Neurology Research International

Sleep disorders and fatigue represent prominent symptoms frequently experienced by individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Some psychological factors such as depression, stress, and anxiety seem to have a relationship with such problems. This study aimed to examine the role of depression, stress, and anxiety in predicting sleep disorders and fatigue among patients with MS. Employing a cross-sectional descriptive-correlational design, the study involved a sample size of 252 participants selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. We utilized a demographic information questionnaire along with the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) to collect data and analyzed them applying SPSS₂₂, incorporating statistical measures including Pearson correlation and regression. The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient showed that sleep disorders had a positive and significant relationship with depression (r = 0.56; ), stress (r = 0.40; ), and anxiety (r = 0.52; ). There was no significant relationship between age and the development of sleep disorders in total score (r = −0.001; ), but age had a relationship with insomnia (r = −0.146; ) and oversleeping (r = 0.153; ). Age and fatigue did not have a significant relationship as well (r = −0.044; ). In addition, fatigue had a positive and significant relationship with depression (r = 0.52; ), stress (r = 0.48; ), and anxiety (r = 0.54; ). The results of the regression analysis also showed that depression, stress, and anxiety predict 0.37% of the total variance of sleep disorders (F = 48.34; ) and 0.35% of the total variance of fatigue (F = 44.64; ). Our findings suggest that depression, stress, and anxiety play a significant role in predicting sleep disorders and fatigue among patients with MS. This study has been reported in accordance with the TREND checklist for nonrandomized trials.

Aluminum (Al) is a popular metal in the industry, and its usage has greatly increased recently. The dose of this metal has been proven to be toxic to rats, but its effects on the offspring of the original receivers and prevention methods to reduce this damage are unknown. Rosa damascena is a well-known plant for its high antioxidant capabilities. In this study, the protective effect of Rosa damascena extract (RDA) on aluminum-induced lesions in the brain tissue of a rat offspring was investigated. In this regard, female rats were divided into seven groups, including the control group, the sham group, the aluminum group at the dose of 100 mg/kg, the extract groups at the doses of 500 and 1000 mg/kg, and the treatment groups that received the extract and Al at the same doses. After the treatment ended, the offsprings were subjected to exploratory behavioral tests, and finally, the tissues of the brain including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and hypothalamus were pathologically examined. It was observed that RDA at the dose of 1000 mg/kg reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) levels significantly (), while raising the catalase and FRAP indices in Al-treated rats. Moreover, it increased neuronal counts significantly and reduced necrosis and vacuolar degeneration in both the cortex and hippocampus compared to the Al-receiving group. In addition, the administration of RDA 1000 improved the behavioral test scores of the offspring. In conclusion, RDA can effectively reduce Al-induced damage in the brain tissue of the offspring.

Finding reliable biomarkers has a crucial role in Parkinson’s disease (PD) assessments. Saliva is a bodily fluid, which might be used as a source of biomarkers for PD. Our article has reviewed several publications on salivary proteins in PD patients and their potential as biomarkers. We find out that α-Syn’s proportion in oligomeric form is higher in PD patients’ saliva, which is potent to use as a biomarker for PD. The salivary concentration of DJ-1 and alpha-amylase is lower in PD patients. Also, substance P level is more moderate in PD patients. Although salivary flow rate is decreased in PD patients, high levels of heme oxygenase and acetylcholinesterase might be used as noninvasive biomarkers. Salivary miRNAs (miR-153, miR-223, miR-874, and miR-145-3p) are novel diagnostic biomarkers that should be given more attention.

40–70% of patients after a stroke, including a mild one, may experience cognitive impairment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis and rehabilitation of ischemic stroke and also affects the patients’ recovery prognosis. An association between cognitive impairment in the poststroke period and lower peripheral BDNF levels is known, but the prognostic significance of serum BDNF levels and clinical characteristics for the risk of developing cognitive impairment in the acute period remains uncertain. We conducted a prospective cohort study of patients in the acute phase of ischemic stroke. Clinical examination, assessment of neurological status, neuropsychological testing, and laboratory analyzes were performed on patients at 1 and 14 days after ischemic stroke. The state of cognitive functions was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination scale. Quantification of BDNF in blood serum was performed by solid-phaseenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that within 14 days after an acute ischemic stroke, we found a decrease in the clinical severity of patients compared to 1 day of the onset of the disease before the start of treatment and a significant decrease in the level of BDNF in the blood serum of patients with ischemic stroke both on the first and on the 14th day. However, during the 2 weeks of the acute period, no significant changes were detected, despite the general improvement of the clinical condition. In our study, cognitive impairment was found in almost half of the patients on the first day of ischemic stroke, and there was no significant reduction in this prevalence over 2 weeks. We found that a low level of BDNF and a thrombotic subtype of ischemic stroke can be risk factors for cognitive impairment in the acute period, which can be useful in planning treatment and rehabilitation measures.

Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition, predominantly affecting older adults. Preference-based measures (PBMs) can be used to make decisions about the cost-utility of different treatments. There are currently no PBMs for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for PD. A previous study identified important health domains for individuals with PD and developed an item pool from existing measures per domain. The current study aims to contribute to the development of a new disease-specific PBM of HRQoL for PD by reducing the current pool of items according to the preferences of individuals with PD. Methods. Fifty-three participants completed a visual analogue scale (VAS) of self-perceived health, the prototype PBM measure, and an item importance rating. To reduce the item pool, the following were calculated: (1) inter-item correlations; (2) impact of each item based on item performance and importance rating; (3) directionality of response options by comparing the VAS scores against each item. Results. Participants (male = 54.7%, age = 60.0 ± 10.2) had a median Hoehn and Yahr score of 2.5 (interquartile range = 1). Items supported for inclusion by this analysis were sleep, fatigue, tremor, mood, walking, memory, and dexterity. Items demonstrating a logical decrease in VAS score with each increasing severity level were sleep, memory, tremor, fatigue, and mood. Conclusion. This PBM will be critical for informing decisions about the cost-utility of PD treatments, guiding the resource allocation within our healthcare system. Future research will include cognitive debriefing with individuals with PD to refine item response options.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic debilitating immune-mediated disease of the central nervous system, which causes demyelination and neuroaxonal damage. Low-grade systemic inflammation has been considered to lead to pathogenesis owing to the amplification of pathogenic immune response activation. However, there is a shortage of reliable systemic inflammatory biomarkers to predict the disease activity and progression of MS. In MS patients, a series of cytokines and chemokines promote the proliferation of neutrophils and lymphocytes and their transfer to the central nervous system. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), which combines the information of the inherent and adaptive parts of the immune system, represents a reliable measure of the inflammatory burden. In this review, we aimed to discuss the inflammatory response in MS, mainly the function of lymphocytes and neutrophils, which can be implemented in the utility of NLR as a diagnostic tool in MS patients. The underlying pathophysiology is highlighted to identify new potential targets for neuroprotection and to develop novel therapeutic strategies.