Parents hold out for medical cannabis trial: Bethany Edwards plays at home with younger sister Lara. Photo: Brendan Esposito On a bad day, four-year-old Bethany Edwardssleeps for more than 18 hours, has trouble holding a fork and finds it hard to walk without falling over or bumping into things.Bethany was 18 months old when she was first diagnosed with epilepsy. Now four, she suffers from night-time seizures and associated speech and learning difficulties. "It's a constant struggle," said Bethany's mother, Karen Edwards. As protocols are being drawn up for the clinical trial of medical cannabis to treat children with severe epilepsy, Karen and Brian Edwards are anxiously waiting to see if Bethany will be included when the trial starts next year. "Epilepsy affects so many aspects of everyday life." Photo: Brendan Esposito "[Epilepsy] affects so many aspects of everyday life," Mrs Edwards said. "Even just going on a holiday, we have to stick to major cities so if Bethany does have a seizure, there's a hospital that can deal with that." Advertisement The clinical trial will be the first of its kind in Australia and part of a handful of similar studies carried out worldwide. Dr John Lawson, paediatric neurologist … Continue reading →

Children conceived using infertility treatments were more likely to develop autism than children conceived naturally, Columbia University study found These treatments include IVF, artificial insemination and surrogacy Experts: Study shows a link - but does not prove - that IVF causes autism Higher risk could be explained by complications of IVF, like multiple births There was no extra risk if a woman did not have amultiplebirth By Madlen Davies for MailOnline Published: 08:18 EST, 23 March 2015 | Updated: 12:51 EST, 23 March 2015 22 shares 35 View comments Babies conceived through IVF may be twice as likely to develop autism, according to new research. Children conceived using assisted reproductive technology were more likely to develop autism than babies conceived naturally. Assisted reproductive technology (ART) includes any type of fertility treatment where the egg and the sperm are handled outside of the body, including IVF, artificial insemination and surrogacy. During IVF - the most popular ART treatment - more than one egg is harvested and fertilised, which can lead to multiple births. The rest is here: IVF babies 'may be twice as likely to develop autism', study claims … Continue reading →

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 23, 2015 ~ 1 min read A new paper reports the incidence of diagnosed autism was twice as high for assisted reproductive technology (ART) as non-ART births in a California study. ART includes a group of complex procedures that are often utilized if a woman does not become pregnant after treatment with medical and surgical techniques. Techniques include intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization and third party assisted ART. The new study reviewed nearly six million children born in California from 1997 through 2007. Researchers report, however, that much of the association between ART and autism can be explained by age and education of the mother as well as adverse perinatal outcomes, especially multiple births. After accounting for these factors, the study showed an elevated risk only for mothers ages 20-34. Notably, the study reported no significant increased risk of autism for women who gave birth to singleton children. These results indicate that the higher autism risk may be due mainly to the large numbers of multiple births and complications of pregnancy and delivery among children conceived with ART, said Dr. Christine Fountain, assistant professor … Continue reading →

Thousands of people who suffer a stroke in Greater Manchester will get better care under a 2m shake-up of services. All emergency treatment is being centralised at three hospitals Salford Royal, Stepping Hill in Stockport and Fairfield Hospital in Bury in a bid to save 50 lives a year. District stroke units at other hospitals will remain open under the plans but will shift their focus from emergency care to patient rehabilitation and recovery. Experts say it means patients across the region will be able to access the gold standard of care within the vital first few days after a stroke. Dr Khalil Kawafi, consultant stroke physician at Fairfield Hospital, said: There is strong evidence that these changes will lead to better outcomes for stroke patients in Greater Manchester. We believe they will give people a greater chance of survival and will aid peoples recovery from stroke. Weve listened carefully to the views of groups which represent and support stroke patients become implementing these changes. They are fully behind the plans as they believe they will ensure all patients have access to the best possible treatment in the critical initial period after having a stroke. Since 2010, patients calling 999 … Continue reading →

Trenton, NJ (PRWEB) March 23, 2015 The new generation of retrieval devices that remove blood clots from the brain can be safely used to treat patients with so-called Wake-Up Stroke, according to a new study that should change the way neurosurgeons treat people who suffer a stroke while asleep. The study, published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, found that these devices which require only a small incision in the upper leg where the device is threaded through the arterial system to the brain are beneficial even if the time of the first stroke symptom is unclear because the patient awoke with symptoms. We no longer should automatically deny treatment to patients who wake up with stroke symptoms, said Dr. Erol Veznedaroglu, MD, FACS, FAANS, FAHA, an investigator in the study. We need to examine each patient. We cannot rely on arbitrary time limits to tell us when we should intervene to help people experiencing a stroke. Dr. Veznedaroglu is the newly appointed director of the Drexel Neurosciences Institute. He also is chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Drexel University College of Medicine. The study was conducted at Capital Health and three other study sites. Because of the unclear … Continue reading →