Anthony J. Hildreth

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Poststroke hyperglycemia (PSH) is a frequent finding for which there is currently no evidence to justify routine treatment. The United Kingdom Glucose Insulin in Stroke Trial (GIST-UK) is the only trial of glucose modulation in acute stroke from which evidence can be derived for the immediate management of PSH. Using safety-monitoring data from the trial we aimed to describe the immediate recovery of PSH in treated and control patients, thus providing evidence for the use of glucose/potassium/insulin (GKI) infusions as a means of maintaining euglycemia. METHODS: GIST-UK is a multicenter randomized controlled trial of GKI or saline infusions in acute stroke patients presenting with mild to moderate hyperglycemia (admission plasma glucose, 6.0 to 17 mmol). We analyzed the capillary BM and plasma glucose values in the 2 treatment groups to describe the recovery of PSH and the effectiveness of the GIST treatment regimen in maintaining euglycemia. RESULTS: The majority of patients have only moderate PSH (mean plasma glucose, 8.37+/-SD 2.13). Without specific intervention, mean plasma glucose levels decline spontaneously. Treatment with the GIST GKI regimen rapidly achieved euglycemia at significantly lower levels than with saline hydration alone. Euglycemia was achieved with a median of 2 changes to the GKI regimen and a low risk of hypoglycemia. CONCLUSIONS: GKI infusions as described in the GIST trial are a safe and effective means of correcting PSH and maintaining euglycemia in the acute phase of stroke. The clinical benefits of routine management of hyperglycemia remain to be determined.

BACKGROUND: Orthostatic hypotension is common in Lewy body disorders and may be related to disease progression and the spread of Lewy body pathology. We therefore hypothesize that PD patients with orthostatic hypotension (OH) have a different cognitive profile compared to PD patients without OH. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 175 PD patients. Blood pressure (BP) was measured with a validated digital blood pressure monitor and patients with a systolic BP drop of > or =20 mmHg or a systolic pressure of <90 mm Hg after standing were considered to have OH. Cognition was assessed using MMSE extended by a selection of computerized cognitive tests focusing on reaction time, sustained attention, working memory and episodic verbal and visual memory. RESULTS: Eighty-seven (49.7%) of the PD patients had OH. These patients were significantly more impaired in sustained attention and visual episodic memory compared to PD patients without OH. CONCLUSION: We conclude that there are differences in the neuropsychological performance of patients with PD and OH, supporting the hypothesis that OH might be a marker for disease progression and cognitive decline in PD.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of intracameral cefuroxime versus subconjunctival cefuroxime in reducing the rate of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. SETTING: Single-specialty eye hospital, Sunderland, United Kingdom. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all presumed infectious endophthalmitis cases from January 1,2000, to December 31,2006 was performed. The rate of presumed infectious endophthalmitis in patients receiving subconjunctival cefuroxime was compared with those receiving intracameral cefuroxime at the end of surgery. RESULTS: This study included 36743 phacoemulsification cataract procedures. The mean rate of presumed infectious endophthalmitis was 0.95 per 1000 cases. The incidence of endophthalmitis was higher in the subconjunctival cefuroxime group than in the intracameral cefuroxime group; the difference was statistically significant with an odds ratio of 3.01 (95% confidence interval, 1.37-6.63). CONCLUSION: Intracameral cefuroxime was a safe alternative to subconjunctival cefuroxime and led to a lower rate of endophthalmitis.

OBJECTIVES: Edema is a common side effect of radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Systems have been developed to record and monitor changes that occur after radiotherapy. These lack the sensitivity to record edema in specific laryngo-pharyngeal structures. The aim of this study was to develop a rating scale to measure edema in the larynx and pharynx. METHODS: This was an exploratory study to develop a new measure, with the help of an expert panel, assessing interrater and intrarater reliability. A consensus group developed the rating scale. Eleven structures and 2 spaces were identified as areas sensitive to the development of edema. The terms no, mild, moderate, and severe were used to describe the degrees of edema. The scale was piloted and then tested for interrater and intrarater reliability on 5 speech and language therapists. They viewed 25 nasendolaryngoscopic images (23 patients who had had radiotherapy and 2 healthy volunteers). The images were rated with the scale. This process was repeated 1 week later. RESULTS: Images were taken from patients with oral, oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal, or laryngeal cancer. All had had radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. All raters were experienced in viewing larynges via nasendolaryngoscopy. The interrater reliability for scoring the edema rating scale was moderate (weighted kappa, 0.54). Lower levels of agreement were found for the tongue base, valleculae, pharyngeal walls, and anterior commissure. The intrarater reliability was very good (weighted kappa, 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: The edema rating scale can be scored with very good test-retest reproducibility and moderate levels of agreement between clinicians. Modifications to the method are suggested to increase interrater reliability.