The impact of mild-to-moderate cortical cognitive deficits on post-operative outcomes in deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease: Considerations for patient selection.

Introduction: Subcortical deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD) are well studied; however, deep brain stimulation (DBS) risks posed by mild-moderate deficits in semantic fluency, verbal memory storage, and confrontation naming are not as well understood. This study aims to better define DBS risk stratification criteria by evaluating whether pre-DBS cortical domain deficits predict surgical outcomes, including cognition, mood, quality of life, medication and motor function in patients with PD.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with 50 PD patients who underwent pre- and post-surgical neurological and neuropsychological evaluations between 2015 and 2023.

Neuropsychological Tests of Memory, Visuospatial, and Language Function in Parkinson's Disease: Review, Critique, and Recommendations.

Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a key non-motor complication during the disease course.

Objectives: A review of detailed cognitive instruments to detect mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PDD) is needed to establish optimal tests that facilitate diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of tests that assess memory, language including premorbid intelligence, and visuospatial domains (for tests of attention and executive functions see accompanying review) to determine suitability to assess cognition in PD.

Neurological and psychiatric characterization of rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism over time.

Introduction: The onset of symptoms in Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP) is typically over days to weeks and is often triggered by stressors like fever or childbirth. Limited information is available on how the motor and nonmotor symptoms evolve over the course of the disease. Our longitudinal study analyzed data from a cohort of RDP patients, documenting their symptoms across multiple visits.

Prevalence of Colonization in Non-Critical Immunocompetent COVID-19 Patients: A Single-Center Prospective Study (JiroCOVID Study).

Background: pneumonia (PJP) is an invasive fungal infection (IFI) that occurs mainly in immunocompromised hosts. After observing a high prevalence of PJP as a complication of COVID-19 in immunocompetent patients, we conducted a study to evaluate the prevalence of colonization with PCR on oral washing samples (OWS) among non-immunocompromised and non-critical patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia at our university hospital.

Methods: All patients over 18 years of age admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia between July 2021 and December 2022 were included.

Thromboembolic Events after COVID-19 Vaccination: An Italian Retrospective Real-World Safety Study.

Introduction: Real-world safety studies can provide important evidence on the thromboembolic risk associated with COVID-19 vaccines, considering that millions of people have been already vaccinated against COVID-19. In this study, we aimed to estimate the incidence of thromboembolic events after COVID-19 vaccination and to compare the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine with other COVID-19 vaccines.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective real-world safety study using data from two different data sources: the Italian Pharmacovigilance database (Rete Nazionale di Farmacovigilanza, RNF) and the Campania Region Health system (Sistema INFOrmativo saNità CampanIA, SINFONIA).

Retrospective Analysis of a Real-Life Use of Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab plus SARS-CoV-2 Antivirals for Treatment of COVID-19.

Tixagevimab-cilgavimab is effective for the treatment of early COVID-19 in outpatients with risk factors for progression to severe illness, as well as for primary prevention and post-exposure prophylaxis. We aimed to retrospectively evaluate the hospital stay (expressed in days), prognosis, and negativity rate for COVID-19 in patients after treatment with tixagevimab-cilgavimab. We enrolled 42 patients who were nasal swab-positive for SARS-CoV-2 (antigenic and molecular)-both vaccinated and not vaccinated for COVID-19-hospitalized at the first division of the Cotugno Hospital in Naples who had received a single intramuscular dose of tixagevimab-cilgavimab (300 mg/300 mg).

Casirivimab/imdevimab + remdesivir in hospitalized patients with severe Covid-19: A single centre experience.

Since 2020, COVID-19 pandemic has spread worldwide causing a huge number of cases and casualties. Among direct anti SARS-CoV-2 agents available for the treatment of COVID-19, only remdesivir and casirivimab/imdevimab have been approved for severe disease. As they act at different levels in blocking viral replication, it is theoretically possible to combine them.

Do Benzodiazepines Impair Motor and Nonmotor Symptoms in a Sample of Parkinson's Disease Patients?

Background Anxiety and sleep disturbances are prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD). Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly used to treat these symptoms; however, they are associated with unfavorable side effects such as falls and cognitive slowing in the general non-PD population. Examining the effects of BZDs in PD is imperative as these medications could pose an increased risk to PD patients who are already vulnerable to falls and cognitive deficits.

Revisiting eligibility for deep brain stimulation: Do preoperative mood symptoms predict outcomes in Parkinson's disease patients?

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are common in PD, occurring in an estimated 30%-40% of PD patients. However, the extent to which these emotional symptoms interfere with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) outcomes is not well established. This study examined the association between pre-operative emotional well-being and postsurgical cognitive, emotional, and motor performance in PD.