Articles Tagged With: Neurology
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ABCD2 Score as a Predictor of Three-Year Stroke Risk
This retrospective cohort study using the National Patient Registry in Denmark analyzed a three-year follow-up period following a transient ischemic attack, looking at the rate of recurrent stroke and mortality. The patients were divided into low risk (ABCD2 score 0-3) and high risk (ABCD2 score ≥ 4). The stroke rate was 6% in the high-risk group and 4% in the low-risk group.
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Post-Traumatic Epilepsy and the Risk of Dementia
A subset of people with head injury will develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE). This prospective cohort study demonstrated a 4.5-fold increased risk of dementia in those with PTE compared to people without head trauma or epilepsy, and that this risk exceeds that observed in people with head trauma or epilepsy alone.
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Xanomeline and Trospium Chloride Capsules (Cobenfy)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-in-class muscarinic agonist and antagonists for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. This is the first antipsychotic drug approved in decades and is unique in that it targets cholinergic receptors — unlike traditional agents, which target dopamine receptors.
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Early Bird or Night Owl: Who’s Mentally Sharper?
A large cross-sectional analysis of adults aged 53-86 years found that people with normal sleep durations while being “night owls” often scored higher on cognitive tests than “early bird” types.
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Blood Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease
In this population-based study of patients in Sweden with cognitive complaints, mild cognitive impairment, and dementia, the use of blood biomarkers, specifically, phosphorylated tau 217 and amyloid-beta 42/40 ratios, improved the diagnostic accuracy for pathological Alzheimer’s disease in primary care patients as well as patients seen by dementia specialists.
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What Is the Best First-Line Treatment for Young Women with Generalized Epilepsy?
Valproate is a highly efficacious drug for treating idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) but is not an option for many young women because of known teratogenic risks. This retrospective, multicenter study examined women with IGE who were treated initially with either levetiracetam or lamotrigine monotherapy, demonstrated superior efficacy of levetiracetam, although exclusively in women with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
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Indications for Reduced-Dose Direct Oral Anticoagulants
A subgroup analysis of the ENGAGE-AF TIMI 48 study of edoxaban 60 mg/day vs. 30 mg/day compared to warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation of the group 80 years of age or older has shown that 30 mg/day results in less major bleeding without a concomitant increase in stroke risk compared to 60 mg/day or warfarin.
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Anchoring Alzheimer’s Disease Along an Amyloid Timeline
In 601 individuals from Wisconsin-based cohorts with amyloid-beta and tau positron emission tomography scans, the magnitude and topographical spread of tau pathology increased with longer duration of amyloid-beta positivity, and the cognitive decline was steepest in those with the longest duration of amyloid-beta positivity and elevated entorhinal tau.
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Donanemab-azbt (Kisunla)
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the third anti-amyloid beta monoclonal antibody for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, following aducanumab and lecanemab.
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Rapid Reversal of Anticoagulation Reduces Mortality from Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the deadliest type of stroke. ICH associated with anticoagulation carries an even higher mortality. Serial imaging studies have demonstrated that there is significant hematoma enlargement during the first few hours after arrival at the hospital, and this also portends a poor outcome.