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  • Pharmacology Update: Cinacalcet HCL (Sensipar) Tablets

    The first of a class of calcimimetics has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of hyperparathyroidism associated with renal failure and in patients with parathyroid cancer.
  • Diligent Dental Flossing May Help Prevent Stroke

    These data provide further support that inflammation in general and periodontal disease more specifically are stroke risk factors.
  • Moving the Goalpost

    High-dose atorvastatin protects patients with acute coronary syndrome from death and major cardiovascular events better than usual dose pravastatin.
  • Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis: Favorable Outcome with Heparin Therapy

    In contrast to arterial thrombo-embolic ischemic stroke, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is unique in its clinical presentation and treatment algorithm. As reported by Ferro and associates on behalf of the multicenter international ISCVT study, venous stroke, typically treated with heparin, has a good outcome in the vast majority of cases.
  • Magnetoencephalography: Tie-breaker vs Confounding Data for Epilepsy Localization

    Non-pharmacologic treatment options for patients of epilepsy include resective epilepsy surgery, vagal nerve stimulation, the ketogenic diet, and experimental protocols. Of these, epilepsy surgery offers the greatest chance of curing the patients epilepsy. To achieve this degree of success, it is critical to localize the epileptogenic zone as accurately as possible. Pataraia et al estimates that MEG provides additional localizing information in 40% of their patients.
  • Ropinirole for Restless Legs

    Men and women with restless legs syndrome (RLS), aged 18-79 years, were included in this randomized, 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at 43 centers in 10 European countries, designed to assess the efficacy of ropinirole, a dopamine agonist, in the treatment of RLS. Ropinirole significantly improved IRLSSG score at 12 weeks compared to placebo, with benefit evident even at week 1.
  • A Treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?

    This report described the results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of flupirtine maleate (FLU), a triaminopyridine compound in patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). The patients with flupirtine showed significantly less deterioration in the dementia tests than the patients treated with placebo.
  • Improved Cortical Metabolism in Huntington’s Disease Patients Following Striatal Neural Grafting

    The prospects for therapy in Huntingtons disease are rapidly improving. Another potential treatment is to use striatal neural grafts.
  • Genetic vs Environmental Factors in the Causation of Alzheimer’s Disease

    The availability of comprehensive records of public health in Scandinavian countries is a major advantage in working out epidemiological studies. The present study of Swedish twins including many older than 80 now suggests that the genetic component of AD may be less than previously thought.
  • Beta-Blockers and Dipyridamole Sestamibi Studies

    Although beta-blockers are known to reduce the sensitivity of exercise and dobutamine sestamibi SPECT imaging for the detection of coronary artery disease, little is known about their effects on vasodilator stress scintigraphy. Thus, Taillefer and colleagues studied 21 patients with catheter proven coronary artery disease during 3 different treatments on different days assigned in a random fashion.