Outbreak of travel-related pontiac fever among hotel guests illustrating the need for better diagnostic tests.

Background: Pontiac fever (PF), a legionellosis with influenza-like symptoms and high attack rates, is rarely reported. Travel-related outbreaks can elude detection because infected persons are often widely removed geographically from the transmission source before illness onset. Thirty-one persons staying at an Illinois hotel during August 9 to 11, 2002, reported influenza-like symptoms to local health departments within 24 to 48 hours of checkout.

Effects of acute treatment with pravastatin on cerebral vasospasm, autoregulation, and delayed ischemic deficits after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a phase II randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background And Purpose: Statins may improve cerebral vasomotor reactivity through cholesterol-dependent and -independent mechanisms. A phase II randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the hypothesis that acute pravastatin treatment could improve cerebrovascular autoregulation and reduce vasospasm-related complications after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).

Methods: A total of 80 aneurysmal SAH (aSAH) patients (18 to 84 years of age) within 72 hours from the ictus were randomized equally to receive either oral pravastatin (40 mg) or placebo daily for up to 14 days.

Detection and evaluation of intracranial aneurysms with 16-row multislice CT angiography.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of 16-row multislice CT angiography (CTA) in evaluating intracranial aneurysms, by comparison with conventional digital subtraction angiography (DSA) and intraoperative findings.

Methods: A consecutive series of 57 patients, scheduled for DSA for suspected intracranial aneurysm, was prospectively recruited to have CTA. This was performed with a 16-detector row machine, detector interval 0.

Cerebral haemodynamic disturbances in patients with moderate carotid artery stenosis.

Objective: Dynamic MR perfusion imaging can detect cerebral perfusion deficits resulting from severe internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis. It is unknown, however, whether moderate ICA stenosis (50-69%) also causes haemodynamic disturbance. We investigated whether cerebral perfusion deficits were detectable in patients with moderate ICA stenosis.

Late epilepsy following open surgery for aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Objective: To determine the risk for late epilepsy (>2 weeks postoperatively) following aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) treated by early aneurysm clipping.

Design: Subgroup analysis of the East Anglian regional audit of SAH (1994-2000; n = 872) with 12 month follow up. Prophylactic anticonvulsants were not routinely prescribed unless there was a perioperative seizure.

Hyperglycemia and brain tissue pH after traumatic brain injury.

Objective: Hyperglycemia occurring after head injury is associated with poor neurological outcome. We tested the hypothesis that blood glucose levels are associated with brain tissue pH (pH(b)) and that the correction of hyperglycemia would result in an improvement in pH(b).

Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of a prospectively collected database.

MRI-derived measurements of fibrous-cap and lipid-core thickness: the potential for identifying vulnerable carotid plaques in vivo.

Vulnerable plaques have thin fibrous caps overlying large necrotic lipid cores. Recent studies have shown that high-resolution MR imaging can identify these components. We set out to determine whether in vivo high-resolution MRI could quantify this aspect of the vulnerable plaque.