BACKGROUND: Cerebral circulation delivers the blood flow to the brain through a dedicated network of sanguine vessels. A healthy human brain can regulate cerebral blood flow (CBF) according to any physiological or pathological challenges. The brain is protected by its self-regulatory mechanisms, which are dependent on neuronal and support cellular populations, including endothelial ones, as well as metabolic, and even myogenic factors. OBJECTIVES: Accumulating data suggest that “non-pharmacological” approaches might provide new opportunities for stroke therapy, such as electro-/acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, hypothermia/cooling, photobiomodulation, therapeutic gases, transcranial direct current stimulations, or transcranial magnetic stimulations. We reviewed the recent data on the mechanisms and clinical implications of these non-pharmaceutical treatments. METHODS: To present the state-of-the-art for currently available non-invasive, non-pharmacological-related interventions in acute ischemic stroke, we accomplished this synthetic and systematic literature review based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Principles Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). RESULTS: The initial number of obtained articles was 313. After fulfilling the five steps in the filtering/selection methodology, 54 fully eligible papers were selected for synthetic review. We enhanced our documentation with other bibliographic resources connected to our subject, identified in the literature within a non-standardized search, to fill the knowledge gaps. Fifteen clinical trials were also identified. DISCUSSION: Non-invasive, non-pharmacological therapeutic/rehabilitative interventions for acute ischemic stroke are mainly holistic therapies. Therefore, most of them are not yet routinely used in clinical practice, despite some possible beneficial effects, which have yet to be supplementarily proven in more related studies. Moreover, few of the identified clinical trials are already completed and most do not have final results. CONCLUSIONS: This review synthesizes the current findings on acute ischemic stroke therapeutic/rehabilitative interventions, described as non-invasive and non-pharmacological.

SARS−COV-2 may induce myopathy.

Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) with neurogenic bladder (NB) represent a major medical problem, which initiated the search for a non‑invasive and effective treatment that is easy to apply and without side effects. A study was performed using interferential medium frequency current electrical stimulation (IMFC ES) on 332 patients shortly after SCI diagnosed with NB dysfunction. All subjects received standard care and patients of the experimental group additionally received IMFC ES. Urinary management results included volitional control of voiding, intermittent catheterization, post‑voidance residuum (PVR) quantity and quantity of urine lost (LOSS). Results were assessed based on the American spinal cord injury association impairment scale (AIS). The IMFC ES included two channels of medium frequency stimulation that were marginally different. Within the body, a low frequency field was generated through the interaction of the medium frequencies, which stimulated the urinary structures. In the IMFC ES group, interference stimulation was applied for 10 min with frequencies cycling from 0‑100 Hz and back in 10 sec intervals. The strength of the low frequency stimulation, achieved by the interference of the two medium‑frequency fields, was adjusted to the patients' vibration sensation. The intensities triggering vibration sensation were between 20‑80 mA for patients with AIS levels B, C and D. For patients with AIS level A intensities <20 mA were used for therapeutic effects without causing skin injuries. Safety of IMFC ES was based on occurrence of adverse events of which none were recorded in the experimental group. IMFC ES was effective in patients with AIS levels B and C, significantly decreasing PVR and LOSS compared with patients receiving standard care No significant improvements in urinary management were observed following IMFC ES treatment of patients with AIS level A. Patients with SCI and NB classed as AIS levels B and C that exhibit preserved sensitivity were the best beneficiaries of IMFC ES therapy.

Background: We aimed to assess the effects of modulated neuroprotection with intermittent administration in patients with unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS) after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: Retrospective analysis of 60 patients divided into two groups, with and without neuroprotective treatment with Actovegin, Cerebrolysin, pyritinol, L-phosphothreonine, L-glutamine, hydroxocobalamin, alpha-lipoic acid, carotene, DL-α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, thiamine, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, Q 10 coenzyme, and L-carnitine alongside standard treatment. Main outcome measures: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) after TBI, Extended Glasgow Coma Scale (GOS E), Disability Rankin Scale (DRS), Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), all assessed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after TBI. Results: Patients receiving neuroprotective treatment recovered more rapidly from UWS than controls (p = 0.007) passing through a state of minimal consciousness and gradually progressing until the final evaluation (p = 0.000), towards a high cognitive level MOCA = 22 ± 6 points, upper moderate disability GOS-E = 6 ± 1, DRS = 6 ± 4, and an assisted gait, FIM =101 ± 25. The improvement in cognitive and physical functioning was strongly correlated with lower UWS duration (−0.8532) and higher GCS score (0.9803). Conclusion: Modulated long-term neuroprotection may be the therapeutic key for patients to overcome UWS after severe TBI.

Ten patients suffering from residual symptoms after the resolution of COVID-19, which manifested as fatigue in the lower limbs, have been submitted to nerve conduction studies. Motor demyelinating neuropathy features mainly of the tibial nerves but also the peroneal, median, and ulnar nerves were objectified. These findings might be considered as new neurological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The evaluation of medical Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems presents significant challenges, with performance often varying drastically across studies. This narrative review identifies prompt quality—the way questions are formulated for the AI—as a critical yet under-recognized variable influencing these outcomes. The analysis explores scientific literature published between January 2018 and August 2025 to investigate the impact of prompt engineering on the perceived accuracy and reliability of conversational AI in medicine. Results reveal a “performance paradox,” where AI sometimes surpasses human experts in controlled settings yet underperforms in broader meta-analyses. This inconsistency is strongly linked to the type of prompt used. Critical concerns are highlighted, such as “prompting bias,” which may invalidate study conclusions, and AI “hallucinations” that generate dangerously incorrect information. Furthermore, a significant gap exists between the optimal prompts formulated by experts and the natural queries of the general public, raising issues of safety and health equity. In the end we were interested in finding out what the optimal balance existed between the complexity of a prompt and the value of the generated response, and, in this context, whether we could attempt to define a path toward identifying the best possible prompt.