Neurology
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Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) shape clinical care worldwide but are prone to potential error and bias due to conflicts of interest (COI). ⋯ Conflicts of interest are common for authors of American Academy of Neurology clinical practice guidelines across many domains of personal and professional interests. More research is needed to improve the methods to identify and quantify the types of conflicts and their potential biasing effects on selecting guideline topics, grading research evidence, and formulating practice recommendations.
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Phenytoin (PHT) is widely used to treat epilepsy in elderly patients, but information on its pharmacokinetics in this population is limited. ⋯ Healthy elderly adults appear to have the same phenytoin (PHT) pharmacokinetics as younger adults. Reduced PHT dosage requirements may be due to age-related changes in patients' sensitivity to the therapeutic and toxic effects of the drug. The prolonged elimination half-life suggests that most patients can take PHT once daily and the time to reach steady-state may extend to 2-3 weeks.
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This study estimated the annual economic cost of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in the United States in 2004, including the direct costs of medical care and the indirect costs due to lost productivity and premature death. ⋯ The economic cost of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) was substantial, and largely due to disability and death. The cost estimate summarizes the lifetime health burden due to GBS in monetary terms, and provides some of the information needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of health measures that affect GBS.