NEURO

Patients with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) are considered to present a magnetic, slow, wide-based gait, called frontal gait. However, this gait profile is not specific for iNPH and encountered in patients with other neurological conditions mimicking iNPH (i.e. iNPH mimics), such as vascular dementia. We aimed to characterize gait profiles in iNPH and their mimics and to compare the prevalence of clinical gait abnormalities between both groups. from Journal of the Neurological Sciences http://bit.ly/2HEZEfd

from Neurology recent issues http://bit.ly/2K7IXL3

The Humanities section of the February 12 issue of Neurology® included an article titled "Lucky and the root doctor." In this piece, the author describes his previous encounters with a black patient and his wife, and recounts dialogues in which the author is introduced to some of the patient's health beliefs, which differ widely from his own. Unfortunately, and perhaps unintentionally, the piece frames these interactions in the context of a highly problematic portrayal of race. Many Neurology readers reacted to the article, expressing concern over the negative racial overtones and calling for immediate corrective action. The article was quickly retracted, and a formal letter of apology and action plan was subsequently issued by the editor-in-chief of Neurology . 1 from Neurology recent issues http://bit.ly/2JGOd9a

Carotid artery stenosis, carotid endarterectomy (CEA), and carotid artery stenting (CAS) effectively prevent stroke recurrence and associated mortality or disability in selected patients. 1 In this issue of Neurology ®, Bongiorno et al. 2 have shown that patients with stroke who have mental health illnesses are 10% to 22% less likely to receive these interventions compared to patients without mental illness. This difference in management remained independent after controlling for ethnicity, sex, socioeconomic status, clinical comorbidities, disease severity, or hospital characteristics. from Neurology recent issues http://bit.ly/2K7IVmp

During the last few decades, mortality and morbidity of community-acquired meningitis in adult patients have improved in developed countries. Whereas more than a decade ago, mortality rates were 25%, 1,2 case fatality rates are now in the range of 6% to 17% in most studies. 3–5 One important factor that has contributed to the improved mortality and reduced morbidity has been the introduction of corticosteroids as adjunctive therapy in pneumococcal meningitis. 6 The facts that a substantial proportion of patients do not survive bacterial meningitis and a large number of survivors have neurologic sequelae indicate that there is room for improvement. from Neurology recent issues http://bit.ly/2JKMTSG

A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) requires not only the demonstration of CNS lesions disseminated in time and space but also the active exclusion of alternative diagnoses. 1 This requirement for "no better explanation" represents a substantial challenge given the varied clinical manifestations of MS, and the absence of a diagnostic test that readily distinguishes MS from other disorders. 2 Textbooks and review articles often present long lists of diseases that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of suspected MS. 2,3 These include a diverse range of uncommon inflammatory and noninflammatory disorders that present with a relapsing or progressive course. 3 MRI is a useful tool in identifying the so-called better explanations. 4 Some conditions once included in the differential diagnosis of MS 3 are easily excluded (e.g., stroke, compressive myelopathy), while certain MRI abnormalities may strongly point to an alternative diagnosis (e.g., neuromyelitis o

"The future cannot be predicted, but futures can be invented."—Denis Gabor (physicist) from Neurology recent issues http://bit.ly/2JGOcC8