A pilot study of potential Alzheimer disease biomarkers has proposed that highly sensitive ELISA testing of amyloid levels in saliva may help to distinguish AD from other types of dementia at an early stage of the disease process (Bermejo-Pareja et al. BMC Neurol 2010; 10: 108).
Neurology
EDSS may underrepresent progression
January 12, 2011Researchers in the Netherlands report that combining different outcome measures in MS may be more useful in assessing disease progression than change in EDSS score alone (Kragt et al. Mult Scler 2010; epublished October 26, 2010). Clinical changes were assessed in 553 patients using EDSS, the Nine-Hole Peg test, the Timed 25-Foot walk, and the MS Impact Scale.
Topiramate vs. phenytoin in new-onset epilepsy
December 8, 2010A 1-month trial comparing topiramate 100 mg/day versus phenytoin (1000 mg on day 1, 300 mg/day maintenance) in 261 patients with new-onset epilepsy has found that the two treatments are comparable. The primary objective of non-inferiority could not be established (Ramsay et al. Epilepsia 2010; 51: 1970-1977).
Trial of pramipexole for depression in PD
December 8, 2010A new study reports that the dopamine agonist pramipexole appears to have direct antidepressant effects in Parkinson’s disease patients with comorbid depression (Bxarone et al. Lancet Neurol 2010; 9: 573-580).
Clopidogrel in high vascular risk: CHARISMA substudy analysis
December 8, 2010The Clopidogrel for High Atherothrombotic Risk and Ischemic Stabilization, Management and Avoidance (CHARISMA) trial randomized 15,603 patients at high vascular risk to clopidogrel 75 mg/day or placebo for 28 months to determine if the drug reduces the rate and severity of stroke (Hankey et al. Stroke 2010; 41: 1679-1683). All patients also received ASA. Results have now been published on a prespecified substudy examining the functional severity of stroke outcomes, as assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) three months post-stroke.