Neurology
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Intravenous immunoglobulin in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a dose-finding trial.
Several studies have reported a reduction of relapses after the long-term administration of IV immunoglobulin (IVIG) to patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), but they were mostly small and differed in terms of predefined outcome variables and treatment regimen. We therefore set out to test two different doses of a new formulation of immunoglobulin termed IGIV-C 10% for suppression of both clinical and MRI disease activity as well as safety. ⋯ Although IV immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment was well tolerated, this study did not substantiate a beneficial effect of IVIG in doses ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 g/kg. This result seriously questions the utility of IVIG for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
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Review
Cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions: ethical challenges for early human trials.
Attempts to translate basic stem cell research into treatments for neurologic diseases and injury are well under way. With a clinical trial for one such treatment approved and in progress in the United States, and additional proposals under review, we must begin to address the ethical issues raised by such early forays into human clinical trials for cell-based interventions for neurologic conditions. ⋯ Distinctive challenges confronting US scientists, administrators, institutional review boards, stem cell research oversight committees, and others who will need to make decisions about work involving stem cells and their derivatives and evaluate the ethics of early human trials include evaluating the risks, safety, and benefits of these trials, determining and evaluating cell line provenance, and determining inclusion criteria, informed consent, and the ethics of conducting early human trials in the public spotlight. Further study and deliberation by stakeholders is required to move toward professional and institutional policies and practices governing this research.
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Comparative Study
Stroke: the Elixhauser Index for comorbidity adjustment of in-hospital case fatality.
Adjustment for comorbidity is an important component of any clinical outcome study using administrative data. The Elixhauser Index is a relatively newer comorbidity index for use with administrative data and has not been used to assess prognosis in patients with stroke. Similarly, an International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 coding algorithm has been rarely reported for Elixhauser Index. ⋯ The Elixhauser Index provides similar comorbidity adjusted risk estimates using both ICD-9-CM and ICD-10, and may be useful for predicting risk-adjusted in-hospital case-fatality in stroke outcome studies.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Phenomenology of prolonged febrile seizures: results of the FEBSTAT study.
Febrile status epilepticus (FSE) has been associated with hippocampal injury and subsequent mesial temporal sclerosis and temporal lobe epilepsy. However, little is known about the semiology of FSE. ⋯ Febrile status epilepticus is usually focal and often not well recognized. It occurs in very young children and is usually the first febrile seizure. Seizures are typically very prolonged and the distribution of seizure durations suggests that the longer a seizure continues, the less likely it is to spontaneously stop.