Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) may be associated with increased cortical fractional anisotropy, but not with cortical or subcortical atrophy, according to research published online ahead of print November 20 in Neurology. Investigators evaluated 50 patients and 50 sex-, age-, and education-matched controls with a clinical and neuroimaging battery approximately 14 days after TBI. A total of 26 patients returned for follow-up four months after injury. Patients had increased fractional anisotropy in the bilateral superior frontal cortex during the semiacute phase of injury. Fractional anisotropy in the left superior frontal cortex remained elevated at four months after injury. The researchers found no significant differences between patients and matched controls on neuropsychologic testing or measures of gray matter atrophy or mean diffusivity at either time point.
Researchers detailed the early clinical course, morbidity, and mortality of the 2012 outbreak of fungal infections associated with methylprednisolone injections in two articles published October 24, 2013, in the New England Journal of Medicine. As of July 1, 2013, a total of 749 cases of infection had been reported in 20 states, including 61 deaths. Of 728 patients for whom data were available, 31% had meningitis and no other documented infection. Of 328 patients without peripheral joint infection who were included in one investigation, 81% had CNS infection, and 19% had non-CNS infections only. The investigators found evidence of Exserohilum rostratum in 36% of patients for whom samples were available. Patients’ median age was 64, and the median incubation period was 47 days. Forty patients had a stroke.
An algorithm may accurately predict time to death, institutionalization, and need for full-time care in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to an article published online ahead of print September 24 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Investigators followed two study cohorts with mild Alzheimer’s disease for 10 years. The first cohort included 252 patients, and the second included 254 patients. Participants underwent semiannual assessments that included cognition, functional capacity, and medical, psychiatric, and neurologic information. For each of the three outcome measures, the predicted survival curves were well within the 95% confidence intervals of the observed survival curves. The actual and predicted survival curves were statistically equivalent. The algorithm can be adapted to predict other important disease end points, according to the researchers.
High pulse pressure may be associated with increased CSF phosphorylated tau and decreased β-amyloid 1–42 (Aβ1–42) in cognitively normal older adults, according to research published online ahead of print November 13 in Neurology. A total of 177 cognitively normal, stroke-free older adults underwent blood pressure assessment for determination of pulse pressure, as well as lumbar puncture for measurement of CSF Aβ1–42 and phosphorylated tau. High pulse pressure was associated with increased phosphorylated tau, reduced Aβ1–42, and increased phosphorylated tau to Aβ1–42 ratio. After controlling for covariates, the investigators found that pulse pressure remained associated with phosphorylated tau and phosphorylated tau to Aβ1–42 ratio, but was no longer associated with Aβ1–42. The relationship between pulse pressure and CSF biomarkers is age-dependent, said the researchers.
Acute stroke care in hospitals with neurology residency programs may be associated with an increased use of thrombolytics, investigators reported online ahead of print November 1 in Neurology. The disparities between the thrombolysis rates in hospitals with neurology residency programs and those in other teaching hospitals and nonteaching hospitals may be greater among elderly patients. Researchers retrospectively studied a nationally representative sample of patients with ischemic stroke. A total of 712,433 individuals from 6,839 hospital samples were included. Of these patients, 10.1%, 29.1%, and 60.8% were treated in hospitals with neurology residency programs, other teaching hospitals, and nonteaching hospitals, respectively. Patients in hospitals with neurology residency programs received thrombolysis more frequently (3.74%) than those in other teaching hospitals (2.28%) and those in nonteaching hospitals (1.44%).
The FDA has approved Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) as an add-on medication to treat partial-onset seizures associated with epilepsy. In three large, phase III safety and efficacy trials that included more than 1,400 patients with inadequately controlled partial-onset seizures, eslicarbazepine acetate was associated with statistically significant reductions in standardized seizure frequency, compared with placebo. Significantly more patients who received eslicarbazepine acetate had a reduction in seizure frequency of 50% or more, compared with controls. The most common side effects include dizziness, somnolence, nausea, headache, diplopia, vomiting, fatigue, vertigo, ataxia, and blurred vision. Eslicarbazepine acetate will not be classified as a controlled substance. Sunovion (Marlborough, Massachusetts) markets the drug and expects it to be available in the US during the second quarter of 2014.
The FDA has approved the NeuroPace RNS System, a device intended to reduce the frequency of seizures in patients with epilepsy who have not responded well to medications. The device consists of a small neurostimulator implanted within the skull. The neurostimulator is connected to one or two electrodes that are placed where the seizures are suspected to originate within the brain or on the surface of the brain. When it detects abnormal electrical activity, the neurostimulator delivers electrical stimulation to normalize brain activity and prevent seizures. In a randomized study of 191 patients, the average number of seizures per month was reduced by approximately 38% at three months in patients in whom the device was turned on. The RNS System is manufactured by NeuroPace (Mountainview, California).