Neurology Alert articles from May 2004

Neurology Alert archives from May 2004

Clozapine for dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease.(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Durif F, et al. Clozapine improves dyskinesias in Parkinson disease: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Neurology. 2004;62:381-388. LEVODOPA-INDUCED DYSKINESIAS ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON motor complications of Parkinson's...

Antibiotics for Alzheimer's?(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Loeb MB, et al. A randomized, controlled trial of doxycycline and rifampin for patients with Alzheimer's disease. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2004;52:381-387. ALTHOUGH INFECTIOUS AGENTS ARE NOT WIDELY believed to be the primary cause of...

A treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease?(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Otto M, et al. Efficacy of flupirtine on cognitive function in patients with CJD: A double-blind study. Neurology. 2004;62:714-718. THIS REPORT DESCRIBED THE RESULTS OF A DOUBLE blind, placebo-controlled study of flupirtine maleate...

Ropinirole for restless legs.(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Trenkwalder C, et al. Ropinirole in the treatment of restless legs syndrome: Results from the TREAT RLS 1 study, a 12-week, randomized, placebo controlled study in 10 European countries. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2004; 75:92-97....

Thalidomide neuropathy.(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Isoardo G, et al. Thalidomide neuropathy: Clinical, electrophysiological and neuroradiological features. Acta Neurol Scand. 2004;109:188-193. SIX PATIENTS ARE THE FOCUS OF THIS REPORT defining the neuropathic side effects of...

Magnetoencephalography: tie-breaker vs confounding data for epilepsy localization.(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Pataraia E, et al. Does magnetoencephalography add to scalp video-EEG as a diagnostic tool in epilepsy surgery? Neurology. 2004;62:943-948. MEDICATION RESISTANCE IS A FACT OF LIFE FOR 30-40% of patients with epilepsy....

Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis: favorable outcome with heparin therapy.(Abstract & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Source: Ferro JM, et al, for the ISCVT Investigators. Prognosis of cerebral vein and dural sinus thrombosis. Stroke. 2004;35:664-670. IN CONTRAST TO ARTERIAL THROMBO-EMBOLIC ISCHEMIC stroke, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is unique...

rt-PA stroke trials: pooled analysis and opinion.(Abstracts & Commentary)
May 1, 2004... Sources: The ATLANTIS, ECASS, and NINDS rt-PA Study Group Investigators. Association of outcome with early stroke treatment: Pooled analysis of ATLANTIS, ECASS, and NINDS rt-PA stroke trials. Lancet. 2004;363:768-774; Caplan LR. Thrombolysis...

CME questions.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... 16. Restless legs syndrome (RLS): a. is worse upon wakening. b. may be improved by melatonin supplements. c. may be related to inhibition of central dopamine secretion. d. shows no benefit to ropinirole. e. All the above...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2004... CME question number 16 was erroneously run in the April issue. The question is re-run in this issue with the corresponding article.

Atherosclerosis reversed with lipid-lowering drugs.
May 1, 2004... When it comes to treating lipids in patients with heart disease, the mantra may be, The lower the LDL, the better." Data from the multicenter Reversal of Atherosclerosis with Aggressive Lipid Lowering (REVERSAL) trial indicate that aggressive...

Positive alendronate data in osteoporosis.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Does alendronate prevent fractures after 10 years of therapy? According to a new multicenter placebo-controlled trial, the drug is effective and safe over 10 years in women with osteoporosis. Data from the study are from a follow-up of 2...

NSAIDs for myocardial infarction.(Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Nonaspirin NSAIDs, especially ibuprofen and naproxen, may protect against myocardial infarction in patients who are not taking aspirin. Researchers from Pennsylvania conducted a case-control study with cases of first, nonfatal MI identified...

Four-hour window for CAP patients.(community-acquired pneumonia)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Medicare patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) fare better if they receive their first dose of antibiotics within 4 hours of hospitalization, according to new study. The records of nearly 14,000 Medicare patients admitted for CAP,...

FDA actions.(Rofecoxib)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Rofecoxib (Vioxx) has been approved for the treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults. The approval was based on a large study that showed that the single dose of rofecoxib, either 25 or 50 mg, effectively reduced migraine...

Migraine and subclinical brain lesions.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: Kruit MC, et al. JAMA. 2004;291:427-434. THE DATA ON THE RELATIONSHIP events such as stroke have been conflicting, although in some populations (such as young women smokers who suffer migraine with aura) the adverse association is...

Memantine treatment in Alzheimer disease.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: Tariot PN, et al. JAMA. 2004;291:317-324. MEMANTINE (MEM) IS THE FIRST clinically available NMDA receptor antagonist with demonstrated clinical efficacy and an acceptable adverse event profile for persons with Alzheimer disease...

Casual postprandial glucose levels in type 2 diabetes management.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: El-Kebbi IM, et al. Diabetes Care. 2004;27:335-339. TIGHT CONTROL OF TYPE 2 DIABETES (DM2) has been proven to reduce microvascular complications. Use of the hemoglobin Ale to assess long-term control is standard, but for modulation...

Exemestane after tamoxifen therapy in breast cancer.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: Coombes RC, et al. N Engl J Med. 2004;350(11):1081-1092. TAMOXIFEN (TAM) IS WELL ESTABLISHED to reduce, over 5 years, both risk of breast cancer (BCA) recurrence (47%) and mortality (26%) among women who have undergone surgery for...

An analysis of how long patients remain on various antihypertensive therapies.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: Esposti LD, et al. J Clin Hypertens. 2004;6:76-84. THE TERM 'DRUG EFFICACY' IS TECHNICALLY intended to reflect impact of an agent on a designated end point in a study population participating in a clinical trial. 'Drug...

Association of endothelial dysfunction with insulin resistance and carotid wall thickening in hypertension.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Source: Suzuki M, et al. Am J Hypertens. 2004;17:228-232. ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION (END) IS a fundamental defect in essential hypertension (HTN) and is closely associated with carotid wall thickening (CWT), a consistent marker for early...