Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jun 2014
Does surgery accelerate progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Surgery is not a recognised potential amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) risk factor that might modify the onset or course of ALS. ⋯ The site of surgery before ALS onset correlates with the region of onset of ALS. Patients with slower disease progression are at an increased risk of undergoing surgery, probably as part of initial difficulty in diagnosis. We noted accelerated disease progression during the 3-month period after surgery. Definite diagnosis is important to avoid unnecessary surgical trauma and subsequent more rapid deterioration.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of subcutaneous interferon β-1a on MRI outcomes in a randomised controlled trial of patients with clinically isolated syndromes.
The REbif FLEXible dosing in early MS (REFLEX) study compared several brain MRI outcomes in patients presenting with clinically isolated syndromes suggestive of multiple sclerosis and treated with two dose-frequencies of subcutaneous interferon (IFN) β-1a or placebo. ⋯ Both subcutaneous IFN β-1a 44 µg regimens improved MRI outcomes versus placebo, with the three times a week regimen having a more pronounced effect than once a week dosing.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialTime to 12-month remission and treatment failure for generalised and unclassified epilepsy.
To develop prognostic models for time to 12-month remission and time to treatment failure after initiating antiepileptic drug monotherapy for generalised and unclassified epilepsy. ⋯ The models described within this paper can be used to identify patients most likely to achieve 12-month remission and most likely to have treatment failure, aiding individual patient risk stratification and the design and analysis of future epilepsy trials.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jun 2014
Clinical relevance of positive voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies: experience from a tertiary referral centre.
Voltage-gated potassium channel (VGKC)-complex antibodies can be associated with a range of immunotherapy-responsive clinical presentations including limbic encephalitis, Morvan's syndrome and acquired neuromyotonia. However, there are patients with positive levels in whom the significance is uncertain. ⋯ As antibody testing becomes more widely available, and many samples are referred from patients with less clear-cut diagnoses, it is important to assess the utility of the results. VGKC-complex antibodies in the range of 100-400 pM (0.1-0.4 nM) were considered clinically relevant in rare conditions with peripheral nerve hyperexcitability and appeared to associate with tumours (12.5%). By contrast high-positive (>400 pM; >0.4 nM) levels were considered definitely (38%) or possibly (49%) clinically relevant, but not all patients had a 'classical' limbic encephalitis and some did not receive immunotherapies.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyRivastigmine in apathetic but dementia and depression-free patients with Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised clinical trial.
Even with optimal dopaminergic treatments, many patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are frequently incapacitated by apathy prior to the development of dementia. We sought to establish whether rivastigmine's ability to inhibit acetyl- and butyrylcholinesterases could relieve the symptoms of apathy in dementia-free, non-depressed patients with advanced PD. ⋯ Clinicaltrials.gov reference: NCT00767091.