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Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) May 2021We reviewed the evidence on features of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in trichinellosis, systematically searching five databases (to January 2021). We... (Review)
Review
We reviewed the evidence on features of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in trichinellosis, systematically searching five databases (to January 2021). We categorized clinical features based on their diagnostic value as warning signs for severe CNS infection (with outcome death) or non-specific signs (outcome improvement). They were suggestive of severe infection if they substantially raised death probability. The review included 87 papers published from 1906 through 2019, with data on 168 patients. Mydriasis, paraparesis, dysphagia, psychomotor seizures, or delirium present a 30-45% increased death likelihood. The best poor prognosis predictor is mydriasis (positive likelihood ratio 9.08). Slow/absent light reflex, diminished/absent knee reflexes, globally decreased tendon reflexes present a moderate increase (20-25%) of death risk. Anisocoria, acalculia, or seizures could also indicate an increased death risk. We provided a detailed presentation of clinical and paraclinical signs that alert physicians of a possible neurotrichinellosis, emphasizing signs that might indicate a poor prognosis.
PubMed: 34070586
DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11060945 -
Journal of Neurosurgical Anesthesiology Oct 2022Control of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is crucial to the management of neurocritically ill patients. Small studies which have examined the role of cardiac output (CO) as a...
Control of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is crucial to the management of neurocritically ill patients. Small studies which have examined the role of cardiac output (CO) as a determinant of CBF have inconsistently demonstrated evidence of cardio-cerebral coupling. Putative physiological mechanisms underpinning such coupling include changes in arterial blood pressure pulsatility, which would produce vasodilation through increased oscillatory wall-shear-stress and baroreceptor mediated reflex sympatholysis, and changes in venous backpressure which may improve cerebral perfusion pressure. We sought to summarize and contextualize the literature on the relationship between CO and CBF and discuss the implications of cardio-cerebral coupling for neurocritical care. A systematic review of the literature yielded 41 studies; all were of low-quality and at high-risk of bias. Results were heterogenous, with evidence for both corroboration and confutation of a relationship between CO and CBF in both normal and abnormal cerebrovascular states. Common limitations of studies were lack of instantaneous CBF measures with reliance on transcranial Doppler-derived blood flow velocity as a surrogate, inability to control for fluctuations in established determinants of CBF (eg, PaCO 2 ), and direct effects on CBF by the interventions used to alter CO. Currently, the literature is insufficiently robust to confirm an independent relationship between CO and CBF. Hypothetically, the presence of cardio-cerebral coupling would have important implications for clinical practice. Manipulation of CBF could occur without the risks associated with extremes of arterial pressure, potentially improving therapy for those with cerebral ischemia of various etiologies. However, current literature is insufficiently robust to confirm an independent relationship between CO and CBF, and further studies with improved methodology are required before therapeutic interventions can be based on cardio-cerebral coupling.
Topics: Blood Flow Velocity; Cardiac Output; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Hemodynamics; Humans; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial
PubMed: 33782372
DOI: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000000768 -
JAMA Ophthalmology Jan 2021Red reflex testing is a simple and inexpensive method implemented in many countries as an important part of infant screening for ocular pathologies. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
IMPORTANCE
Red reflex testing is a simple and inexpensive method implemented in many countries as an important part of infant screening for ocular pathologies.
OBJECTIVES
To review the literature on the diagnostic accuracy of the red reflex test in infant screening for ocular pathologies and to perform meta-analyses to provide summary estimates.
DATA SOURCES
The following literature databases were searched for English-language, peer-reviewed literature, published until April 19, 2020: Cochrane Central, PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, BIOSIS Previews, Current Contents Connect, Data Citation Index, Derwent Innovations Index, KCI-Korean Journal Database, Russian Science Citation Index, SciELO Citation Index, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and ClinicalTrials.gov.
STUDY SELECTION
Eligibility criteria were defined according to population (studies of consecutively screened infants), exposure (red reflex or Brückner test as the index test), comparator (any ophthalmological examination), and study type (any study with diagnostic test accuracy data).
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines were followed. Data were extracted independently by 2 authors. For summary estimates of diagnostic test accuracy, the hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristics curve was used. Prevalence of ocular pathologies was introduced for a prevalence meta-analysis, which was then used in calculations of diagnostic accuracy of the red reflex test when applied in infant screening.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
True-positive, false-positive, true-negative, and false-negative findings; sensitivity; specificity; and positive and negative predictive values.
RESULTS
In this meta-analysis, 8713 unique infants from 5 unique studies were eligible for qualitative and quantitative review. All studies used the red reflex test without pupillary dilation and were compared with a reference test performed with pupillary dilation. For any ocular pathology, an estimated sensitivity of 7.5% (95% CI, 7.4%-7.5%) and specificity of 97.5% (95% CI, 97.5%-97.5%) was found. Focusing on ocular pathologies that required a medical or surgical intervention, sensitivity improved to 17.5% (95% CI, 0.8%-84.8%) and specificity remained high at 97.6% (95% CI, 87.7%-99.6%).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These findings suggest that an abnormal red reflex finding most likely reflects an underlying ocular pathology. However, a normal red reflex finding during screening does not exclude ocular disease.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Neonatal Screening; Ophthalmoscopes; Ophthalmoscopy; Predictive Value of Tests; Refraction, Ocular; Refractive Errors; Reproducibility of Results; Vision Screening; Vision, Ocular
PubMed: 33180103
DOI: 10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.4854 -
Frontiers in Neurology 2020Computerized pupillary light reflex assessment devices (CPLRADs) may serve as an effective screening tool for glaucomatous optic neuropathy, since they can dynamically...
Computerized pupillary light reflex assessment devices (CPLRADs) may serve as an effective screening tool for glaucomatous optic neuropathy, since they can dynamically detect abnormal pupillary responses from a novel sequence of light stimuli and functionally-shaped stimuli. The aim of this study was to systematically evaluate the current state of advanced CPLRADs and accuracy of application in detecting glaucoma. An electronic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase from database inception to December 2019 was performed. Studies that reported data on the use of computer-aided pupillometry with monocular and/or binocular monitoring in glaucoma patients were included. Two review authors independently conducted the study selection and extracted study data. A total of twenty-five studies were included in this review; eight studies with a total of 829 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. Data were pooled using a random-effect model, since the significant heterogeneity ( < 0.1, > 50%). Our meta-analysis of eight studies showed reasonably high summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 0.81 (95% CI 0.73-0.89) and 0.83 (95% CI: 0.75-0.91), respectively. Simpler monochromatic devices, such as Pupilmetrix PLR60, generally performed as well as or slightly better than more complex chromatic devices. This review suggests that CPLRADs may facilitate direct clinical decision making for glaucoma diagnosis and evaluation, and may provide a deeper understanding of the pathomechanism of glaucoma.
PubMed: 32849229
DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00777 -
Acta Neurologica Scandinavica May 2020Focal Dystonia (FD) is a chronic neurological disorder, which causes twisting and repetitive movements and abnormal postures induced by involuntary sustained...
Focal Dystonia (FD) is a chronic neurological disorder, which causes twisting and repetitive movements and abnormal postures induced by involuntary sustained contractions of agonist and antagonist muscles. Based on the hypothesis that several dystonia-related brain regions, including cerebellum, are implicated in oculomotor disturbances (OCD), a number of studies investigated oculomotor function in patients with dystonia. However, conceptual clarity with respect to the used assessment tools and interpretation of the findings is lacking in the literature. This is the first article to systematically review studies that assessed oculomotor function in patients with FD. In total, 329 publications, published until September 1, 2019, were identified through MEDLINE search. Twenty out of 329 studies, involving 232 subjects in total, met the inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reported oculomotor disturbances in patients with FD. Abnormalities included asymmetry in vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), disturbances in saccadic functions, and prolonged latencies of eye motion. Discrepancies in the results could be explained, at least partially, by the long period of time over which the reviewed studies were published, the different methods used for testing the eye movements, and the limited number of patients assessed since the majority of data derived from case reports or small-scale studies. Further prospective studies with larger subject numbers are needed, using advanced tools for the assessment of oculomotor function in focal dystonia.
Topics: Adult; Dystonic Disorders; Eye Movements; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Ocular Motility Disorders
PubMed: 31990980
DOI: 10.1111/ane.13224 -
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and... Mar 2020Areflexia or hyporeflexia is a mandatory clinical criterion for the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). A systematic review of the literature from 1 January...
Areflexia or hyporeflexia is a mandatory clinical criterion for the diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). A systematic review of the literature from 1 January 1993 to 30 August 2019 revealed 44 sufficiently detailed patients with GBS and hyper-reflexia, along with one we describe. 73.3% of patients were from Japan, 6.7% from the USA, 6.7% from India, 4.4% from Italy, 4.4% from Turkey, 2.2% from Switzerland and 2.2% from Slovenia, suggesting a considerable geographical variation. Hyper-reflexia was more frequently associated with antecedent diarrhoea (56%) than upper respiratory tract infection (22.2%) and the electrodiagnosis of acute motor axonal neuropathy (56%) than acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (4.4%). Antiganglioside antibodies were positive in 89.7% of patients. Hyper-reflexia was generalised in 90.7% of patients and associated with reflex spread in half; it was present from the early progressive phase in 86.7% and disappeared in a few weeks or persisted until 18 months. Ankle clonus or Babinski signs were rarely reported (6.7%); spasticity never developed. 53.3% of patients could walk unaided at nadir, none needed mechanical ventilation or died. 92.9% of patients with limb weakness were able to walk unaided within 6 months. Electrophysiological studies showed high soleus maximal H-reflex amplitude to maximal compound muscle action potential amplitude ratio, suggestive of spinal motoneuron hyperexcitability, and increased central conduction time, suggestive of corticospinal tract involvement, although a structural damage was never demonstrated by MRI. Hyper-reflexia is not inconsistent with the GBS diagnosis and should not delay treatment. All GBS variants and subtypes can present with hyper-reflexia, and this eventuality should be mentioned in future diagnostic criteria for GBS.
Topics: Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Reflex, Abnormal
PubMed: 31937584
DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2019-321890 -
Topics in Spinal Cord Injury... 2019Electrophysiological measures are being increasingly utilized due to their ability to provide objective measurements with minimal bias and to detect subtle changes with...
Electrophysiological measures are being increasingly utilized due to their ability to provide objective measurements with minimal bias and to detect subtle changes with quantitative data on neural function. Heterogeneous reporting of trial outcomes limits effective interstudy comparison and optimization of treatment. The objective of this systematic review is to describe the reporting of electrophysiological outcome measures in spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical trials in order to inform a subsequent consensus study. A systematic search of PubMed and EMBASE databases was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Adult human SCI clinical trials published in English between January 1, 2008 and September 15, 2018 with at least one electrophysiological outcome measure were eligible. Findings were reviewed by all authors to create a synthesis narrative describing each outcome measure. Sixty-four SCI clinical trials were included in this review. Identified electrophysiological outcomes included electromyography activity (44%), motor evoked potentials (33%), somatosensory evoked potentials (33%), H-reflex (20%), reflex electromyography activity (11%), nerve conduction studies (9%), silent period (3%), contact heat evoked potentials (2%), and sympathetic skin response (2%). Heterogeneity was present in regard to both methods of measurement and reporting of electrophysiological outcome measures. This review demonstrates need for the development of a standardized reporting set for electrophysiological outcome measures. Limitations of this review include exclusion of non-English publications, studies more than 10 years old, and an inability to assess methodological quality of primary studies due to a lack of guidelines on reporting of systematic reviews of outcome measures.
Topics: Electromyography; Electrophysiological Phenomena; Evoked Potentials, Motor; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Humans; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Reflex, Abnormal; Spinal Cord Injuries
PubMed: 31844386
DOI: 10.1310/sci2504-340 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Aug 2019Startle reflex potentiation versus startle attenuation to unpleasant versus pleasant stimuli likely reflect priming of the defensive versus appetitive motivational...
Startle reflex potentiation versus startle attenuation to unpleasant versus pleasant stimuli likely reflect priming of the defensive versus appetitive motivational systems, respectively. This review summarizes and systemizes the literature on affective startle modulation related to psychopathologies with the aim to reveal underlying mechanisms across psychopathologies. We found evidence for psychopathologies characterized by increased startle potentiation to unpleasant stimuli (anxiety disorders), decreased startle potentiation to unpleasant stimuli (psychopathy), decreased startle attenuation to pleasant stimuli (ADHD), as well as a general hyporeactivity to affective stimuli (depression). Increased versus decreased startle responses to disorder-specific stimuli characterize specific phobia and drug dependence. No psychopathology is characterized by increased startle attenuation to standard pleasant stimuli or a general hyperreactivity to affective stimuli. This review indicates that the defensive and the appetitive systems operate independently mostly in accordance with the motivational priming hypothesis and that affective startle modulation is a highly valuable paradigm to unraveling dysfunctions of the defensive and appetitive systems in psychopathologies as requested by the Research Domain Criteria initiative.
Topics: Affect; Antisocial Personality Disorder; Anxiety Disorders; Appetitive Behavior; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Avoidance Learning; Depressive Disorder; Humans; Motivation; Reflex, Abnormal; Reflex, Startle
PubMed: 31129237
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.05.019 -
Spinal Cord Nov 2018Systematic review and meta-analysis. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
OBJECTIVES
To summarize the available evidence regarding the effects of trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) on spinal monosynaptic circuit excitability in healthy individuals.
SETTING
Applied Neuroscience Laboratory, Brazil.
METHODS
Abstract screening was performed independently by two authors for studies found in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and LILACS. If the authors were unable to agree, a third reviewer was consulted. Randomized clinical trials that reported monosynaptic reflex measures were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane tool for assessing the risk of bias, and information extracted about the spinal neurophysiological and stimulation protocols and their results.
RESULTS
The initial search identified 538 studies. After applying the inclusion criteria and excluding duplicates, seven crossover studies were included in the risk of bias assessment, and six studies in the meta-analyses. The meta-analysis results did not show any significant differences between anodal (pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.09, 95% CI = -0.72 to 0.55, p = 0.79, I = 67%) or cathodal tsDCS (pooled SMD = 0.28, 95% CI = -0.07 to 0.63, p = 0.11, I = 0%) and sham tsDCS for Hoffmann reflex modulation.
CONCLUSION
tsDCS did not affect the Hoffmann reflex, as shown in six studies. However, these findings come from studies with selection, performance and detection bias, and further research is needed to examine the effect of this intervention.
Topics: Electric Stimulation Therapy; Humans; Reflex, Abnormal; Spinal Cord
PubMed: 29895879
DOI: 10.1038/s41393-018-0149-0 -
Spine Dec 2018Systematic review.
STUDY DESIGN
Systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the validity of the Hoffmann sign for the detection of degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) for patients presenting with cervical complaints.
SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA
While physical examination maneuvers are often used to diagnose DCM, no previous review has synthesized diagnostic accuracy data.
METHODS
Medline, Embase, and HealthStar were searched for articles from January 1, 1947 to March 1, 2017 using the following terms: Spinal Cord Diseases, Spinal Cord Compression, Cervical Vertebrae, Signs and Symptoms, Physical Examination, Epidemiologic studies, Epidemiologic Research Design, Predictive Value of Tests, and Myelopathy. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) checklist was applied to determine the level of evidence. Articles included were published in English or French language, rated as QUADAS level 3 or higher with a minimum 10 patients presenting with cervical complaints having undergone the Hoffman sign. Excluded studies recruited patients with a nondegenerative type of cervical myelopathy, and/or no evaluation with magnetic resonance imaging.
RESULTS
A total of 589 articles were selected for review. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 45 articles were analyzed using the QUADAS checklist. Only of three articles were of QUADAS quality 3 or higher. Analysis of combined data from 2/3 studies indicated that the Hoffman sign has a positive likelihood ratio of 2.2 (95% CI 1.5-3.3) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.63 (95% CI 0.5-0.8).
CONCLUSION
A positive Hoffman alone is unlikely to lead to more than a small change in estimated probability of DCM as compared with the gold standard test (magnetic resonance imaging). Variability in results across individual studies may result from differences in study design. There are insufficient data to support use of the Hoffman sign alone to confirm or refute a diagnosis of DCM.
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE
1.
Topics: Cervical Cord; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Physical Examination; Reflex, Abnormal; Spinal Cord Diseases
PubMed: 29668564
DOI: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000002697