Effectiveness of Levetiracetam as a First-Line Anticonvulsant for Neonatal Seizures.

Objective: Optimal treatment for neonatal seizures remains unclear, and management among US hospitals is highly varied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of levetiracetam as a first-line treatment for seizures in a neonatal population.

Methods: A single-center, retrospective review of neonates at a tertiary medical center who received levetiracetam as a first-line agent after benzodiazepines for seizure control between 2015 and 2017 was conducted.

Values in First-Episode Schizophrenia.

Objective: Functional impairment continues to represent a major challenge in schizophrenia. Surprisingly, patients with schizophrenia report a level of happiness comparable with control subjects, even in the face of the prominent functional deficits, a finding at odds with evidence indicating a positive relation between happiness and level of functioning. In attempting to reconcile these findings, we chose to examine the issue of values, defined as affectively infused criteria or motivational goals used to select and justify actions, people, and the self, as values are related to both happiness and functioning.

Does pharmacotherapy improve cardiovascular outcomes in hemodialysis patients?

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) occurs commonly in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) including those treated with hemodialysis (HD), and is associated with poor outcomes in this population. Pharmacologic management of hypertension, dyslipidemia, acute and chronic coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation in the general population is supported by the results of high-quality, randomized, controlled clinical trials. Pharmacotherapy of these disorders in the general population is effective in improving clinical outcomes.

Pharmacological and non pharmacological strategies in the management of coronary artery disease and chronic kidney disease.

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), including those treated with dialysis, are at high risk for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD accounts for 45-50% of deaths among dialysis patients. Therapy of acute and chronic coronary heart disease (CHD) that is effective in the general population is frequently less effective in patients with advanced CKD.