Neurology Alert – January 1, 2004
January 1, 2004
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Diffusion Tensor MRI in the Diagnosis of ALS
The diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at an early stage can be difficult. It is desirable to have an accurate diagnostic test due to the prognosis of the illness, as well as the potential ability to treat patients earlier. -
Cervical Artery Dissection: Another Economy Class Syndrome
Economy class syndrome (ECS) refers to venous thromboembolic episodes among airline passengers who have remained immobile for long periods in cramped seating that impairs their circulation. Economy class passengers with little leg space are more likely to suffer such events than passengers in roomy first-class seats. -
Ximelagatran vs Warfarin: Is There a More Convenient Option for Anticoagulation in Atrial Fibrillation?
New alternative anticoagulants now exist that may be equally efficacious as warfarin and allow a more convenient fixed dosing schedule with a superior safety profile. -
Smoking Increases Risk for Multiple Sclerosis
In this epidemiologic analysis of 22,312 individuals living in Norway, a total of 87 reported having developed multiple sclerosis. The risk of developing multiple sclerosis was significantly higher among smokers than among never-smokers. -
Going to Pot with MS?
In this randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 667 patients with stable advanced multiple sclerosis were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: oral cannabis, oral tetrahydrocannabinol, or placebo. -
Prions and Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Not the Usual Suspects
In an entirely novel observation, Walz and associates describe a cellular prion protein variant associated with hippocampal sclerosis that seems to be partially predictive of seizure-free outcome in patients undergoing surgery for medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. -
Sjögren Syndrome and Neuropathy
What characteristics of a neuropathy make Sjögren syndrome the likely diagnosis? -
Best Office Test for Quadriceps Weakness
Thirty-three consecutive patients with l3 or l4 radiculopathy were compared to 19 controls of comparable age to determine the best method for detecting quadriceps weakness in the office setting. -
Once Upon a (Medium-Firm) Mattress
The virtues of a firm mattress are generally espoused by the medical and lay community alike despite the utter lack of scientific evidence to support it. In an attempt to shed light on this poorly understood subject, Kovacs and associates assess the effect of the firmness of a mattress on low back pain. -
Clinical Briefs in Primary Care Supplement
St Johns Wort and Drug Interactions; Serum Potassium and Stroke Risk Among Hypertensive Adults; Skin Cancer Prevention and Detection Practices Among Siblings of Patients with Melanoma, TZDs and HF in People with Type 2 Diabetes; Exercise Plus Behavioral Management in Patients with AD; Spironolactone in Resistant HBP -
Pharmacology Watch: Vioxx Might Control Postoperative Knee Pain
Oral rofecoxib (Vioxx) may have a role in controlling postoperative pain patients undergoing knee surgery.