Rejected

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition characterized by autonomic and inflammatory features. There is paucity of data regarding sustained benefits of any treatment modality. We aimed to document the effect of steroids in CRPS on long-term basis.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common and refractory chronic pain condition with multiple clinical phenotypes. The current diagnosis is based on a syndrome identification which can be subjective and lead to under or over-diagnosis. Therefore, there is a need for objective biomarkers for diagnosis, phenotyping, and prognosis (treatment response and follow-up) in fibromyalgia. Potential biomarkers are measures of cortical excitability indexed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). However, no systematic analysis of current evidence has been performed to assess the role of TMS metrics as a fibromyalgia biomarker. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate evidence on corticospinal and intracortical motor excitability in fibromyalgia subjects and to assess the prognostic role of TMS metrics as response biomarkers in FM. We conducted systematic searches on PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Central databases for observational studies and randomized controlled trials on fibromyalgia subjects that used TMS as an assessment. Three reviewers independently selected and extracted the data. Then, a random-effects model meta-analysis was performed to compare fibromyalgia and healthy controls in observational studies. Also, to compare active versus sham treatments, in randomized controlled trials. Correlations between changes in TMS metrics and clinical improvement were explored. The quality and evidence certainty were assessed following standardized approaches. We included 15 studies (696 participants, 474 FM subjects). The main findings were: (1) fibromyalgia subjects present less intracortical inhibition (mean difference (MD) = -0.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.69 to -0.11) and higher resting motor thresholds (MD = 6.90 μV, 95% CI 4.16 to 9.63 μV) when compared to controls; (2) interventions such as exercise, pregabalin, and non-invasive brain stimulation increased intracortical inhibition (MD = 0.19, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.29) and cortical silent period (MD = 14.92 ms, 95% CI 4.86 to 24.98 ms), when compared to placebo or sham stimulation; (3) changes on intracortical excitability are correlated with clinical improvements – higher inhibition moderately correlates with less pain, depression, and pain catastrophizing; lower facilitation moderately correlates with less fatigue. Measures of intracortical inhibition and facilitation indexed by TMS are potential diagnostic and treatment response biomarkers for fibromyalgia subjects. The disruption in the intracortical inhibitory system in fibromyalgia also provides additional evidence that fibromyalgia has some neurophysiological characteristics of neuropathic pain. Treatments inducing an engagement of sensorimotor systems (e.g., exercise, motor imagery, and non-invasive brain stimulation) could restore the cortical inhibitory tonus in FM and induce clinical improvement.

Increased understanding of adherence may facilitate optimal targeting of interventions.

We present the case of a 32-year-old male, previously healthy, with a 5-day history of fever, frontal-occipital headache, retro-ocular pain, rash, petechiae, myalgia, arthralgia, and abdominal pain. Blood tests with leukopenia, severe thrombocytopenia, transaminitis, long clotting times. Severe dengue with associated coagulopathy was diagnosed, indicating transfer to ICU. Presents torpid evolution, altered state of consciousness, psychomotor agitation, and aggressiveness. Structural, ischemic-hemorrhagic alterations, bacterial and fungal infections were ruled out. Finally diagnosing dengue encephalitis, confirmed by DENV PCR in CSF. Support measures are provided with favorable evolution. Encephalitis is the most serious neurological complication after dengue virus infection.

Our objective was to describe the clinical course and treatment challenges in a very young patient with a pituitary adenoma due to a novel gene mutation, highlighting the limitations of somatostatin receptor immunohistochemistry to predict clinical responses to somatostatin analogs in acromegaly.

A 61-year-old woman presented to our clinic with complaints of decreased visual acuity, pain, and redness in her left eye. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/20 in the right eye and counting fingers at 3 meters in the left eye. On slit-lamp examination, 1+ cells were detected in the anterior chamber. Fundus examination revealed 1+ haze in the vitreous and multiple creamy-whitish lesions in the retina and vitreous. Her history included a diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) one month earlier, for which she was hospitalized in the intensive care unit for 20 days and received systemic corticosteroid treatment. Vitreous culture yielded . The patient's nasopharyngeal swab sample was positive for COVID-19 by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. BCVA was improved to 20/40 after amphotericin therapy (via intravitreal injection and intravenous routes), and the vitritis and chorioretinitis lesion regressed after 2 weeks of treatment. Two weeks later, intravenous amphotericin was discontinued and oral fluconazole treatment was started at a dose of 400 mg/day. At 3-month follow-up, her BCVA was 20/25 and no inflammatory reaction was observed in the anterior chamber and vitreous.

This study aims to identify predictors of postoperative pain and opioid consumption after shoulder surgery to help optimize postoperative pain protocols.

The data related to the neurologic manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children are limited. The frequency of the neurologic manifestations and the risk factors in the development of these symptoms are not clear.

Addition of magnesium sulfate to local anesthetics improves the quality of spinal anesthesia for caesarean section. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of intrathecal 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine with 75-mg magnesium sulfate (MgSO) and 0.5% isobaric levobupivacaine with 75-mg MgSO on the duration of analgesia in parturients undergoing elective caesarean section.

To systematically review the scientific literature for evidence concerning the clinical use of botulinum toxin (BTX) for the management of various temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).