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The British government will soon allow over-the-counter sales of Mercks simvastatin (Zocor), marking the first time any country has allowed the OTC sale of a statin.
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This paper examined the risk of Bells palsy after introduction of an inactivated intranasal influenza vaccine in Switzerland. Mutsch and associates used a matched case-control study and a case-series analysis.
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Cerebral sinus thrombosis most commonly affects the superior sagittal sinus (up to 80%) or the transverse and sigmoid sinuses (70%), with concomitant involvement of the cortical veins in up to 40% of cases. Women are more commonly affected, reflecting their unique risk factors, including pregnancy, the puerperium, and oral contraceptive medication. Other risk factors include surgery, head and neck infections, head injury, malignancy, dehydration, and connective tissue diseases.
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Techniques for accurately measuring the rates of brain atrophy from serial MRI images have improved significantly in recent years. A few of these techniques have been implemented in a partially or fully automated fashion, which is arguably a necessary precondition to their being applied clinically.
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Approximately 10% of all patients with middle cerebral artery (MCA) territory cerebral infarction suffer progressive deterioration due to cerebral edema, increased intracranial pressure, and brain herniation. In these patients with malignant MCA territory infarction aggressive decompressive craniectomy has been reported to improve overall prognosis.
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Chronic inflammation is now a well-recognized cause of atherosclerotic vascular disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke. Asymptomatic individuals harboring the common bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae have been shown to have an elevated incidence of plaque in both the coronary and carotid arteries.
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Huntingtons disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with onset generally in midlife. Insoluble huntingtin protein aggregates have been seen in vitro in mammalian cells, as well as in transgenic mouse models and in brain tissues from patients with Huntingtons disease. The relationship between the presence of the insoluble protein aggregates and Huntingtons disease pathogenesis has been controversial.
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As discussed previously in Neurology Alert, there is increasing evidence that a number of dietary manipulations may significantly affect the risk of dementia and Alzheimers disease (AD). Three studies in 2002 indicated that dietary intake of vitamins E and C lowered the risk of getting AD. However, there appeared to be no association with intake from dietary supplements. This is an important point since it is much easier to take dietary supplements than to increase ones dietary intake of antioxidant vitamins.
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Correction
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