R. García-Ramos

Levodopa infusion improves impulsivity and dopamine dysregulation syndrome in Parkinson's disease

Impulsivity and dopamine dysregulation syndrome are frequent complications of treatment in Parkinsons disease (PD).

Fraude y conductas inapropiadas en las publicaciones científicas

Resumen Introduccion Los editores de revistas cientificas han sido, tradicionalmente, poco conscientes de la existencia de fraudes y conductas inapropiadas, mas preocupados por los temas relacionados con el impacto o con la revision editorial, pero en los ultimos anos, se ha ido comprobando y denunciando que existen comportamientos inadecuados en el ambito cientifico y que ademas no son infrecuentes. Desarrollo Se revisan las conductas inapropiadas de autores mas frecuentes que suponen una vulneracion de las condiciones que debe tener un trabajo cientifico e incluyen fraudes como el plagio, las publicaciones repetidas o las publicaciones redundantes. Se discute su frecuencia y las perspectivas desde la edicion. Conclusiones Muchos editores estan reclamando regulaciones claras para prevenir las conductas inapropiadas. La revision editorial y facilitar herramientas de evaluacion para los revisores son formulas de prevencion, pero no infalibles. Lo destacable puede ser que los equipos editoriales tomen consciencia de su existencia.

Epicrania Fugax: Ten New Cases and Therapeutic Results

(Headache 2010;50:451‐458)

Evaluation of the new consensus criteria for the diagnosis of primary progressive aphasia using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

Background: New consensus criteria have been proposed to classify primary progressive aphasia (PPA) into three variants: agrammatic, semantic, and logopenic. Some studies have subsequently addressed the usefulness of these criteria, with controversial results. We aimed to determine the correlation between the clinical diagnosis according to the new criteria and brain topography in 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Methods: Patients meeting the PPA criteria were prospectively recruited in a single center during a period of 18 months. They were clinically classified according to the new criteria and underwent FDG-PET. The cerebral metabolism of each patient was compared to a healthy control group using statistical parametric mapping. The expected variant according to the analysis of PET imaging was compared with the clinical diagnosis using the consensus criteria. Results: 32 patients were included. 90% of them fulfilled the consensus criteria and could be classified into one of the three clinical variants. The correlation with the cerebral metabolism was high: the kappa index was 0.91 in the agrammatic variant, 0.71 in the semantic variant, and 0.74 in the logopenic variant. Conclusions: A high correlation with the diagnosis obtained using FDG-PET was found. However, an overdiagnosis of the logopenic variant was observed. These results support the use of the new criteria, but some modifications or complementary studies may still be necessary.

Fraud and misconduct in scientific publications

INTRODUCTION Editors of scientific publications have, traditionally, been unaware of frauds and misconduct, being more concerned with subjects associated to impact or with editorial review. But, in the last few years they have been checking and reporting that there is misconduct in the scientific field, and furthermore, it is not uncommon. METHOD The most common misconduct of authors is reviewed. These are seen as an infringement of the conditions that a scientific work must have, and include fraud, such as plagiarism, repeated publications or redundant publications. Their frequency and the perspectives from a publishing point of view are discussed. CONCLUSIONS Many editors are demanding clear regulations to prevent misconduct. Editorial review and the provision of evaluation tools for reviewers are prevention, but not infallible formulas. What is most important could be that editorial teams be aware of its existence.

Superoxide dismutase: The cause of all amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?

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INFORME DE LA FUNDACIÓN DEL CEREBRO SOBRE EL IMPACTO SOCIAL DE LA ENFERMEDAD DE PARKINSON EN ESPAÑA

INTRODUCTION Understanding the social and economic impact of Parkinsons disease is essential for resource planning and raising social awareness. DEVELOPMENT Researchers reviewed the data published to date on epidemiology, morbidity and mortality, dependency, and economic impact of Parkinsons disease in Spain. In addition, a study has been carried out in order to define the public and private health care resources of Spanish patients affected by Parkinsons disease by means of an e-mail survey of all neurologists specialising in this disease and belonging to the Spanish Society of Neurologys study group for movement disorders. CONCLUSIONS The incidence and prevalence rates of Parkinsons disease in Spain are similar to those in the rest of Europe. According to current population estimates, there are at least 300.000 patients with Parkinsons disease and one new case per 10.000 habitants per year in Spain. This has a major impact on the patients quality of life and nearly doubles patient mortality. In addition, the disease generates sizeable costs for the country that may exceed 17.000€ per year per patient; costs will rise due to the ageing of the population and the new therapies employed. Healthcare professionals and administrators dedicate their efforts to providing quality care to patients. Despite the above, we still have a long way to go in order to provide quality, efficient, multidisciplinary, and universal healthcare.

Editorial bias in scientific publications

Abstract Introduction Many authors believe that there are biases in scientific publications. Editorial biases include publication bias; which refers to those situations where the results influence the editors decision, and editorial bias refers to those situations where factors related with authors or their environment influence the decision. Development This paper includes an analysis of the situation of editorial biases. One bias is where mainly articles with positive results are accepted, as opposed to those with negative results. Another is latent bias, where positive results are published before those with negative results. In order to examine editorial bias, this paper analyses the influence of where the article originated; the country or continent, academic centre of origin, belonging to cooperative groups, and the maternal language of the authors. The article analyses biases in the editorial process in the publication of funded clinical trials. Conclusions Editorial biases exist. Authors, when submitting their manuscript, should analyse different journals and decide where their article will receive adequate treatment.

El perfil de los evaluadores de una publicación médica en relación a la respuesta

INTRODUCTION The expert is essential in the external evaluation process and for this reason it is necessary to know the profile and characteristics of the best evaluators. MATERIAL AND METHODS We have retrospectively analysed the external review process of the journal from the 1st of January 2005 until the 30th of June 2009, with the aim of knowing the profile of the experts in relation to the response to the requests. The response rate, mean delay time and responder rate were evaluated, using, sex, age and forming part of the editorial committee as variables. RESULTS The response rate fell as the number of evaluations increased. Women had a higher response rate, lower delay time and better performance than males. The response rate showed a tendency to decrease with age and the large majority of responders were between 29 and 39 years. Being a member of the journal committees was not associated with a better response rate, although there was less delay. The response rate and the delay time are similar, although it may increase with the number of requests to a reviewer. CONCLUSIONS Lower age and being female are associated with a better response. No fatigue effect was observed in good responders, but if there is a fall in the response rates the number of evaluators should be increased.

Validation of a Spanish Version of the Lille Apathy Rating Scale for Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction. To date, no rating scales for detecting apathy in Parkinsons disease (PD) patients have been validated in Spanish. For this reason, the aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of Lille apathy rating scale (LARS) in a cohort of PD patients from Spain. Participants and Methods. 130 PD patients and 70 healthy controls were recruited to participate in the study. Apathy was measured using the Spanish version of LARS and the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI). Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, and interrater reliability) and validity (construct, content, and criterion validity) were measured. Results. Interrater reliability was 0.93. Cronbachs α for LARS was 0.81. The test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.97. The correlation between LARS and NPI scores was 0.61. The optimal cutoff point under the ROC curve was −14, whereas the value derived from healthy controls was −11. The prevalence of apathy in our population tested by LARS was 42%. Conclusions. The Spanish version of LARS is a reliable and useful tool for diagnosing apathy in PD patients. Total LARS score is influenced by the presence of depression and cognitive impairment. However, both disorders are independent identities with respect to apathy. The satisfactory reliability and validity of the scale make it an appropriate instrument for screening and diagnosing apathy in clinical practice or for research purposes.