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Our purpose of this study was to investigate whether clinical rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is indicative of more widespread degenerative changes in Parkinson’s disease (PD), using a longitudinal cohort. In 2005 and 2007, we prospectively collected clinical and treatment characteristics of 61 consecutive patients with PD. The presence of RBD was assessed by spouse interview. Sixty-four percent of patients had clinical RBD in 2005, versus 52% of patients in 2007. The yearly incidence rate of clinical RBD onset was 9%, while clinical RBD disappeared in 14% of patients per year. The motor disability scores (when treated) were worse in patients with than without clinical RBD in 2005, but not in 2007. There was no difference between groups for frequency of freezing, falls, and hallucinations, or for scores on the depression scale, sleepiness scale, mini-mental state examination and frontal assessment battery at the beginning versus the end of the study. Patients with clinical RBD were disabled earlier than patients without RBD, but there was no specific worsening in the RBD group with time, either for motor or non-motor symptoms. The fluctuation and disappearance of clinical RBD in some patients may be due to functional abnormalities rather than lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the long-term renal tolerance of a low-dose cyclosporine regimen in uveitis patients with previously healthy kidneys on clinical, biological, and pathological criteria. Methodology: Forty-one patients treated with 4.3 ± 1.6 mg/kg body weight per day cyclosporine for 44.9 ± 3.6 months were included. Mean follow-up was 55.4 ± 0.2 months. Blood pressure, cyclosporine trough level, and renal function were prospectively monitored together with blood urea, creatinine clearance, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and effective renal plasma flow. Eleven patients underwent serial kidney biopsies before and after 2 years of a 4 ± 0.9 mg/kg daily cyclosporine treatment. Results: Cyclosporine treatment induced a significant increase in plasma creatirtlne (p < .0601), significant decrease in creatinine clearance (p < .0001). and isotopic GFR (p < .0001) over time. The highest dose induced more severe alterations in the renal parameters than did the lowest dose. Prevalence of hypertension was particularly high. Histopathological data showed significant interstitial fibrosis (p < .003) and tubular atrophy (p < .003) after 2 years. Conclusion: Low.lose long-term cyclosporine treatment induces significant renal impairment and a high incidence of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]