-
Within minutes of an acute cerebral ischemic insult, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) demonstrates ischemic regions with a decline in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of water. ADC decline is associated with impaired high-energy metabolism and loss of ion homeostasis. Animal studies and preliminary observations in humans demonstrate that initial DWI and ADC abnormalities are reversible by early reperfusion.
-
ALLHAT: Thiazide for Hypertension Treatment; Candesartan Effective Against Migraines; Cough! No Cold Relief from Echinacea; COX-2 Inhibitors and GI Benefits Could Be Overrated; FDA Actions
-
Three recent studies have provided further evidence linking elevated homocysteine levels to brain atrophy and cognitive dysfunction, as well as a decline in physical function.
-
The publication of the ALLHAT trial received much publicity not only in medical circles but was also front-page news in the Wall Street Journal. This trial was a significant blow to the pharmaceutical industry, and it convincingly showed that inexpensive diuretic medications had superiority over highly marketed ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers for the treatment of hypertension.
-
In this randomized, double-blind trial, a total of 213 patients with relapsing-remitting or relapsing secondary progressive multiple sclerosis were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: natalizumab at 3 or 6 mg/kg (68 and 74 patients, respectively), or placebo (71 patients), by infusion every month for 6 months.
-
-
Overlap of symptomatology can make differentiation of myasthenia gravis (MG) from Lambert Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS) challenging. Among 101 patients with MG and 38 with LEMS, clinical features allowing more accurate differential diagnosis are noted.
-
Among patients undergoing epilepsy surgery for pharmacologically refractory seizures, detection and excision of a structural lesion congruent with the electroencephalographic ictal onset is a strong predictor of a seizure-free outcome.
-
Stroke with no determined cause, or cryptogenic stroke (CS), accounts for nearly 40% of all ischemic strokes. Traditionally, it has been held that CS carries a more benign prognosis than other stroke subtypes. However, until this recent study, the long-term risk of recurrent stroke in this large segment of the stroke population had never been prospectively studied.
-
This study suggests that the risk conferred by an inherited thrombophilia for ischemic stroke is likely to be low overall and almost nonexistent in some ethnic groups such as individuals of African or African-Caribbean descent.