Clin Med
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Prolonged diagnostic dilemma and poor clinical outcome in the absence of early HIV testing.
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This case represents latent autoimmune diabetes in the young (LADY), and demonstrates that autoimmune diabetes can be slowly progressive even in younger patients with insulin independency period lasting for more than two years.
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Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) was defined in 1957 and is linked with giant cell arteritis (GCA) in approximately 25% of cases. The peak incidence is between 60 and 75 years old and is increasing with the ageing population. Polymyalgia rheumatica is a clinical diagnosis without a 'gold standard' serological or histological test and there are other conditions that may mimic PMR. ⋯ The rate of reduction should be adjusted depending on the individual's response. Where temporal arteritis is suspected, this manifestation of GCA is a treatable medical emergency to prevent possible blindness, and steroids should be commenced immediately. There remain many unknowns in the cause, diagnosis and treatment of PMR and its overlap with GCA, and it is an ongoing challenge requiring further research.
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The vegetative state (VS) is a devastating clinical condition characterised by wakefulness without awareness. Functional neuroimaging permits to objectively measure brain responsiveness to external stimuli in VS. The literature on functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography studies in these patients has been reviewed. ⋯ Passive stimulation paradigms, however, do not permit to make strong claims about the absence or presence of consciousness. Recently proposed mental imagery paradigms permit to identify signs of consciousness in non-communicative brain damaged patients. The clinical application of these functional neuroimaging techniques awaits validation from ongoing multi-centric cohort studies in these challenging patients with chronic disorders of consciousness.