Diagnostic accuracy of functional imaging modalities for chondrosarcoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The distinction between low-grade (grade 1) chondrosarcoma and its benign counterparts can be challenging. This systematic review aims to quantify the diagnostic accuracies of all functional imaging modalities used in the diagnosis of chondrosarcoma. METHODS: Medline and Embase were searched in February 2019. We included studies of either retrospective or prospective design if the results of functional scans were compared with pre-determined reference standards. Studies had to be primary diagnostic reports on patients with chondral tumours at first diagnosis. Two review authors independently performed study selection, extracted data and assessed the methodological quality. We calculated diagnostic accuracy measures for each included study. RESULTS: Four functional imaging modalities were identified across thirteen studies that met the inclusion criteria. 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was a sensitive and specific test. Technetium-99 m with methylene diphosphonate (Tc-99 m MDP) had an overall low specificity of 4%. Thallium-201 scintigraphy demonstrated high positive predictive values across the studies. The negative predictive values of Technetium-99 m pentavalent dimercaptosuccinic acid (Tc-99 m DMSA (V)) were consistently 100%. CONCLUSIONS: Low-grade chondrosarcomas continue to pose a diagnostic dilemma. FDG-PET demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy compared to Tc-99 m MDP, Thallium-201 and Tc-99 m DMSA (V). Characteristic uptake patterns of Thallium-201 and Tc-99 m DMSA (V) may provide additional metabolic information to guide the diagnosis in this challenging group of tumours.

Genetic factors for the development of Alzheimer disease in the Cherokee Indian.

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between the genetic degree of Cherokee ancestry, the apolipoprotein E *E4 (APOE*E4) allele type, and the development of Alzheimer disease (AD) in individuals from the Cherokee Nation who reside in northeastern Oklahoma. SETTING: Alzheimer disease center satellite clinic and university departments of neurology, psychiatry, and academic computing. DESIGN: Standardized dementia evaluations based on criteria from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association were performed on 26 patients aged 65 years or older to establish a diagnosis of AD. Twenty-six control subjects were recruited and similarly assessed. The APOE allele type determinations were obtained on all patients and control subjects. Appropriate statistical analyses were used to compare the genetic degree of Cherokee ancestry, the APOE allele type, and the development of AD. RESULTS: The data indicated that as the genetic degree of Cherokee Indian ancestry increased, the representation of AD decreased. The 9 patients with AD with a greater than 50% genetic degree of Cherokee ancestry constituted 35% of the group with AD. The 17 remaining patients with AD who were less than 50% Cherokee constituted 65% of the group with AD. In contrast, 17 (65%) of the control subjects were more than 50% Cherokee; only 9 (35%) were less than 50% Cherokee. These percentages of AD were not changed by the *E4 allele. This inverse relationship between the genetic degree of Cherokee ancestry and AD, independent of the APOE*E4 allele status, diminished with increasing age, suggesting an age-related protective effect of being Cherokee. For a decrease of 10% in Cherokee ancestry, the odds of developing AD are estimated to be 9.00 times greater at age 65 years but only 1.34 times greater at age 80 years. CONCLUSIONS: A greater genetic degree of Cherokee ancestry reduces the risk of developing AD and, thus, seems protective. This protective genetic factor is independent of APOE allele type and diminishes with age.

Unusual cause of rhabdomyolysis in a head injury patient: case report.

There has been renewed interest in decompressive craniectomy as a treatment for severe closed head injury. Although generally considered a last resort measure, some neurologic surgeons now believe the procedure has merit early in the treatment hierarchy. (1,2) A positive effect on patient outcome has not yet been convincingly demonstrated. (3) We report an unusual complication of decompressive craniectomy, significant rhabdomyolysis caused by temporary storage of a bone flap in the anterior abdominal wall.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma developing in bone 44 years after shrapnel trauma.

Tumors induced by foreign bodies are uncommon in humans, but they are a relatively common occurrence in some experimental animals. The development of sarcoma in association with metallic foreign bodies has rarely been reported. The development of a malignant fibrous histiocytoma in a 65-year-old man 44 years after shrapnel fragments lodged in his left arm is described. The literature regarding metallic foreign body-induced cancer in humans is reviewed.

Donepezil in vascular dementia: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of donepezil in patients with vascular dementia (VaD). METHODS: Patients (n = 616; mean age, 75.0 years) with probable or possible VaD, according to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke-Association Internationale pour la Recherche en l'Enseignement en Neurosciences criteria, were randomized to receive donepezil 5 mg/day (n = 208), donepezil 10 mg/day (after 5 mg/day for the first 28 days) (n = 215), or placebo (n = 193) for 24 weeks. RESULTS: Seventy-six percent of the patients enrolled had probable VaD. A total of 75.3% of the 10 mg donepezil group and 80.8% of the 5 mg group completed the study compared with 83.4% of the placebo group. Both donepezil-treated groups showed improvements in cognitive function on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale compared with placebo, with a mean endpoint treatment difference, as measured by the change from baseline score, of approximately 2 points (donepezil 5 mg, -1.65 [p = 0.003]; 10 mg, -2.09 [p = 0.0002]). Greater improvements on the Clinician's Interview-Based Impression of Change-plus version were observed with both donepezil groups than with the placebo group (overall donepezil treatment vs placebo p = 0.008); 25% of the placebo group showed improvement compared with 39% (p = 0.004) of the 5 mg group and 32% (p = 0.047) of the 10 mg group. Withdrawal rates due to adverse events were low (placebo, 8.8%; donepezil 5 mg, 10.1%; 10 mg, 16.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Donepezil-treated patients demonstrated significant improvements in cognition and global function compared with placebo-treated patients, and donepezil was well tolerated.