JAMA neurology
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The efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for symptomatic large anterior vessel occlusion (sLAVO) sharply decreases with time. Because EVT is restricted to comprehensive stroke centers, prehospital triage of patients with acute stroke codes for sLAVO is crucial, and although several prediction scales are already in use, external validation, head-to-head comparison, and feasibility data are lacking. ⋯ This study found that all 7 prediction scales had good accuracy, high specificity, and low sensitivity, with LAMS and RACE being the highest scoring scales. Feasibility rates ranged between 78% and 88% and should be taken into account before implementing a scale.
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Although the most common recent approach in Alzheimer disease drug discovery is to directly target the β-amyloid (Aβ) pathway, the high prevalence of apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE ε4) in Alzheimer disease and the ease of identifying ε4 carriers make the APOE genotype and its corresponding protein (apoE) an appealing therapeutic target to slow Aβ accumulation. ⋯ These findings suggest that the protective outcome of carrying an ε2 allele in the presence of an ε4 allele against Aβ accumulation is important for potential treatments that attempt to biochemically mimic the function of the ε2 allele in order to facilitate Aβ clearance in ε4 carriers. Such a treatment strategy is appealing, as ε4 carriers make up approximately two-thirds of patients with Alzheimer disease dementia. This strategy could represent an early treatment option, as many ε4 carriers begin to accumulate Aβ in early middle age.