Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2007
Non-infectious fever in the neurological intensive care unit: incidence, causes and predictors.
Non-infectious causes of fever are often considered in critical neurological patients but their true significance has not been formally studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, causes and predictors of fever in patients with acute neurological/neurosurgical disease and no documented infection. ⋯ Fever in the absence of documented infections occurs commonly in the NICU, especially among patients with subarachnoid haemorrhage and vasospasm. Early onset of fever predicts a non-infectious cause.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2007
Odour identification test and its relation to cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine in patients with drug induced parkinsonism.
We investigated olfactory function and its relation to cardiac 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake in 15 patients with drug induced parkinsonism (DIP). The mean Cross Cultural Smell Identification (CCSI) score was significantly greater in patients with DIP than in those with Parkinson's disease (PD: 6.9 (1.6) vs 4.4 (2.2); p<0.001); however, the mean CCSI score in patients with DIP was not significantly different from controls. ⋯ DIP patients with CCSI scores within the normal range had normal cardiac MIBG uptake. Our study suggests that an olfactory function test may be a useful tool for detecting DIP unrelated to PD and for identifying patients with DIP who have subclinical PD.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2007
Risk factors for early visual deterioration in temporal arteritis.
Despite corticosteroid treatment, patients with temporal arteritis may continue to lose vision. However, predictors of progressive visual loss are not known. ⋯ Although corticosteroid therapy improves the visual prognosis in temporal arteritis, steroids may not stop the progression of visual loss. Our study reliably establishes the risk factors for visual loss in this serious condition. Whether addressing these risk factors early in their presentation can alter the visual outcome remains unknown. Individual risk anticipating treatment regimens and strategies might improve the visual prognosis in temporal arteritis in the future.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Nov 2007
A model of personality change after traumatic brain injury and the development of the Brain Injury Personality Scales.
The aims of this study were to develop models of personality change after traumatic brain injury (TBI) based on information provided by the TBI survivor and a significant other (SO), and to compare the models generated from the two different sources of information. ⋯ The information obtained from the interviews with the TBI survivors and the SOs produced two models with a similar structure: three superordinate factors of personality items (affective regulation, behavioural regulation and engagement) and one superordinate factor of items relevant to mental state (restlessness and range of thought). Despite the similarity in structure, the content of the information obtained from the two interviews was different.