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Updates Issued for US MEC, SPR — What Do the Changes Mean?

Time to update your practice. The U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2016 (US MEC 2016) and the U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use, 2016 (US SPR 2016) have new information.^1,2

Oral Anticoagulation Reversal

This review discusses anticoagulant medications and reversal agents.

Triage to a Certified Stroke Center Reduces Early Mortality

In an analysis of the effect of additional travel time, receiving treatment in a primary stroke center was associated with a survival benefit for stroke patients who traveled less than 90 minutes. Traveling more than 90 minutes to reach a primary stroke center offset any benefit.

Community Education Improves Stroke Awareness and Appropriate Emergency Response

Community education programs are essential in efforts to improve overall success in treating acute ischemic stroke.

Distinct EEG Features May Help Prognostication of Patients with Early PAMM

Early post-anoxic multifocal myoclonus (PAMM) traditionally has been considered a grave prognostic feature in patients who remain comatose after cardiac arrest. This study defines distinct electrographic phenotypes in the setting of PAMM with substantially different prognostic outcomes.

Functional MRI in REM Behavior Disorder Is Suggestive of Future Parkinson’s Disease

Rapid eye movement behavior disorder carries an increased risk of future Parkinson’s disease and has fMRI and DaTSCAN features that are similar to those in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Association of Traumatic Brain Injury with Late-life Neurodegenerative Diseases

This study analyzed pooled clinical and neuropathological data of older adults free of dementia from three prospective cohort studies and found that traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness was associated with risk for Lewy body accumulation, Parkinson’s disease, and progression of Parkinsonism, but not dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, neuritic plaques, or neurofibrillary tangles.

Neuropathy in Myeloma

Peripheral neuropathy is uncommon at presentation in patients with myeloma, and may be complicated by vitamin D deficiency and the neurotoxic effects of chemotherapy.

Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s: Are All Dopamine Agonists Equal Offenders?

This observational study of 425 patients with a broad range of stages of Parkinson’s disease found that long-acting pramipexole and transdermal rotigotine were less likely to be associated with impulse control disorders than were immediate-release pramipexole and any formulation of ropinirole. This study highlights differences between dopamine agonists that may affect patient care.

Undergrads See Real-Life Ethics by Shadowing Clinicians

Research suggests that medical schools can neither improve ethical inclinations, nor guarantee progress in moral reasoning for students who lack well-developed moral motivation and moral sensitivity when starting such training.