Effects of Ai-Chi on balance, functional mobility, strength and fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients are often referred to aquatic physical therapy, but unfortunately, researches on the effects of aquatic therapy in MS patients are limited

The status of the neurology education from resident’s perspective: a national survey in turkey

Objective: In Turkey, a national program is governed by National Board of Medical Specialties (BMS), Commision of Syllabus Creation and Standardization to improve and standardize residency training. In the present study, we aimed to assess neurology residency training programs and working conditions in Turkey based on a national survey among residents. Materials and Methods: All neurology residents were invited to complete a 39-question survey via e-mail, which contained a link to the online questionnaire form. Data on the residents' working conditions, education and research activities were collected. Results: Out of 450 neurology residents, 136 (30.2%) completed the survey. Hundred nineteen (88%) of these residents reported working >8 h per day and 116 (85%) reported they were on night duty >3 d per month. Overall, 82% of the residents were not satisfied with the educational program in their department. Half of the residents reported that their institution did not have a structured education program. Eventhough, 70% reported that they contributed to clinical or basic research conducted at their clinics only 35% of them noted that they received sufficient academic supervision. Finally, 126 (94%) of the residents reported that the pay-for-performance healthcare system negatively affected their training. Conclusion: The main reasons of dissatisfaction with neurology training in Turkey seem to be the insufficiency in educational programing, nonstandardized working hours and the pay-for-performance healthcare system. The present findings can help standardize and improve neurology training program founded by National Board of Medical Specialties (BMS)

Epileptic seizures in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: Subgroup analysis of VENOST study

Purpose: The aim of this study is to evaluate the presence and prognostic impact of early seizures in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis patients (CVST).Method: VENOST is a retrospective and prospective national multicenter observational study. CVST patients with or without epileptic seizures (ES) were analyzed and compared in terms of demographic and imaging data, causative factors, clinical variables, and prognosis in a total of 1126 patients.Results: The mean age of the patients in the ES group was 39.73 +/- 12.64 and 40.17 +/- 14.02 years in the non-ES group (p > 0.05). Epileptic seizures were more common (76.6 %) in females (p < 0.001). Early ES occurred in 269 of 1126 patients (23.9 %). Epileptic seizures mainly presented in the acute phase (71.4 %) of the disease (p < 0.001). Majority of these (60.5 %) were in the first 24 h of the CVST. The most common neurological signs were focal neurologic deficits (29.9 %) and altered consciousness (31.4 %) in the ES group. Superior sagittal sinus (SSS) and cortical veins (CV) involvement were the most common sites of thrombosis and the mostly related etiology were found puerperium in seizure group (30.3 % vs 13.9 %). Patients with seizures had worse outcome in the first month of the disease (p < 0.001) but these did not have any influence thereafter.Conclusions: In this largest CVST cohort (VENOST) reported female sex, presence of focal neurological deficits and altered consciousness, thrombosis of the SSS and CVs, hemorrhagic infarction were risk factors for ES occurrence in patients with CVST

Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis as a Rare Complication of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Subgroup Analysis of the VENOST Study

Aim: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an unusual risk factor for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST). As few CVST patients with SLE have been reported, little is known regarding its frequency as an underlying etiology, clinical characteristics, or long-term outcome. We evaluated a large cohort of CVST patients with SLE in a multicenter study of cerebral venous thrombosis, the VENOST study, and their clinical characteristics. Material and Method: Among the 1144 CVST patients in the VENOST cohort, patients diagnosed with SLE were studied. Their demographic and clinical characteristics, etiological risk factors, venous involvement status, and outcomes were recorded. Results: In total, 15 (1.31%) of 1144 CVST patients had SLE. The mean age of these patients was 39.9 +/- 12.1 years and 13 (86.7%) were female. Presenting symptoms included headache (73.3%), visual field defects (40.0%), and altered consciousness (26.7%). The main sinuses involved were the transverse (60.0%), sagittal (40.0%), and sigmoid (20.0%) sinuses. Parenchymal involvement was not seen in 73.3% of the patients. On the modified Rankin scale, 92.9% of the patients scored 0-1 at the 1-month follow-up and 90.9% scored 0-1 at the 1-year follow-up. Conclusions: SLE was found in 1.31% of the CVST patients, most frequently in young women. Headache was the most common symptom and the CVST onset was chronic in the majority of cases. The patient outcomes were favorable. CVST should be suspected in SLE patients, even in those with isolated chronic headache symptoms with or without other neurological findings