Neurology
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Cost-effectiveness estimate of prehospital thrombolysis: results of the PHANTOM-S study.
To analyze the cost-effectiveness of shorter delays to treatment and increased thrombolysis rate as shown in the PHANTOM-S (Prehospital Acute Neurological Treatment and Optimization of Medical Care in Stroke) Study. ⋯ Depending on willingness-to-pay thresholds in societal perspectives, the STEMO prehospital stroke concept has the potential of providing a reasonable innovation even in health-economic dimensions.
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To determine the relationship between exposure to repeated head impacts through tackle football prior to age 12, during a key period of brain development, and later-life executive function, memory, and estimated verbal IQ. ⋯ There is an association between participation in tackle football prior to age 12 and greater later-life cognitive impairment measured using objective neuropsychological tests. These findings suggest that incurring repeated head impacts during a critical neurodevelopmental period may increase the risk of later-life cognitive impairment. If replicated with larger samples and longitudinal designs, these findings may have implications for safety recommendations for youth sports.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis: a phase II trial.
To assess in multiple sclerosis (MS) the effect of intense immunosuppression followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cells transplantation (AHSCT) vs mitoxantrone (MTX) on disease activity measured by MRI. ⋯ Intense immunosuppression followed by AHSCT is significantly superior to MTX in reducing MRI activity in severe cases of MS. These results strongly support further phase III studies with primary clinical endpoints. The study was registered as EUDRACT No. 2007-000064-24.
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To understand better the features and mechanisms distinguishing tremor in dystonia, we reviewed the epidemiologic, clinical, and neurophysiologic data in patients with dystonia and tremor. Clinical studies suggest that tremor starts at or after dystonia onset in body parts affected or unaffected by dystonia. Tremor in dystonia manifests during posture or voluntary movements even though some dystonic patients may have tremor at rest. ⋯ Neurophysiologic investigations in patients with dystonia and tremor show reduced reciprocal inhibition between agonist and antagonist upper limb muscles, a lack of brainstem interneuronal inhibition, and abnormal sensory integration. The neurophysiologic abnormalities in patients with dystonia and tremor resemble those in dystonia but differ from those described in essential tremor. Tremor is a phenotypic motor feature in dystonia.