Facial expression recognition in Alzheimer’s disease: A systematic review

Introduction: It is well established that behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia can impair social and emotional function. However, there is no consensus regarding how Alzheimer’s disease can affect facial expression recognition. We aim to systematically review all the literature addressing this issue over the last 10 years.

Method: We conducted a search based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The search for literature was undertaken on 19 September 2017, using Pubmed, SciELO, BIREME, and Thomson Reuters Web of Science electronic databases. The key terms for the search were: Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and facial expression recognition.

Results: We screened 173 articles, and 22 of them were selected. The most common methodology involved showing participants photographs of people expressing the six basic emotions—fear, anger, sadness, disgust, surprise, and happiness. Results were ambiguous. Among people with mild Alzheimer’s disease, happiness was easier to recognize than the other five basic emotions, with sadness and anger the most difficult to recognize. In addition, the intensity level of the emotions presented seems to be important, and facial expression recognition is related to specific cognitive capacities, including executive function and visuoperceptual abilities. Impairment in facial expression recognition does not appear to be a consistent neuropsychological finding in Alzheimer’s disease.

Conclusions: The lack of standardized assessment instruments and the heterogeneity of the methods and samples used across studies hamper comparisons. Future researches should investigate facial expression recognition through more ecological and standardized methods.     

Is cognitive behaviour therapy of benefit for melancholic depression?

Objective

This paper seeks to determine the relevance and likely salience of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as a treatment for melancholic depression.

Methods

The findings of a randomised trial comparing 12-week outcome of 18 patients with melancholic depression receiving antidepressant medication and 11 receiving CBT were evaluated, and qualitative explanations for the outcomes were provided principally by the treating CBT practitioners.

Results

In the trial, CBT showed no improvement in depression severity in the first four weeks and then some level of improvement over the subsequent eight weeks. Outcome was superior for those receiving antidepressant medication at 12 weeks and was first demonstrated at four weeks. The benefits of CBT appeared to be in settling anxiety, dealing with cognitive processing of having a melancholic depression and addressing any personality vulnerabilities.

Conclusion

While a pilot study, our qualitative reports indicate that CBT may provide a useful role in managing melancholia as an adjunct to antidepressant medication. Future studies examining such a combination treatment model should seek to determine if indicative data provided here argue for a sequencing model of CBT being introduced after medication has addressed core biological underpinnings.     

Does laser therapy improve the wound healing process after tooth extraction? A systematic review

Laser therapy could amplify the oral wound healing process by stimulating cell regeneration after injury, attenuating pain, and modulating the immune system. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate whether the application of laser therapy improved alveolar healing after tooth extractions. Eight electronic databases were screened: MedLine (PubMed), The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, Lilacs, Ibecs, Scielo, and BBO. Three reviewers independently assessed the title and abstracts of potentially relevant studies. Only clinical trials and animal experiments that evaluated the wound healing effect of laser therapy after tooth extraction were included. A total of 16 studies fulfilled all criteria, thus 8 animal experiments and 8 clinical trials were included. Different types of laser were evaluated, such as CO₂, GaAlAs, Nd:YAG, Diode Laser, HeNe, and High‐frequency Pulsed Diode Laser. Although HF, Diode and GaAs lasers were able to enhance wound healing process in clinical studies, four trials and one animal experiment showed no improvement in wound healing with laser therapy after tooth extractions. In general, the current available evidence in the literature showed that laser therapy improved the wound healing process, but these findings were limited to the type of laser applied and its specific settings. Further well‐designed and randomized controlled trials are needed to support a benefit effect of using laser therapy after tooth extraction. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42014007509 (2014).     

Emerging Aspects of the Body Composition,Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue and Skeletal Phenotypes in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Anthropomorphic measures among type 1 diabetic patients are changing as the obesity epidemic continues. Excess fat mass may impact bone density and ultimately fracture risk. We studied the interaction between bone and adipose tissue in type 1 diabetes subjects submitted to two different clinical managements: (I) conventional insulin therapy or (II) autologous nonmyeloablative hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (AHST). The study comprised 3 groups matched by age, gender, height and weight: control (C = 24), type 1 diabetes (T1D = 23) and type 1 diabetes treated with AHST (T1D-AHST = 9). Bone mineral density (BMD) and trabecular bone score (TBS) were assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). ¹H Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) in the L3 vertebra, and abdominal magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess intrahepatic lipids (IHL), visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT). Individuals conventionally treated for T1D were more likely to be overweight (C = 23.8 ± 3.7; T1D = 25.3 ± 3.4; T1D-AHST = 22.5 ± 2.2 Kg/m²; p > 0.05), but there was no excessive lipid accumulation in VAT or liver. Areal BMD of the three groups were similar at all sites; lumbar spine TBS (L3) was lower in type 1 diabetes (p < 0.05). Neither SAT nor VAT had any association with bone parameters. Bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT) lipid profiles were similar among groups. BMAT saturated lipids were associated with cholesterol, whereas unsaturated lipids had an association with IGF1. Overweight and normal weight subjects with type 1 diabetes have normal areal bone density, but lower trabecular bone scores. Adipose distribution is normal and BMAT volume is similar to controls, irrespective of clinical treatment.     

Prospective cohort 20 years after endovascular treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Objective

To describe the factors associated with survival 20 years after endovascular treatment of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in a single center.

Comparison of Intravascular Ultrasound with Conventional Venography for Detection of Extracranial Venous Abnormalities Indicative of Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency

PurposeTo investigate prevalence of extracranial abnormalities in azygos and internal jugular (IJ) veins using conventional venography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) being evaluated for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency, a condition of vascular hemodynamic dysfunction.Materials and MethodsPREMiSe (Prospective Randomized Endovascular therapy in Multiple Sclerosis) is a venous angioplasty study that enrolled 30 patients with relapsing MS. The patients fulfilled two or more venous hemodynamic extracranial Doppler sonography screening criteria. Phase I of the study included 10 patients and was planned to assess safety and standardize venography, IVUS, and angioplasty and blinding procedures; phase II enrolled 20 patients and further validated diagnostic assessments using the two invasive techniques. Venography was considered abnormal when ≥ 50% lumen-diameter restriction was detected. IVUS was considered abnormal when ≥ 50% lumen-diameter restriction, intraluminal defects, or reduced pulsatility was detected.ResultsNo venography-related or IVUS-related complications, including vessel rupture, thrombosis, or side effects of contrast media were recorded among the 30 study patients. IVUS-detected venous abnormalities, including chronic, organized, thrombus-like inclusions were observed in 85% of azygos, 50% of right IJ, and 83.3% of left IJ veins, whereas venography demonstrated stenosis of ≥ 50% in 50% of azygos, 55% of right IJ, and 72% of left IJ veins. Sensitivity of venography for detecting IVUS abnormalities was 52.9%, 73.3%, and 80% for the azygos, left IJ, and right IJ veins, respectively.ConclusionsIVUS assessment of azygos and IJ veins showed a higher rate of venous abnormalities than venography. IVUS provides a diagnostic advantage over conventional venography in detecting extracranial venous abnormalities indicative of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency.     

Brain imaging in pregnant women with acute headache

Background

Brain imaging is one of the most important diagnostic methods for evaluating headache during pregnancy. In this study, we aimed to identify anamnestic and clinical predictors for pathological brain imaging findings in pregnant women suffering from acute headache.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective chart review of 151 pregnant women with acute headache between 2010 and 2016. We screened the medical records of these patients and analyzed radiological variables, including brain imaging frequency and modality, delay to imaging and imaging findings. In patients with brain imaging, we compared several anamnestic and clinical features between those with and without symptomatic pathological findings.

Results

Half of the patients (50.3%) underwent brain imaging, mainly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including venography (53.9%) or MRI including both venography and arteriography (31.6%). Symptomatic pathological results could be observed in 27.6% of the patients with a brain scan. Patients in the first trimester with acute headache had a statistically higher risk for a symptomatic pathological imaging finding (p?=?0.024). Strong pain intensity, a reduced level of consciousness and seizures were significantly associated with a symptomatic pathological imaging outcome across all stages of pregnancy.

Conclusion

Brain imaging may reveal a secondary headache etiology in more than 25% of pregnant women presenting with acute headache. In particular, when the acute headache is of severe intensity, and the headache is accompanied by seizures or a change in consciousness, brain imaging is required.

     

International Guillain‐Barré Syndrome Outcome Study: protocol of a prospective observational cohort study on clinical and biological predictors of disease course and outcome in Guillain‐Barré syndrome

Guillain‐Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute polyradiculoneuropathy with a highly variable clinical presentation, course, and outcome. The factors that determine the clinical variation of GBS are poorly understood which complicates the care and treatment of individual patients. The protocol of the ongoing International GBS Outcome Study (IGOS), a prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study that aims to identify the clinical and biological determinants and predictors of disease onset, subtype, course and outcome of GBS is presented here. Patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for GBS, regardless of age, disease severity, variant forms, or treatment, can participate if included within 2 weeks after onset of weakness. Information about demography, preceding infections, clinical features, diagnostic findings, treatment, course, and outcome is collected. In addition, cerebrospinal fluid and serial blood samples for serum and DNA is collected at standard time points. The original aim was to include at least 1,000 patients with a follow‐up of 1–3 years. Data are collected via a web‐based data entry system and stored anonymously. IGOS started in May 2012 and by January 2017 included more than 1,400 participants from 143 active centers in 19 countries across 5 continents. The IGOS data/biobank is available for research projects conducted by expertise groups focusing on specific topics including epidemiology, diagnostic criteria, clinimetrics, electrophysiology, antecedent events, antibodies, genetics, prognostic modeling, treatment effects, and long‐term outcome of GBS. The IGOS will help to standardize the international collection of data and biosamples for future research of GBS.     

Scaphocephaly correction with retrocoronal and prelambdoid craniotomies (Renier’s “H” technique)

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to describe the surgical technique, originally devised by Dr. Renier which is currently used to treat children with scaphocephaly under 6?months of age at the Craniofacial Unit of Hopital Necker Enfants Malades (French National Referral Center for Faciocraniosynostosis), focusing on its advantages and limitations.