Spinal Cord Infarction with Multiple Etiologic Factors

Spinal cord infarction is uncommon and usually presents with sudden onset of paralysis and sensory disturbances. A variety of causes are described, but rarely with multiple factors involved. We report a case of a 63-year-old man with a history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and osteoarthritis who presented with acute onset of chest pain, numbness, and weakness associated with episodic hypotension. He had incomplete tetraplegia and was areflexic without spasticity. Pain and temperature sensations were impaired below the C7 dermatome and absent below the T4 dermatome bilaterally. Proprioception and vibration sensations were diminished on the right below the C6 dermatome. Magnetic resonance imaging showed spinal cord infarction affecting C6–T3 segments, and severe cervical and lumbar spine degenerative changes. This case illustrates an unusual presenting symptom of spinal infarction, the need to identify multiple risk factors for spinal cord infarction, and the importance of optimal preventive therapy in patients at risk

SemEval-2013 Task 7: The Joint Student Response Analysis and 8th Recognizing Textual Embodiment Challenge

This paper presents the results of the Joint Student Response Analysis and 8th Recognizing Textual Entailment Challenge, aiming to bring together researchers in educational NLP technology and textual entailment

SemEval-2013 task 7: The joint student response analysis and 8th recognizing textual entailment challenge

We present the results of the Joint Student Response Analysis and 8th Recognizing Textual Entailment Challenge, aiming to bring together researchers in educational NLP technology and textual entailment. The task of giving feedback on student answers requires semantic inference and therefore is related to recognizing textual entailment. Thus, we offered to the community a 5-way student response labeling task, as well as 3-way and 2-way RTE-style tasks on educational data. In addition, a partial entailment task was piloted. We present and compare results from 9 participating teams, and discuss future directions.

Reducing neurodisparity Recommendations of the 2017 AAN Diversity Leadership Program

Many advances in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurologic disease have emerged in the last few decades, resulting in reduced mortality and decreased disability. However, these advances have not benefitted all populations equally. A growing body of evidence indicates that barriers to care fall along racial and ethnic lines, with persons from minority groups frequently having lower rates of evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention, and consequently experiencing worse neurologic outcomes than their white counterparts. The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) challenged its 2017 Diversity Leadership Program cohort to determine what the AAN can do to improve quality of care for racially and ethnically diverse patients with neurologic disorders. Developing a fuller understanding of the effect of disparities in neurologic care (neurodisparity) on patients is an important prerequisite for creating meaningful change. Clear insight into how bias and trust affect the doctor-patient relationship is also crucial to grasp the complexity of this issue. We propose that the AAN take a vital step toward achieving equity in neurologic care by enhancing health literacy, patient education, and shared decision-making with a focus on internet and social media. Moreover, by further strengthening its focus on health disparities research and training, the AAN can continue to inform the field and aid in the development of current and future leaders who will address neurodisparity. Ultimately, the goal of tackling neurodisparity is perfectly aligned with the mission of the AAN: to promote the highest-quality patient-centered neurologic care and enhance member career satisfaction

Developing the Neurology Diversity Officer A Roadmap for Academic Neurology Departments

Academic neurology departments must confront the challenges of developing a diverse workforce, reducing inequity and discrimination within academia, and providing neurologic care for an increasingly diverse society. A neurology diversity officer should have a specific role and associated title within a neurology department as well as a mandate to focus their efforts on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion that affect staff, trainees, and faculty. This role is expansive and works across departmental missions, but it has many challenges related to structural intolerance and cultural gaps. In this review, we describe the many challenges that diversity officers face and how they might confront them. We delineate the role and duties of the neurology diversity officer and provide a guide to departmental leaders on how to assess qualifications and evaluate progress. Finally, we describe the elements necessary for success. A neurology diversity officer should have the financial, administrative, and emotional support of leadership in order for them to carry out their mission and to truly have a positive influence

Predictors of Outcomes in Patients With Mild Ischemic Stroke Symptoms: MaRISS

Background and Purpose: Although most strokes present with mild symptoms, these have been poorly represented in clinical trials. The objective of this study is to describe multidimensional outcomes, identify predictors of worse outcomes, and explore the effect of thrombolysis in this population. Methods: This prospective observational study included patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack, a baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 0 to 5, presenting within 4.5 hours from symptom onset. The primary outcome was a 90-day modified Rankin Scale score of 0 to 1; secondary outcomes included good outcomes in the Barthel Index, Stroke Impact Scale-16, and European Quality of Life. Multivariable models were created to determine predictors of outcomes and the effect of alteplase. Results: A total of 1765 participants were included from 100 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke participating hospitals (age, 65±14; 42% women; final diagnosis of ischemic stroke, 90%; transient ischemic attack, 10%; 57% received alteplase). At 90 days, 37% were disabled and 25% not independent. Worse outcomes were noted for older individuals, women, non-Hispanic Blacks and Hispanics, Medicaid recipients, smokers, those with diabetes, atrial fibrillation, prior stroke, higher baseline NIHSS, visual field defects, and extremity weakness. Similar outcomes were noted for the alteplase-treated and untreated groups. Alteplase-treated patients were younger (64±13 versus 67±1.4) with higher NIHSS (2.9±1.4 versus 1.7±1.4). After adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, and baseline NIHSS, we did not identify an effect of alteplase on the primary outcome but did find an association with Stroke Impact Scale-16 in the restricted sample of baseline NIHSS score 3–5. Few symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhages were recorded (<1%). Conclusions: A large proportion of stroke patients presenting with low NIHSS have a disabled outcome. Baseline predictors of worse outcomes are described. An effect of alteplase on outcomes was not identified in the overall cohort, but a suggestion of efficacy was noted in the NIHSS 3–5 subgroup. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT02072681