Aliakbar Taheraghdam; Peyman Pourkhanjar; Mahnaz Talebi; Mohammadreza Bonyadi; Ali Pashapour; Ehsan Sharifipour; Reza Rikhtegar
Volume 13, Issue 1 , March 2014, , Pages 7-12
Abstract
Background: Due to underlying autoimmune background of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the possible role of infectious agents cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and also due to association of anti-ganglioside antibodies with GBS, the present study aimed to investigate the associations ...
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Background: Due to underlying autoimmune background of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), the possible role of infectious agents cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and also due to association of anti-ganglioside antibodies with GBS, the present study aimed to investigate the associations between serum anti-ganglioside antibodies (AGA) level, type of infection and electrodiagnostic (ED) findings with the severity and three- month functional outcome of patients with GBS.Methods: In a prospective study, 30 patients with GBS were selected and before starting the treatment, baseline serum samples of patients were obtained for measuring the serum AGA including the antibodies against GQ1b, GT1b, GD1a, GD1b, GM1, GM2, GM3 and strains of CMV and EBV. All the patients were precisely examined for ED findings. Functional status of patients on admission and three months after admission were recorded according to the modified Rankin scale (mRS).Results: The results of patients' serum assessment revealed that CMV IgM was positive in one patient (3.3%), CMV IgG in 29 patients (96.7%) and EBV IgG in 27 patients (90%). Anti-GM1 was found in 3 patients (10%) and anti- GM3 was found only in one patient (3.3%). However, no statistical significant association was found between the AGA and strain of the disease and ED findings.Conclusion: Despite the coexistence of AGA and serum antibodies against CMV and EBV in some GBS patients, there was not clear association in this regard. However, the AGA was positive in patients who suffered from severe phase of the disease.
Rana Sorkhabi; Somaiyeh Mostafaei; Mohammadhosein Ahoor; Mahnaz Talebi
Volume 12, Issue 2 , June 2013, , Pages 51-55
Abstract
Background: Headache is one of the most disturbing symptoms with common neurological signs. Variations in optic nerve perfusion quality or retinal microcirculation may end up in ganglion cell damage in patients with migraine.Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with migraine and thirty normal individuals ...
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Background: Headache is one of the most disturbing symptoms with common neurological signs. Variations in optic nerve perfusion quality or retinal microcirculation may end up in ganglion cell damage in patients with migraine.Methods: Sixty patients diagnosed with migraine and thirty normal individuals were evaluated in groups including migraine with aura, migraine without aura and controls. Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness was measured using stratus optical coherence tomography (OCT™) and then was compared in case and control groups.Results: RNFL thickness was only significantly thinner in nasal quadrant in migraineurs compared to the control group. Other parameters showed no difference between the two groups and besides there was no statistically difference between the two migraine subgroups.Conclusion: Given the significant difference in nasal quadrant RNFL thickness between the migraineurs and normal individuals, we might be able to defend the retinal blood flow decrease theory in migraine; however, multicentre studies with larger samples seem mandatory.