BRENTWOOD June Jessee has lived with seizures, dozens almost every day, for her entire 23-month life. After other options failed, a neurologist recommended a hormone treatment. The doctor told me it could kill her but he was still recommending it, said Junes mother, Genny Jessee. June was diagnosed early on with infantile spasms that have left her developmentally like a four-month-old, her mother said. Junes not yet crawling, doesnt typically sit up and has trouble sleeping because of the seizures, which intensify when shes drowsy. The brain isnt making the connections, Genny Jessee said. It must be so hard to understand whats going on when your brain is constantly hitting the pause button. The hormone treatment didnt work. Then the family turned its attention to a promising new therapy using an oil derived from marijuana. But the treatment is illegal in Missouri. When the Jessee family learned the therapy is legal in Colorado, they decided to leave their home in Brentwood and move there. Junes father, a lobbyist with the St. Louis-based law firm Bryan Cave, mentioned the move to a friend, state Rep. Caleb Jones, R-Columbia. Jones asked what he could do to help. Change the law, Matt Jesse … Continue reading →

April 27, 2014 redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online Rare copy number variations (CNVs) are more common in families that are affected by autism, suggesting that this type of genetic testing could prove to be an important tool in the individualized diagnosis and treatment of the condition, researchers from the Autism Genome Project claim in a new study. In a report published in the April 24 edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics, the authors discuss the CNV testing of 2,446 families affected by autism and 4,768 individuals not impacted by neurological or psychiatric disorders. They found that these genetic changes involving the duplication or deletion of entire DNA segments were significantly more common in the first group. In a statement, Autism Speaks which funds the Autism Genome Project (AGP) said that the newly published paper delivers on the 10-year projects objective to provide practical methods for earlier diagnosis and personalized treatment of autism. AGPs research has involved over 50 research centers in 11 different countries. With the publication of this study, we should step back to recognize and celebrate the pioneering achievements of the AGP and what they have accomplished in helping to launch the field … Continue reading →

POSTED: Saturday, April 26, 2014 - 9:11pm UPDATED: Sunday, April 27, 2014 - 2:45pm TYLER, TEXAS (KETK) In honor of Autism Awareness Month, the Parent Services Center held an Autism Expo at the University of Texas at Tyler on Saturday. Autism Network with Parent Services Center and other programs provided parents, caretakers and advocates information about what services are available for children with special needs in East Texas. Parents are hungry, not only for information about what their options are but just for access, said Julee Renfroe, Autism Network Coordinator. The TLC Treatment and Learning Center for Autism on Tyler says theres a shortage in special needs professionals in East Texas. Were told with the growing Autism epidemic awareness has been raised. We get calls every single day asking for help, we have grown and we have waiting lists in our day treatment program and our outreach program and we cant keep up, says Whitney Sherman, Behavioral Analyst with the TLC. Special guests included Baylor University professors in the Developmental Disabilities Program. Guest Speaker and professor Dr. Tonya Davis at Baylor University says their program is a program she sees in the future of UT Tyler. We are seeing an … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA Stroke researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will unveil a map demonstrating geographic hotspots of increased stroke mortality across the United States, among a series of stroke studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurologys 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. Hot and Cold: Stroke Mortality Varies Widely, Even in Neighboring Counties Clusters of hot spots - counties where the mortality rate from stroke was as much as 40 percent higher than the national average and 1.5 times higher than mortality of patients in cool spots - were found in the southeastern United States, but extended farther west and north than the traditionally defined stroke belt. In addition, researchers found isolated areas of low stroke mortality clustered within hot spots and isolated areas of high stroke mortality clustered within cool spots. Researchers hope to identify hot-spots that would benefit from targeted interventions to increase access to optimal stroke care, while accounting for population density, demographics, and existing healthcare resources. Women Less Likely To Receive Stroke-Busting rt-PA In a second study examining at stroke treatment disparities, researchers identified that women are less likely to receive clot-busting recombinant tissue … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise PHILADELPHIA - Stroke researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will unveil a map demonstrating geographic hotspots of increased stroke mortality across the United States, among a series of stroke studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurologys 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. Hot and Cold: Stroke Mortality Varies Widely, Even in Neighboring Counties Clusters of hot spots - counties where the mortality rate from stroke was as much as 40 percent higher than the national average and 1.5 times higher than mortality of patients in cool spots - were found in the southeastern United States, but extended farther west and north than the traditionally defined stroke belt. In addition, researchers found isolated areas of low stroke mortality clustered within hot spots and isolated areas of high stroke mortality clustered within cool spots. Researchers hope to identify hot-spots that would benefit from targeted interventions to increase access to optimal stroke care, while accounting for population density, demographics, and existing healthcare resources. Catherine Wolff and Michael Mullen, MD, assistant professor of Neurology, will present [P5.009] Geography of Stroke Mortality: Hotspotting Areas … Continue reading →