Publications by authors named "Walaa A Kamel"
The Management of Parkinson's Disease Before, during and after Pregnancy-an MDS Scientific Issues Committee Review.
Mov Disord Clin Pract
August 2025
Background: Pregnancy after a Parkinson's diagnosis presents complex challenges. Due to the paucity of literature, there is no evidence-based guidelines and protocols for preconception care, management of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period in women with early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD). Decision-making can be fraught with uncertainty for both patients and healthcare providers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFX chromosome-wide association studies (XWAS) have identified susceptibility variants for various neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. The unique characteristics of the chromosome require more complex analytical approaches than standard genome-wide association studies. Over the past 2 decades, refined XWAS methods have better accounted for this biology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's Disease Database in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia Countries.
Int J Public Health
July 2025
Objectives: This study aims to establish a multicenter database to evaluate Parkinson's disease in the MENASA region in the context of expert care.
Methods: The CGD-PD consortium includes 20 institutes from 9 MENASA countries. The database collects comprehensive data from PD patients.
Objective: A growing body of evidence indicates a strong genetic overlap between developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs) and movement disorders. De novo loss-of-function variants in NUS1 have been recently identified in DEE cases. Herein, we report a large cohort of cases with pathogenic NUS1 variants and describe their clinical presentation and the details of the associated epilepsy and movement disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Over 80% of genetic studies on Parkinson's disease focus on individuals of European descent, highlighting a gap in understanding the disease across diverse global populations.
- Environmental and genetic factors influencing PD vary by ancestry, emphasizing the need for worldwide research initiatives to identify new genes and risk factors involved in the disease.
- The article reviews the limited genetic research on Parkinson's disease in AfrAbia, pointing out existing gaps and challenges while discussing historical interactions and clinical aspects of the disease in this population.
Exercise Habits in People with Parkinson's: A Multinational Survey.
Mov Disord Clin Pract
November 2024
Article Synopsis
- Exercise improves physical function, cognition, and quality of life for people with Parkinson's (PwP), but participation levels vary among individuals.
- A survey of 2,976 PwP found that 40.6% exercised regularly, with higher activity linked to group workouts, weightlifting, and use of muscle-building equipment.
- Factors promoting exercise included education level, receiving advice from doctors, being diagnosed at a younger age, while issues like falls and bothersome symptoms deterred exercise participation.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common autoimmune neurological disease affecting patients' motor, sensory, and visual performance. Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT) is a medical intervention where a patient is infused with healthy stem cells with the purpose of resetting their immune system. SCT shows remyelinating and immunomodulatory functions in MS patients, representing a potential therapeutic option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMED27 is a subunit of the Mediator multiprotein complex, which is involved in transcriptional regulation. Biallelic MED27 variants have recently been suggested to be responsible for an autosomal recessive neurodevelopmental disorder with spasticity, cataracts and cerebellar hypoplasia. We further delineate the clinical phenotype of MED27-related disease by characterizing the clinical and radiological features of 57 affected individuals from 30 unrelated families with biallelic MED27 variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssessing the Usability of an Instagram Filter in Monitoring Essential Tremor: A Proof-of-Concept Study.
Mov Disord Clin Pract
February 2023
Background: Spiral drawing is an important test in monitoring essential tremor (ET). With the rise of telemedicine amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, a contactless tool for monitoring tremors was required. We aimed to assess the validity of a novel smartphone technology using a video-based social media platform for rapid and objective monitoring of ET.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The MDS-UPDRS is a key tool for assessing Parkinson's disease, and this study aimed to validate its Arabic translation and analyze its structure compared to the English version.
- The research involved translating the scale into Arabic, conducting cognitive pretesting, and testing the new version on over 400 Arabic-speaking patients to examine its psychometric properties.
- Results showed the Arabic version matches the factor structure of the English version, confirming its validity and establishing it as an official MDS-UPDRS variant for use in Arabic-speaking populations.
Background: Pridopidine is a novel drug that helps stabilize psychomotor function in patients with Huntington's disease (HD) by activating the cortical glutamate pathway. It promises to achieve the unmet needs of current therapies of HD without worsening other symptoms.
Objective: To review the literature discussing the efficacy of pridopidine in alleviating motor symptoms and its safety in patients with HD.
Amantadine has been proposed to inhibit E-channel conductance in reconstituted lipid bilayers of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We aimed to study whether patients on amantadine have altered risks of contracting COVID-19 infection. We conducted a hospital-based, observational, retrospective cohort study using data for patients on amantadine supported by data given by the patients through an online questionnaire.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReply to Letter to Editor: Is SARS-CoV-2 responsible for relapses of Parkinson's disease?
Egypt J Neurol Psychiatr Neurosurg
September 2021
Article Synopsis
- Dystonia is a movement disorder that affects quality of life, and while Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) is a common treatment, it doesn't work for all patients; deep brain stimulation (DBS) has also been shown to benefit those with dystonia.
- A study of 67 dystonia patients treated with DBS over 7 years found significant improvements in symptoms, using scales like the Global Dystonia Severity (GDS) and Burke-Fahn-Marsden (BFMDRS) scores.
- The results showed average reductions in scores 5 to 7 years post-DBS, indicating DBS is an effective long-term treatment for various types of dystonia, despite not completely eliminating symptoms.
Article Synopsis
- Pituitary tumor apoplexy (PA) is a serious medical emergency caused by bleeding or blockage in a pre-existing pituitary adenoma, and there is growing concern about its association with COVID-19, with five reported cases so far.
- The case involved a 55-year-old male with a history of pituitary macroadenoma and COVID-19, who experienced worsening vision and nerve issues, leading to the discovery of PA and subsequent surgical intervention.
- Despite surgical efforts improving some symptoms, the patient ultimately succumbed to severe COVID-19 complications, highlighting the potential impact of the virus on pre-existing conditions like PA.
Mirror Movements of the Left Hand in a Patient with Joubert Syndrome.
Mov Disord Clin Pract
August 2021
Article Synopsis
- Parkinson's disease (PD) can worsen after viral infections, with this case showing a 56-year-old male experiencing significant worsening of PD as the first sign of COVID-19, without typical symptoms like fever or respiratory issues.
- The patient exhibited severe rigidity, confusion, and dystonic posturing, ultimately leading to intubation after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 on day nine.
- This case highlights the importance of considering COVID-19 testing in advanced PD patients who show unexplained deterioration of their condition, even when they don’t exhibit common COVID-19 symptoms.
Article Synopsis
- Various studies suggest that semiquantitative (SQ) analysis is better than visual analysis for detecting brain metabolic changes, particularly in dementia patients.
- The study analyzed F-FDG-PET/CT images of 39 dementia patients using both methods to evaluate the accuracy of two SQ analysis programs against standard visual assessments.
- Results indicated that while SQ analysis showed some correlation with visual findings, it was generally less accurate, highlighting the need for careful image registration and area selection in SQ methods.
Article Synopsis
- Patients with dementia and mild cognitive impairment experienced significant cognitive decline during the COVID-19 lockdown, with a notably higher decline in MMSE scores compared to before the lockdown.
- A study conducted at Ibn Sina Hospital in Kuwait evaluated 36 patients, revealing that 30.6% progressed to a more severe stage of dementia during this time.
- The results highlight the importance of addressing the specific needs of dementia patients, emphasizing the need for healthcare systems to focus on their mental, physical, and social well-being during crises like the pandemic.
Article Synopsis
- The Mediator multiprotein complex plays a key role in regulating gene transcription through RNA polymerase II.
- A study identified disease-causing variants in the MED27 gene, which is part of the Mediator complex, in 16 patients with a new neurodevelopmental syndrome.
- Affected patients displayed similar symptoms, including developmental delays, intellectual disability, motor issues, and in some cases, seizures and cataracts, highlighting the importance of MED27 in neural development, especially in the cerebellum.
Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) affects predominantly obese females during their reproductive age period. The demographics of this condition has not been studied in Kuwait before. To determine the demographics, clinical features, risk factors, and treatment modalities of IIH in the main neurology tertiary referral hospital in Kuwait and to compare our data with literature.
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