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Epilepsia 2021 Jun 24. Epub 2021 Jun 24.

Department of Pharmacy, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Objective: Operational delays have the potential to lead to suboptimal time to seizure control during status epilepticus. Levetiracetam (LEV) is an urgent control antiepileptic medication that offers relative lack of adverse effects and ease of monitoring. There are limited data published demonstrating safety and tolerability of undiluted rapid intravenous (IV) push of LEV in doses of 1000 mg or less. Read More

BMJ Case Rep 2021 Jun 23;14(6). Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Medicine, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.

A 25-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with difficulty in breathing, within 12 hours of intentional black stone ingestion, that is, para-phenylenediamine (p-PD), a chemical component of hair dye. Video laryngoscopy was done which showed laryngeal oedema and got intubated immediately to prevent respiratory failure. She got admitted to the intensive care unit and rigorous fluid resuscitation was done due to acute kidney injury secondary to rhabdomyolysis. Read More

Ann Clin Lab Sci 2021 May;51(3):422-425

Department of Laboratory Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea

Mutations of (), which encodes a subunit of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) transamidase complex, can lead to multiple anomalies, including seizures, intellectual disabilities, facial dysmorphism, and various congenital malformations. We performed whole-exome sequencing in a patient with seizures, intellectual disabilities, truncal ataxia, facial dysmorphism, and persistent hypophosphatasia without rickets or bone mineralization defects, and identified two heterozygous mutations in , (p.Glu84*) and (p. Read More

Curr Pharm Des 2021 Jun 21. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Department of Biotechnology, Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, NOIDA, U.P, India.

Cancer is a global concern leading to millions of deaths every year. A declining trend in new drug discovery and development is becoming one of the major issues among the pharmaceutical, biotechnology industries, and regulatory agencies. New drug development is proven to be a very lengthy and costly process. Read More

J Anal Toxicol 2021 Jun 23. Epub 2021 Jun 23.

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 1 Newhall Street, San Francisco, California, USA.

Driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) cases continue to challenge forensic toxicologists as both the volume and complexity of casework increases. Comprehensive DUID testing should also meet the drafted ASB/ANSI standard and the NSC-ADID recommendations. A simple method using protein precipitation followed by filtration extraction with an 8-minute run time by LC-MS/MS was developed, and a comprehensive ASB/ANSI validation performed. Read More

Kathmandu Univ Med J (KUMJ) 2020 Jul-Sept.;18(71):223-227

Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.

Background Laryngospasm and agitation during emergence from general anaesthesia are frequent in children. Magnesium sulphate may have the potential of reducing both of these adverse events. In addition, magnesium has analgesic and anaesthetic properties. Read More

Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2021 Jun 22;6:CD008907. Epub 2021 Jun 22.

Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.

Background: This is an update of a review first published in 2011, and last updated in 2017. Most people with epilepsy have a good prognosis, but up to 30% of people continue to have seizures despite several regimens of antiepileptic drugs. In this review, we summarized the current evidence regarding eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) when used as an add-on treatment for drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Read More

BMC Neurol 2021 Jun 21;21(1):226. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Department of Neurology, University of California, California, San Francisco, USA.

Objective: We aim to compare the effect of long-term anti-seizure medication (ASM) monotherapy on the risk of death and new ischemic stroke in patients with post-stroke epilepsy (PSE).

Patients And Methods: We identified all hospitalized patients (≥ 20 years) with a primary diagnosis of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke from 2001 to 2012 using the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. The PSE cohort were defined as the stroke patients (1) who had no epilepsy and no ASMs use before the index stroke, and (2) who had epilepsy and ASMs use after 14 days from the stroke onset. Read More

J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2021 Jun 21:1-7. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.

Objective: Prior research demonstrated large increased risk for maternal mortality among women with epilepsy. The objective of this study was to estimate risk for adverse maternal outcomes during delivery hospitalizations among women with epilepsy.

Methods: Truven Health MarketScan databases were used to compare risk for adverse maternal outcomes during delivery hospitalizations based upon whether there was diagnosis of epilepsy and receipt of anti-epileptic drugs prior to delivery. Read More

Seizure 2021 Jun 6;91:117-131. Epub 2021 Jun 6.

Senior Resident, Department of Neurology, Smt. B. K. Shah Medical institute and research Centre, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth, Piparia, Waghodia, Vadodara Gujarat, 391760, India. Electronic address:

Serotonin syndrome (SS) is a drug‑induced, potentially fatal, clinical syndrome resulting from drugs that have serotonergic properties. Several antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are known to have serotonergic properties and it can be hypothesized that such AEDs can cause SS. This study aims to review the literature on SS in patients receiving AEDs. Read More

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2021 Jun 19;87:103691. Epub 2021 Jun 19.

Aquatic Environment and Health Management Division, ICAR- Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, 400 061, India.

In recent times, carbamazepine (CBZ) as an anticonvulsants drug has raised attention because of its safety concern in the aquatic environment. The present study aimed to evaluate the sub-lethal effects of CBZ (1%, 0.1 % and 0. Read More

Neurol Sci 2021 Jun 21. Epub 2021 Jun 21.

Neurology Stroke Unit, Ospedale del Mare Hospital, Via Enrico Russo, 80147, Naples, Italy.

Differential diagnosis of seizures and convulsive syncope may be challenging in clinical practice. Furthermore, a misleading diagnosis of epilepsy may be detrimental for the patient as it often implies an over-prescription and an over-use of antiepileptic drugs which can cause adverse reactions. Moreover, a wrong diagnosis also causes distress to the patient with the risk of performing plenty of investigations without any benefits on the symptoms. Read More

Epilepsy Behav 2021 Jun 17:108152. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address:

Introduction: CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD) is a severe treatment-resistant form of early-onset epilepsy. Current treatment options are often ineffective and associated with adverse effects, forcing families to seek alternative therapies for their children including products derived from cannabis. Reportsof miraculous cures and a public preferencefor 'natural' therapies have resulted in considerable public interest, and so this study aimed to characterize the use of cannabis in these individuals, as well as compare caregiver perceptions of efficacy and safety to objective evidence of seizure control and number of antiepileptic drugs used. Read More

Seizure 2021 Jun 10;91:99-107. Epub 2021 Jun 10.

University of Health Sciences Turkey, Izmir Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Izmir, Turkey; University of Health Sciences Turkey, Dr. Behçet Uz Children's Education and Research Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Izmir, Turkey.

Background: Ketogenic diet (KD) is a valuable treatment option for patients with medication-resistant epilepsy. It is associated with a number of side effects. However limited data are available for the long-term effects of KD on serum lipid levels. Read More

CNS Drugs 2021 Jun 18. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.

Epilepsy is one of the most common and disabling chronic neurological disorders. Antiseizure medications (ASMs), previously referred to as anticonvulsant or antiepileptic drugs, are the mainstay of symptomatic epilepsy treatment. Epilepsy is a multifaceted complex disease and so is its treatment. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2021 Jun 15:114338. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 52, Maroua, Cameroon. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Current antiepileptic drugs fail to control approximately 30% of epilepsies. Therefore, there is a need to develop more effective antiepileptic drugs, and medicinal plants provide an attractive source for new compounds. Pergularia daemia (Asclepiadaceae) is used in Cameroon traditional medicine to treat stroke, anemia, inflammation, and epilepsy. Read More

Trials 2021 Jun 17;22(1):404. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Department of Neurophysiology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.

Background: IMI2-PainCare-BioPain-RCT3 is one of four similarly designed clinical studies aiming at profiling a set of functional biomarkers of drug effects on the nociceptive system that could serve to accelerate the future development of analgesics, by providing a quantitative understanding between drug exposure and effects of the drug on nociceptive signal processing in human volunteers. IMI2-PainCare-BioPain-RCT3 will focus on biomarkers derived from non-invasive electroencephalographic (EEG) measures of brain activity.

Methods: This is a multisite single-dose, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, 4-period, 4-way crossover, pharmacodynamic (PD) and pharmacokinetic (PK) study in healthy subjects. Read More

Metab Brain Dis 2021 Jun 17. Epub 2021 Jun 17.

Medical Entomology Division, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, 62521, Egypt.

Bee venom (BV) is applied in different traditional medicinal therapies and is used worldwide to prevent and treat many acute and chronic diseases. Epilepsy has various neurological effects, e.g. Read More

J Dent Anesth Pain Med 2021 Jun 1;21(3):219-226. Epub 2021 Jun 1.

Department of Dental Anesthesiology, School of dentistry, Dankook University, Chenonan, Republic of Korea.

Background: Patients with disabilities often require general anesthesia for dental treatment because of their cooperative or physical problems. Since most patients with disabilities take central nervous system drugs, the management of recovery status is important because of drug interactions with anesthetics.

Methods: The anesthesia records of patients under general anesthesia for dental treatment were reviewed, and data were collected. Read More

Front Pharmacol 2021 31;12:695315. Epub 2021 May 31.

Grupo de Investigación en Farmacoepidemiología y Farmacovigilancia, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira-Audifarma S.A, Pereira, Colombia.

Dementias are neurodegenerative and progressive diseases of the central nervous system. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of potentially inappropriate prescriptions of antipsychotics in a group of patients diagnosed with dementia in Colombia. This was a cross-sectional study based on a population database for drug dispensing that identified prescriptions of antidementia drugs, antipsychotics, and other drugs for patients with a diagnosis of dementia. Read More

Saudi Pharm J 2021 May 9;29(5):418-426. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Objectives: Epilepsy is a neurological disease characterized by sudden, abnormal, and hyper- discharges in the central nervous system (CNS). Valproic acid (VPA) is commonly used as a broad-spectrum antiepileptic therapeutic. However, in many cases, patients develop resistance to VPA treatment due to overwhelming oxidative stress, which in turn might be a major catalyst for disease progression. Read More

Kurume Med J 2021 Jun 15. Epub 2021 Jun 15.

Department of Pediatrics, Showa University School of Medicine.

Epileptic seizures are core symptoms in focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a disease that often develops in infancy. Such seizures are refractory to conventional antiepileptic drugs (AED) and temporarily disappear in response to AED in only 17% of patients. Currently, surgical resection is an important option for the treatment of epileptic seizures in FCD. Read More

Braz J Med Biol Res 2021 14;54(9):e11097. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Central Research Laboratory, KS Hegde Medical Academy, Mangalore, Karnataka, India.

Pediatric epilepsy comprises chronic neurological disorders characterized by recurrent seizures. Sodium valproate is one of the common antiseizure medications used for treatment. Glucuronide conjugation is the major metabolic pathway of sodium valproate, carried out by the enzyme uridine 5'-diphosphate (UDP) glucuronosyl transferase (UGT) whose gene polymorphisms may alter the clinical outcome. Read More

Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2021 Apr;79(4):278-282

Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Background: Nonepileptic events misdiagnosed as epilepsy lead to a risk of iatrogenic morbidity, which increases health costs. Among the patients affected by nonepileptic events, 11-46% are psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNESs).

Objective: To investigate the usefulness of the semiological classification of PNESs among patients diagnosed by means of video electroencephalograms (vEEGs). Read More

FP Essent 2021 Jun;505:28-34

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

is a genus of flowering herbs in the Cannabaceae family. Federal law defines dried plant material preparations of the subspecies as . The term refers to all products derived from plants. Read More

Epilepsia 2021 Jun 14. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Division of Evolution and Genomic Science, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.

As prenatal exposure to certain older antiseizure medications (ASMs) has been linked with poorer neurodevelopmental outcomes in children, the use of newer ASMs throughout pregnancy has increased. The current review aimed to delineate the impact of in utero exposure to these newer ASMs on child neurodevelopment. A systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Plus, and PsycINFO was conducted, limiting results to articles available in English and published after the year 2000. Read More

Hum Reprod 2021 Jun 14. Epub 2021 Jun 14.

Perinatal Epidemiology Research Unit and Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark.

Study Question: Is fertility treatment with clomiphene citrate associated with an increased risk of childhood epilepsy, including specific subtypes of epilepsy?

Summary Answer: Fertility treatment with clomiphene citrate may be associated with a small increased risk of idiopathic generalized epilepsy and focal epilepsy in childhood.

What Is Known Already: Clomiphene citrate is among the most commonly prescribed drugs for fertility treatment. However, concerns have been raised as to whether the treatment may harm the developing fetus. Read More

CNS Spectr 2021 Apr;26(2):174-175

Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Titusville, NJ, USA.

Study Objectives: To describe characteristics of veterans with MDD and the different treatment regimens received during the first observed and treated major depressive episode (MDE).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed using the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) database from 4/1/2015 to 2/28/2019 (study period), supplemented with Medicare Part A/B/D data from 4/1/2015 to 12/31/2017. Adult veterans with ≥1 MDD diagnosis in the VHA database between 10/1/2015 and 2/28/2017 (index date) were included if they received ≥1 line of therapy (LOT) within a complete MDE. Read More

Curr Drug Saf 2021 Jun 11. Epub 2021 Jun 11.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry-605006, India.

Background And Objective: Identification of the offending drug is crucial and challenging in cases of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADR) like Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Poor reproducibility and varying levels of agreement have been observed among different causality assessment tools (CATs) in assessing severe CADRs. This study was conducted to examine the agreement among four different CATs in assessing cases of drug-induced SJS, TEN and SJS/TEN overlap. Read More

J Pak Med Assoc 2021 Apr;71(4):1103-1106

Department of Applied Psychology. The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of carbamazepine on emotional intelligence and mindfulness in patients with epilepsy.

Methods: The repeated-measure case-control study was conducted at the Nishter Hospital, Multan, Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, and Civil Hospital, Bahawalpur, Pakistan, from April 2017 to March 2018, and comprised of patients with partial epilepsy and healthy controls. Baseline data was collected using BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory and Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale-Revised. Read More