Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Neurology for October 2016. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Few Changes in Employer-Sponsored Insurance 2013-2014
MONDAY, Oct. 31, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Private sector employer-sponsored health insurance offerings were similar in 2013 and 2014, with <3.5 percent of employers dropping coverage and 1.1 percent adding coverage, according to a report published online Oct. 26 in Health Affairs.
FDA Approves Device to Prevent Recurrent Strokes in PFO Patients
FRIDAY, Oct. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The Amplatzer PFO Occluder device has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent another stroke among patients who have had at least one prior stroke involving a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
Occipital Nerve Stimulation Effective for Chronic Migraine
FRIDAY, Oct. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with chronic migraine (CM), peripheral nerve stimulation of the occipital nerves reduces the number of headache days, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in Pain Practice.
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Useful Tips Offered for Addressing Negative Patient Reviews
FRIDAY, Oct. 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In an article published in Medical Economics, five tips are presented to address negative patient reviews.
Resistance Training Beneficial in Mild Cognitive Impairment
THURSDAY, Oct. 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) results in significant improvements in cognitive function, muscle strength, and aerobic capacity, with cognitive benefits mediated by strength gains, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Heart Rate, BP in Male Teens Tied to Later Risk for Psych Disorders
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Young men with a resting heart rate and blood pressure that are elevated — but still within normal range — appear more likely to develop a wide range of mental illnesses later in their lives, according to a study published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Psychiatry.
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Antioxidant, Carotene Intake Tied to Increased Function in ALS
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Antioxidants, carotenes, and fruit and vegetable intake is associated with higher amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) function, according to research published online Oct. 24 in JAMA Neurology.
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Disruptions in Brain Structure Seen in Children With PTSD
TUESDAY, Oct. 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The brains of children with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have structural differences not seen in the brains of children without the disorder, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in Radiology.
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Risk of Stroke Appears to Be Up in Younger Pregnant Women
TUESDAY, Oct. 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pregnancy may raise the risk of stroke in younger women, when compared to their non-pregnant peers, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in JAMA Neurology.
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Altered Brain Structure Seen With Just One Season of Youth Football
MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Just one season of competitive football may cause changes in some young players’ developing brains, even if they don’t get a concussion during play, according to a study published online Oct. 24 in Radiology.
Adaptive Working Memory Training Beneficial in HIV
MONDAY, Oct. 24, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Adaptive working memory training (WMT), but not non-adaptive WMT, improves working memory performance in HIV participants and seronegative (SN) controls and reduces brain activation at one and six months, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Nitrate-Reducing Oral Microbes Linked to Migraines
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 19, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Patients with migraines have higher levels of certain microbes in their mouths and digestive systems, according to a study published online Oct. 18 in mSystems, a journal from the American Society for Microbiology.
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CDC: Complementary Health Use Up With Musculoskeletal Pain
MONDAY, Oct. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of complementary health approaches is significantly higher for U.S. adults with musculoskeletal pain disorders, according to a report published online Oct. 12 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Statistics Reports.
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Lower Monthly Premiums for Narrow-Network Plans
MONDAY, Oct. 17, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Narrow-network health insurance plans have lower monthly premiums than larger-network plans, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.
Alemtuzumab May Reverse Some Disability in Newly-Diagnosed MS
FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The multiple sclerosis (MS) drug alemtuzumab, usually reserved for patients in the late stages of the disease, seems to offer long-term remission in newly diagnosed patients, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in Neurology.
New Active Zika Transmission Area in Miami-Dade County
FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A new active Zika transmission zone was declared Thursday by Florida health officials.
Androgen Deprivation Therapy May Raise Dementia Risk
FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The risk of dementia might be doubled for prostate cancer patients who are treated with androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), according to a study published online Oct. 13 in JAMA Oncology.
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Complete Genome Sequence of Zika Isolated From Semen
FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The first complete genome sequence of a sample of Zika virus derived from semen has been obtained, according to research published in the September/October issue of Genome Announcements.
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Brain Implants Allow Paralyzed Man to Control Robotic Arm
THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A set of four brain implants — chips half the size of a dress shirt button — have allowed a paralyzed 30-year-old man to not only control a robot arm but also feel sensations from the individual fingers of the arm, researchers with the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center report online Oct. 13 in Science Translational Medicine.
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Late-Pregnancy Zika Infection Can Still Affect Fetal Brain
THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The Zika virus may harm a infant’s brain even if the mother is infected just before giving birth, according to a study published online Sept. 6 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
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Inhaled Levodopa May Rapidly Relieve Parkinson’s Symptoms
THURSDAY, Oct. 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An inhaled version of the Parkinson’s drug levodopa can help when patients experience symptoms between doses of the pill form of the medication, according to a study published in the Oct. 12 issue of Science Translational Medicine.
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Doctors Better Diagnosticians Than Symptom-Checker Programs
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Physicians are twice as likely to get the right diagnosis on the first try as 23 popular symptom-checking computer programs, according to a research letter published online Oct. 11 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Volunteering May Help Prevent Cognitive Impairment in Seniors
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Older adults who volunteer have lower risk of developing cognitive impairment, according to a study published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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Cortisol Mediates Benefit for Early Session Psychotherapy
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia, cortisol mediates the effect of the time of day on subsequent outcome, with greater clinical improvement seen for earlier exposure sessions, according to a study published in the December issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology.
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Orthostatic Hypotension May Increase Risk of Dementia
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There is an association between orthostatic hypotension and an increased risk for dementia, according to a new study published online Oct. 11 in PLOS Medicine.
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DEET to Protect Against Zika Appears Safe During Pregnancy
TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) insect repellents won’t harm a pregnant woman or her fetus when used as instructed to prevent Zika infection, according to research published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Placebo Effect Seen in Chiropractic Tx of Migraine
TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Real and sham chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (CSMT) are equally likely to ease patients’ migraine pain, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in the European Journal of Neurology.
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Midlife Hypertension Appears Detrimental to Cognitive Function
TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Midlife hypertension may increase risk for dementia later in life, according to a new scientific statement published online Oct. 10 in Hypertension.
Copay Assist Programs Creating Problems in Health Care Markets
TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite offering assistance to individuals who cannot afford expensive medications, copay assistance programs create broader problems in health care markets, according to an Ideas and Opinions piece published online Oct. 11 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Radiomic-Based Method Predicts Recurrent Glioblastoma Outcome
TUESDAY, Oct. 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A radiomic-based approach can be used to generate a prediction model for stratifying treatment outcome among patients with recurrent glioblastoma prior to bevacizumab treatment, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in Clinical Cancer Research.
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Ventilators May Be Overused Among Dementia Patients in ICUs
MONDAY, Oct. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There has been an increase in the use of mechanical ventilation over time without substantial improvement in survival among hospitalized nursing home residents with advanced dementia, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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U.S. Health Care System Is One of the Least Efficient Worldwide
MONDAY, Oct. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. health care system is one of the least efficient worldwide based on a Bloomberg index that assesses life expectancy, health care spending per capita, and relative spending as a share of gross domestic product, according to a report published by Bloomberg.
Ghrelin May Predict Cognitive Impairment
MONDAY, Oct. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Blood levels of ghrelin may be a predictor of executive function impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), according to a study published online Sept. 30 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
New Drug for Alcohol Use Disorder Appears Promising
FRIDAY, Oct. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An experimental drug — a vasopressin antagonist called ABT-436 — shows some promise in treating alcohol use disorder and smoking, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Neuropsychopharmacology.
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Strategies Presented for Managing Physician Burnout
FRIDAY, Oct. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Effective strategies for managing physician burnout include mindfulness and stress-management training, according to a review published online Sept. 28 in The Lancet.
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Global Burden of Disease Report Evaluates the World’s Health
FRIDAY, Oct. 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The United States lags behind other advanced nations when it comes to infant mortality and the life expectancy of its citizens, according to a comprehensive review of global health statistics published in the Oct. 8 issue of The Lancet.
Women’s Better Memory Skills May Delay Alzheimer’s Diagnosis
THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in women may be more difficult than in men because older women tend to retain better verbal memory, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in Neurology.
More Evidence of Zika Connection to Guillain-Barré Syndrome
THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) — In a new report, published online Oct. 5 in the New England Journal of Medicine, an international team of researchers says it has developed the strongest evidence to date that Zika virus can cause Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Changes in Emotional Processing With Mindfulness Meditation
THURSDAY, Oct. 6, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable changes in emotional processing, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
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Interruptions in Inpatient Stroke Rehab Often Avoidable
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Many interruptions in inpatient rehabilitation for stroke survivors and patients with brain and spinal cord injuries are avoidable, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
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Doctors Spending in Excess of $32,000 on Health IT
TUESDAY, Oct. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Doctors are spending more than $32,000 per year on health information technology (IT), according to an article published in Medical Economics.
CDC Updates Zika Travel Advisory for Southeast Asia
TUESDAY, Oct. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has posted Zika virus-related special travel considerations for 11 Southeastern Asian countries.
More Evidence for Benefit of Reduced Salt Intake on Mortality
TUESDAY, Oct. 4, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Sodium intake has a direct relationship with total mortality, according to a report published in the Oct. 11 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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New AMA Module Helps Identify Physician Distress
MONDAY, Oct. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A new resource has been developed to help physicians identify distressed colleagues and help them to access care, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Novel Proactive Model Identifies Falls, Syncope, Dizziness
MONDAY, Oct. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A novel proactive multidisciplinary service model can identify falls, syncope, and dizziness symptoms, and reveal new diagnoses, according to a study published online Sept. 27 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Lower Infection Risk for Coiled Versus Noncoiled Leads
MONDAY, Oct. 3, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Percutaneous leads used for neurostimulation of the peripheral nervous system have a much lower risk of infection with a coiled design compared to noncoiled leads, according to a review published online Sept. 27 in Pain Practice.
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