The aim of this study was to investigate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) without visual impairment using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to compare the results with healthy controls. A total of 80 subjects, including 40 patients with early untreated AD (mean age, 69.3 ± 4.9 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age, 68.9 ± 5.1 years) were enrolled. Both eyes of patients with AD and controls were imaged using SD-OCT. The average RNFL thickness was significantly less in the AD patients than in controls (65 ± 6.2 μm vs 75 ± 3.8μm; P = 0.001). There was selective thinning of the RNFL in the superior quadrant, the mean superior quadrant RNFL thickness being 76 ± 6.7 μm in AD patients and 105 ± 4.8 μm in controls (P = 0.001). In our study, the thickness of RNFL in patient with AD was lower than that of controls. This suggests that SD- OCT has the potential to be used in the early diagnosis of AD as well as in the study of therapeutic agents. Further studies are needed to validate this technology as a viable ocular biomarker over time in AD.

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Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has a multifactorial etiology involving systemic, anatomical, idiopathic, and ergonomic characteristics. In this study, an investigation of the relationship between the CTS degree established by electrophysiological measurements in patients with clinical CTS prediagnosis, and age, gender, body mass index (BMI), hand wrist circumference, and waist circumference measurements has been done. On 547 patients included in the study, motor and sensory conduction examinations of the median and ulnar nerve were done on one or two upper extremities thought to have CTS. In terms of CTS severity, the patients were divided into four groups (normal, mild, medium, and severe CTS). A total of 843 electrophysiological examinations were done consisting of 424 on the right hand wrist and 419 on the left hand wrist. When the age group of 18-35 years is taken as the reference group, the CTS development risk independent of BMI has been found to have increased by a factor of 1.86 for ages 36-64 years, and by 4.17 for ages 65 years and higher after adjustment for BMI. With respect to normal degree CTS group, the BMI were significantly different in groups with mild, medium, and severe CTS. The waist circumferences of groups with mild, medium, and severe CTS severity were found to be significantly higher in comparison to the normal reference group. When this value was corrected with BMI and re-examined the statistically significant differences persisted. The study identified a significant relationship between the CTS severity and age, BMI, waist circumference.

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Attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by pervasive inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity. It has been suggested that ADHD symptoms are associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS), which is a neurological condition that is defi ned by an irresistible urge to move the legs. Increasing evidence suggests iron deficiency may underlie common pathophysiological mechanisms in subjects with ADHD and with RLS. To further defi ne the relationship between iron defi ciency and RLS in children and adolescents with ADHD, we evaluated 87 ADHD subjects: 79 boys and 8 girls with age 9.3 ± 2.5 years (6-16 years). Various psychopathologies and the severity of the ADHD symptoms and serum ferritin levels were assessed. Diagnosis of RLS was made according to the International RLS Group criteria. The patients were evaluated for the iron defi ciency (ferritin < 12 ng/ml). RLS was found in 29 (33.3%) of the 87 ADHD subjects. Parentand teacher-rated behavioral and emotional problems and the severity of ADHD symptoms were not signifi cantly different between ADHD subjects with RLS and those without RLS (n = 58). The rate of iron defi ciency was signifi cantly higher in ADHD subjects with RLS (n = 6, 20.7%) when compared with ADHD subjects without RLS (n = 1, 1.7%, p = 0.005). Our results showed that depleted iron stores might increase the risk of having RLS in ADHD subjects. Iron defi ciency, which is associated with both ADHD and RLS, seems to be an important modifying factor in the relationship between these two conditions. restless legs syndrome; attention defi cit hyperactivity disorder; iron defi ciency; ferritin; dopamine

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