Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Neurology for August 2010. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Gestation Linked to Cerebral Palsy Risk Even in Term Births
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- An increased risk of cerebral palsy is seen in individuals who were delivered at 37 or 38 weeks of gestation or at 42 weeks or later, compared to 40 weeks, according to research published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Biobehavioral Approach Linked to Benefits in Dementia
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- A biobehavioral environmental intervention -- Care of Persons with Dementia in their Environments (COPE) -- is associated with better functioning in patients with dementia after four months, as well as benefits for caregivers, according to research published in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Higher MS Activity Associated With Warmer Seasons
TUESDAY, Aug. 31 (HealthDay News) -- Multiple sclerosis (MS) activity -- both incidence and severity -- appears to be higher in the spring and summer, according to research published in the Aug. 31 issue of Neurology.
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AHA/ASA Stroke Program Likely Applicable Outside U.S.
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With the Guidelines-Stroke program (GWTG-Stroke) may be useful for assessing and improving the quality of stroke care and outcomes outside the United States, according to research published online Aug. 30 in Circulation.
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Sports-Related Concussions Often Occur in Younger Kids
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Children ages 8 to 13 account for a considerable portion of sports-related concussions (SRCs) that occur among young people, according to research published online Aug. 30 in Pediatrics.
Abstract - Bakhos
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Post-Op Delirium Linked to Cerebral Vascular Disease
MONDAY, Aug. 30 (HealthDay News) -- Delirium after spinal fusion in elderly patients is more common in those with a history of cerebral vascular disease, low hemoglobin and hematocrit levels after surgery, and poor nutrition, according to a study in the Aug. 15 issue of Spine.
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Study Finds Vitamin D Links to Disease-Associated Genes
FRIDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D receptor (VDR) binding sites are significantly enriched at genes that have been linked to several autoimmune diseases and cancer, suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may be linked to disease pathogenesis, according to research published online Aug. 24 in Genome Research.
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Multiple Sclerosis Program Improves Drug Adherence
FRIDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- A specialty care management program for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may improve medication compliance and reduce both MS-related hospitalizations and MS-related medical costs, though total costs may still increase over time, according to research published in the August issue of Multiple Sclerosis.
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Physicians' Religious Views Linked to Care Decisions
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Non-religious physicians are more likely than religious physicians to make decisions that could hasten the end of patients' lives, and are also more likely to discuss these types of decisions with patients, according to research published online Aug. 25 in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
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Parents of Children With Autism More Likely to Divorce
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more likely to divorce than parents of children who do not have the disorder, and the risk of divorce stays high as the child advances through childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Family Psychology.
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Diabetes, Insulin Resistance Tied to Alzheimer's Pathology
THURSDAY, Aug. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance may be at an increased risk of developing brain plaques that are linked to Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published online Aug. 25 in Neurology.
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Cognitive Therapy Improves Adult ADHD Symptoms
TUESDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive behavioral therapy may be an effective complementary treatment for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for whom medication falls short of relieving their symptoms, according to research published in the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Genetic Variants Associated With End-Stage Renal Disease
TUESDAY, Aug. 24 (HealthDay News) -- Genetic variants in protein kinase C-β 1 (PRKCB1) genes, the genes implicated in the development of complications in diabetes, are associated with the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Chinese individuals with type 2 diabetes, according to a study in the Aug. 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Memantine Appears Beneficial in Dementia With Lewy Bodies
MONDAY, Aug. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with memantine may lessen deterioration and improve behavioral symptoms in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) but not those with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD), according to a study published online Aug. 23 in The Lancet Neurology.
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Pesticide Exposure in Womb May Derail Attention Later
THURSDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- It remains to be determined what impact paraoxonase 1 (PON1) genotypes have on the influence of in utero organophosphate exposure on subsequent childhood mental and motor development, but such exposure does appear to affect attention levels in children, according to two studies published online Aug. 19 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
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Lifestyle Choices Affect Headache Frequency in Teens
THURSDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- Low physical activity, smoking, and being overweight all significantly increase the odds of recurrent headache in adolescents, according to research published online Aug. 18 in Neurology.
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Quality Indicators Established for Multiple Sclerosis Care
MONDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Using rigorous methodology, a team of researchers has developed a list of quality indicators for measuring the health care of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a research paper published in the August issue of Multiple Sclerosis.
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Spinal Cord Diffusivity Predicts Relapse Recovery in MS
MONDAY, Aug. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Measurements of spinal cord diffusivity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) with cervical cord relapse may be predictive of clinical recovery, according to research published online Aug. 4 in Multiple Sclerosis.
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FDA: Aseptic Meningitis Risk Related to Lamictal Use
FRIDAY, Aug. 13 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a drug safety communication to warn that the seizure and bipolar disorder medication Lamictal (lamotrigine) can cause aseptic meningitis. The FDA is revising the Warnings and Precautions section of the drug label as well as the patient Medication Guide to include this information.
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Lithium Carbonate Not Found to Be Beneficial for ALS
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Lithium carbonate is ineffective as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and has a high frequency of adverse effects, according to research published online Aug. 11 in Neurology.
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Primary Dysmenorrhea May Change Brain Structure
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Women with primary dysmenorrhea (PDM) have abnormal changes in brain gray matter volume regardless of whether they are experiencing pain, according to a study in the September issue of PAIN.
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Coagulopathy Often Untreated in Brain Hemorrhage Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- In many patients with symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) associated with thrombolytic therapy for acute stroke, coagulopathy goes untreated, and often, patients experience continued bleeding after diagnosis, according to research published in the August issue of the Archives of Neurology.
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Patients, Doctors Often Have Communication Discrepancies
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitalized patients and physicians may have differing beliefs regarding patients' knowledge and aspects of their care, suggesting a need for improved patient-physician communication, according to research published in the Aug. 9/23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Three Genotypes Confirmed as Alzheimer's Disease Risk Loci
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Three specific genotypes at CLU, PICALM, and CR1 confer risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and an apolipoprotein E genotype, APOE ε4, interacts synergistically in those who also have the PICALM variant, according to a study published online Aug. 9 in the Archives of Neurology. A related study in the same issue clarifies the association between plasma β-amyloid (Aβ) and various aspects of cognition.
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Research Confirms Violence Linked to Shaking Infants
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Cases of infants referred for abusive head trauma (AHT) are usually, if not always, associated with extremely violent shaking, and shaking is repeated in more than half of cases, according to research published online Aug. 9 in Pediatrics.
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Medication Compliance Three Months After Stroke Is Poor
TUESDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly one quarter of stroke patients discontinue at least one of their prescribed secondary prevention medications within three months after hospital discharge, leaving this group at higher risk of another stroke, according to research published online Aug. 9 in the Archives of Neurology.
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Deep Brain Stimulation May Hold Promise in Alzheimer's
MONDAY, Aug. 9 (HealthDay News) -- The use of deep brain stimulation may provide benefits in patients with Alzheimer's disease by influencing pathological brain activity, according to research published online Aug. 4 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Mortality Risk Much Higher for Elderly People With Dementia
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly people with dementia have a much higher mortality risk than peers without the condition, but the risk of dementia may be reducible by addressing risk factors such as diet, preventable disease, and mental health, according to a pair of studies published Aug. 5 in BMJ.
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Rosiglitazone May Help Maintain Cognition in Diabetes Patients
FRIDAY, Aug. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Adding rosiglitazone to the treatment for type 2 diabetes may help protect against cognitive decline in older patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to a study in the August issue of Diabetes Care.
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Diabetes May Alter Obese Adolescents' Brain Structure
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Obese adolescents with type 2 diabetes have decreased cognitive functioning and subtle brain abnormalities compared to obese adolescents without diabetes, according to research published online July 29 in Diabetologia.
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Causal Hypothesis for Multiple Sclerosis Challenged
THURSDAY, Aug. 5 (HealthDay News) -- An emerging hypothesis suggests that the demyelination of cerebral veins that characterizes multiple sclerosis (MS) may be caused by chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), but research published in the August issue of the Annals of Neurology does not concur with the hypothesis.
Abstract - Sundström
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Abstract - Doepp
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Antiepileptics Don't Raise Risk of Suicide in Epilepsy Patients
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Use of antiepileptic drugs isn't linked to a higher risk of suicide-related events in patients with epilepsy, but it is linked to higher risk in patients with depression and those without epilepsy, depression, or bipolar disorder, according to research published in the Aug. 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Pain in Fibromyalgia Patients Tied to Altered Brain Functions
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- In people with fibromyalgia, there appears to be an association between resting brain activity in multiple brain networks and spontaneous clinical pain, according to research published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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B Vitamins Do Not Prevent Vascular Events After Stroke
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Supplementation with folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 is safe but does not appear to reduce the incidence of major vascular events in patients who have experienced a recent stroke or transient ischemic attack, according to a study published online Aug. 4 in The Lancet Neurology.
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FDA: Nimodipine Should Never Be Administered Intravenously
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is reminding health care professionals that nimodipine should never be administered intravenously but only given by mouth or through a feeding or nasogastric tube, as intravenous administration may lead to cardiac arrest, severe decreases in blood pressure, other cardiac adverse events, or death.
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Industry-Funded Clinical Trials Yield More Positive Outcomes
TUESDAY, Aug. 3 (HealthDay News) -- Drug clinical trials supported by industry are more likely to produce favorable results than trials supported by government or nonprofit/nonfederal organizations, and they are less likely to be published within two years of the study being completed, according to research published in the Aug. 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Decreased Cardiac Function Linked to Faster Brain Aging
MONDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Reductions in cardiac function, as measured by cardiac index, may be associated with accelerated aging of the brain, according to a study published online Aug. 2 in Circulation.
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Genetic Variant Affects MS Severity and Relapse
MONDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- A variant of the oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) gene may increase the activity of multiple sclerosis (MS) and shorten time to relapse, according to a study in the Aug. 3 issue of Neurology.
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Specific Behaviors in NICU Grads Predictive of Autism
MONDAY, Aug. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Neurobehavioral testing during infancy in babies who are neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates reveals specific abnormalities in those who are later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to research published online Aug. 2 in Pediatrics.
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