary effect size. All analyses were done using Stata software version 13 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX). RESULTS: Four hundred sixty-four papers were retrieved from PubMed/Medline (160), Scopus (165), and Web of Science (139), and 21 papers from Google Scholar and manual search of references in selected full texts. After the removal of duplicates and screening of the papers, 11 articles (6 cohort and 5 case-control study) were included in the final analysis. The results of cohort (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.97-1.0, I2 = 21.1%) and case control studies (OR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.62-1.12, I2 = 88.9%) revealed that tubal ligation was not significantly associated with breast cancer risk. CONCLUSION: According to our findings, tubal ligation cannot be considered as a risk factor associated with breast cancer risk.

Aging and Engaging: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of an Online Conversational Skills Coach for Older Adults.

OBJECTIVE: Communication difficulties negatively impact relationship quality and are associated with social isolation and loneliness in later life. There is a need for accessible communication interventions offered outside specialty mental health settings. DESIGN: Pilot randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Assessments in the laboratory and intervention completed in-home. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty adults age 60 and older from the community and a geriatric psychiatry clinic. INTERVENTION: A web-based communication coach that provides automated feedback on eye contact, facial expressivity, speaking volume, and negative content (Aging and Engaging Program, AEP), delivered with minimal assistance in the home (eight brief sessions over 4-6 weeks) or control (education and videos on communication). MEASUREMENTS: System Usability Scale and Social Skills Performance Assessment, an observer-rated assessment of social communication elicited through standardized role-plays. RESULTS: Ninety percent of participants completed all AEP sessions and the System Usability Scale score of 68 was above the cut-off for acceptable usability. Participants randomized to AEP demonstrated statistically and clinically significant improvement in eye contact and facial expressivity. CONCLUSION: The AEP is acceptable and feasible for older adults with communication difficulties to complete at home and may improve eye contact and facial expressivity, warranting a larger RCT to confirm efficacy and explore potential applications to other populations, including individuals with autism and social anxiety.

Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type IV in 9 Year Old Boy: A Case Report.

Objective The Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic neuropathy (HSAN) is a rare group of neuropathies that affects the Sensory and Autonomic nervous system. The patients do not have the ability of sensing different sensations such as pain and temperature, which tends to lead to different injuries. In addition, due to autonomic involvement, the patients suffer from fluctuation in body temperature periodically and lack of precipitation. HSAN is divided into 5 types according to the age of onset, clinical features, and inheritance. Our case was a 9-yr old boy from cousin parents. He had some developmental delay and history of recurrent fever and convulsion in the first year of his life. Gradually, other symptoms added to patient' feature such as multiple painless skin ulcers, tooth loss, destruction of toes and fingers. In electrodiagnostic study, we found decreased amplitude of sensory nerves, while the other studies were normal. Laboratory test and imaging studies were also normal. All clinical and paraclinical findings were in favor of HSAN type IV. There is no cure for such patients; as a result, these patients and their families need receiving appropriate education and timely rehabilitation services.

A single blind, clinical trial to investigate the effects of a single session extracorporeal shock wave therapy on wrist flexor spasticity after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Spasticity is a common, serious symptom after stroke. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) has been suggested for the treatment of muscle spasticity. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of ESWT on post stroke wrist flexor spasticity. METHODS: Fifteen patients with poststroke wrist flexor spasticity (12 male and 3 female with a mean age of 54 years) were enrolled. Patients received 1 sham ESWT followed by 1 active ESWT 1 week later. The outcome measures were the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS), the Hmax/Mmax ratio, and the Brunnstrom motor recovery stage. RESULTS: The sham ESWT had not effects on the outcome measures. After active ESW, the MMAS scores of spasticity and the Hmax/Mmax ratio improved. The improvements were maintained 5 weeks after active ESWT. No significant improvements were observed for the motor recovery after sham or active ESWT. CONCLUSIONS: In adult patients after stroke, a single session of active ESWT resulted in significant improvement in the wrist flexor spasticity and alpha motor neuron excitability.

The best cutoff point for median nerve cross sectional area at the level of carpal tunnel inlet.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy. It accounts 90% of all entrapment neuropathies all over the world. Ultrasound is a non-invasive, cost effective and available para-clinical method which could be applied for CTS diagnosis. Cross-sectional area of the median nerve at the level of the inlet is considered as a diagnostic criterion in CTS cases. In this study, thirty-eight patients with electrophysiologically confirmed idiopathic CTS and 22 healthy controls were enrolled. Seventy-one affected nerves and 42 unaffected nerves were evaluated within 14 days after electrophysiological examination. The largest cross-sectional area (CSA) was measured at the level of the carpal tunnel inlet and the maximum nerve perimeter was also recorded by means of the software. Mean CSA and perimeter were 14.02 ± 4.5 mm2 and 1.7±0.28m in all patients and 8.2±2.1 mm2, 1.3±0.19 m in controls (P<0.001, P<0.001). Mean CSA and Perimeter were significantly different between patient's groups and control. The best cut off point for CSA of the tunnel inlet was 10.5 mm2 with sensitivity and specificity of 80% and 76% (AUC (Area under the Curve) = 0.9, P<0.001). The best cut off point for inlet perimeter was 1.44 m with sensitivity and specificity of 85% and 77 % (AUC=0.87, P<0.001). Our findings showed that median nerve CSA at carpal tunnel inlet could be used as the diagnostic criteria for CTS.