Scientific Program

Day 1 :

Keynote Forum

Hashim Missawi

Maria's Sudanese Charitable Association for Care of Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Sudan

Keynote: Non-pathological brain ageing vs dementia

Time :

Biography:

Hashim Missawi is currently working as a Consultant Pathologist and Head of Pathology Department at MMC Hospital, Ministry of Health Madinah Munawara, KSA. He is also a Member of Maria's Sudanese Charitable Association for Care of Alzheimer's Disease patients. He has completed his MBBS degree in 1982.

Abstract:

A leading character in life processes is their irreversibility, the fact that they are tied to the passage of time. The most common causes of death and suffering, even in most underdeveloped nations are age-related diseases. These diseases share fundamental and often have less appreciated pathology at the cellular and genetic levels. Ageing is a mandatory degenerative process that includes CNS (Central Nervous System) as well as other systems. Death is an unavoidable sequel that cannot be separated from the differentiation of cells, tissues and organs. Age-associated memory impairment is a part of ageing syndrome which includes changes that are deleterious, progressive, universal and thus far irreversible. Diseases of old age (diseases which increase in frequency with age, such as arthritis, osteoporosis, heart disease, Alzheimer's Disease, etc.) are often distinguished from aging per second. Senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute to age-related declines in brain function. At the same time cellular senescence prevents the unregulated growth and malignant transformation of proliferating cells as indicated by the decreasing incidence of brain tumors with advanced ageing. A sharp demarcation between normal brain ageing and Alzheimer's disease can be achieved by understanding the pathogenesis of the latter. A good example is the evaluation of amyloid deposition which can provide a solid base for specific and efficient treatment for Alzheimer's disease but not for
ageing.

Keynote Forum

Eduardo Garcia-Toledano

World Rare Disorders Foundation & Childhood Cancer Foundation, Spain

Keynote: Management of physical health conditions in adults with severe mental disorders

Time : 10:40 to 11:20

Biography:

Eduardo Garcia-Toledano is currently working as a Vice President and General Counsel of Global Health, Madrid, Spain. He is heading up the group responsible for the foundation's external liaison with all stakeholders working to support the availability of treatments for childhood cancer and rare diseases on behalf of the company. He has worked on programs for the Spanish Government Ministry of Health, social services and equality. His career has been focused on patient care and case management for patients with chronic and rare diseases, working with laboratories and orphan drugs helping people who need help and are suffering from rare and chronic diseases.

Abstract:

The global burden of disease due to mental disorders continues to rise, especially in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC). In addition to cause a large proportion of morbidity, mental disorders, especially Severe Mental Disorders (SMD) are linked with poorer health outcomes and increased mortality. SMD are defined as a group of conditions that include moderate to severe depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. People with SMD have two to three times higher average mortality compared to the general population, which translates to a 10-20-year reduction in life expectancy. The WHO Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan (2013-2020) outlines a vision where people living with mental disorders can exercise the full range of human rights and to access high quality, culturally-appropriate health and social care in a timely way to promote recovery. In service of this vision and as part of WHO’s mental health Gap Action Program (mhGAP), these guidelines on the management of physical health conditions in adults with severe mental disorders will provide up-to-date, evidence-based recommendations to support the scale-up of care for physical health conditions and their risk factors affecting people living with SMD globally. Existing WHO guidelines for the general population are relevant to the physical health conditions that increase the morbidity and mortality for people with SMD, for example, the Package of Essential Non-communicable (PEN) disease interventions for primary health care in low-resource.

Keynote Forum

Javier Obis

Miguel Servet University Hospital, Spain

Keynote: Review of Retinal and Choroidal Thickness in Parkinson Disease evaluated with optical coherence tomography

Time : 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m

Biography:

Javier Obis is an ophthalmologist whose expertise is in ophthalmological alterations related to Parkinson disease. He has published several articles in PubMed about retinal and choroidal alterations measured with OCT in neurological diseases, especially in PD. He has also done research on visual alterations related with PD and other neurological diseases. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis, which studies the retinal and choroidal thickness alterations that appear in patients with PD, and also the visual alterations that these patients suffer. The aim of his doctoral thesis is to find an easy and innocuous biomarker for PD progression.

Abstract:

Parkinson´s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative process that causes a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, mainly in the basal ganglia. It also affects the intraretinal dopaminergic circuitry. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique which is used in Ophthalmology to evaluate the layers of the retina and choroid (the vascular layer that nourishes the retinal cells).  Since 2004, several studies have proved changes on various retinal layers in PD using OCT, however, there are discrepancies among their results. Some of them have correlated retinal thickness with the severity or duration of the disease, demonstrating that OCT measurements may be an innocuous and easy biomarker for PD progression. Other studies have demonstrated visual dysfunctions since early phases of the disease. Lastly, the most recent studies that use Swept Source OCT technology, have found choroidal thickness increase in PD patients. This study has reviewed 24 articles from PubMed on OCT and PD in order to determine the altered retinal and choroidal parameters in PD and their possible clinical utility. Their main results have been summarized in a table. Conclusions: retinal thickness is decreased in the macular and in the peripapillary area in patients with PD. The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness is especially decreased. These findings could be due to the loss of ganglion cells that happens in neurodegenerative diseases and the loss of amacrine cells, which are dopaminergic cells. Choroidal thickness could be increased in patients with PD. This could be due to an increase of the fibrovascular tissue, similar to what happens to cerebral vessels in vascular Parkinson. Some parameters of retinal thickness have been correlated with the severity and duration of the disease. Consequently, OCT could be an innocuous biomarker for PD progression.

Keynote Forum

Hashim Missawi

MC Hospital, Sudan

Keynote: Clinicopathological correlation and laboratory investigations in dementia

Time : 10:00 to 10:40

Biography:

Hashim Missawi is Consultant Pathologist in MC Hospital, Sudan. He is  MBBS. MD in Geriatric Pathology.

Abstract:

Dementias including Alzheimer's disease are the most common terminal illnesses amongst ageing populations, and their prevalence continues to increase along with increased human life expectancy. Based on clinical criteria alone, the diagnosis cannot be made until the disease is in a relatively far advanced stage. Neuropathology accumulates gradually, and it has been shown that neuropathological features, eventually leading to the clinical syndrome of dementia, may be present as early as 20 years before the first symptoms become overt. Relevant laboratory techniques are required to classify the complex dynamic neuro-anatomical changes that occur over time in health and disease. With the advent of potential therapies for the treatment of degenerative dementias, clinical pathology strategies need to enable early diagnosis and facilitate monitoring of disease progression in treatment trials. This presentation highlights some of the innovative structural and functional techniques in modern pathology that have impacted on the differentiation and clinical management of dementia and normal ageing. Along with in vivo brain structural imaging which has an established role in the evaluation and monitoring of neuro-anatomical changes there is a clear need for sensitive and reliable biologic markers that are able to demonstrate the presence of neuropathology before a patient has reached the stage of clinical dementia. There have been remarkable developments in neuroimaging markers over the past decade, most notably the advent of positron emission tomography (PET) amyloid imaging using radiotracers that label fibrillary forms of amyloid- "A". Similarly, new research in CSF markers suggests CSF levels of Aβ1-42 and phosphorylated tau (T-tau and P-tau) may be useful in the early diagnosis of AD and prediction of cognitive decline.

Keynote Forum

Mohamed Abdalhameed Alnor

University of Khartoum, Sudan

Keynote: Establishing the first specialized clinic for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in Sudan

Time : 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m

Biography:

Mohamed Abdalhameed is a psychiatrist, and molecular medicine physician, trained and working in Sudan. He is the head department of psychiatry at Sudan International University, and assisted professor (fellow) at the University of Khartoum. Mohamed is interested in molecular bases of psychiatric disorders, mainly Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease. He established the first clinic for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan, with collaborative partners.

Abstract:

Sudan is one of the largest countries in African. It was estimated that around 3.27% of the total population - 37,345,935 (July 2017 est.) – are 65 years old or over. Neither the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan nor of the dementia are reported. However, it is well-known that 2.4 % of the Africa population is suffering from dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is found to be the main cause (57.1% of the cases). There are no specialized geriatric medicine or old age psychiatric clinics in Sudan. Most of the cases of dementia are treated by the neurologists and the general adult psychiatrists, either in the public hospitals or the private clinics. In September 2018 we are going to establish the first specialized clinic for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan. The clinic is an outcome of a collaborative work between Antalya medical center, Maria charitable association for care and rehabilitation of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Tabouk Pharmaceutical Company-Sudan, and a volunteer psychiatrist, neurologist and physiotherapist, plus a supervision from a Sudanese old age psychiatrist and a geriatric's medicine physician, working in the United Kingdom. The outcome of these modest efforts is going to be displayed for discussion, gaining the best from the others experiences and establishing an international collaborative work.

  • Dementia | Alzheimer and Parkinson | Epilepsy | Multiple Sclerosis| Migraine | Prion Disease | Motor Neurone Diseases | Huntingtons Disease | Cognitive Impairment |Stroke
Location: Madrid

Session Introduction

Javier Obis

Miguel Servet University Hospital, Spain

Title: Review of retinal and choroidal thickness in Parkinson disease evaluated with optical coherence tomography
Speaker
Biography:

Javier Obis is an Ophthalmologist, has expertise in ophthalmological alterations related to Parkinson’s disease. He has published several articles in PubMed about retinal and choroid alterations measured with OCT in neurological diseases, especially in PD. He has researches on visual alterations related with PD and other neurological diseases. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis, which studies the retinal and choroid thickness alterations that appear in patients with PD and also the visual alterations that these patients suffer.

Abstract:

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative process that causes a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, mainly in the basal ganglia. It also affects the intra retinal dopaminergic circuitry. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique which is used in ophthalmology to evaluate the layers of the retina and choroid (the vascular layer that nourishes the retinal
cells). Since 2004, several studies have proved changes on various retinal layers in PD using OCT; however, there are discrepancies among their results. Some of them have correlated retinal thickness with the severity or duration of the disease, demonstrating that OCT measurements may be an innocuous and easy biomarker for PD progression. Other studies have demonstrated visual dysfunctions since early phases of the disease. Lastly, the most recent studies that use Swept Source OCT technology, have found choroidal thickness increase in PD patients.

Hamid Hassbrabu

Maria's Sudanese Charitable Association for Care of Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Sudan

Title: Alzheimer vs legal liability
Speaker
Biography:

Hamid Hassbrabu Alsubaei has completed his Master’s in Criminal Psychology from Khartoum University. He is currently pursuing his PhD from Khartoum University, Sudan in Criminal Psychology

Abstract:

Today, number of people with Alzheimer is higher and increasing faster than ever before. This phenomenon as it creates social and health problems, in the meantime makes unavoidable legal dilemmas that are to be discussed and heighted, researched and solved. This paper aims at shedding a light on whether those individuals whose symptoms, suffer and diagnosed as Alzheimer are to be involved in the legal system or not? The paper will examine these issues such as Those Individuals whose symptoms, suffer and diagnosed as Alzheimer, what is status of their fi tness to stand trial and at which stage of Alzheimer’s disease patient can be legally responsible for their civil and criminal acts.

Hashim Missawi

Maria's Sudanese Charitable Association for Care of Alzheimer's Disease Patients, Sudan

Title: Clinicopathological correlation and laboratory investigations in dementia
Speaker
Biography:

Hashim Missawi is currently working as a Consultant Pathologist and Head of Pathology Department, MMC Hospital, Ministry of Health Madinah Munawara, KSA. He is also a Member of Maria's Sudanese Charitable Association for Care of Alzheimer's Disease Patients. He has completed his MBBS degree and his objective is to further widen and develop experience in pediatric and geriatric pathology and laboratory quality control.

Abstract:

Dementias including Alzheimer's disease are the most common terminal illnesses amongst ageing populations and their prevalence continues to increase along with increased human life expectancy. Based on clinical criteria alone, the diagnosis cannot be made until the disease is in a relatively far advanced stage. Neuropathology accumulates gradually and it has been shown that neuro pathological features, eventually leading to the clinical syndrome of dementia, may be present as early as 20 years before the first symptoms become overt. Relevant laboratory techniques are required to classify the complex dynamic neuro-anatomical changes that occur over time in health and disease. With the advent of potential therapies for the treatment of degenerative dementias, clinical pathology strategies need to enable early diagnosis and facilitate monitoring of disease progression in treatment trials.

Javier Obis

Miguel Servet University Hospital, Spain

Title: Use of optical coherence tomography to assess retinal degeneration in patients with Parkinson’s disease
Speaker
Biography:

Javier Obis is an Ophthalmologist, has expertise in ophthalmological alterations related to Parkinson’s disease. He has published several articles in PubMed about
retinal and choroid alterations measured with OCT in neurological diseases, especially in PD. He has researches on visual alterations related with PD and other neurological diseases. He is currently working on his doctoral thesis, which studies the retinal and choroid thickness alterations that appear in patients with PD and also the visual alterations that these patients suffer.

Abstract:

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative process that causes a selective loss of dopaminergic neurons, affecting the basal ganglia and also the intra retinal dopaminergic circuitry. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive
imaging technique used in ophthalmology to evaluate the layers of the retina. The study aims to evaluate changes in the macular thickness and in the Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) after a 4 years follow up in patients with PD.

Abrar Nadir Aljaily

Nile University, Sudan

Title: A case study in Alzheimer's disease
Speaker
Biography:

Abrar Nadir Aljaily is currently a MBBS student in Nile University, Sudan and she is also a Member of Maria Charitable Association for Alzheimer’s patients.

Abstract:

Mrs. Maria 64 -year-old Sudanese female, a teacher her family history includes her father with dementia who is in his 70s. on 2005 she had chronic low back pain extending to the lower extremities she had also neck pain which diagnosed as malignant lymphoma with Central Nervous System (CNS) involvement she received chemotherapy biological engineering drug Rituximab injection and radiotherapy during the year of 2005 and 2006. She was followed up by oncology since then. Mrs. Maria started to have gradual memory impairment and deterioration of her cognitive function during her chemotherapy on 2006 her recent memory was mainly affected more than the remote one.

Eithar Nader Aljaily

Future University, Sudan

Title: Alzheimer's patients and how to deal with them and raise awareness about the disease
Speaker
Biography:

Eithar Nader Aljaily has completed her Bachelor of Architecture from Future University, Sudan. She is also a Member of MARIA Charitable Association and
Architecture Association at Future University.

Abstract:

Project definition: Alzheimer’s respite center provides flexible short-term care for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and long term for homeless people suffering from Alzheimer disease as well as offering a means of support for the affected families.
Aim: Lack of attention to provide the appropriate environment for Alzheimer’s in Sudan, lack of awareness of Alzheimer and how to deal with it.

Mohamed Abdalhameed Alnor

University of Khartoum, Sudan

Title: Establishing the first specialized clinic for Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease in Sudan
Speaker
Biography:

Mohamed Abdalhameed is a psychiatrist, and molecular medicine physician, trained and working in Sudan. He is the head department of psychiatry at Sudan International University, and assisted professor (fellow) at the University of Khartoum. Mohamed is interested in molecular bases of psychiatric disorders, mainly Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease. He established the first clinic for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan, with collaborative partners.

Abstract:

Sudan is one of the largest countries in African. It was estimated that around 3.27% of the total population - 37,345,935 (July 2017 est.) – are 65 years old or over. Neither the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan nor of the dementia are reported. However, it is well-known that 2.4 % of the Africa population is suffering from dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease is found to be the main cause (57.1% of the cases). There are no specialized geriatric medicine or old age psychiatric clinics in Sudan. Most of the cases of dementia are treated by the neurologists and the general adult psychiatrists, either in the public hospitals or the private clinics. In September 2018 we are going to establish the first specialized clinic for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in Sudan. The clinic is an outcome of a collaborative work between Antalya medical center, Maria charitable association for care and rehabilitation of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, Tabouk Pharmaceutical Company-Sudan, and a volunteer psychiatrist, neurologist and physiotherapist, plus a supervision from a Sudanese old age psychiatrist and a geriatric's medicine physician, working in the United Kingdom. The outcome of these modest efforts is going to be displayed for discussion, gaining the best from the others experiences and establishing an international collaborative work.

Day 2 :

Keynote Forum

Ahed J Alkhatib

Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan

Keynote: The role of natural antioxidants in declining memory defects in Alzheimer Disease

Time : 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m

Biography:

Ahed Jumah Alkhatib is working in Department of Forensic Sciences and Toxicology under Faculty of Medicine in Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan.

Abstract:

Alzheimer disease is a disease associated with neurodegenerative nature. We look for this disease in depth and think that functional alterations in white matter precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer disease. In other words, it is a matter of brain ageing that occur by years (may be 5 years) before Alzheimer disease had been developed. This period is characterized by depression, which partly may due to memory declining episodes. It was interestingly found that patients with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer disease.  We have found using experimental animal models that rats with diabetes exhibited functional abnormalities in white matter. In other words, we found two biomarkers with different expressions; the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) was highly expressed in white matter of diabetic rats compared with expression of iNOS in grey matter of the same group (p=0.000). On the other hand,  the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) exhibited different biological reactivity in which its expression was significantly decreased in white matter compared with that in grey matter of the same group (p=0.000). The phenomenon of varying expressions of the two markers was also observed in experimental models of Parkinson disease. In another study using brains of persons who died because of traumatic brain injury (TBJ), we showed high expression of iNOS. Our philosophy in realizing the concept of time implies that time is a series of events rather than a continuous movement or flux of time proceedings, and this understanding may help us in reversing the biological and pathological events of a disease. In other words, we may ask the following question: what will be the state of brain if we can reverse the biological events to the point before the disease had started? The answer may be surprised! This is the role of natural anti-oxidants. We have administered some medical herbs into animal models in our experiments and surprisingly found that the use of Urtica pilulifera  had signaling effects and interferes with cellular processes through decreasing the expression of iNOS,, and increasing the expression of Hsp70. We also found that the use of Ammi visnaga had signaling effects and lowered the expression of p53 i n the heart tissue of rats exposed to different models of smoking. We have previously found that exercise training helps in both neurogenesis and angiogenesis in brains of rats with Parkinson disease. Taken together, the use of natural antioxidants may help patients with Alzheimer disease to overcome depression and memory problems.

Keynote Forum

Rajib Dutta

West China Hospital, China

Keynote: Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia with genetic diagnosis of Wilsons disease

Time : 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m

Biography:

Rajib Dutta is a postgraduate neurology trainee 1st year in china with MRCP UK London, Diploma in emergency Medicine (Royal college UK), Diploma in clinical neuropsychology (UK), Pediatric Neurology certification BPNA (UK, ongoing). My professor is a movement disorder and neurodegenerative specialist in china and we see different spectrum of movement disorders patient  like chorea, dystonia, PD, tremors, myoclonus, AD, FTD, ALS, LBD, WD and other disorders like PERRY syndrome, Episodic ataxias, Parkinson plus syndromes (MSA,PSP,CBD), Dyskinesias (PKD,PED etc) so my research interest revolves around PD, Camptocormia, Paraneoplastic antibody syndromes or degeneration related to movement disorders.

Abstract:

Statement of the problem: Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD), a rare paroxysmal movement disorder often misdiagnosed as epilepsy, is characterized by recurrent, brief dyskinesia attacks from seconds to 5 min triggered by sudden voluntary movement like dystonia, tremor, myoclonic jerks. Ion channelopathy has been suggested, since the disease responds well to moderate dosage of like carbamazepine/oxcarbamazepine. Secondary causes of PKD which may well be associated with wilsons disease and other concurrent movement disorders should be sorted out if no evidence of ion channelopathy or genetic mutation is present. Case Report: A 22-year male patient presented to our OPD with voluntary movement of Right hand with minimal dystonia present in resting as well as moving state. The patient was diagnosed initially with PKD because it lasted for few seconds to 2 minutes. Routine labs were performed including blood ceruloplasmin, urine and serum copper which was consistent with diagnosis of WD. The ATP 7B gene mutation was positive and Wilson disease diagnosis was confirmed without any other phenotypic feature except dyskinesia/dystonia of right hand. Patient was started on traditional dosage of D -Penicillamine and being continued long term. In view of PKD we gave 50 mg bid dose of  carbamazepine which was later increased to 100 mg bid with complete resolution of symptoms . Conclusion and significance: We think PKD might be secondary to WD in our case or some unknown ion channelopathy might be present which is not yet reported till date. Response to CMZ and penicillamine was very obvious.Myoclonus can be easily confused with myoclonic epilepsy and use of antiepileptic drug may be inappropriate in this setting .So careful monitoring of symptoms as well as associations with other diseases should be considered while evaluating this type of rare treatable cases. Inappropriate treatment can easily exacerbate the symptoms and can degrade the quality of life and living in young patients.

  • Huntingtons Disease |Spinocerebellar Ataxia| Spinal Muscular Atrophy | Demyelinating Diseases | Headache
Location: Madrid

Session Introduction

Sana AlBustan

Kuwait University, Kuwait

Title: Parkinson Disease: A study of public awareness in Kuwait
Speaker
Biography:

Sana AlBustan is working in Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders in College of Life Sciences under Kuwait University. 

Abstract:

Purpose: The intended study would shed a light on Parkinson Disease (PD)in Kuwait. This study will represent the levels of awareness and knowledge among general people about PD that are currently not very well documented in Kuwait. Research Methodology: A questionnaire will be developed for this current study by the researcher that would consist of a structured item questionnaire that would compose of both open-ended and close-ended questions would be given to 50 males and 50 females after a committee of professionals in the field approve the questionnaire. Questions will be devolved to address various aspects of the definition PD, onset of PD, cause, treatment, and hereditariness Demographic data with participants demographic features such as age, gender, occupations, qualifications and educational level will also be considered and addressed in this research. SPSS analysis procedures will be used to examine and analyze the participants responses. Results: The study is still in its pre-implementation stage progress. The researcher anticipates her results will be consistent with other researchers’ findings. Important and new information that the present study might contribute: The primary goal of this study is to investigate the level of public awareness and knowledge of PD and facilitate the level of awareness and the services offered by governmental and private medical facilities in the Kuwait.

Ahed J Alkhatib

Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan

Title: The role of natural antioxidants in declining memory defects in Alzheimer’s disease
Speaker
Biography:

Ahed J Alkhatib is currently working as a researcher in Department of Forensic Science and Toxicology, Jordan University of Sciences and Technology, Jordon from 2011 to till date. He completed his PhD in Campbell University, medical technology, North Carolina, USA from 2008 to 2011.

Abstract:

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease associated with neurodegenerative nature. We look for this disease in depth and think that functional alterations in white matter precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As it were, it involves cerebrum maturing that happen by years (might be 5 years) before Alzheimer's infection had been created. This period is characterized by depression, which partly may be due to memory declining episodes. It was interestingly found that patients with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. We have found using experimental animal models that rats with diabetes exhibited functional abnormalities in white matter. In other words, we found two biomarkers with different expressions, the expression of inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) was highly expressed in white matter of diabetic rats compared with expression of iNOS in grey matter of the same group (p=0.000). On the other hand, the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) exhibited different biological reactivity in which its expression was signifi cantly decreased in white matter compared with that in grey matter of the same group (p=0.000).

Radu Mutihac

University of Bucharest, Romania

Title: Spatiotemporal dynamics of the human effective connectome at rest
Speaker
Biography:

Radu Mutihac is Chair of Medical Physics Section, University of Bucharest, and works in Neuroscience, Signal Processing, Microelectronics, and Artificial Intelligence. 

Abstract:

Alzheimer’s disease is a disease associated with neurodegenerative nature. We look for this disease in depth and think that functional alterations in white matter precede the clinical onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As it were, it involves cerebrum maturing that happen by years (might be 5 years) before Alzheimer's infection had been created. This period is characterized by depression, which partly may be due to memory declining episodes. It was interestingly found that patients with diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. We have found using experimental animal models that rats with diabetes exhibited functional abnormalities in white matter. 

Javier Sanchez

Instituto de Neurologia y Neurocirugia, Cuba

Title: Effects of policosanol on post-stroke cognitive impairment: a case report series study
Speaker
Biography:

Javier Sanchez is working at Instituto de Neurologia y Neurocirugia, Cuba.

Abstract:

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability, including post-stroke cognitive impairment (CI), for which no effective therapy is available. Post-stroke patients are managed with antiplatelet drugs, and antihypertensive, hypoglycemic and/or cholesterol-lowering drugs, as needed. Policosanol is an antiplatelet and cholesterol-lowering agent. Previous studies demonstrated that adding policosanol to aspirin (AS) therapy improves post-stroke neurological recovery compared to placebo + AS. Policosanol effects on post-stroke CI have not been investigated yet. This study was undertaken to record the evolution of recent post-stroke (≤30 days from onset) survivors with CI treated with policosanol + AS for 12 months. Patients with recent post- stroke CI untreated with policosanol were enrolled, managed according to guidelines and started on policosanol (20 mg/day) and AS (125 mg/day) for 12 months. Routine neurological examinations; control of therapy compliance and adverse experiences (AE) were done. CI was assessed with the Luria-Nebraska test at baseline and at 12 months. Stable condition was pre-defined as no change on test results, improvement as changes to better levels and deterioration as changes to worst levels. Patients (56) (37 men, 19 women) (73 years) exhibited vascular risk factors: hypertension (76.8%); dyslipidemia (50.0%); smoking (26.8%); and diabetes (17.9%). All patients completed the follow-up and none had a recurrent vascular event. Only 1 patient (1.8%) had further CI deterioration; 27 (48.2%) remained stable, and 29 (51.8%) exhibited mild or moderate improvement. Treatment was well tolerated. Only three patients reported mild AE. It is concluded that patients with CI post-ischemic stroke treated with policosanol + AS for 12 months had good evolution since none died, none had recurrent events, and most experienced CI improvement or remained stable. This study has limitations for stronger conclusions since it is a case report series, but our results encourage to investigate such effects in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.

 

Beenish Asrar

International Islamic University, Pakistan

Title: Memory, anxiety and alcohol use: Connections and disconnections of Nigella Sativa Oil (NSO) in alcohol induced effects in male Wistar rats
Speaker
Biography:

Beenish Asrar have been awarded the Indigenous PhD grant for her home country; 6-month research fellowship abroad, a travel grants for phenotyping course, system genetics by EMBO, and a travel grant for course at University of Luxembourg by Radboud University, Nijmegen. She is a young, ambitious, scientist, just started my scientific career. 

Abstract:

Shaista S Kazmi BA

Apna Ghar LLC, USA

Title: Unique challenges facing eldelry ethnic miniorities in the United States
Speaker
Biography:

Shaista S Kazmi BA is working at APNA GHAR LLC the first senior care agency to serve the needs of the Elderly Southeast Asian community. 

Abstract:

The most rapidly growing age demographic in the United States is elders from minority groups. This changing dynamic will call for attention to the needs, challenges and experiences of these groups. With the elderly minority population rising in the United States, the challenge will be how can health care professionals provide both institutional and non institutional services for elderly ethnic minorities. Although Alzheimer is vastly recognized throughout the world, elderly minorities are the last to be diagnosed with the disease. Cultural taboos and social stigma cause this group in particular not to seek help.

Dalamagka Maria

General hospital of Larissa, Greece

Title: Neuropathic pain
Speaker
Biography:

Dalamagka Maria, PhD (Pain medicine doctor, Aristotle University, Greece), consultant anesthetist (General Hospital of Larissa, Greece), teacher and trainer, acupuncturist,.

Abstract:

Background and purpose: Neuropathic pain (NP) is often refractory to pharmacologic and non-interventional treatment. Neuropathic pain can be distinguished from non-neuropathic pain by two factors. In neuropathic pain there is no transduction (conversion of a nociceptive stimulus into an electrical impulse). Finally, injury to major nerves is more likely than injury to non-nervous tissue to result in chronic pain. This review focuses on the clinical treatment of neuropathic pain as well aims to improve the care of adults with neuropathic pain. Methods: Clinical treatment of neuropathic pain depends on clinical evaluation, as treatment can be pharmacological or not; invasive treatment or other therapies. Results: Neuropathic pain because of its heterogeneity, there is often uncertainty regarding the nature and exact location of a lesion or health condition associated with neuropathic pain. Conclusions: Both peripheral and central nervous system mechanisms contribute to the persistence of most types of neuropathic pain. . Patients with conditions as diverse as diabetic polyneuropathy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) sensory neuropathy, poststroke syndromes, and multiple sclerosis frequently experience daily pain that greatly impairs their quality of life. Implications: Progress in basic science will lead to a greater understanding of the pathophysiologic mechanisms of neuropathic pain. 

Marwa A. Saad

Alexandria University, Egypt

Title: Serum levels of resistin and its relationship with some pro-infl ammatory cytokines in a cohort of Egyptian patients with Alzheimer’s disease
Speaker
Biography:

Marwa A. Saad born in October 26th 1974,Egyptian , BMCH; Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt, Oct 1998 graduated with  Excellent with honor” .Master degree of Internal Medicine; Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt, 2003. Graduation Grade: very good.The Master Degree thesis was:“Effect of Age on Some Hemorheological Parameters.” Thesis was accepted and graded as Excellent.Doctorate Degree in Internal Medicine; Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt. 2009.The Doctorate Degree thesis was:“Ischemic Stroke in relation to Interleukin-6, Interleukin-13, and certain markers of inflammation in elderly patients”

Abstract:

Inflammation may play an important role in Alzheimer disease (AD) pathogenesis. Resistin has hallmark regulatory functions in the inflammatory states. The aim of this study was to determine whether plasma resistin levels would be useful in the diagnosis of patients with AD and to investigate the relationships between resistin and other inflammatory markers namely IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP. 95 AD patients and 35 sex and age matched healthy subjects were included in the present study. Subjects with the following conditions were excluded from the study; DM, hypertension, liver or renal failure, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, subjects with BMI over 25, thyroid disorders, active infection or other inflammatory diseases, chronic use of anti-inflammatory drugs. The diagnosis of AD was determined based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria and MMSE. Serum resistin, IL-6, TNF-α, and CRP were measured for all participants. Serum levels of resistin, IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α were significantly higher in patients with AD than healthy controls. The resistin levels were positively correlated with the levels of IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α. MMSE was negatively correlated with IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α, whereas the correlation is only significant with CRP. A high statistically negative correlation was found between MMSE and resistin levels. We concluded that serum resistin may be linked to neuro-inflammtion of AD. Further studies with large patients’ number are needed in order to investigate a novel therapy for reversing or arresting the disease in the case of AD.

  • Cerebral Palsy | Cognitive Impairment | Convulsion | Neurologist | Neurodegeneration | Neuropathy
Location: Madrid