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Background: Parkinson disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder affecting dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Neuroinflammation has a vital role in PD pathophysiology. Objectives: This study assesses whether the neuroinflammatory molecular and signaling pathways could be associated with PD’s progression and clinical manifestations. Materials & Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases were investigated from 2006 until December 2023 to find relevant studies. All observational studies written in English and reporting qualitative or quantitative information on the relationship between neuroinflammation and PD were included in this review. Results: Finally, 41 papers were involved in the systematic review. According to the involved studies, it is suggested that tumor necrosis factor-α, C-reactive protein, microsomal prostaglandin E synthase1, toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4), CCL23, CCL25, TNF-receptor superfamily member 9, EV-derived cytokines, transforming growth factor alpha, vascular endothelial growth factor A, SH-SY5Y, TLR 2/4, miR-485-3p, leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, and α-synuclein may be upregulated in the PD patients. Also, the activity of astrocytes and microglial cells was reported to be increased in PD patients through different mechanisms. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the neurodegeneration in PD could be initiated by α-synuclein protein aggregation and the activation of astrocytes and microglial cells, which leads to neuroinflammation characterized by inflammatory responses in neurons. Finally, chronic neuroinflammation could be the cause of dopaminergic neuronal death in SN. The impact of both single and all factors involved in neuroinflammation was assessed to plan further studies in a particular pathway to intercept the onset of inflammatory pathways in favor of therapeutic purposes.

Objective: Health equity is defined as the absence of unequal and avoidable factors in health differences among populations. Several add-on treatments have been suggested for refractory epilepsy and epilepsy unresponsive to usual treatments in systematic reviews. The current study assessed equity concerns in Cochrane systematic reviews and original studies on additive therapies used for refractory focal epilepsy because identifying the reasons for injustice is the first step in eradicating health inequality. Methods: Cochrane systematic reviews and their primary studies on add-on therapy for treatment-resistant focal epilepsy in adults published in the Cochrane library in the last 10 years (until the end of 2022) were gathered. Two researchers independently reviewed the PROGRESS criteria in the studies based on the guide for each of the primary and review studies. Results: In the present study, 7 systematic reviews and 54 primary studies were included. based on the findings of our study, all review studies and 81.5% of the original studies were conducted in high-income countries. none of the articles mentioned the issue of justice in health or PROGRESS criteria. However, all of the articles mentioned gender distribution and patients’ place of residence, and about 35% of the original articles also mentioned patients’ race. None of these factors were analyzed as a criterion for group comparison or as a criterion for influencing the treatment process. Conclusion: The Cochrane-related reviews confirm that PROGRESS criteria are rarely considered in trials of interventions linked to add-on therapies for treatment-resistant focal epilepsy.

Abstract Background and Aims Health injustice is defined as “unnecessary, preventable, unjustified and unfair health differences.” One of the most important scientific sources on the prevention and management of urolithiasis are Cochrane reviews in this field. Given that the first step in eliminating health injustice is to identify the causes, the aim of the present study was to evaluate equity considerations in Cochrane reviews and the included primary studies on urinary stones. Methods Cochrane reviews on kidney stones and ureteral stones were searched through the Cochrane Library. The included clinical trials in each of the reviews published after 2000 were also collected. Two different researchers reviewed all the included Cochrane reviews and primary studies. The researchers reviewed each PROGRESS criteria independently (P: place of residence, R: race/ethnicity/culture, O: occupation, G: gender, R: religion, E: education, S: socioeconomic status, S: social capital and networks). The geographical location of the included studies was categorized as low‐income, middle‐income and high‐income countries, based on the World Bank income criteria. Each PROGRESS dimension was reported for both the Cochrane reviews and the primary studies. Results In total, 12 Cochrane reviews and 140 primary studies were included in this study. None of the included Cochrane reviews had specifically mentioned the PROGRESS framework in the Method section whereas gender distribution and place of residence were reported in two and one reviews, respectively. In 134 primary studies at least one item of PROGRESS was reported. The most frequent item was gender distribution, followed by place of residence. Conclusion According to the results of this study, the authors of Cochrane systematic reviews on urolithiasis, and researchers who have conducted such trials, have rarely considered health equity dimensions when designing and performing their studies. Therefore, researchers worldwide should be motivated to study populations from low‐income countries with low socioeconomic status in addition to different cultures, ethnicities, and so forth. Furthermore, RCT reporting guidelines such as CONSORT should include health equity dimensions and the editors and reviewers of scientific journals should encourage researchers to further emphasize on health equity in their studies.

Abstract Here, we report two cases of previously healthy young men with COVID‐19 infection who developed acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion followed by secondary events concerning for a further thromboembolic event. We hypothesize that the hypercoagulable state related to COVID‐19 exacerbated the underlying hereditary thrombophilia.

Abstract Huntington's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that typically manifests with Choreic movements, psychological disorders, and cognitive decline. Some patients can initially present atypical movements other than the usual symptoms, such as parkinsonism, ataxia, and dystonia. In this report, we present an HD patient who presented with atypical parkinsonism.

Abstract Background Choosing a safe disease modifying therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging. This case series study was conducted to determine the incidence rate and the course of Covid-19 infection in MS/NMOSD patients treated with Rituximab. Methods In this study, we designed a web-based questionnaire. Baseline information such as patient- reported walking disability, total number of Rituximab infusions received, delayed injections, occurrence of any relapse, and the use of corticosteroids during the pandemic were collected. Also, information regarding the Covid-19 pandemic such as adherence to self-isolation, any recent exposure to an infected individual and the presence of suggestive symptoms were collected. In case of positive test results, patients were grouped into 2 categories; mild to moderate and seriously ill and outcomes were evaluated as favorable (improved/ discharged) and unfavorable (expired). Results Two hundred fifty-eight patients with Multiple Sclerosis were enrolled in this study, 9 of the subjects (3.4%) were confirmed positive for Covid-19, five of which required hospitalizations (55.5%), two patients required ICU admission (22.2%) and 2 two patients died (22.2%). None of these patients ever mentioned using corticosteroids during the pandemic. In comparison to MS patients who were not receiving disease modifying therapy (DMT), our study indicated a higher incidence of Covid-19 infection, higher ratio of serious illness and a higher fatality ratio. Conclusions Rituximab seems not to be safe enough during the pandemic.