Neuropathic pain is a series of well-known conditions caused by diseases or lesions to the somatosensory system. Due to the better understanding of the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, previously unexplored therapies have been used with encouraging results. As such, Acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC), Alpha-lipoic-acid (ALA), cannabinoids, Clonidine, EMA401, Botulinum Toxin type A, and new voltage-gated sodium channel blockers, can be cited. Furthermore, new modalities in neuromodulation such as high-frequency spinal cord stimulation, burst stimulation, dorsal root ganglion stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and many others have been showing exciting results. Besides, changing paradigms may occur with the advent of optogenetics and a better understanding of epigenetic regulation. This article reviews the published literature on the treatment of NP. Despite the interesting results, randomized controlled trials are demanded for the majority of the therapies previously mentioned.
Epilepsy is a serious neurological condition, often without a full and effective treatment. In some cases, surgery is beneficial, despite being underused. Our aim herein is to describe the implementation of an epilepsy surgery center in a federal university hospital, sharing the initial experience gained, as well as describing the main challenges and first results. Methods: Experience report of an epilepsy surgery center implementation. Retrospective review of 13 drug-resistant patients who underwent surgical treatment. Results: Thirteen patients underwent surgical epilepsy treatment, five patients categorized as the International League Against Epilepsy class 1, two in class 2, three in class 3, zero in class 4, and two in class 5; with a 30.76% complication rate. Conclusion: Despite the challenges, it was possible to implement an epilepsy surgery center with favorable results and acceptable incidence of complications, which were not higher than the incidences found in more experienced centers.
Parkinson's Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder with a great global impact and, despite recent advances, it still needs improvement in the methods for assessing motor alterations. This study aimed at evaluating a system (hardware and software) capable of accurately quantifying tremor in patients with Parkinson's disease that underwent pallidotomy. The Mean Absolute Value (MAV) of the involuntary activity of three patients that underwent pallidotomy surgery - in the pre and postoperative scenarios- was evaluated. The Mean Absolute Value of involuntary activity obtained through the suggested device (TREMSEN) showed a good correlation with the clinical findings, as well as with the findings already described in previous studies. The present study showed that MAV alterations were always positively related to tremor, or negatively related to bradykinesia and rigidity, or possibly both. A tendency towards greater tremor influence on the MAV than bradykinesia and rigidity was also observed. The positive correlation among the values measured by the TREMSEN device and the patients´ clinical result opens doors for the future application of technology, such as accurate and objective assessment of motor disorders, continuous monitoring and remote monitoring.
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