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.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Patient Assisted Intervention for Neuropathy: Comparison of Treatment in Real Life Situations (PAIN-CONTRoLS): Bayesian Adaptive Comparative Effectiveness Randomized Trial.
Cryptogenic sensory polyneuropathy (CSPN) is a common generalized slowly progressive neuropathy, second in prevalence only to diabetic neuropathy. Most patients with CSPN have significant pain. Many medications have been tried for pain reduction in CSPN, including antiepileptics, antidepressants, and sodium channel blockers. There are no comparative studies that identify the most effective medication for pain reduction in CSPN. ⋯ This study found that, although there was no clearly superior medication, nortriptyline and duloxetine outperformed pregabalin and mexiletine when pain reduction and undesirable adverse effects are combined to a single end point.
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The safety and efficacy of intensive systolic blood pressure reduction in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who present with systolic blood pressure greater than 220 mm Hg appears to be unknown. ⋯ The higher rate of neurological deterioration within 24 hours associated with intensive treatment in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage and initial systolic blood pressure of 220 mm Hg or more, without any benefit in reducing hematoma expansion at 24 hours or death or severe disability at 90 days, warrants caution against generalization of recommendations for intensive systolic blood pressure reduction.
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Delirium is associated with increased hospital costs, health care complications, and increased mortality. Long-term consequences of delirium on cognition have not been synthesized and quantified via meta-analysis. ⋯ In this meta-analysis, delirium was significantly associated with long-term cognitive decline in both surgical and nonsurgical patients.