The strength of the patellar and Achilles tendon reflexes is not affected in uncomplicated pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Research on healthy pregnant women's reflexes is almost unheard of, even if an estimation of reflexes is a conventional part of the physical examination of preeclamptic patients, and hyperreflexia is generally considered to be a warning sign of eclampsia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible impact of gestation on tendon reflexes and the Babinski response, as examined in a clinical bed-side manner. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, single-blind, cross-sectional study. Three study groups comprised non-pregnant (n = 20), 14-18 weeks (n = 16), and 34-38 weeks (n = 15) healthy pregnant women respectively. Two experienced neurologists examined separately each participant's patellar reflexes, Achilles reflexes, and Babinski response and rated them on two different scales, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) scale and Mayo Clinic Scale for Tendon Reflex Assessment. Inter-observer estimations between the patient groups and the neurologists were made by mixed effect model methodology. RESULTS: The patellar and Achilles reflexes´ strengths were rated similarly in all three groups (p > 0.05). The inter-observer difference was non-significant between the neurologists´ estimations (p > 0.05). The neurologists estimated the Babinski response in a few cases as neutral (0), otherwise down (normal). CONCLUSIONS: The patellar and Achilles reflex strengths are not affected in uncomplicated pregnancy. There is good concordance between neurologists´ estimations of tendon reflex strengths rated on the NINDS and Mayo scales.

Incidence of first stroke: a population study in Iceland.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Iceland is an island in the North Atlantic with ≈319 000 inhabitants. The study determines the incidence of first stroke in the adult population of Iceland during 12 months, which has not been previously reported in the entire Icelandic population. METHODS: The study population consisted of all residents of Iceland, aged ≥ 18 years, during the 12-month study period. Cases were identified by multiple overlapping approaches. Medical records were reviewed to verify diagnosis, to determine stroke subtype and to determine selected risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 343 individuals, aged ≥ 18 years, had a first stroke during the study period. Incidence was 144 per 100 000 person years; 81% ischemic infarction; 9% intracerebral hemorrhage; 7% subarachnoid hemorrhage; and 3% unknown. Fifty percent of the individuals were men. Mean age for ischemic infarction and intracerebral hemorrhage was 71 years for men and 73 years for women. Atrial fibrillation was previously known in 18% with first ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage and another 6% were diagnosed on routine admission ECG. Long-term ECG study (24 hours) found that 12% (18/154) of the remaining individuals had paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of first stroke in Iceland is similar to other Western countries. The high number of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation found during the 24-hour ECG suggests that atrial fibrillation may be underdiagnosed in patients with stroke.

Evaluation of phenytoin serum levels following a loading dose in the acute hospital setting.

PURPOSE: Due to the complex pharmacokinetic profiles of phenytoin (PHT) and fosphenytoin (FOS), achieving sustained, targeted serum PHT levels in the first day of use is challenging. METHODS: A population based approach was used to analyze total serum PHT (tPHT) level within 2-24h of PHT/FOS loading with or without supplementary maintenance or additional loading doses among PHT-naïve patients in the acute hospital setting. Adequate tPHT serum level was defined as ≥20µg/mL. RESULTS: Among 494 patients with 545 tPHT serum levels obtained in the first 2-24h after the loading dose (LD), tPHT serum levels of either