Arch Neurol Chicago
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Arch Neurol Chicago · Feb 1996
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialThe Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale. Assessment of activities of daily living in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The ALS CNTF treatment study (ACTS) phase I-II Study Group.
To test the utility of a new, easy to administer instrument for assessing activities of daily living in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), to validate its accuracy, and to assess its ability to record disease progression in patients with ALS against other functional scales, quantitative isometric muscle testing, and global assessment scales. ⋯ The ALSFRS is a useful instrument for evaluation of functional status and functional change in patients with ALS. Its results are in close agreement with objective measures of muscle strength and pulmonary function. The ALSFRS may be used as a screening measure for entry into clinical trials, as a surrogate measure of function in situations in which muscle strength cannot be measured directly, or as an adjunct to myometry.
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Arch Neurol Chicago · Dec 1995
Clinical TrialMyosin heavy-chain fragments and cardiac troponins in the serum in rhabdomyolysis. Diagnostic specificity of new biochemical markers.
Myosin is the major structural protein in muscle. Antibodies to beta-type heavy meromyosin react with cardiac and slow-twitch skeletal muscle. Cardiac TnT and TnI were developed as tissue-specific indicators. ⋯ The measurement of myosin heavy-chain fragments was useful in the diagnosis of previous rhabdomyolysis up to 12 days. The role of TnT was negligible as an indicator of cardiac muscle damage in patients with severe rhabdomyolysis. Cardiac TnI is a more tissue-specific marker for myocardial damage even with concurrent rhabdomyolysis.
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Arch Neurol Chicago · Sep 1995
Clinical validity of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale in detecting Dementia of the Alzheimer type. A double cross-validation and application to a community-dwelling sample.
To assess the clinical validity of the Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) in detecting patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). ⋯ The DRS is a clinically valid psychometric test for the detection of DAT. The Memory and Initiation/Perseveration subscales are its best discriminative indexes for an abbreviated version.
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Arch Neurol Chicago · Jun 1995
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialRandomized, double-blind, controlled trial of acetylcysteine in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Free radicals may play a role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ⋯ In this trial, treatment with the free radical scavenger acetylcysteine did not result in a major increase in 12-month survival or a reduction in disease progression in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.