Objectives: Obesity is defined as a risk factor for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). In this study, the presence or absence of recovery in median nerve conduction velocities after weight loss in obese patients was assessed in order to determine whether excess weight or other factors influence the higher prevalence of CTS in obese patients. Methods: Patients with body mass indexes (BMIs) ≧30 were included in the study. CTS symptoms, age, gender, height, body weight, and concomitant diseases were evaluated. Nerve conduction studies (NCS) were obtained on one upper extremity. All patients were included in dietetic programs. Three months later, NCS were repeated and compared with the first NCS. Results: BMIs were statistically significantly lower on the second visits 3 months later (p = 0.0001). No statistically significant difference was observed in the second NCS of electromyographically diagnosed cases with CTS (p > 0.05). Conclusion: We expected a recovery in median nerve conduction velocities in patients with CTS after weight loss. In the literature, even in untreated cases with CTS, spontaneous improvements in second NCS have been reported. This finding suggests that factors other than excess body weight may be influential in the higher prevalence of CTS in obese patients. A more detailed, genetic-factor-targeted investigation may prove more beneficial to clarify this issue.

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Most cases of idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) are believed to be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between toxocariasis and Parkinson disease (PD). Patients were selected from people who were admitted to the Movement Disorders Branch, Neurology Department of Elazığ University Faculty of Medicine Elazığ, Turkey. We studied specific IgG antibodies against Toxocara canis (T. canis) in 50 patients with idiopathic Parkinson and 50 healthy volunteers. We investigated the clinical history of three patients infected with T. canis. We also studied specific IgG antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in these groups. Antibodies anti-Toxocara canis were found in 3 idiopathic PD (6%) (P = 0.121) and antibody titer was not found in control. A patient had history of the presence of dog in current dog ownership. We did not detect any statistically significant association between T. canis and IPD. But, we believe that further comprehensive studies are required for understanding whether there is a causal relation between toxocariasis and PD. We didn't find possible association between Toxoplasma gondii and IPD (P = 0.617).