Marcos Vinícius Oliveira Marques

Somatic neurological complications are an underexplored component of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We evaluated long-term somatic neurological symptoms, examination findings, and suspected diagnoses among adults hospitalized for COVID-19. A total of 708 survivors were assessed 6–11 months after discharge using a structured three-step neurological evaluation based on the World Health Organization Protocol for Epidemiologic Studies of Neurologic Disorders : an adapted symptom questionnaire, a brief standardized neurological examination, and a full neurological consult. Muscle weakness, gait impairment, and paresthesias remained the most frequent symptoms at follow-up. Longer hospital stay predicted all three symptoms, and diabetes was associated with both gait impairment and paresthesias. Common examination findings included monoparesis, hemiparesis, and gradient-pattern sensory loss. Clinically suspected diagnoses included neuromuscular disease in 26%, cerebrovascular disease in 10%, and epilepsy in only 2.7% of cases. Logistic regression linked neuromuscular disease to paresthesias and tandem-walk failure, cerebrovascular disease to facial paralysis, and epilepsy to loss-of-contact episodes. A simplified screening model derived through best-subsets selection identified five informative items from the WHO protocol: paresthesias, facial paralysis, tandem walk, index–nose test, and loss-of-contact episodes. These findings indicate that somatic neurological abnormalities remain frequent months after severe COVID-19 and that a brief bedside subset may support efficient post-COVID neurological triage.

Background: Alpha-synucleinopathies are incurable neurodegenerative diseases. Abelson tyrosine kinase inhibitors (Abl TKIs) may be disease-modifying therapies. This systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression evaluated the use of Abl TKIs in their treatment. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for trials using Abl TKIs in patients with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia published until July 2023. The outcome was the change in the MDS-UPDRS-III (Movement Disorder Society–Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III). DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled effect estimates. Leave-one-out forest plots were used for the sensitivity analysis, and meta-regression (restricted maximum likelihood) was performed. Results: Five studies (197 patients) were included. Nilotinib 300 mg had an effect size of −1.154 (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.000 to 0.692). Nilotinib 150 mg and bosutinib 100 mg versus placebo yielded 0.82 (95% CI, −3.76 to 5.41). Sensitivity analysis showed that 1 trial changed the significance of the nilotinib 300 mg single-arm analysis (MD = −1.723; 95% CI, −2.178 to −1.268). Meta-regression revealed that lower age (EC = −0.9103, SE = 0.2286, P < 0.0001) and higher baseline MDS-UPDRS-III scores (EC = 0.1210, SE = 0.0168, P < 0.0001) could explain the inefficacy of nilotinib 300 mg. Conclusions: Nilotinib (300 mg) proved effective postsensitivity analysis, unlike lower doses and bosutinib in Parkinson's disease/Lewy body dementia. Abl TKIs showed reduced efficacy in younger, more impaired patients, indicating the need for further testing with higher-potency drugs in patients who have diseases that are in the early stage but with a later onset.

The efficacy and safety of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) relative to intravenous (IV) alteplase in patients with acute minor ischemic stroke are insufficiently established. Therefore, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis to compare DAPT with IV alteplase in patients with acute minor stroke. MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane were searched for studies comparing DAPT with IV alteplase in patients with minor stroke. Functional and safety outcomes in 90 days were analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using Rstudio 4.3.1. Subanalyses were performed restricted to non-disabling minor strokes and NIHSS score ≤ 3. PROSPERO (CRD42023440986). We included five studies with a total of 6,340 patients, of whom 4,050 (63.9%) received DAPT. The follow-up period for all included studies was 90 days. There was no significant difference for individual outcomes of mRS 0–1 (OR 1.26; 95% CI 0.85–1.89; p = 0.25), mRS 0–2 (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.69–1.43; p = 0.97), or all-cause mortality (OR 0.80; 95% CI 0.20–3.13; p = 0.75) between groups. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) was significantly lower (OR 0.11; 95% CI 0.003–0.36; p < 0.001) in patients treated with DAPT compared with IV alteplase. In terms of mRS 0–1 and mRS 0–2, we found no significant difference in both subgroup analyses. We found no statistically significant difference between DAPT and IV alteplase regarding functional outcome (mRS scores of 0–1 and 0–2) or all-cause mortality at 90 days in patients with minor ischemic stroke. Additionally, DAPT was associated with a significantly lower rate of sICH. Graphical Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has brought substantial challenges for current practices in treating hereditary neuromuscular disorders (hNMDs). However, this infection has not been the only concern for these patients. Social distancing has compromised multidisciplinary assistance and physical activity, and has brought about several mental health issues. We presented a follow-up on 363 patients with hNMDs at a Brazilian tertiary center during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective We aimed to show the frequency and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection among hNMD patients and to demonstrate the effects of the pandemic on life habits, disease progression and multidisciplinary supportive care status. Methods Three hundred and sixty-three patients (58% male and 42% female) were followed for three months through three teleconsultations during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Results There were decreases in the numbers of patients who underwent physical, respiratory and speech therapies. For several patients, their appetite (33%) and sleep habits (25%) changed. Physical exercises and therapies were interrupted for most of the patients. They reported new onset/worsening of fatigue (17%), pain (17%), contractions (14%) and scoliosis (7%). Irritability and sleep, weight and appetite changes, and especially diminished appetite and weight loss, were more frequent in the group that reported disease worsening. There was a low COVID-19 contamination rate (0.8%), and all infected patients had a mild presentation. Conclusion The isolation by itself was protective from a COVID-19 infection perspective. However, this isolation might also trigger a complex scenario with life habit changes that are associated with an unfavorable course for the NMD.