Fafanuka Dial *215# - Epilepsy Care Service Safaricom has partnered with KAWE (Kenya Association for the Welfare of People with Epilepsy) to roll out a service aimed at offering information and educati... By: Safaricom Kenya … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise WEST HARTFORD, Conn., April 14, 2014 Today, the American Epilepsy Society (AES) released its list of new fellowship awardees, naming 15 recipients for the organizations early-career awards. The fellowship recipients come from academic institutions and medical schools throughout the U.S. and include clinicians and basic scientists who are focused on many different components of epilepsy treatment and research. The winners were selected from a competitive pool of applicants and they will receive funding for one year. The AES provides more than $800,000 to support research training grants for clinicians, research grants and pre- and post-doctoral research and training fellowships. Each year, AES clinical and basic science fellowship awardees are selected for their novel approaches to epilepsy care and research innovations that can help lead to new therapies and increase the understanding of epilepsy. Providing early-career awards is central to the mission of AES, said Elson So, M.D., AES president. As our Society works to deepen understanding of the underlying mechanisms of epilepsy and stimulate innovations and new developments in epilepsy treatment, it is critical that we help the next generation of epilepsy research leaders to launch and establish their careers. This is … Continue reading →

Children and young adults with epilepsy are more likely to suffer broken bones, burns and poisonings compared to those without the neurological disorder, new research has found. The study, led by academics at The University of Nottingham and funded by the National Institute for Health Research, shows that young people with the condition are at significantly greater risk of being poisoned by medication, leading the authors to call for further research into whether these poisonings are intentional. The results, taken in tandem with previous research findings, highlight the need for further research into whether young people with the condition are at greater risk from an overdose, accidental or intentional, of their epilepsy drugs or other medication. And the researchers say that doctors and other healthcare professionals should use the results of the study to help warn epilepsy patients of the increased risk associated with their illness. The study, published in the latest edition of the journal Pediatrics, found that young people with epilepsy were more than twice as likely to be poisoned by medication. This jumped to four times the risk in patients aged between 19 and 24 years old. The patients, all aged between 12 months and 24 years … Continue reading →

A rally is being held today at Confederation Building to bring attention to issues affecting those who live with autism. Although Budget 2014 provided some funding to try to reduce wait times, the organization Families for Effective Autism Treatment say there is more that still needs to be done. Spokesman Ed Knox says that throwing money at the problem won't make it go away. The biggest issue, he says, is the long wait times both to get a child diagnosed initially, and then again to get treatment. He says each of these wait times can last up to a year. He says wait lists have to go, like any other diagnosis. He believes we need to get rid of wait lists so that children can get in and get the therapeutic treatment that they need. Knox would like to see the school system and health care system work together, with a real plan by government. Data indicates that the rate of autism spectrum disorders being diagnosed is increasing rapidly, and the longer we wait, the worse the situation will become. He says that U-S numbers show 1 in 68 children will be diagnosed, which represents a large increase, especially over … Continue reading →

By Serena Gordon HealthDay Reporter MONDAY, April 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Boys with autism were three times more likely to have been exposed to antidepressants known as SSRIs in the womb than typically developing children, according to new research. The new study also found that boys whose mothers took SSRIs -- drugs including Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft -- during pregnancy were also more likely to have developmental delays. Results of the study were published online April 14 and in the May print issue of Pediatrics. "We found prenatal SSRI exposure was almost three times as likely in boys with autism spectrum disorders relative to typical development, with the greatest risk when exposure is during the first trimester," said study co-author Li-Ching Lee, an associate scientist in the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, in Baltimore. While the study found an association between prenatal use of SSRI antidepressants and autism risk in boys, it did not prove cause-and-effect. The study authors were quick to point out that there are risks to both the mother and fetus from untreated depression. "It's a complex decision whether to treat or not treat depression with medications during … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise LAWRENCE In 2004 University of Kansas researchers Linda Heitzman-Powell and Jay Buzhardt had the bold idea of training parents of children with autism to use an intervention based on the science of applied behavior analysis (ABA) to help them increase their childrens independent skills and reduce problem behaviors. Whats more, the training would be rigorous, and it would be long-distance: coaching via live interactive television along with online educational modules covering the concepts and principles of behavioral intervention. The highly effective treatment for children with autism is endorsed by the American Academy of Family Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, the National Institute of Mental Health and the U.S. surgeon general. Autism spectrum disorders, now estimated to affect one in 68 children, are just as common in rural America, said Heitzman-Powell, research assistant professor, but ABA-trained professionals are rare. While involving parents in training is critical, according to the National Research Council, little is known about how to make training resources available to families in remote areas or with limited capacity to travel to facilities for one-on-one practice and coaching, said Heitzman-Powell, a licensed psychologist and a board-certified behavior analyst. Now, the researchers … Continue reading →

Quincy native among plane crash victims being honored with memorial in England Quincy native among plane crash victims being honored with memorial in England Updated: Sunday, April 13 2014 10:00 AM EDT2014-04-13 14:00:15 GMT Memories of a Quincy man who died in a military plane crash 69 years ago have faded over the years. They are about to be rekindled. Tech. Sgt. Jerome Geers, a Quincy native born in 1920, was one of 11 Americans who died May 10, 1945, after two B-17 bombers collided in mid-air while flying in formation on a sight-seeing tour near Braintree, England, just two days after WWII ended in Europe. Geers' plane was cut in half by the other plane's propel... Memories of a Quincy man who died in a military plane crash 69 years ago have faded over the years. They are about to be rekindled. Tech. Sgt. Jerome Geers, a Quincy native born in 1920, was one of 11 Americans who died May 10, 1945, after two B-17 bombers collided in mid-air while flying in formation on a sight-seeing tour near Braintree, England, just two days after WWII ended in Europe. Geers' plane was cut in half by the other plane's propel... … Continue reading →