A Bernie mom says legalization of cannabis oil for medical use is a good start toward legalizing medical marijuana Brandy Johnson, right, gives her son, Tres, 10, a peck on the cheek as his "Nana", Delia Johnson, hugs him on his other side Thursday at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau. Tres was diagnosed with diprosopus, which is more commonly called cranial duplication. Tres suffers from more than 100 seizures a day from his condition. (Photo by Laura Simon, SEMO News Service) "It's a bittersweet victory," she said. "A small victory." The Bernie, Missouri, mother of three became an advocate for medicinal marijuana after researching its benefits for those who suffer frequent seizures. Her youngest son, Tres, was born with diprosopus, commonly known as cranial duplication. It's been estimated that fewer than 40 such cases have ever been reported. Much of the time, infants with the diagnosis are stillborn or given just a few days to live. Tres celebrated his 10th birthday in March. While he's defied the odds, Tres still has a long battle ahead. He suffers more than 100 seizures a day and he's quickly run through available treatment options -- a problem exacerbated by the fact that his … Continue reading →

The drug perampanel (trade name Fycompa) has been approved since July 2012 as adjunctive ("add-on") therapy for adults and children aged 12 years and older with epileptic fits (seizures). In a new early benefit assessment according to the Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether perampanel offers an added benefit over the appropriate comparator therapy. However, such an added benefit cannot be derived from the new dossier either, as the drug manufacturer did not submit any relevant data for this comparison. Already in the first dossier assessment in December 2012, there was no proof of an added benefit of perampanel because the manufacturer dossier provided no suitable data. The new assessment was conducted upon application of the manufacturer to the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA), which specifies the appropriate comparator therapy. Appropriate comparator therapy expanded Fits that affect only a small part of the brain are called "focal" or "partial seizures." In this type of fit, the muscle twitches and spasms remain limited to isolated parts of the body. However, such seizures may spread across the whole body and are then referred to as … Continue reading →

Two more medical centers will soon join a national network designed to provide a one-stop shop for autism care. New sites in Missouri and California will be added to Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network in September, bringing the total number of centers in the United States and Canada to 14. Facilities that are part of the network offer a central place where kids and adolescents with autism can see everyone from pediatricians to psychiatrists, neurologists and gastrointestinal specialists with experience treating those on the spectrum. In addition to treating children with autism, the medical centers also conduct research. Officials with Autism Speaks said they will be putting added emphasis on investigating health conditions associated with autism going forward. Whats more, member facilities will be increasing training for community health providers, they said. The new sites will be located at the Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at the University of California, Irvine as well as the Knights of Columbus Child Development Center at SSM Cardinal Glennon Childrens Medical Center in St. Louis. There are existing Autism Treatment Network sites in Rochester, N.Y., Boston, Philadelphia, Little Rock, Ark., Nashville, Tenn., Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Columbus, Ohio, Columbia, Mo., Toronto and Edmonton, … Continue reading →

This is the first study to suggest that nursing ratios at the weekend are also important. Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of the NHS, has said hospitals must provide routine care seven days a week and hospitals must ensure sufficiently senior staff are on duty at weekends. In addition the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence issued guidance on safe nurse to bed ratios in July. It stated that anything above one nurse to eight beds should trigger an urgent review. The researchers from King's College London and the Royal College of Physicians analysed data from 56,666 patients admitted to 103 stroke units in England between June 1st 2011 and December 1st 1012. They found no difference in death rates in stroke units where doctors did ward rounds seven days a week or just five days a week. However there was a strong link between patient deaths and nursing ratios, suggesting that basic nursing care is also important for stroke survival. It was found that units in 1.5 nurses per ten beds 15.2 per cent of patients died within a month compared with 11.2 per cent of patients on wards with three nurses for every ten beds at the … Continue reading →