Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Neurology for November 2016. 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.
Spiritual Experiences Appear to Affect Neural Reward Circuits
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Religious experiences appear to trigger the brain's reward system as evidenced by radiological findings, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in Social Neuroscience.
Full Text
Gene Mutation Linked to Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 30, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A gene mutation has been identified that could be associated with early-onset Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the February issue of Neurobiology of Aging.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Amyloid Beta Deposits Can Affect Hearts of Alzheimer's Patients
TUESDAY, Nov. 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Amyloid beta (Aβ) deposits in Alzheimer's patients might also negatively affect their heart muscle and increase their risk of heart failure, according to a study published in the Dec. 6 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Improved Cognitive Status Seen Following TAVR
TUESDAY, Nov. 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is associated with global improvement in cognitive status, according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Link Found Between Surgery and Development of Guillain-Barré
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Patients who've recently undergone surgery -- especially those with cancer or autoimmune diseases -- experience slightly higher risks of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) soon afterward, according to a study published online Nov. 23 in Neurology: Clinical Practice.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Recommended Tx Adherence Low in Pediatric Acute Seizure
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- For pediatric patients transported for an acute seizure, adherence to recommended treatment is poor, according to a study published online Nov. 23 in Pediatrics.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
ADT Use Not Linked to Dementia in Prostate Cancer
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- For men with prostate cancer, use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) seems not to be associated with dementia, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Full Text
Significant Birth Cohort Effect in Ischemic Stroke Risk
MONDAY, Nov. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Birth cohort seems to affect the risk of ischemic stroke, with lower age-adjusted rates for those born from 1945 to 1954 versus those born in earlier and later years, according to a study published online Nov. 23 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Full Text
Rising Rx, ER Prices Pushing U.S. Health Care Spending Up
TUESDAY, Nov. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Privately insured Americans spent nearly 5 percent more on health care last year than in 2014; this increase was significantly more than that seen in previous years and reflects higher costs for prescription drugs, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations, according to a report published Nov. 22 by the Health Care Cost Institute.
More Information
Occupational Tx of Little Benefit in Slowing Alzheimer's Decline
TUESDAY, Nov. 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Home-based occupational therapy may not slow down the physical decline that comes with Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Decline in Prevalence of Dementia 2000 to 2012 in the United States
MONDAY, Nov. 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Dementia rates have dropped dramatically over the last decade or so, according to a report published online Nov. 21 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Full Text
Editorial
Hemorrhage Risk Up in A-Fib Patients on Dabigatran, Statins
MONDAY, Nov. 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Combining dabigatran with certain statin medications could raise the odds for major hemorrhage in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to a study published online Nov. 21 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Abstract
Full Text
Updated Index Predicts Survival in NSCLC With Brain Metastases
MONDAY, Nov. 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- An updated index incorporating gene and molecular alterations can predict survival in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with brain metastases, according to a study published online Nov. 17 in JAMA Oncology.
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
CT Measures Can Accurately Identify Stroke Onset
FRIDAY, Nov. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Computed tomography (CT) can measure brain water uptake, which can be used to identify stroke patients with symptom onset within 4.5 hours, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the Annals of Neurology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Increased Fall Risk With Subclinical Peroneal Neuropathy
FRIDAY, Nov. 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A considerable proportion of medical inpatients at moderate-to-high risk of falling have subclinical peroneal neuropathy (SCPN), according to a study published in the November/December issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Full Text
CDC: Heart Disease Still Leading Cause of Death
THURSDAY, Nov. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Heart disease continues to top the list of likely cause of death among Americans, according to research published in the Nov. 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Full Text
Maternal RA May Be Linked to Childhood Epilepsy in Offspring
THURSDAY, Nov. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Some children born to mothers with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may have higher-than-average odds of developing epilepsy, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in Neurology.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Vaginal Immune Response May Up Zika Risk in Women
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Vaginal tissue is particularly vulnerable to infection by RNA viruses, such as Zika, according to a study published online Nov. 16 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Full Text
Vitamin D Replacement Improves Chronic Widespread Pain
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with nonspecific chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain (CWP) and vitamin D deficiency, treatment with vitamin D replacement results in improvements in symptoms, according to a study published online Nov. 11 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Novel Diagnostic Method for Concussion Shows Potential
MONDAY, Nov. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A simple blood test may one day diagnose concussions with more than 90 percent certainty, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in Metabolomics.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
HR Capabilities Positively Linked to Quality of Patient Care
FRIDAY, Nov. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Human resource (HR) capabilities are positively associated with quality of patient care, with the relationship mediated by proactive work, according to a study published recently in Human Resource Management.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Blood Test May Help ID Risk of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
THURSDAY, Nov. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A prenatal blood test may help identify infants at risk for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, according to a study published online Nov. 9 in PLOS ONE.
Full Text
High-Intensity Statins Tied to Better Survival in CVD Patients
THURSDAY, Nov. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- There is a graded association between intensity of statin therapy and mortality for patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to research published online Nov. 9 in JAMA Cardiology.
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
High-Frequency Spine Stimulation Offers Superior Pain Relief
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 9, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- High-frequency electrical stimulation of the spinal cord may relieve severe chronic back pain more effectively than conventional low-frequency stimulation, according to research published in the November issue of Neurosurgery.
Full Text
Donor Milk Doesn't Improve Neurodevelopment Outcomes
TUESDAY, Nov. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- For infants with very-low-birth weight (VLBW), use of supplemental donor milk does not improve neurodevelopment compared with placebo at 18 months' corrected age, according to a study published in the Nov. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Full Text
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
MRI May Help ID Lewy Body Dementia Versus Alzheimer's
TUESDAY, Nov. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain may aid diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies versus Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published online Nov. 2 in Neurology.
Abstract
Full Text
Coronary Angiography, PCI Don't Impact Cognitive Function
TUESDAY, Nov. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- There is no indication of postprocedural cognitive impairment for patients undergoing coronary angiography (CA) or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), according to a study published in the Nov. 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
AMA Highlights Role of Patient Shame in Opioid Disorders
TUESDAY, Nov. 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Supported by the American Medical Association (AMA), the Providers' Clinical Support System for Opioid Therapies (PCSS-O) has released a collection of resources from a national training and mentoring project developed by physicians to promote the role of self-education and help curb the opioid epidemic.
More Information
Many States Lack 'Return-to-Learn' Concussion Laws
MONDAY, Nov. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- All U.S. states have "return-to-play" laws designed to protect young athletes who've suffered a concussion, but as of May 2016, only eight states had "return-to-learn" laws aimed at managing children's concussion recovery, according to a review published online Nov. 7 in Pediatrics.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Five Strategies Can Reduce Risk of Medical Lawsuits
MONDAY, Nov. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Five strategies can be employed by physicians in order to help reduce the risk of lawsuits, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Full Text
Nonadherence in Nearly One-Third of Patients With HTN
MONDAY, Nov. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- More than 30 percent of patients with hypertension are not adherent to antihypertensive drug therapy, according to a study published online Nov. 3 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Half of Americans Have at Least One Chronic Health Condition
THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- More than half of Americans have at least one chronic disease, mental illness, or problem with drugs or alcohol, according to a study published online recently in Psychology, Health & Medicine.
Full Text
Review Identifies Features of Congenital Zika Infection
THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A distinctive phenotype of congenital Zika syndrome has been described in a review published online Nov. 3 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Full Text
Severe Neurologic Disorder With Administration of BIA 10-2474
THURSDAY, Nov. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Healthy participants receiving the orally administered reversible fatty acid amide hydrolase inhibitor, BIA 10-2474, can experience a severe neurologic disorder, according to research published in the Nov. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Intervention Improves Cognitive Symptoms in Cancer Survivors
TUESDAY, Nov. 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- A web-based cognitive rehabilitation program can improve cognitive symptoms in cancer survivors, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Full Text
