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This article, published in Experimental Dermatology, explores the prevalence of subclinical axial involvement in patients diagnosed with peripheral psoriatic arthritis (PsA) using X-rays. The study found that 84.2% of patients with peripheral musculoskeletal pain and radiologically diagnosed with peripheral PsA had subclinical axial involvement. The findings suggest the importance of screening for axial involvement in patients with peripheral arthritis. The study also highlights the need for further investigation into the development of axial lesions in PsA. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Systemic and neuroinflammatory processes play key roles in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Physical trauma which induces considerable systemic inflammatory responses, represents an evident environmental factor in aging. However, little is known about the impact of physical trauma, on the immuno-pathophysiology of PD. Especially blunt chest trauma which is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate in the elderly population, can induce a strong pulmonary and systemic inflammatory reaction. Hence, we sought out to combine a well-established thoracic trauma mouse model with a well-established PD mouse model to characterize the influence of physical trauma to neurodegenerative processes in PD. Methods: To study the influence of peripheral trauma in a PD mouse model we performed a highly standardized blunt thorax trauma in a well-established PD mouse model and determined the subsequent local and systemic response. Results: We could show that blunt chest trauma leads to a systemic inflammatory response which is quantifiable with increased inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar fluids (BALF) and plasma regardless of the presence of a PD phenotype. A difference of the local inflammatory response in the brain between the PD group and non-PD group could be detected, as well as an increase in the formation of oligomeric pathological alpha-Synuclein (asyn) suggesting an interplay between peripheral thoracic trauma and asyn pathology in PD. Conclusion: Taken together this study provides evidence that physical trauma is associated with increased asyn oligomerization in a PD mouse model underlining the relevance of PD pathogenesis under traumatic settings.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of posterior staphyloma identified using ultra‐widefield fundus imaging on the long‐term progression of myopic maculopathy in highly myopic patients. Methods: In this observational cohort study, highly myopic patients who were followed up for at least 5 years using ultra‐widefield fundus imaging were analysed for fundus abnormalities and the progression of myopic maculopathy based on the International Meta‐analysis of Pathologic Myopia classification. Results: This study included 390 eyes (210 patients) with the mean follow‐up period of 69.2 ± 7.5 months (range, 60–88). Posterior staphyloma was identified in 198 eyes (50.8%) in the baseline ultra‐widefield fundus images. The border of staphyloma was not identified within 50° view circle corresponding to conventional fundus photography in 42 eyes (21.2%) with staphyloma, most of that were wide macular type. Progression of myopic maculopathy during follow‐up was observed in 202 eyes (51.8%), and eyes with staphyloma were more likely to show progression compared to those without (142/198 [71.7%] versus 60/192 [31.3%]; p < 0.001). In multivariable regression analysis, the presence of posterior staphyloma was an independent risk factor for the progression of myopic maculopathy (p = 0.005). One or more peripheral retinal lesions were observed in 302 eyes (77.4%) and 321 eyes (82.3%) in the baseline and final ultra‐widefield fundus images, respectively. Conclusion: Posterior staphyloma was associated with the long‐term progression of myopic maculopathy. With a wider field of view, ultra‐widefield fundus imaging is useful for identifying the posterior staphyloma and monitoring the progression of myopic maculopathy in highly myopic patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vertigo is a well-known sequelae in post head injury patients. Etiopathology is multifactorial. Vertigo is recognized in all types of head injury-mild-to-severe and is a part of the post-concussion syndrome. However, it may also present later due to degenerative process involving the vestibular system. The observations made by the analysis of the tracings of electronystagmography and by noting the corresponding code we can identify the site and side of the vestibular lesion. The present study intends to understand post head injury vertigo using electronystagmography. Objectives of the Study: To evaluate post head injury vertigo using electronystagmography, to determine the side and site of origin of vertigo, and to localize the level of lesion – peripheral, central, or combined. Methodology: Fifty patients with post head injury vertigo presenting to ENT OPD of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College and Hospital were included in the study after taking their consent. Observations and Results: Fifty patients with post head injury vertigo were subjected to electronystagmography. Young adults between the age group of 20 and 30 years were found to be the most common group involved, constituted 34% of the patients. Equal gender predisposition was observed. 1111 ENG CODE was found to be the most common type seen in 18% of the cases, followed by 0000 in 16% of patients, and 0222 seen in 16% of the patients. Bilateral peripheral lesion was the most common type seen in 36% of patients followed by unilateral peripheral lesion in 20% of patients, central lesion in 22%, and normal in 20%. Conclusion: Electronystagmography is an effective tool in the assessment of post head injury vertigo. It is useful in identifying the cause of vertigo and to localize the lesion for timely management and early vestibular rehabilitation of the patient providing better clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The purpose of this study is to report wide-field angiography findings before and after steroid therapy in a case with bilateral Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. Results A 44-year-old woman presented with bilateral blurred vision and metamorphopsia accompanied by symptoms of headache and tinnitus. The baseline best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Ophthalmic examination revealed a shallow anterior chamber and panuveitis accompanied by multiple serous retinal detachments in both eyes and ciliochoroidal detachments in the left eye. Wide-field fluorescein angiograms showed hyperfluorescene indicating pooling corresponding to multiple serous retinal detachments in the posterior lesion and vascular leakage in the peripheral retina and choroid, resolved after steroid tapering therapy. Interestingly, wide-field indocyanine angiograms revealed narrowing of choroidal vessels in the acute phase and its normalization with resolution of inflammation after the therapy. Conclusions Eyes with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease had peripheral chorioretinal vascular leakage and choroidal vessel narrowing in the acute phase. Wide-field angiography is a useful tool to reveal peripheral chorioretinal findings and assess diameters and density of choroidal vessels.

This study aims at the effects of traumatic brachial plexus lesion with root avulsions (BPA) upon the organization of the primary motor cortex (M1). Nine right-handed patients with a right BPA in whom an intercostal to musculocutaneous (ICN-MC) nerve transfer was performed had post-operative resting state fMRI scanning. The analysis of empirical functional correlations between neighboring voxels revealed faster correlation decay as a function of distance in the M1 region corresponding to the arm in BPA patients as compared to the control group. No differences between the two groups were found in the face area. We also investigated whether such larger decay in patients could be attributed to a gray matter diminution in M1. Structural imaging analysis showed no difference in gray matter density between groups. Our findings suggest that the faster decay in neighboring functional correlations without significant gray matter diminution in BPA patients could be related to a reduced activity in intrinsic horizontal connections in M1 responsible for upper limb motor synergies.

Context. Peripheral nerve lesions are a major complication of diabetes mellitus, the main clinical manifestations of which are numbness and pain involving the limbs. Objective. To determine the correlation between pregabalin treatment and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain. Design. An experimental animal study in BALB/c mice. Subjects and Methods. Diabetes models are established by injecting streptozotocin (STZ) into the abdominal cavities of mice. The correlation between the treatment effect, time, and dosage of pregabalin was determined. The effect of a type 1 organic cation transporter (Octn1) in the absorption of pregabalin was evaluated. Results. Pregabalin reduced tactile allodynia in diabetic mice. The best analgesic effect occurred when intestinal absorption was increased. Octn1 mediated pregabalin entry into intestinal epithelial cells, which influenced the absorption of pregabalin with a timedependent fluctuation in the small intestine. Peripheral nerve damage caused by diabetes was dependent on time and dose of pregabalin, which was related to the regular expression of Octn1 in small intestinal epithelium. Conclusions. Peripheral nerve damage caused by diabetes was dependent on time and dosage of pregabalin, which was related to the regular expression of Octn1 in small intestinal epithelium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The purpose of this study is to report wide-field angiography findings before and after steroid therapy in a case with bilateral Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. Results: A 44-year-old woman presented with bilateral blurred vision and metamorphopsia accompanied by symptoms of headache and tinnitus. The baseline best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Ophthalmic examination revealed a shallow anterior chamber and panuveitis accompanied by multiple serous retinal detachments in both eyes and ciliochoroidal detachments in the left eye. Wide-field fluorescein angiograms showed hyperfluorescene indicating pooling corresponding to multiple serous retinal detachments in the posterior lesion and vascular leakage in the peripheral retina and choroid, resolved after steroid tapering therapy. Interestingly, wide-field indocyanine angiograms revealed narrowing of choroidal vessels in the acute phase and its normalization with resolution of inflammation after the therapy. Conclusions: Eyes with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease had peripheral chorioretinal vascular leakage and choroidal vessel narrowing in the acute phase. Wide-field angiography is a useful tool to reveal peripheral chorioretinal findings and assess diameters and density of choroidal vessels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dentinogenic ghost cell tumors (DGCT) are uncommon lesions mainly with rare peripheral types. This report presents a case of peripheral DGCT on the left side of the mandibular alveolar ridge of a heavy smoker, a 68-year-old man, with main presenting feature as a mild pain. Submandibular lymphadenopathy and radiological "saucerization" were evident. Differential diagnosis included fibroma, neurofibroma, peripheral ameloblastoma, peripheral odontogenic fibroma, and peripheral giant cell granuloma. Histologically, ameloblastoma-like epithelial elements were seen in association with grouped ghost cells. Proliferating polyhedral cells and stellate reticulum-like cells with various densities were spread over a wide range of the field. The lesion was curetted and after 2 years of follow up, it did not recur.

Odontogenic lesions are derived from remnants of the components of the developing tooth germ. The calcifying cystic odontogenic tumour (CCOT) is a benign cystic neoplasm of odontogenic origin that is characterized by ameloblastoma-like epithelial cells and ghost cells. Most peripheral CCOTs are located in the anterior gingiva of the mandible or maxilla. This is a rare case report of CCOT. The rare feature in our case was its peripheral nature of existence and its location in the left buccal vestibule and retromolar region. Based on the radiological, cytological and histopathological findings the lesion was surgically excised.

A significant number of patients seen in otorhinolaryngology have symptoms of vestibular dysfunction. Examination of vestibulo-ocular reflex has been and still is the principal method of evaluating vestibular functions. Electronystagmography (ENG) has been the gold standard to test the vestibular functions. The present study aims to evaluate the utility of ENG in diagnosing the etiology of vertigo. Total of 50 patients of either sex presenting with vertigo underwent ENG after a detailed history according to the proforma of questionnaire and routine ENT examination attending ENT OPD. In selected cases CT/MRI scan and other relevant investigations were done. Nystagmorite 2 + 1 channel machine was used to study the spontaneous nystagmus and bithermal caloric tests, parameter used for evaluation of ENG being central culmination frequency. The results were transferred on Claussan's Butterfly chart. In our study Peripheral lesion was observed in 29 cases, 19 cases had central lesion while 2 cases were mixed lesion. The data obtained was compared with those reported in other series. It was concluded that, supported by detailed history and neuro-otological examination ENG was found to be an essential tool for the diagnosis of vertigo whether central or peripheral origin along with identification of etiology of vertigo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic and neuroinflammatory processes play key roles in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Physical trauma which induces considerable systemic inflammatory responses, represents an evident environmental factor in aging. However, little is known about the impact of physical trauma, on the immuno-pathophysiology of PD. Especially blunt chest trauma which is associated with a high morbidity and mortality rate in the elderly population, can induce a strong pulmonary and systemic inflammatory reaction. Hence, we sought out to combine a well-established thoracic trauma mouse model with a well-established PD mouse model to characterize the influence of physical trauma to neurodegenerative processes in PD. To study the influence of peripheral trauma in a PD mouse model we performed a highly standardized blunt thorax trauma in a well-established PD mouse model and determined the subsequent local and systemic response. We could show that blunt chest trauma leads to a systemic inflammatory response which is quantifiable with increased inflammatory markers in bronchoalveolar fluids (BALF) and plasma regardless of the presence of a PD phenotype. A difference of the local inflammatory response in the brain between the PD group and non-PD group could be detected, as well as an increase in the formation of oligomeric pathological alpha-Synuclein (asyn) suggesting an interplay between peripheral thoracic trauma and asyn pathology in PD. Taken together this study provides evidence that physical trauma is associated with increased asyn oligomerization in a PD mouse model underlining the relevance of PD pathogenesis under traumatic settings. • Trauma leads to a systemic inflammatory response in PD and non-PD mice • Trauma promotes alpha synuclein oligomerization • Physical trauma might interact with neurodegenerative processes in PD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] IBB is a tool that assesses and categorizes specific functional impairments in forelimb. [•] This scale shows how the animal performs the movement. [•] Can be used to evaluate forelimb function after peripheral nerve injury in mice. [•] These findings might be important for testing rehabilitation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study whose objective is to characterize the accuracy, feasibility and safety of the superDimension/ Bronchus system in navigating to earlier unreachable peripheral lung lesions and obtaining biopsy specimens. For this study, fifteen subjects were enrolled into prospective, open-label, single-group, controlled clinical study from June 2003 to May 2004. The study was approved by the Tel Aviv Sonrasky Medical Center Flelsinki Committee, and consent was obtained from all the subjects prior to bronchoscopy.

Background: The efficacy, toxicity, and prognostic factors of high-dose proton beam therapy (PBT) for peripheral stage I non-small-cell lung cancer were assessed in this retrospective study., Materials and Methods: Fifty patients with peripheral stage I non-small-cell lung cancer, two of whom had heterochronic multiple lung cancers, underwent high-dose PBT between January 2009 and September 2014. The relative biological effectiveness of the proton beam was defined as 1.1. The beam energy and spread-out Bragg peak were fine-tuned for the 90% isodose volume of the prescribed dosage to encompass the planning target volume. The cumulative survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Treatment toxicities were evaluated using version 4 of the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4., Results: The study included 35 males and 15 females with a median age of 72.5 years. The median follow-up period was 22.8 months. The clinical stage was IA in 44 (85%) and IB in eight (15%) tumors. The total dose of PBT was 66 GyE in 10 fractions in all tumors. Three-year overall survival rate among all patients was 87.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 94.8%-73.2%). Forty-five patients were alive, and 5 were dead. Three-year local control and progression-free survival rates were 95.7% (95% CI, 98.9%-83.8%) and 76.3% (95% CI, 86.9%-59.3%), respectively. Only one patient experienced Grade 2 pneumonitis., Conclusion: High-dose PBT may be an effective and safe treatment option for patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study aims at the effects of traumatic brachial plexus lesion with root avulsions (BPA) upon the organization of the primary motor cortex (M1). Nine right-handed patients with a right BPA in whom an intercostal to musculocutaneous (ICN-MC) nerve transfer was performed had post-operative resting state fMRI scanning. The analysis of empirical functional correlations between neighboring voxels revealed faster correlation decay as a function of distance in the M1 region corresponding to the arm in BPA patients as compared to the control group. No differences between the two groups were found in the face area. We also investigated whether such larger decay in patients could be attributed to a gray matter diminution in M1. Structural imaging analysis showed no difference in gray matter density between groups. Our findings suggest that the faster decay in neighboring functional correlations without significant gray matter diminution in BPA patients could be related to a reduced activity in intrinsic horizontal connections in M1 responsible for upper limb motor synergies.

Introduction: Kinesitherapy is widely accepted management in patients with vertigo and imbalance, but there has been inadequate evidence that one form of therapy is superior to another., The Aim: of the study was to compare effectiveness of two kinesitherapy protocols in patients with the peripheral vestibular system disorders., Material and Methods: Fifty patients (mean age 46.0±13.1 year) with vertigo and balance instability lasting over 3 months with unilateral vestibular disorder, confirmed in Videnystagmography, were included in the study. Thirty patients underwent supervised and 20 patients home-based exercise programs. All of them were assessed three times at the baseline, after 4 weeks and 3 months, on vertigo intensity and frequency with the Vertigo Syndrome Scale (VSS), Vertigo Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and clinical unsteadiness with tests (Romberg, Amended Motor Club Assesment (AMCA), Eurofit test - standing on one leg., Results: In both groups the clinical tasks and the intensity of vertigo in VAS significantly decreased. The mean value of VSS (part physical and emotional)score significantly decreased only in supervised group at the end of 4 weeks and 3 months (p=ns). Recovery was more dynamic in supervised group than home-based exercises group, in AMCA test (3.9 vs. 1.3 s, p<0.05) in Eurofit tests eye open (14.1 vs. 0.9 s, p<0.05) and eye closed (3.5 vs. 1 s, p<0.05)., Conclusions: In patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular dysfunction supervised and home-based group kinesitherapy is an effective treatment method. In supervised group patients recovery has been faster., (Copyright © 2013 Polish Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Society. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z.o.o. All rights reserved.)