Neurology Alert articles from April 2003

Neurology Alert archives from April 2003

Amantadine for painful diabetic neuropathy.
April 1, 2003... Abstract & Commentary Source: Amin P, Sturrock ND. A pilot study of the beneficial effects of amantadine in the treatment of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Diabet Med. 2003;20:114-118. ALMOST ALL PATIENTS WITH DIABETES...

Hashimoto encephalopathy: syndrome or coincidence?
April 1, 2003... Abstracts & Commentary Sources: Taylor SE, et al. An organic cause of neuropsychiatric illness in adolescence. Lancet. 2003;361:572; Chong JY, et al. Hashimoto encephalopathy. Syndrome or myth? Arch Neurol. 2003;60:164-171. TAYLOR AND...

Warfarin effectively prevents venous thromboembolism. (Pharmacology Watch).
April 1, 2003... Low intensity warfarin therapy effectively prevents recurrent venous thromboembolism, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. After a median of 6.5 months of full-dose anticoagulation therapy, 508 patients with...

Ice cream-evoked headaches study: a randomized trial of acelerated vs cautious eating. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Kaczorowski M, Kaczorowski J. BMJ. 2002;325:1445-1446. ICE CREAM HEADACHE (ICH) IS A COMMONplace phenomenon induced by ingestion of cold substances, of which ice cream is but one of many potential precipitants. The limited...

Treatment of antidepressant-associated sexual dysfunction with sildenafil. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Nurnberg HG, et al. JAMA. 2003;289:56-64. SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION (SXD), WEIGHT gain, and sleep disturbance comprise as much as 75% of the adverse events that ultimately lead to antidepressant medication discontinuation. Of course,...

Prophylactic treatment of migraine with an angiotensin II receptor blocker. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Tronvik E, et al. JAMA. 2003;289:65-69. DESPITE THE VERY FAVORABLE effect of triptans upon migraine morbidity, a substantial population of persons either does not respond to, or chooses not to use, these agents. Expert advice has...

Syncope, driving recommendations, and clinical reality: survey of patients. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Maas R, et al. BMJ. 2003;326:21. PATIENTS WHO SUFFER SYNCOPE DISORders, similarly to those who have seizures, are at increased risk for themselves and others when driving. Detailed guidance has been devised for clinicians to assist...

ACE + ARB for diabetic and hypersensitive neuropathy. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Nakno N, et al. Lancet. 2003;361:117-124. AN ANGIOTENSIN-CONVERTING-enzyme inhibitors (ACE) and angiotensin-II receptor blockers (ARE) have been demonstrated to provide significant benefits for persons with both diabetic and...

Action and efficacy of a combination of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate in the treatment of psoriasis. (Clinical Briefs in Primary Care).(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... Source: Papp K, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003;48:48-54. BOTH CALCIPOTRIENE (DOVONEX[R]) and topical steroids (STR) have been proven effective in management of psoriasis. Calcipotriene (CPT) has been demonstrated to be more effective than...

Gluten ataxia: fact or fiction?
April 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Source: Hadjivassiliou M, et al. Gluten ataxia in perspective: Epidemiology, genetic susceptibility and clinical characteristics. Brain. 2003;126:685-691. THIS POPULATION REPORT INVESTIGATED THE PREVAlence of...

Muscle biopsy in benign hyperCKemia.(creatine kinase)
April 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Source: Simmons Z, et al. Muscle biopsy in the evaluation of patients with modestly elevated creatine kinase levels. Muscle Nerve. 2003;27:242-244. BENIGN HYPERCKEMIA MAY BE DEFINED AS SERUM elevation of creatine...

New treatment for overactive bladder.
April 1, 2003... ABSTRACT & COMMENTARY Source: FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. www.fda.gov/cder/approval. ON FEBRUARY 26TH, THE FDA APPROVED A transdermal formulation of oxybutynin for the treatment of overactive bladder and urinary...

Are GABAergic agents toxic to the retina?
April 1, 2003... ABSTRACTS & COMMENTARY Sources: Krauss GL, et al. A controlled study comparing visual function in patients treated with vigabatrin and tiagabine. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2003;74:339-343; Lawden MC. Vigabatrin, tiagabine, and visual...

Statins for stroke: treating more than just cholesterol.
April 1, 2003... Abstract & Commentary Soucre: Gertz K, et al. Withdrawal of statin treatment abrogates stroke protection in mice. Stroke. 2003;34:551-557. HMG-COA REDUCTASE INHIBITORS (STATINS) ARE known to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and...

New gene for familial Parkinson's disease located.
April 1, 2003... Abstract & Commentary Source: Bonifati V, et al. Mutations in the DJ-1 gene associated with autosomal recessive early-onset parkinsonism. Science. 2003;299:256-259. TEN LOCI AND GENES HAVE BEEN LINKED TO FAMILIAL Parkinson's disease,...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
April 1, 2003... CME question No. 6 in the March 2003 issue had 2 correct answers. This question will be eliminated.

CME Questions.
April 1, 2003... 10. In diabetes mellitus: a. neuropathy does not develop before overt hyperglycemia is evident. b. sorbitol and fructose are depleted and myoinositol accumulates in nerve. c. amantadine infusion appears to be not significantly...