Acute stroke treatment during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic
Purpose of review
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a major impact on stroke care. This review synthesizes the available data and provides a framework for optimal management of stroke patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection and eligible to reperfusion treatments.
Recent findings
Reorganization of health services has led to the conversion of stroke units and relocation of stroke staff to COVID units. During the pandemic surge, there has been a general decline of stroke presentations, increased time delays, and reduced activity across all areas of stroke care, specifically...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - January 21, 2021 Category: Neurology Tags: CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE: Edited by Valeria Caso Source Type: research
Stroke epidemiology and COVID-19 pandemic
Purpose of review
The aim of this study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the epidemiology, cause and clinical characteristics of incident stroke in different settings and populations.
Recent findings
Several studies have shown that there are three main themes in the epidemiology of stroke during the COVID-19 pandemic: COVID-19 seems to be associated with stroke in a significant number of patients. This association has been reported in several clinical series, mainly from China. There is a consistent trend towards a decreased number of hospital admissions of stroke patients during the pandem...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - January 21, 2021 Category: Neurology Tags: CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE: Edited by Valeria Caso Source Type: research
Editorial: Coronavirus disease 2019 and stroke: how to avoid a new lockdown for stroke patients
No abstract available (Source: Current Opinion in Neurology)
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - January 21, 2021 Category: Neurology Tags: CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASE: Edited by Valeria Caso Source Type: research
Editorial introductions
No abstract available (Source: Current Opinion in Neurology)
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - January 21, 2021 Category: Neurology Tags: EDITORIAL INTRODUCTIONS Source Type: research
Cerebrospinal fluid circulating tumour DNA as a liquid biopsy for central nervous system malignancies
Purpose of review
The molecular characterization of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies is crucial for obtaining the correct diagnosis and prognosis, and to guide the optimal therapeutic approach. However, obtaining surgical specimens can be challenging because of the anatomical location of the tumour and may limit the correct characterization of these malignancies. Recently, it has been shown that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) can be used as a liquid biopsy to characterize and monitor CNS malignancies and here we review its implications and advances.
Recent findings
In the l...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Central nervous system injury from novel cancer immunotherapies
Purpose of review
Neurotoxicity from antineoplastic treatment remains a challenge in oncology. Cancer treatment-induced central nervous system (CNS) injury can be therapy-limiting, severely disabling, and even fatal. While emerging cancer immunotherapies have revolutionized oncology during the past decade, their immunomodulatory properties can cause immune-related adverse effects (IRAE) across organ systems, including the nervous system. Central neurologic IRAEs from chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI) are challenging complications of such therapies.
We aim to provide cl...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Impaired neurocognitive function in glioma patients: from pathophysiology to novel intervention strategies
Purpose of review
This review succinctly summarizes the recent literature regarding etiological contributors to impaired neurocognitive function (NCF) in adult patients with glioma. A brief overview of intervention and prevention strategies is also provided.
Recent findings
A majority of patients with glioma exhibit NCF deficits, most frequently in memory and executive functioning. Impairments are often disabling and associated with reduced quality of life and survival. Cause is multifactorial and includes the tumour itself, treatments received and associated comorbidities. Although modern techniques such as bra...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Is chemotherapy alone an option as initial treatment for low-grade oligodendrogliomas?
Purpose of review
The management of low-grade (grade II) oligodendrogliomas is still controversial, due to their rarity and long-term survival. According to recent WHO 2016 Classification of central nervous system tumors oligodendrogliomas are defined by the coexistence of molecular alterations, such as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)1/2 mutations and 1p/19q codeletion. These tumors have better outcome and higher response to chemotherapy compared with diffuse astrocytomas.
Recent findings
The association of radiotherapy and procarbazine, lomustine (CCNU), vincristine chemotherapy in low-grade oligodendrogliomas i...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Beyond the World Health Organization classification of central nervous system tumors 2016: what are the new developments for gliomas from a clinician's perspective?
Purpose of review
The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors was revised in 2016 to include molecular biomarkers that are important for tumor classification and clinical decision making. Thereafter, the cIMPACT-NOW initiative further refined CNS tumor classification through a series of recommendations likely to shape the upcoming WHO classification 2021.
Recent findings
Mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 or 2 genes continue to play a major role in glioma classification. Among IDH-mutant gliomas, loss of ATRX expression identifies IDH-mutant astrocytom...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Editorial: Neuro-oncology is moving ahead: new perspectives and critical issues
No abstract available (Source: Current Opinion in Neurology)
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: NEOPLASMS: Edited by Riccardo Soffietti Source Type: research
Quantitative multimodal imaging in traumatic brain injuries producing impaired cognition
Purpose of review
Cognitive impairments are a devastating long-term consequence following traumatic brain injury (TBI). This review provides an update on the quantitative mutimodal neuroimaging studies that attempt to elucidate the mechanism(s) underlying cognitive impairments and their recovery following TBI.
Recent findings
Recent studies have linked individual specific behavioural impairments and their changes over time to physiological activity and structural changes using EEG, PET and MRI. Multimodal studies that combine measures of physiological activity with knowledge of neuroanatomical and connectivity d...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: TRAUMA AND REHABILITATION: Edited by Martin M. Monti and Nicholas Schiff Source Type: research
Sleep in disorders of consciousness: diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic considerations
Purpose of review
Sleep is important in the evaluation of patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC). However, it remains unclear whether reconstitution of sleep could enable consciousness or vice versa. Here we synthesize recent evidence on natural recovery of sleep in DOC, and sleep-promoting therapeutic interventions for recovery of consciousness.
Recent findings
In subacute DOC, physiological sleep--wake cycles and complex sleep patterns are related to better outcomes. Moreover, structured rapid-eye-movement (REM), non-REM (NREM) stages, and presence of sleep spindles correlate with full or partial recov...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: TRAUMA AND REHABILITATION: Edited by Martin M. Monti and Nicholas Schiff Source Type: research
MRI in disorders of consciousness
Purpose of review
In the study of brain-injured patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC), structural and functional MRI seek to provide insights into the neural correlates of consciousness, identify neurophysiologic signatures of covert consciousness, and identify biomarkers for recovery of consciousness.
Recent findings
Cortical volume, white matter volume and integrity, and structural connectivity across many grey and white matter regions have been shown to vary with level of awareness in brain-injured patients. Resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) within and between canonical cortical networks ...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: TRAUMA AND REHABILITATION: Edited by Martin M. Monti and Nicholas Schiff Source Type: research
Novel approaches to prediction in severe brain injury
Purpose of review
Recovery after severe brain injury is variable and challenging to accurately predict at the individual patient level. This review highlights new developments in clinical prognostication with a special focus on the prediction of consciousness and increasing reliance on methods from data science.
Recent findings
Recent research has leveraged serum biomarkers, quantitative electroencephalography, MRI, and physiological time-series to build models for recovery prediction. The analysis of high-resolution data and the integration of features from different modalities can be approached with efficient ...
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: TRAUMA AND REHABILITATION: Edited by Martin M. Monti and Nicholas Schiff Source Type: research
Editorial introductions
No abstract available (Source: Current Opinion in Neurology)
Source: Current Opinion in Neurology - November 13, 2020 Category: Neurology Tags: EDITORIAL INTRODUCTIONS Source Type: research
