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This Month in Archives of Neurology
Arch Neurol. 2000;57:1681.
Cerebrogenic Death
Cheung and Hachinski (SEE ARTICLE) review the role of the insula in cerebrogenic cardiovascular disturbances and sudden death. At-risk patients can be identified and saved.
Immunoepilepsy
Aarli (SEE ARTICLE) discusses evidence that immune mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of some forms of epilepsy. Rasmussen encephalitis is one form of autoimmune disease associated with epilepsy. Clearly, the finding of the immunologic cause or association with epilepsy offers new thinking about pathogenesis and possible new forms of therapy.
Transgenic Neurology
Deng and Siddique (SEE ARTICLE) provide a highly focused and masterly review of the role of transgenic mice in expressing human genetic disease and the opportunity of deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved. This is a rapidly paced and exciting field and their review captures the essence of how genes discovered from the human genome project will be tested and elucidated as being responsible for neurologic function and disease.
Safety in Stopping Anticoagulation
Phan and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) discuss the pros and cons of anticoagulation in patients with intracranial hemorrhage with high thromboembolic risk. There are risks with discontinuing or with continuing therapy in this group of patients, and the authors provide important insight and management suggestions.
Editorial comment provided by Hacke is included (SEE ARTICLE) .
Reading in Alzheimer Disease
Wilson and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) have assessed the relation of premorbid reading activity with patterns of cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease. In general, a higher level of premorbid reading was associated with more rapid decline on the global cognitive and verbal measures in patients with AD. These findings provide insight as to how the pathology of AD is clinically expressed.
Impaired Thinking in Patients With Cancer
Tuma and DeAngelis (SEE ARTICLE) have studied altered mental status in patients with cancer. They find that patients with cancer have multiple causes of delirium, many of which are treatable with rapid improvement in their cognitive status. This is an important and practical subject of interest to the active clinician.
Buccal Hemineglect
André and colleagues (SEE ARTICLE) have investigated the syndrome of buccal neglect associated with impaired swallowing, loss of taste, and maintenance of food in the left hemibuccal space. It is usually associated with lesions of the right hemisphere and its clinical detection may be elusive. Identification and documentation of this important syndrome will lead to significant patient improvement.
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