NEURO

In her most catchily titled book, The Angel and the Assassin , Donna Jackson Nakazawa highlighed nerve cells which have hitherto been very little acknowledged – microglia . Long ignored as bit players in the big league of the nervous system, Nakazawa colourfully illustrated what many neuroscientists are beginning to realise: the small size of microglia belies their huge influence ; m icroglia are, after all, the defence force of the nervous system, protecting the brain from microbial invaders . In keeping with their small size, their role is to surreptitiously  present the antigens of invading bugs to T cells , the toffs who actually carry out the final hatchet job . It is therefore not surprising that any dysfunction of microglia will come with significant clinical consequences .  By GerryShaw – Own work , CC BY-SA 3.0 , Link The most important clinical fallout of dysfunctional microglia appears to be the emergence of dementia. It is indeed spec...

Mitigating alemtuzumab-associated autoimmunity in MS: a “whack-a-mole” B-cell depletion strategy Meltzer E, Campbell S, Ehrenfeld B, et al. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm 2020; 7:e868. Abstract Objective To determine whether the punctuated administration of low-dose rituximab, temporally linked to B-cell hyperrepopulation (defined when the return of CD19+ B cells approximates 40%-50% of baseline levels as measured before alemtuzumab […] Which drug reduces the autoimmune risks of alemtuzumab? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/350othw

The goal of Neurochecklists is to bring everything even remotely neurological under one roof. It set out to be a practical, comprehensive, easily searchable, on-the-go database. Sourcing information from reliable textbooks and journals, the database has slowly grown to peak today at >3,000 checklists spread across precisely 695 topics. These topics, in turn, are grouped […] What are the 695 topics that make up neurology? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3kWDJBi

Exploring Neurochecklists is a revealing experience… It always highlights the expansive range of neurological disorders. To illustrate this extensive breadth and scope of neurology… Here are 83 striking numbers..all linked to their checklists. 83. Numbers in a city: New Haven, CT. See Ming-Lee on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/142117353 11 neurological complications of aortic dissection 11 causes of […] The remarkable scope of neurology…in 83 revealing numbers — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/34r0K9G

Steroid-sparing maintenance immunotherapy for MOG-IgG associated disorder. Chen JJ, Flanagan EP, Bhatti MT, et al. Neurology 2020; 95:e111-e120. Abstract Objective Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-immunoglobulin G (MOG-IgG) associated disorder (MOGAD) often manifests with recurrent CNS demyelinating attacks. The optimal treatment for reducing relapses is unknown. To help determine the efficacy of long-term immunotherapy in preventing relapse in […] Which anti-MOG antibody treatment has the lowest relapse risk? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/36LjYIW

Intravenous fibrinolysis for central retinal artery occlusion: a cohort study and updated patient-level meta-analysis. Mac Grory B, Nackenoff A, Poli S, et al. Stroke 2020; 51:2018-2025. Abstract Background  Central retinal artery occlusion results in sudden, painless, usually permanent loss of vision in the affected eye. There is no proven, effective treatment to salvage visual acuity […] Is thrombolysis beneficial for central retinal artery occlusion? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3iHMwWc

A critical part of history taking in medicine is establishing the occupation of the patient. This is because occupational activities and work place exposures are often major contributors to the disease. Furthermore, at the end of the medical process, the eventual diagnosis may have an impact on the patient’s ability to return to work . To be relevant, the occupational history must be exhaustive   – it must establish current and past occupations, the tasks carried out, the risk of toxic exposure , and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) . The occupational history is so important to neurology that a whole subspecialty, occupational neuroscience , has emerged to evaluate “the effects of complex environmental and occupational exposure on working people”. By Ford Madox Brown – 1QG5Dp3Ti29BxA at Google Cultural Institute , zoom level maximum, Public Domain, Link So what are the occupational hazards that may lead a patient to the neurologist? Below are my  7 mo...

Relationship between smoking and ALS: Mendelian randomisation interrogation of causality Opie-Martin S, Wootton RE, Budu-Aggrey A, et al. JNNP 2020 (Online ahead of print) Abstract Objective Smoking has been widely studied as a susceptibility factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but results are conflicting and at risk of confounding bias. We used the results of […] Is there any association between smoking and MND? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/33X3udE

COVID-19 is a real headache! Bolay H, Gül A, Baykan B. Headache 2020 (Online ahead of print). Abstract Background After the emergence of a novel coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was initially characterized by fever, sore throat, cough, and dyspnea, mainly manifestations of respiratory system. However, other manifestations such as headache, abdominal pain, […] What are the characteristics of headache in COVID19? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3kGZh4s

Taste and smell dysfunction in COVID-19 patients. Abalo-Lojo JM, Pouso-Diz JM, Gonzalez F. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 2020; 129:1041-1042 Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemia emerged in December 2019 is by virus SARS-CoV-2 genetically related to SARS-CoV-1. Both share the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2), which seems to be used by the virus to enter the […] What is the actual profile of impaired taste and smell in COVID19? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3ckpnHs

Cerebrovascular disease in patients with COVID-19: neuroimaging, histological and clinical description. Hernández-Fernández F, Valencia HS, Barbella-Aponte RA, et al. Brain 2020 (Online ahead of print). Abstract Background: Since the appearance of the first case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic has emerged affecting millions of people worldwide. Although the main clinical manifestations are respiratory, […] What are the characteristics of stroke in COVID-19? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3cenKLo

Guillain-Barré syndrome spectrum associated with COVID-19: an up-to-date systematic review of 73 cases. Abu-Rumeileh S, Abdelhak A, Foschi M, Tumani H, Otto M. J Neurol 2020 (Online ahead of print). Abstract Background: Since coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in January 2020, several pieces of evidence suggested an association between the spectrum of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and […] What is the picture of Guillain Barre syndrome in COVID-19? — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/3ku2dBA

In our continuing zeal to maintain a grip on all of neurology, We regularly add to our already exhaustive database of checklists. As a taster of what we have recently done, Below are 15 brand new checklists expanding our horizon. *** Acute amnestic syndromes   Alzheimer’s disease preventative measures  Antiplatelet resistance: causes Antiplatelet resistance: management  Encephalocraniocutaneous […] A few more helpful and practical neurology checklists — Neurochecklists Blog from The Neurology Lounge https://ift.tt/33HYSrV

It is difficult to really say when neuroscience began, but most sources trace the first account of the nervous system to what is now known as the Edwin Smith papyrus ; this is an Egyptian text written around 1700 B.C which documents surgical procedures for brain trauma. Since then, neuroscience breakthroughs  have come at breakneck speed. The sources I have consulted for this blog post, referenced at the end, name innumerable discoveries made by countless innovators . To attempt to put a number to the most important breakthroughs will therefore be a well-nigh impossible task. So I came up with the idea of chunking key discoveries under distinct sections or systems of the nervous system. By Jeff Dahl – Edited version of Image:EdSmPaPlateVIandVIIPrintsx.jpg , Public Domain, Link But even this plan to chunk key breakthroughs came with strong challenges . For example, it is not always clear  when a discovery was first made, or who crossed the finishing line first. Th...