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Neurology

News, opinions and meeting coverage in neurology.

Mom's Lupus Tied to Child's Autism

SAN DIEGO -- Children born to mothers with systemic lupus erythematosus have twice the risk for autism spectrum disorders as those whose mothers are unaffected, a Canadian researcher reported here.

Striking a Nerve: Heinz Kerry Recovers

Teresa Heinz Kerry is back at work less than 4 months after a mysterious seizure hospitalized her. Striking a Nerve is a blog by John Gever for readers interested in neurology.

Sleep Problems, Poor Angioplasty Outcomes Linked

Disturbed sleep is common in heart patients following coronary angioplasty and is an independent risk factor for poor cardiac outcomes, researchers reported.

Common Cause for Bruxism, Restless Legs, Migraine?

NEW ORLEANS -- About half of patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) seen in a single neurology practice also qualified for diagnoses of bruxism and migraine, suggesting a possible common cause for these disorders, a researcher said here.

Heart Surgery as Infant Hikes Risk for ADHD Later

Children who underwent surgery for congenital heart disease in the first year of life appeared to carry an increased risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) once they reached school age, researchers found.

MoCA Beats MMSE to Assess Dementia

NEW ORLEANS -- The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was better than the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at teasing out subtle differences in cognitive performance among mildly impaired individuals, researchers reported here.

Xyrem Helps With Nighttime Sleep in Narcolepsy

NEW ORLEANS -- Narcolepsy patients troubled by frequent nighttime awakenings had less sleep disruption when taking sodium oxybate (Xyrem) than modafinil (Provigil) in a randomized trial, a researcher reported here.

Striking a Nerve: MS Cured With an OTC Drug?

A neurology researcher is planning a clinical trial of a widely available drug that he thinks could stave off disability in multiple sclerosis patients. How much should he (or we) say publicly about it?

Opioid Use Common After Spine Surgery

NEW ORLEANS -- One year after surgery to relieve back pain, about of third of patients still were using narcotic painkillers, according to a study that raised new concerns about the long-term use of opioids.

Repeat Botox OK for Urinary Incontinence in MS Patients

COPENHAGEN -- Long-term treatment with serial onabotulinum toxin A (Botox) of urinary incontinence among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients appeared to be safe and effective, researchers reported here.

Data Supports Eslicarbazepine in Epilepsy

VIENNA -- Pooled phase III study results on eslicarbazepine acetate, a prodrug for S(+)-liscarbazepine, showed that the drug outperformed placebo as add-on therapy for partial-onset seizures in adults, a researcher said here.

N.H. Hospital May Have Exposed Patients to CJD

Health officials in New Hampshire said eight neurosurgery patients at one hospital in the state may have been unwittingly exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

FDA Warns of Fatal Skin Reactions with Acetaminophen

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Acetaminophen is associated with rare but severe and sometimes fatal skin reactions at usual doses, the FDA said Thursday.

FDA Adds Black Box Warning to Malaria Drug

The FDA has added a boxed warning to the labeling of the antimalarial drug mefloquine, advising of the possibility of neurologic and psychiatric adverse events, the agency announced.

Xarelto Gets a No for Stent Thrombosis

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- The FDA has rejected an application for a new indication allowing rivaroxaban (Xarelto) to be used to reduce the risk of stent thrombosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Aricept Helps Cognition in Parkinson's

SYDNEY -- Parkinson's disease patients who have impaired cognition appeared to benefit from the Alzheimer's disease medicine donepezil (Aricept) with no detriment to their motor skills, researchers reported here.

Medicare to Pay for More FDG-PET Scans

WASHINGTON -- Up to three scans using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-enhanced positron emission tomography technology can be covered by Medicare for oncology treatment planning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said.

APA Leaders Defend New Diagnostic Guide

SAN FRANCISCO -- The fifth edition of the "psychiatrist's bible" was officially released here in all its 947-page glory, with its developers offering a spirited rebuttal to their critics.

Hangover Risk Prompts Ambien Label Changes

New dosing recommendations for products containing zolpidem (Ambien, Ambien CR, Edluar) are now included in their labels, along with warnings of next-day hangover effects, the FDA said Tuesday.

FDA Allows Opana Generics

The original formulation of extended-release oxymorphone (Opana ER) that lacked abuse-resistant mechanisms was not pulled from the market for safety reasons, and therefore generics based on that recipe are permissible, the FDA said.

Triptans Go-To Migraine Drugs Even in Pregnancy

The triptans, most experts agree, are the go-to drugs for frequent or serious migraines in pregnancy.

On-Call Pay Varies Widely by Specialty

Surgeons commanded more than $1,000 a day for being on-call at the hospital, while primary care physicians reported compensation rates of around $150 a day, according to annually compiled data.

Lyme Disease, Autism Link Debunked

A new study has found no evidence of an association between Lyme disease and autism.

Hydrocodone Curbs Back Pain All by Itself

FORT LAUDERDALE -- Treatment with extended-release hydrocodone without acetaminophen offered effective relief from chronic low back pain compared with placebo, researchers said here.

Acute Pain Yields to Lower-Dose Diclofenac

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Lower-dose submicron particle diclofenac offered good pain control compared with placebo, researchers reported here.

Preop Ketamine May Lower Pain in Fibromyalgia

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- In fibromyalgia patients undergoing knee or hip replacement surgery, low-dose, intraoperative ketamine appeared to reduce the need for post-surgical opioid therapy, researchers said here.

Migraine Drug May Set Stage for Kidney Stones

ORLANDO - Patients who take topiramate (Topamax) therapy for treatment of migraine appear to deplete citrate in the urine, creating an environment for kidney stones, researchers reported here.

AAN: Anxiety Drug May Help in Autism

SAN DIEGO -- The hypertension and anxiety treatment propranolol improved general social functioning in young adults with autism spectrum disorder, researchers reported here.

PML Not Fatal if Caught Early

SAN DIEGO - All multiple sclerosis patients taking natalizumab (Tysabri) who were diagnosed with a serious condition called PML before symptoms appeared were still alive a year later, researchers said.

ECG for Eyes Sorts Strokes from Vertigo

A device described as an ECG for the eye accurately distinguishes stroke from other causes of dizziness in the emergency department, a small proof-of-concept study showed.

FDA Warns About Codeine Following Tonsillectomy

Products that contain codeine should not be used for pain relief in children following tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy because of a possible risk of serious adverse events or death, the FDA said Wednesday.

Deaths Trigger DEA Probe of Pain Specialist

Treating pain is challenging, and sometimes perilous, for both physician and patient, as is illustrated by Lynn Webster, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, who is the subject of an investigation triggered by as many as 20 deaths among his patients.

Is Pot Smoking a Stroke Trigger?

HONOLULU -- Middle age stroke patients were twice as likely to be pot smokers than healthy middle age controls, researchers found.

ACE Inhibitors Linked to Hallucinations in Elderly

Elderly patients with memory problems who suddenly have visual hallucinations may need to stop taking ACE inhibitors, researchers suggested.

NuPathe's Patch for Migraine Wins FDA Approval

WASHINGTON -- Adults with migraine will soon have a new treatment option -- Zecuity, a transdermal, battery-powered sumatriptan patch.

FDA: Booze and Xyrem Are Dangerous Mix

WASHINGTON -- The FDA is warning healthcare professionals that patients taking the muscle weakness and narcolepsy drug sodium oxybate (Xyrem) should not consume alcohol or use central nervous system depressants.

Extended Apixaban Stops VTE Recurrence

ATLANTA -- Apixaban taken for an additional year after standard venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment reduced recurrent events in a placebo-controlled trial, researchers said.

FDA Panel Gives Thumbs Down to Opioid

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- An FDA advisory committee voted 11-2 on Friday against recommending approval of a single-entity hydrocodone product, raising questions about its abuse potential.

ALS Drug Gets Review for VA Coverage

LAS VEGAS -- Riluzole (Rilutek) should remain on the Veterans Administration formulary as a treatment for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, despite having only modest benefits and considerable cost, a researcher said here.

Injector Pen May Ease Emergency Seizure Tx

SAN DIEGO -- An investigational pen-type injector for delivering intramuscular diazepam appeared safe and effective for home treatment of acute seizures, researchers said here.

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