Internal Medicine
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Ambulatory Autonomic Testing in Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson’s Disease
A comparison of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring with tilt-table testing in 23 patients with multiple system atrophy, 18 with Parkinson’s disease and autonomic dysfunction, and 33 with Parkinson’s disease alone demonstrated 82% sensitivity and 100% specificity in detecting orthostatic hypotension. This suggests ambulatory monitoring provides valuable information on these patients’ function.
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Does Therapeutic Hypothermia Improve Functional Outcomes After Convulsive Status Epilepticus?
In a multicenter trial in France, patients admitted to the ICU from 2011-2015 for convulsive status epilepticus were randomly assigned to receive standard therapy (control group) or hypothermia plus standard therapy (treatment group). The primary outcome measure was an absence of functional impairment at 90 days after seizure onset, as measured by the Glasgow Outcome Scale (score of 5). There was no significant difference in outcomes between the two groups.
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Imaging of Glial Cell Activation in the Brains of Professional Football Players
In this case-controlled study, PET scanning reflective of microglial activation and diffusion-tensor imaging assessing white matter integrity was performed on 14 National Football League players (four current, 10 retired) and compared to 16 matched controls, suggesting significant ongoing localized brain injury and repair along with subtle white matter changes in professional football players.
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Polyneuropathy in the Metabolic Syndrome
The metabolic syndrome, independent of the diagnosis of diabetes, is associated with the development of polyneuropathy.
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Supplements Instead of Food? A Specific Case for Yes
A nutritional supplement helped malnourished nursing home residents gain weight and improve quality of life, more so than dietary advice and counseling.
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Chocolate Consumption and MI Risk
A prospective cohort study and confirmatory meta-analysis on Swedish adults determined chocolate consumption is associated with lower risk of myocardial infarction and coronary artery disease.
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Suicide and Religious Service Attendance
Women who report regular attendance at religious services have a lower suicide rate than those who report not attending services at all.
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Calcium and Cardiovascular Risk Updates: The Bare Bones
Calcium plays a significant role in the function and diseases of the muscles (skeletal and smooth), nerves, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and renal systems. As a nutrient, it is one of the most recognized by the public for its use for osteoporosis and bone health. However, its association with cardiovascular disease risk is a more recent example of the growing understanding of calcium’s role in our health. A number of recent updates over the past year (cardiovascular disease risk in particular) are noteworthy.
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Discharge Antibiotic Prescriptions Often Are Inappropriate with Regard to Choice, Dose, Duration
Seventy percent of discharge antibiotic prescriptions are inappropriate.
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Bezlotoxumab Injection (Zinplava)