Surgical Versus Dilational Tracheostomy in Patients with Severe Stroke: A SETPOINT2 Post hoc Analysis.

Background: Tracheostomy in mechanically ventilated patients with severe stroke can be performed surgically or dilationally. Prospective data comparing both methods in patients with stroke are scarce. The randomized Stroke-Related Early Tracheostomy vs Prolonged Orotracheal Intubation in Neurocritical Care Trial2 (SETPOINT2) assigned 382 mechanically ventilated patients with stroke to early tracheostomy versus extubation or standard tracheostomy.

Association of blood lipids with onset and prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: results from the ALS Swabia registry.

Background: To date, the role of blood lipid levels and their association with the onset and prognosis of ALS is controversial. We explored these associations in a large, population-based case-control study.

Methods: Between October 2010 and June 2014, 336 ALS patients (mean age 65.

Different binding pattern of antibodies to prion protein on lymphocytes from patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

In Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), progressive neuronal cell death probably occurs as a result of a change in conformation of the physiological prion protein (PrP(C)). There is evidence of participation of the lymphatic system and in particular of lymphocytes in the intracorporeal transportation of the pathological prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in new variant CJD and scrapie. Using fluorescence cytometry, we investigated a possible alteration of PrP(C) on lymphocytes of patients with sporadic CJD.

Serum tau protein level as a marker of axonal damage in acute ischemic stroke.

Biochemical markers of brain damage, e.g. ischemic stroke, should reflect the volume of irreversibly damaged brain parenchyma and the clinical outcome in a single patient in order to allow estimation of prognosis at an early stage.