Austrian recommendations on Targeted Hormone Therapy for metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

In recent years, new therapeutic options have brought improvements in the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. Targeted Hormone Therapy (THT) represents a novel therapeutic component for which recent studies have shown a maximum benefit in the time between failure of androgen deprivation therapy (patient is metastatic and still pain-free) and prior to chemotherapy. Prostate cancer experts of the Austrian Society of Urology and Andrology (ÖGU), the Working Group for Urologic Oncology as part of the ÖGU, and the Professional Association of Austrian Urologists (BvU) have developed recommendations for the treatment of patients with asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder. There is significantly elevated risk of cognitive decline and associated neuropsychiatric symptoms. Dementia may develop insidiously several years after manifestation of Parkinson motor symptoms (dementia associated with Parkinson's disease; Parkinson's disease dementia) or in close temporal relationship (within one year) after onset of motor symptoms (Dementia with Lewy bodies).

Thyroid screening in HIV-infected patients with antiretroviral therapy.

Background: The literature reports an increased incidence of thyroid disorders in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons. We therefore retrospectively analyzed the strategy of collecting thyroid parameters on a routine basis.

Methods: Overall 410 patients (147 women, 263 men; age, 10-74 years; median age, 45 years) were included.

International Issues: Cross-border mobility of junior neurologists within and to the European Union.

Objective: To assess the general interest in and motivation for cross-border mobility among residents and junior neurologists from member states of the European Union and neighboring countries.

Methods: Questionnaire-based paper survey among 118 participants of a neurology course.

Results: Ninety-seven (82%) participants returned the survey.

The phoenix from the ashes: cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia.

Background: Patients with autonomic failure may experience postural dizziness, syncope, and falls. Identifying symptomatic dysautonomia in dementia is of importance to ensure appropriate management and reduce risk of falls.

Objective: The aim of this prospective study is to identify cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in patients suffering from behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), compared to Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Onset of sweating depends on the type of reflex syncope.

Reflex syncope is classified based on the efferent autonomic system as vasodepressant type, cardioinhibitory type and mixed type. We employed quantitative sweat testing to assess differences in sudomotor sympathetic activity in relation to the type of reflex syncope. In cardioinhibitory type sweating started in 7/9 patients after and in vasodepressor type in 11/12 patients before syncope.

International issues: Obtaining an adult neurology residency position in the United States: an overview.

Around the world, there are marked differences in neurology training, including training duration and degree of specialization. In the United States, adult neurology residency is composed of 1 year of internal medicine training (preliminary year) and 3 years of neurology-specific training. Child neurology, which is not the focus of this article, is 2 years of pediatrics and 3 years of neurology training.

Harmonization of European neurology education: the junior doctor's perspective.

The objective of this article, written by executives of the European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees (EAYNT), is to illustrate the status quo of neurology training in Europe and give an outlook on ongoing efforts and prospects for junior neurologists. The European Union is an economic and political union that currently encompasses 27 member states with more than 500 million inhabitants (or 7.3% of the world population) (interested readers are referred to http://en.

Incidence of cerebrovascular lesions in pure autonomic failure.

In pure autonomic failure (PAF) - a rare form of primary dysautonomia - some patients show cerebrovascular lesions usually found in hypertensive subjects. In an autonomic laboratory records of patients with a definitive diagnosis of PAF having had cerebral imaging (cMRI, cCT) were analysed retrospectively. Tilt table data (supine/tilted), 24 hour blood pressure recordings (day/night) and serum catecholamine levels were correlated with cerebrovascular lesions and also compared to published normal values.

European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees: position paper on teaching courses for Generation Y.

The European Association of Young Neurologists and Trainees (EAYNT) is a non-profit organization which acts on behalf of young neurologists in Europe and concertedly exerts influence on the formation of a new generation of neurologists [Struhal et al.: Eur J Neurol 2009;16:e146-e148]. This concerns particularly the Generation Y (Gen Y), also known as Millennial Generation, Digital Natives or Generation Next, a demographic cohort defined by birth between 1981 and 1999 [Elkind: Neurology 2009;72:657-663].

Physical, occupational, speech and swallowing therapies and physical exercise in Parkinson's disease.

Former studies on the effects of physical exercise, physical and occupational therapy (PT, OT) and speech and swallowing therapy (ST, SwT) in Parkinson's disease (PD) have demonstrated little or uncertain effects. New pathophysiological concepts have been developed. Recent controlled high-level studies demonstrate improvement of mobility and balance after training of muscular strength and endurance, trunk control, and amplitude and rhythmicity of movements (treadmill).

Reliability of the noninvasive sequence methods to estimate baroreflex function using the paradigm of brain death.

Background: Various techniques have been developed to estimate spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity noninvasively. However, in the EuroBaVar study it has been shown that they yield differing results.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate the reliability of these methods further we compared the results of the most common sequence techniques.

Constantin von Economo's contribution to the understanding of movement disorders.

Constantin von Economo's (CvE) main scientific achievements were his studies on the cytoarchitectonics of the cerebral cortex, sleep, and encephalitis lethargica (EL). He found a close relationship between motor symptoms and psychiatric and behavioral disorders in EL and postencephalitic Parkinsonism and identified the underlying neuropathology in the diencephalon and the brainstem. In agreement with Tretiakoff's findings in Parkinson's disease, CvE related postencephalitic Parkinsonism to neuronal loss in the substantia nigra.