Neglect in acute stroke is an important predictor of poor functional recovery. Residual neglect, which could be compensated in the follow-up tests, may nevertheless restrict patients' real-life activities and hobbies.

Objective -To provide an update on recent research on depression and anxiety in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Methods -A review was carried out on reports drawn from MEDLINE and PSYCHLIT (January 1995-June 2006 and identified from their list of references. The selection criteria were met by 55 articles. ResultsSample sizes in the reviewed studies varied widely and consisted mainly of working age men. Depression and anxiety were mostly evaluated with commonly used mood scales; only a few studies provided a psychiatric diagnosis. Prevalence figures fluctuated considerably for both depression (7-63%) and anxiety (11-70%). The effect of the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on mood was inconsistent. Conclusions -Variations in the prevalence of depression and anxiety are affected by patient characteristics, mood assessment methods, and overlap between mood alterations and OSAS-related symptoms. CPAP might improve mood alterations but more long-term follow-up studies are needed to verify the effectiveness.

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Background and Purpose-Oxidative stress is probably involved in neuronal damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion.The purpose of this study was to assess the role of antioxidant activity in cerebral ischemic stroke. Methods-Antioxidant activity of blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid was assessed in 22 patients with cerebral hemisphere infarction that was verified and quantified by MRI. Results-Low total peroxyl radical trapping potential of plasma, but not of cerebrospinal fluid, was associated with high lesion volume and high neurological impairment assessed by scores on NIH Stroke Scale, Barthel Index, and Hand Motor Score tests. The plasma concentrations of ascorbic acid, ␣-tocopherol, and protein thiols were also associated with the degree of neurological impairment. Conclusions-These data suggest that the antioxidant activity of plasma may be an important factor providing protection from neurological damage caused by stroke-associated oxidative stress. (Stroke. 2000;31:33-39.)