Neurology
RSSArticles
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Transient Ischemic Attacks: A Missed Opportunity
SYNOPSIS: Patients with transient ischemic attacks were not given evidence-based secondary prevention for stroke at discharge from the hospital as often compared to patients with stroke, thus creating a missed opportunity to decrease the incidence of future stroke and cardiovascular disease.
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Predictors of Refractory Status Epilepticus
In a combined derivation and validation study, three independent risk factors for refractory status epilepticus were identified — acute symptomatic cause for seizures, stupor or coma, and a low serum albumin < 35 g/L. -
How Common Are Neuromuscular Disorders?
Synopsis: Although many specific neuromuscular disorders are rare, in aggregate, these all add up to a large number, roughly twice as common as multiple sclerosis, and about the same prevalence as Parkinson’s disease.
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Does Your Patient Have a Central Venous Catheter?
Central venous catheters (CVCs) are essential to providing optimal care to many hospitalized patients.
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Neuroimaging Differences in Dyslexics: Chicken or Egg?
Neuroanatomical differences in primary sensory cortices may distinguish dyslexic individuals from non-dyslexic individuals, providing a potential biomarker for identifying adults who may be predisposed to developing atypical neurodegenerative disease. -
Take Me Out of the Ball Game: Acute Management and Long-term Consequences of Concussion in Childhood
The developing brain of a child may be particularly susceptible to injury from mild traumatic brain injury, such as a concussion. Recommending a longer period of strict rest after a concussion does not provide additional benefit when compared to consensus guidelines for care after a concussion in children and adolescents. However, in retired former NFL players, exposure to tackle football prior to age 12 is associated with executive dysfunction, memory impairment, and lower estimated verbal IQ later in life. -
Internal Medicine [ALERT]
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) gave a level B recommendation in support of annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) to screen for lung cancer in appropriate risk groups. The USPSTF decision was largely based on the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST), a mega-trial (n = 53,454) in the United States that randomized subjects to annual LDCT or chest X-ray. The primary endpoint of the study was lung cancer mortality, and all-cause mortality was a secondary endpoint. Inclusion criteria included at least a 30-pack/year history of smoking (if stopped within 15 years), ability and willingness to complete follow-up for abnormal findings, and absence of problematic comorbidities that might otherwise compromise long-term survival.
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Human Papillomavirus 9-valent Vaccine, Recombinant (Gardasil® 9)
The FDA has approved a 9-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. The new vaccine covers five more types of HPV than the previous vaccine and protects against 90% of the HPV strains that cause cervical cancer.1 The new vaccine is marketed by Merck as Gardasil®9.
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Liraglutide Preserves Beta Cell Function — Well, Kind of…
SYNOPSIS: Fifty-one patients with type 2 diabetes of 2.6 +/- 1.9 years duration and an A1C of 6.8 % completed 4 weeks of intensive insulin therapy in order to eliminate glucose toxicity which is injurious to pancreatic beta cells. Thereafter, patients were randomized to receive daily subcutaneous liraglutide or an equivalent volume of placebo. Serial assessments of beta-cell function following oral glucose tolerance testing was performed at 12 week intervals for 48 weeks. Patients using liraglutide noted a rebust enhancement of beta cell function which was sustained over the course of the trial, yet lost within two weeks after stopping treatment.
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Clinical Briefs
The Heavy Emotional Costs of Rosacea, Treatment Choices Among the PDE5 Inhibitors, and Screening Asymptomatic Diabetics with CT angiography