Rejected

Stuttering is a disorder in the rhythm of speech characterized by an involuntary repetition, prolongation, and cessation of sounds. Neurogenic acquired stuttering is a very rare disorder which could result from different conditions with the involvement of several brain locations.

There is limited literature on endoscopic ultrasound-guided liver biopsy (EUS-LB), a new method of obtaining liver biopsy (LB).

Evidence demonstrates the pronounced anti-inflammatory activity of a beetroot (Beta vulgaris) dye enriched in betalains obtained using precipitation with ethanol. Herein, we expand upon our previous observations and demonstrate the analgesic and antioxidant effect of betalains. Betalains [10-1000 mg/kg; intraperitoneal route (i.p.)] diminished acetic acid- and PBQ-induced abdominal contortions, and the overt pain-like behaviour induced by complete Freund`s adjuvant (CFA) and formalin (intraplantar; i.pl.) injection. Moreover, betalains (100 mg/kg) administered by various routes [i.p. or subcutaneous (s.c.)] or as a post-treatment reduced carrageenin- or CFA-induced hyperalgesia. Mechanistically, betalains mitigated carrageenin-induced tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, superoxide anion levels, and lipid peroxidation. Betalains also stopped the depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and ferric reducing ability produced by carrageenin, as well as upregulated Nrf2 and Ho1 transcript expression in the plantar tissue of mice. Furthermore, betalains showed hydroxyl radical, 2,2'-azino-di-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical (ABTS), and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl radical (DPPH•) scavenging ability and iron-chelating activity (bathophenantroline assay), and inhibited iron-independent and iron-dependent lipid peroxidation (LPO) in vitro. Finally, betalains-treated bone marrow-derived macrophages exhibited lower levels of cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), and superoxide anion levels and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activation following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Therefore, this betalain-rich dye extracted using a novel precipitation approach presents prominent analgesic effect in varied models of pain by mechanisms targeting cytokines and oxidative stress.

This study aimed to estimate the health preference scores of the Chinese population with Diabetes Mellitus (DM) using the EQ-5D-5L Hong Kong (HK) population tariff according to different sociodemographic characteristics in HK.

Besides the prominent motor syndrome, some patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) complain of many non-motor symptoms during the disease course, in particular chronic pain that significantly reduces the patients' quality of life. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare painful condition, rarely described in ALS patients. We present the clinical case of a patient affected by spinal-onset ALS, who developed a type I CRPS (CRPS-I) at the upper limbs. To the best of our knowledge, only five cases of ALS-CRPS-I have been reported and they share some peculiar features: ALS spinal-onset with classic phenotype, rapid deterioration of quality of life, and a poor prognosis. Different mechanisms have been supposed in the pathogenesis of both CRPS and ALS, resulting in distinctive clinical presentations. Altered plasticity of brain sensory and motor areas might represent a common feature that seems to influence negatively ALS progression and prognosis.

Pampiniform plexus thrombosis is a very rare disease (only less than 25 published cases are available till date), and it is a diagnostic dilemma. The present case is an unusual condition of an elderly gentleman who was finally diagnosed as a case of spontaneous thrombosis of bilateral pampiniform plexus and was managed conservatively. Literature was reviewed to explore potential etiologies and therapeutic strategies.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory polyarthritis that typically affects the small joints but can also involve the manubriosternal joint (MSJ). Although cases of MSJ involvement in RA are rare, such cases present with chest pain, a mass-like lesion, and subluxation. These cases can also be diagnosed incidentally, while patients are asymptomatic. It is important to differentiate RA involving the MSJ from other diseases such as ankylosing spondylitis that can affect the MSJ. Several cases of RA affecting the MSJ have been reported in Western countries, but none have been reported to date in Asia, especially with disease activity of RA. Here, we report a case of RA in the MSJ that was confirmed by imaging and histological investigation in a middle-aged Asian woman.