Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Neurology for November 2013. 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.
Low Oxygen Exposure May Aid Walking With Spinal Injury
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- A combination of daily acute intermittent hypoxia (dAIH) and overground walking improves walking speed and distance in persons with chronic incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI), according to a study published online Nov. 27 in Neurology.
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Vagal Nerve Stimulation Paired With Tones Viable for Tinnitus
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with severe chronic tinnitus, vagal nerve stimulation paired with tones seems feasible, according to a case series published online Nov. 20 in Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface.
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Salt-Containing Rx Formulations Increase Cardiovascular Risk
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- People taking sodium-containing formulations of drugs are at higher risk of cardiovascular events, particularly stroke and hypertension, according to a study published online Nov. 26 in BMJ.
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Insurance Exchanges May Benefit Small Medical Practices
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Small medical practices may not need to offer their employees health insurance, although there may be advantages to doing so, according to an article published Nov. 10 in Medical Economics.
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Induced Hypothermia May Be Harmful in Severe Meningitis
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 27, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The use of induced hypothermia may be harmful to adults with severe meningitis, according to a study published in the Nov. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Practices Should Start Preparing for Transition to ICD-10
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Practices should start preparing for the transition to International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), according to an article published Nov. 10 in Medical Economics.
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No Link Between Menopausal Hormones and Cognition
TUESDAY, Nov. 26, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal hormone levels are not generally associated with cognition or mood, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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American Medical Groups Protesting Physician Cuts
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Medical societies are taking action against the mass cancellations of physicians in Medicare Advantage plans in many states, according to an article published online Nov. 22 in Medical Economics.
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High Abusive Head Trauma Rates With New Coding Method
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Use of new coding algorithms show the highest abusive head trauma (AHT) rates in children < 1 year reported to date, but no significant change in national AHT rates, according to a study published online Nov. 25 in Pediatrics.
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Family Doc Finds Mid-Level Providers Increase Revenue
MONDAY, Nov. 25, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Hiring mid-levels -- physicians assistants and nurse practitioners -- can improve productivity, resulting in increased physician take-home pay, according to an article published Nov. 10 in Medical Economics.
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White House Extends Enrollment Deadline for Health Insurance
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers who want to enroll in a health insurance plan through HealthCare.gov will get a few extra days to sign up for coverage that will take effect on Jan. 1. The deadline for buying insurance through the federal health insurance exchange will be pushed from Dec. 15 to Dec. 23, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said during a Friday news conference.
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Headache Society Issues Top Five Choosing Wisely Tips
FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The top five headache-related issues that physicians and patients should question have been released by the American Headache Society (AHS) as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign, and published online Oct. 29 in Headache.
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[11C]PiB PET Can Image Amyloid Deposits After TBI
THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C]PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) could be valuable in imaging amyloid deposition following traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to a study published online Nov. 11 in JAMA Neurology.
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CDC Report: Health Disparities Persist in America
THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Despite progress in some areas, health disparities remain for many Americans, health officials reported Thursday. These inequalities are related to income, education, sex, race, ethnicity, employment and sexual orientation, and they all affect Americans' health and well-being, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Recessions Linked to Worse Cognitive Function Later
THURSDAY, Nov. 21, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Living through recessions is associated with worse cognitive function later in life, with the critical age range differing for men and women, according to a study published online Nov. 20 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.
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Gray Matter Abnormalities Persist After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- At four months following mild traumatic brain injury, symptoms are significantly reduced but gray matter abnormalities persist, according to research published online Nov. 20 in Neurology.
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USPSTF Identifies High Priority Evidence Gaps for Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has produced their third annual report for Congress identifying high-priority evidence gaps specifically relating to the care of older adults.
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Short-Term Aerobic Exercise Improves Memory in Older Adults
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Even shorter term regular aerobic exercise can increase resting cerebral blood flow, and improve memory and cardiovascular health in older sedentary adults, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.
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Calcium, Vitamin D Up BMD for Patients on Antiepileptic Drugs
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 20, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For male veterans with epilepsy taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), calcium and vitamin D supplementation improve bone mineral density (BMD), with added benefits seen with addition of risedronate, according to a study published in the November issue of Epilepsia.
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Health Care Frustration Higher in U.S. Than Other Countries
TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Compared to 10 other high-income industrialized nations, adults in the United States are more likely to go without health care because of costs, experience difficulty paying medical bills, and deal with frustrating health insurance paperwork or disputes such as unpaid claims, according to a report published by The Commonwealth Fund.
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Effect of Statins on Cognitive Function Unclear
TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Current published evidence is lacking and further research is needed to establish an effect of statins on cognitive function, according to a review published in the Nov. 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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In-Bedroom Media Access Tied to Sleep Problems in ASD
TUESDAY, Nov. 19, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), media-related variables impact sleep time, according to a study published online Nov. 18 in Pediatrics.
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FDA Approves Implanted Device to Decrease Seizures
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- A device implanted within the skull to help reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Obama Nominates Health Care Law Backer to Be Surgeon General
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- An early supporter and advocate for the Affordable Care Act has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the country's next surgeon general.
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Time Spent Walking Tied to Lower Stroke Risk in Older Men
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For older men, time spent walking is associated with a reduced risk of stroke, in a dose-dependent manner, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in Stroke.
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Macular Degeneration Not Tied to Alzheimer's, Dementia
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) do not have an elevated risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD) or dementia, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
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Menstrual Cycle Phase Affects Mild Brain Injury Outcomes
FRIDAY, Nov. 15, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- For women with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), one-month quality-of-life and neurologic outcomes are influenced by menstrual cycle phase and progesterone concentration at the time of injury, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.
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Obama: You Can Keep Your Health Plan (for a Year)
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Bending to political pressure, President Barack Obama on Thursday announced a plan to allow Americans to keep their health insurance plans for another year, even if that coverage would have been cancelled because it fails to meet new rules under the Affordable Care Act.
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Pulse Pressure Linked to CSF Markers of Alzheimer's Disease
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Elevated pulse pressure (PP) is linked to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based biomarkers related to Alzheimer's disease in cognitively normal, older adults, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in Neurology.
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Health Care Enrollments Fall Far Short of White House Estimates
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The Obama administration late Wednesday released a report revealing a disappointing number of health plan enrollments through the new federal and state insurance exchanges. Just over 106,000 Americans enrolled in health plans through the new marketplaces from Oct. 1 through Nov. 2, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said during a news conference.
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No Promises on Nov. 30 ACA Website Fix: U.S. Tech Chief
THURSDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) -- The nation's chief of information technology would not confirm on Wednesday whether the hobbled HealthCare.gov insurance exchange website would be fixed by month's end.
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Many Would Give Health Plans Private Info to Save Money: Poll
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Many Americans say they'd submit to insurance company medical tests and lifestyle monitoring in exchange for lower-cost premiums, a new Harris/HealthDay poll finds.
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Population Aging Crisis May Have Been Overestimated
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Use of an alternative measure for assessing the number of dependent older people suggests that the population aging crisis may have been overestimated, according to an analysis published online Nov. 12 in BMJ.
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Initial Health-Plan Enrollment Falls Below Expectations
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer than 50,000 people have enrolled in health insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website, according to published reports. The tally represents enrollment in the troubled federal health insurance exchange from its launch date on Oct. 1 through last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. HealthCare.gov serves as the insurance exchange for people in 36 states.
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Many Americans Want Docs to Help Explain Genetic Tests
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to genetic testing, Americans support more research, laws to protect against discrimination, and involving medical professionals in offering guidance, according to research published online Nov. 7 in Genetics in Medicine.
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Analysis Describes Economic Anatomy of U.S. Health Care
TUESDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the increases in resources devoted to health care in the United States, multiple health care metrics show that the United States is trailing peer nations, according to a special communication published in the Nov. 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on critical issues in U.S. health care.
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FDA Approves Aptiom to Treat Epileptic Seizures
MONDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News) -- Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an add-on drug to help treat adults with partial epileptic seizures.
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Obama 'Sorry' Some People Losing Health Coverage
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- President Barack Obama said he's "sorry" some Americans are losing their insurance coverage as a result of his signature health-reform law, but his administration is pressing ahead with the law's implementation. It's estimated that 5 percent of Americans have individual health insurance policies, and many of these people are receiving cancellation notices as insurers switch to plans that comply with new health-reform requirements.
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Altered Brain Circuitry May Contribute to Pain in Fibromyalgia
FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with fibromyalgia have disrupted brain responses to pain-related reward and punishment, according to research published online Nov. 7 in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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Telemedicine Represents Enhanced Care Model
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Telemedicine may represent an effective care model but there are associated concerns, specifically relating to reimbursement and legal issues, according to an article published Oct. 25 in Medical Economics.
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Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Prevalent in Youth With T2DM
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is 25.7 percent among youth with type 2 diabetes, and is significantly higher than that seen among youth with type 1 diabetes, according to a study published online Oct. 21 in Diabetes Care.
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FDA to Ban Trans Fats in Foods
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials announced Thursday a plan to phase out heart-harmful trans fats in processed foods and restaurant fare. U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, M.D., said the proposed restrictions on the use of trans fats could prevent 20,000 heart attacks a year and 7,000 deaths.
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Aspiring Doctors Are Optimistic About the Future of Medicine
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Aspiring doctors are optimistic about the future of medicine, according to a report published by the National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists.
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Better Oral Health Decreases Carotid Artery IMT Progression
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Improvements in periodontal health are associated with improvements in the progression of atherosclerosis, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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For Hospitalized Adults, Light Inversely Tied to Fatigue, Mood
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- For hospitalized adult patients, light exposure is inversely associated with fatigue and total mood disturbance, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.
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Amount of Care Similar for Rural, Urban Medicare Users
THURSDAY, Nov. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Although there may be a limited supply of physicians in some rural areas, little difference is found in the amount of health care received by Medicare beneficiaries for rural versus urban areas within the same region, according to research published in the November issue of Health Affairs.
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Bilingualism Delays Onset of Dementia, Even in Illiterate
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Onset of dementia symptoms is delayed in people who are bilingual, even among those who are illiterate, according to a study published online Nov. 6 in Neurology.
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Sebelius on Exchange Website: 'Delay Is Not an Option'
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday that the Obama administration will not consider delaying implementation of health reform. Nor will it take down HealthCare.gov -- the troubled health insurance marketplace website -- while it's being fixed. "For millions of Americans, delay is not an option," Sebelius told the Senate Finance Committee during a hearing on the new health insurance marketplace. "People's lives depend on this," she said.
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Diet Quality in Midlife Associated With Healthy Aging
TUESDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Diet quality in midlife is associated with increased odds of healthy aging, according to a study published in the Nov. 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Senators Seek Answers on Health Marketplace Woes
TUESDAY, Nov. 5 (HealthDay News) -- A top Obama administration health official said Tuesday that HealthCare.gov -- the troubled federal website used to sign up for insurance -- is improving, and insisted that private information provided during the online application process is safe and secure.
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In the Doctor's Lounge With Dr. Cindy Haines
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- This is the second issue of a monthly letter from me, HealthDay's chief medical officer and the managing editor of Physician's Briefing, HealthDay's news service for health care professionals. The intention of this letter (and the intention of what we do at HealthDay) is to provide tools of communication. At Physician's Briefing, this is by providing you, the busy and buried health care professional, news and information that matters to you in a way that won't slow you down. The intention is to provide news that can help you stay abreast of changing clinical guidelines, cutting-edge technologies, and novel treatment options. And now, we offer free Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for you on select clinical articles, enabling you to get (at least) two birds with one stone.
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In the Doctor's Lounge With Dr. Cindy Haines
TUESDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Please allow me to introduce myself: I am HealthDay's chief medical officer and the managing editor of Physician's Briefing, HealthDay's news service for health care professionals. This service is intended to provide busy physicians, nurses, and pharmacists with easily accessible, digestible health news that can keep them up-to-date and not missing a beat in their busy days providing care for those in need (and navigating the headaches and heartaches the business of medicine can too often bring). In short, this service is intended to make your professional life flow more smoothly in the way that helpful, useable, relevant, and timely information can.
Exchanges Will Be Cornerstone for Coverage Choices
Young Adults May Be Key to Making It All Work
Expect Pluses, Minuses for Those With Job-Based Coverage
If You're an Uninsured Worker, It's Your Chance to Get Covered
Medicaid Expansion Will Allow More to Get More
Many on Medicare Already Enjoying Benefits
AMA Presents: The National Journal
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USPSTF: Evidence Lacking for Cognitive Impairment Screening
MONDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has found that the evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of cognitive impairment screening for older adults without signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment. This draft recommendation statement is based on an evidence review published in the Nov. 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Functional MRI Shows Warm Weather Worsens Cognition in MS
MONDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Greater activation is observed in task-related areas of the brain in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) on warmer days, according to research published online Oct. 23 in Brain Imaging and Behavior.
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CDC: Epilepsy Tied to Greater Number of Comorbidities
MONDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Adults with epilepsy are more likely to report medical comorbidities than adults without epilepsy, according to a report published in the Nov. 1 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Child Milestone Delay With Parent Violence, Stress Exposure
MONDAY, Nov. 4 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to parent-reported intimate partner violence (IPV) or parental psychological distress (PPD) is associated with delayed attainment of developmental milestones during the first 72 months of life, according to a study published online Nov. 4 in Pediatrics.
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Six People Signed Up on Day One of Federal Exchange Website
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Just six people enrolled for health insurance through the federal HealthCare.gov website the first day of operation on Oct. 1, just-released Obama administration documents show.
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Physician Buy-In Key to Reducing Health Care Costs
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Physician buy-in is essential for creation of any new payment system aimed at reducing health care costs, according to an article published Oct. 21 in Medical Economics.
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Drug Effective for Parkinson's Disease Psychosis
FRIDAY, Nov. 1 (HealthDay News) -- An investigational drug is safe and effective in the treatment of Parkinson's disease psychosis, according to a study published online Nov. 1 in The Lancet.
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