New and Noteworthy Information—September 2015
A drug used to treat diabetes may also reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to a study published July 21 in PLOS Medicine. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study in which individuals with diabetes who were prescribed glitazone antidiabetes drugs (rosiglitazone or pioglitazone) were matched by age, sex, practice, and diabetes treatment stage with up to five people who were taking other diabetes treatments. Patients were followed up from 1999 until the first recording of a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis, end of observation in the database, or the end of the study (August 1, 2013). In all, 44,597 glitazone-exposed individuals were matched to 120,373 other antidiabetic users. The incidence rate of Parkinson’s disease in the glitazone-exposed group was 6.4 per 10,000 patient years compared with 8.8 per 10,000 years in those prescribed other antidiabetic treatments.
Day-of-injury serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) diagnosis and provides six-month prognostic information regarding recovery, according to a study published online ahead of print July 10 in the Journal of Neurotrauma. Researchers examined BDNF in 300 patients drawn from two independent cohorts of TBI cases presenting to two emergency departments and 150 patients without brain injuries. Among Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in TBI (TRACK-TBI) pilot study subjects, median BDNF concentrations were higher in mild than in moderate or severe TBI. In the TRACK-TBI cohort, the subjects with very low BDNF values had higher odds of incomplete recovery than those without very low values. According to the researchers, their results suggest that a test for BDNF levels, administered in the emergency department, could help stratify patients.
Children with multiple sclerosis (MS) are less physically active than children with monophasic acquired demyelinating syndrome, according to a study published online ahead of print August 12 in Neurology. In this cross-sectional study of consecutive patients attending a specialized pediatric MS clinic, researchers administered the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire. A total of 110 patients were included. Patients with MS reported less strenuous and total physical activity than those with monophasic acquired demyelinating syndrome. Patients with MS who reported greater amounts of moderate physical activity metabolic equivalents had fewer sleep/rest fatigue symptoms. Participation in strenuous physical activity was associated with smaller T2 lesion volumes and lower annualized relapse rate.
—Kimberly Williams
