Clinical Spectrum of Cerebral Palsy and Associated Disability in South Egypt: A Local Survey Study

BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of motor disability in children with a prevalence of 2-10/1,000 live births in the developing areas.AIM: The epidemiology, clinical picture, and associated comorbidities in CP have been extensively studied in high-resource countries, but in low-resource areas, including Africa, those studies are still lacking.METHODS: Cerebral palsy cases were prospectively recruited from every physiotherapy centre in Bani-Mazar city, Egypt, in a cross-sectional study from May 2015 to November 2015.RESULTS: Two hundred cases were enrolled with a prevalence of 1 per 1000 live births. Within the study population, 72.5% were the spastic type, 16% were dyskinetic, 7% were ataxic, and 4.5% were hypotonic. The most common comorbidities were cognitive impairment and epilepsy affecting 77% and 38%, respectively.CONCLUSION: Cerebral palsy in developing countries has a higher prevalence and different clinical profile regarding severity and associated disability. The perinatal and high-quality neonatal care together with physical therapy and rehabilitation programs is still lacking in developing countries

Parkinsonism as a Complication of Bariatric Surgery

BACKGROUND: The association between Parkinsonism and BS has already been reported in only three patients worldwide.CASE SUMMARY: We report a 39-years old Kuwaiti female who presented with parkinsonian features and mononeuropathy (carpal tunnel syndrome) 3 years after a vertical sleeve gastrectomy operation.CONCLUSION: We conclude that with the increasing popularity of bariatric surgery, clinicians will need to recognize and manage neurologic complications that may appear soon after or years to decades later. Thorough evaluation is essential for any patient who has undergone bariatric surgery and develops neurologic symptoms

Effect of different levels of segmental trunk stability training on sitting and upper limbs functions in children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy

Background: Children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy (BSCP) have insufficient trunk control and upper limbs (ULs) dysfunction. Purpose: to investigate the effect of segmental trunk stability training at different levels on sitting and ULs functions in children with BSCP. Subjects & Methods: Thirty-nine children with BSCP, with ages ranged from 2 to 4 years, , their spasticity grade ranged from 1 to 1+ according to the Modified Ashworth Scale, their motor function was at level IV according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System – Expanded and Revised, their self-initiated ability to handle objects in daily activities with their hands was at level V according to the Mini-Manual Ability Classification System, all children’s level of segmental trunk control score ranged from 3 to 5 according to the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control were assigned randomly to 3 groups of equal numbers, 13 children for each group. Group (A) received a specially designed physical therapy (PT) program while wearing segmental trunk support from a level just below the child’s inferior angle of the scapula to the level of his/her pelvis.&nbsp

Micro-RNA in a sample of Egyptian patients with incidental cerebral small vessel disease

Abstract Background Despite being the cause of morbidity and mortality in many patients, little is known about the pathophysiology of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Identifying new biomarkers is mandatory for early diagnosis and proper management. The aim of this study is to investigate the role of micro-RNA as a biomarker for incidental cerebral small vessel disease (iCSVD) and its clinic-radiological correlates in a sample of Egyptian patients. Results The median age of patients, gender and risk factors did not differ from controls. However, patients were more significantly impaired than controls on cognitive, gait and sphincteric scales. MiRNA-451a was upregulated in cases with a median fold change of 3.4, while miRNA-409-3p, 486-5p, 502-3p, were significantly downregulated in comparison to healthy controls. Conclusion Dysregulation of the studied microRNA may play a role in pathogenesis of incidental cerebral small vessel disease and warrants further studies

Investigating the influence of ubiquinone blood level on the abilities of children with specific learning disorder

Abstract Background Ubiquinone has antioxidant properties and has been linked to cognitive performance in some neuropsychiatric disorders. Its role in specific learning disorder manifestations has not been previously investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure the blood levels of ubiquinone in a group of children with specific learning disorder in comparison to typically developing children and to investigate the correlation between ubiquinone levels in children with specific learning disorder and some of their intellectual capabilities, reading, spelling and writing performance.  Methods The study included 71 native Arabic speaking children: 31 in the specific learning disorder group and 40 in the typically developing (TD) group. The abilities of the children with specific learning disorder were evaluated by the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale-4th edition, the Dyslexia Assessment Test, and the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities. The level of ubiquinone was measured in both groups by ELISA. Correlation between some aptitudes of children with specific learning disorder and the ubiquinone level was performed. Results The blood levels of ubiquinone in the children with specific learning disorder group were less than those in the TD group. Correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between ubiquinone and the scores of backward digit span abilities. Conclusions Ubiquinone has a role in the auditory working memory performance of children with specific learning disorder (with impairment in reading). The decreased levels of ubiquinone in this sample of children with specific learning disorder could have participated in the pathogenesis of this disorder

Dyslexia with and without Irlen syndrome: A study of influence on abilities and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor level

Abstract The presence of comorbid Irlen syndrome (IS) in children with developmental dyslexia (DD) may have an impact on their reading and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was reported to be expressed in brain areas involved in cognitive and visual processing. The aim of this study was to evaluate some cognitive abilities of a group of dyslexic children with IS and to measure and compare the plasma BDNF level to dyslexic children without IS and neurotypical (NT) children. The participants were 60 children with DD (30 in the DD + IS group; 30 in the DD group) and 30 NT children. The Irlen reading perceptual scale, the Stanford Binet intelligence scale, 4th ed, the dyslexia assessment test, and the Illinois test of psycholinguistic abilities were used. The BDNF level was measured using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. One‐minute writing and visual closure deficits were more prevalent, while phonemic segmentation deficits were less prevalent in the DD + IS group compared to the DD group. The BDNF level in the DD groups was lower than that in NT children (p < 0.001). Some reading and non‐reading tasks were influenced by the presence of a coexisting IS. The reduced BDNF level could play a role in the deficits noticed in the abilities of children with DD