Published January 27, 2015 A survey of over 400 patients who received brain surgery to treat epilepsy has revealed that a majority were satisfied 15 years after deciding to undergo the procedure. The study, conducted by physicians at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, asked patients whether they could start driving and working again, and whether they took antidepressants after their surgery. The study participants had a portion of their brains surgically removed or resected to treat localization-related epilepsy at Henry Ford during an 18-year period. Study authors say the survey is one of the first to assess long-term satisfication with the operation. "Most previous studies looked at seizure and psychosocial outcomes at two to five years after surgery, and a few for up to 10 years," lead author Dr. Vibhangini S. Wasade, a neurologist at Henry Ford, said in a news release. "We aimed to assess the long-term outcomes up to 15 years at our epilepsy center." Of the 420 total patients surveyed by phone, 92 percent reported that their epilepsy surgery was worthwhile, according to the news release. Thirty-two percent said they were seizure-free, and 75 percent said they had favorable results. Researchers learned that 51 percent of those … Continue reading →

Scientists at the University of York have discovered that a drug used widely to combat epilepsy has the potential to reduce the growth and spread of breast cancer. Researchers in the Department of Biology at York studied phenytoin, a drug which inhibits epilepsy by targeting sodium channels. These channels, known as VGSCs, exist in the membranes of excitable cells, such as neurons, where they are involved in transmission of electrical impulses. They are also present in breast cancer cells where they are thought to help the spread of tumours. In research published in Molecular Cancer, the York team found that "repurposing" antiepileptic drugs, such as phenytoin, that effectively block the sodium channels, could provide a novel therapy for cancer. Despite extensive work to define the molecular mechanisms underlying the expression of VGSCs and their pro-invasive role in cancer cells, there is little clinically relevant in vivo data exploring their value as potential therapeutic targets. The researchers found that treatment with phenytoin, at doses equivalent to those used to treat epilepsy significantly reduced tumour growth in a preclinical model. Phenytoin also reduced cancer cell proliferation in vivo and invasion into surrounding mammary tissue. Dr Will Brackenbury, who led the research, said: … Continue reading →

Grand Challenges Canada funds BasicNeeds' innovative, franchised model for improving mental health and development Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada today announces a CDN $1 million scale up investment in an innovative, franchised approach to the treatment and support of mental illness in resource-poor countries. The Canadian government money will be matched by international partners for a total investment of CDN$2 million (US$1.6 million). Developed by international mental health and development NGO BasicNeeds, the funding will enable a major expansion of their award-winning model for helping those living with mental illness in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria. Today nearly 75% of the 450 million people worldwide with mental illness and epilepsy live in the developing world, and 85% of these people have no access to treatment. The size of the problem is huge, with depression alone projected to be the leading global burden of disease by 2030. This urgent and currently unmet need for better treatment and expanded access to care for those living with mental disorders in resource poor settings is what the 'BasicNeeds Model' seeks to address. BasicNeeds' unique approach works with existing health and community systems, and staff to provide community based mental health treatment … Continue reading →

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, Jan. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- Siblings who share a diagnosis of autism often don't share the same autism-linked genes, according to a new study. Researchers previously have identified more than 100 genetic mutations that can make a person more susceptible to an autism spectrum disorder, said senior author Dr. Stephen Scherer, director of the Center for Applied Genomics at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. But this study revealed that genes linked to autism can vary among family members who would be expected to be genetically similar. "We found when we could identify the genes involved in autism, for two-thirds of those families, the children carry different genetic changes," Scherer said. "In one-third, the children had the same genetic change and it was inherited from one of the parents." The study was published online Jan. 26 in Nature Medicine. Autism is a developmental disorder in which children have trouble communicating with others and exhibit repetitive or obsessive behaviors. About one in 68 children in the United States has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study's findings could pave the way toward … Continue reading →

Diagnosing autism in children early is critical to how their lives unfold, yet it rarelyhappens. Most children are 4 years old before the neurological disorder is identified, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet, a diagnosis can be made as early as 18months. A University of Washington project in four counties including Spokane is aimed at finding children earlier and making sure they receive specialized treatment that will help them with developmental and behavioral problems right away and throughout theirlives. We dont want to wait. We are losing a lot of valuable You have viewed 20 free articles or blogs allowed within a 30-day period. FREE registration is now required for uninterrupted access. S-R Media, The Spokesman-Review and Spokesman.com are happy to assist you. Contact Customer Service by email or call 800-338-8801 Liam, 4, reacts as he plays a game matching the motions of Mollie Roy on Tuesday at the Northwest Autism Center in Spokane. Clinicians at the center work individually with children ages 2 to5. (Full-size photo) An estimated one in 68 children nationwide has been identified as being autistic to somedegree. Diagnosing autism in children early is critical to how their lives unfold, yet … Continue reading →