Fahr’s Disease (FD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder of uncertain etiology characterized by abnormal intracranial calcium deposition in the basal ganglia. It initially presents in the 4th to 6th decade of life with diverse neuropsychiatric manifestations. The correlation between vascular calcifi cation and coronary artery disease had been studied extensively, but its correlation with cerebrovascular disease remains elusive. Vascular calcifi cation is thus an important risk factor for coronary artery disease. It was also postulated that a similar risk for cerebrovascular disease may be attributable to intracranial vascular calcifi cation. We present the case of a 46-year-old male with progressive affective and cognitive disturbances, parkinsonism and ataxia. Eight years after initial presentation, he developed an acute ischemic infarct in the background of diffuse intracranial calcifi cation characteristic of FD, confi rmed by neuroimaging (Figure 1). While a number of cases FD with associated stroke or stroke-like symptoms have been reported, we are unaware of such occurrence in a Filipino. A pathologic model linking intracranial vascular calcifi cation in FD with cerebrovascular disease and ischemic stroke has been proposed, and warrants further investigation.
Stroke ; Cerebrovascular Disorders

BACKGROUND

Sarcopenia is a multifactorial disease with a progressive decline in skeletal muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. Curcumin is a nutraceutical investigated for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is inexpensive, accessible, and considered a safe and practical approach to help alleviate symptoms of sarcopenia and improve muscle mass and function. Objective: This systematic review aims to obtain more conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of curcumin among adults 40 years and above with sarcopenia in improving muscle pain, strength, performance, and muscle morphology.

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aims to obtain more conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of curcumin among adults 40 years and above with sarcopenia in improving muscle pain, strength, performance, and muscle morphology.

METHODOLOGY

The review will be conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. It will focus on any interventional studies on curcumin for adults diagnosed with sarcopenia, with the following outcomes: clinically significant improvement in pain, muscle strength and performance, quality of life, and improvement in muscle morphology. Studies completed until 2024 will be included. The databases to be searched include PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL Plus (EBSCOhost), Embase, and Web of Science. The identified citations will be collated in Zotero and uploaded to Covidence© to be assessed using the eligibility criteria and systematically reviewed by two independent reviewers. The CASP Randomised Controlled Trial Checklist will be utilized to assess the quality of the included studies.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The results will serve as a groundwork for future sarcopenia research among allied health specialists, particularly those in the field of physiotherapy - students, healthcare practitioners, and academicians (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023448750).

Sarcopenia ; Curcumin ; Systematic Review