Does Natalizumab Induce or Aggravate Psoriasis? A Case Study and Review of the Literature

Psoriasis is a relatively common immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease. It is well known that interferon-beta, a drug used in the management of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, could exacerbate or induce de novo psoriasis. There is limited evidence in the literature based only on case reports that natalizumab could induce or aggravate psoriasis. In this case study, we present a 33-year-old patient who developed plaque psoriasis during natalizumab treatment

Acid-fast bacteria as causative agents of skin and soft tissue infections: case presentations and literature review

Acid-fast bacteria can be implicated in skin and soft tissue infections. Diagnostic identification can be challenging or not feasible by routine laboratory techniques, especially if there is no access to the Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology. Here, we present two cases of skin and soft tissue infections caused by two different acid-fast bacteria, Nocardia brasiliensis and Mycobacterium marinum. They both grew on Löwenstein–Jensen medium, Sabouraud agar medium and blood agar medium. Both bacteria appeared acid-fast by Ziehl–Neelsen stain and Gram-positive by Gram stain. The identification was performed by MALDI-TOF MS and gene analysis. N. brasiliensis and nontuberculous mycobacterium M. marinum represent rare pathogens that cause severe skin and soft tissue infections. Failure to identify the causative agent and subsequent inappropriate or inadequate treatment may lead to severe complications or even disseminated disease, especially in immunocompromised individuals

Restless legs syndrome in Multiple Sclerosis patients: a contributing factor for fatigue, impaired functional capacity, and diminished health-related quality of life

Objectives Restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms are common in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. The aim of the current study was to examine for the first time whether RLS could affect the functional capacity and various contributing parameters related to quality of life and fatigue in MS patients. Methods According to their RLS status, 50 relapsing-remitting MS patients were divided into the RLS (n = 10) and non-RLS groups (n = 40). Specific questionnaires were used in order to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL), fatigue levels, sleep quality, daily sleepiness, and depression symptoms of the patients. Functional capacity was examined using a battery of functional tests. Total body and visceral fat levels were assessed via bioelectrical impedance analyzers. Results Sleep quality, depression, fatigue, and HRQoL levels were found to be significantly worse in the patients with RLS compared to their free-RLS counterparts (P < 0.05). In addition, patients with RLS were found to exhibit further impairments in their performance in various functional tests related mainly with strength levels of lower extremities (P < 0.05). Finally, the patients with RLS were found to have significantly higher both total and trunk fat levels compared to patients without RLS (P < 0.05). A strong correlation was observed between the severity of RLS symptoms, sleep quality, fatigue, and QoL levels. Discussion It seems that RLS contributes even further to impairments on sleep quality, fatigue, functional capacity, and therefore HRQoL levels in relapsing-remitting MS patients, whilst for the first time a link between high fat levels has been revealed

Mitochondrial superclusters influence age of onset of Parkinson’s disease in a gender specific manner in the Cypriot population: A case-control study

Despite evidence supporting an involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of some neurodegenerative disorders, there are inconsistent findings concerning mitochondrial haplogroups and their association to neurodegenerative disorders, including idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).To test this hypothesis for the Greek-Cypriot population, a cohort of 230 PD patients and 457 healthy matched controls were recruited. Mitochondrial haplogroup distributions for cases and controls were determined. Association tests were carried out between mitochondrial haplogroups and PD.Mitochondrial haplogroup U was associated with a reduced PD risk in the Cypriot population. After pooling mitochondrial haplogroups together into haplogroup clusters and superclusters, association tests demonstrated a significantly protective effect of mitochondrial haplogroup cluster N (xR) and supercluster LMN for PD risk only in females. In addition, for female PD cases belonging to UKJT and R (xH, xUKJT) haplogroup, the odds of having a later age of onset of PD were 13 and 15 times respectively higher than the odds for female cases with an H haplogroup.Statistically significant associations regarding PD risk and PD age of onset were mostly detected for females thus suggesting that gender is a risk modifier between mitochondrial haplogroups and PD status / PD age of onset. The biological mechanisms behind this gender specificity remain to be determined

MATLAB Program for Processing EMG and Motion Sensor Data

Detta projekt har framtagit ett program för att kartlägga vadmusklers aktivering. Med hjälp av IMU i kombination med EMG kan programmet dra slutsatser om löpares muskelaktivering med olika skor. I studier där muskelaktivitet mättes med hjälp av stationära tryckplattor uppkom det ett behov av ett program som kunde bearbeta båda typer av data samtidigt. Därför har detta projekt tagit fram ett program som använder EMG- och IMU-data för att analysera hur individers prestation påverkas av skorna de använder. Barfotalöpning användes som referens för att kunna avgöra hur ansträngning skiljer sig mellan olika skor. Resultatet blir en procentskala där barfota är 100 % ansträngning och prestationen med olika skor kan ligga över och under barfotalöpnings aktiveringsnivå. Med det nya programmet ska forskare kunna förstå påverkan som löpares skoval har på ansträngning. This project has constructed a program for mapping calf muscles activation. With the help of IMU in combination with EMG the program can draw conclusions regarding runners’ performances with different shoes. In studies where muscles activity was measured with the help of stationary pressure plates there arose a need for a program that could process both kinds of data simultaneously. Therefore, this Project presents a program that uses EMG and IMU data to analyse an individual’s performance based on the wearers’ shoes. Barefoot running was used as a reference to determine the level of effort with different shoes. The result is expressed as a precent scale where barefoot is 100% effort and the performance with different shoes can be above or below barefoot activation level. With the new program, scientists could understand the correlation between runners’ shoe choice and their efforts.

Retrospective longitudinal study of ALS in Cyprus: Clinical characteristics, management and survival.

INTRODUCTION:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease. There is heterogeneity of clinical phenotypes while a clinical characterization of ALS in Cyprus is still lacking. The aim of this 30-year retrospective study of ALS in Cyprus is to determine the demographic characteristics of patients, the clinical features of the disease, the uptake of supportive therapies and factors influencing survival. METHODS:All ALS patients seen at the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics from January 1985 until July 2015 were included. Medical records of eligible patients were used for data extraction and compilation of an ALS database. Clinical features were compared between gender categories using univariate tests, while survival was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curves. Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify prognostic factors for survival. RESULTS:One hundred and seventy-nine ALS patients were included in the study, of whom 7 had a positive family history. Most clinical characteristics of ALS did not differ from what is observed in other European countries. However, some clinical characteristics were unique to our population, such as an increased acceptability and utilisation of supportive treatments such as gastrostomy. CONCLUSIONS:Overall, clinical characteristics of patients with ALS in the Republic of Cyprus do not differ from other European counties. Our study demonstrates a high acceptance and utilisation of supportive interventions enhancing survival, in the context of a multidisciplinary approach offered in the single tertiary centre that services the whole Cypriot ALS population. The findings of this paper are of value to the health professionals treating ALS in Cyprus

Odds Ratios (95% Confidence Intervals) showing associations between mitochondrial haplogroup clusters and superclusters and PD.

<p>Odds Ratios (95% Confidence Intervals) showing associations between mitochondrial haplogroup clusters and superclusters and PD.</p