By Maggie Fox One of the worlds leading stem cell experts has suggested withdrawing a study that made global headlines last January, saying he has questions about some of the images and data in it. The Japanese team, led by Teruhiko Wakayama, reported that they had created powerful stem cells by doing little more than soaking ordinary cells in an acid solution. The report, published in the journal Nature, impressed other stem cell researchers and opened the possibility of an easy approach to regenerative medicine. But Japanese television quotes Wakayama as saying he wants to take a closer look. "When conducting the experiment, I believed it was absolutely right, Reuters news agency quotes Wakayama as telling the television station NHK. "But now that many mistakes have emerged, I think it is best to withdraw the research paper once and, using correct data and correct pictures, to prove once again the paper is right," he said. "If it turns out to be wrong, we would need to make it clear why a thing like this happened." But Charles Vacanti of Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who helped work on the study, said he disagreed. "Some mistakes … Continue reading →

HATFIELD, England, March 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Zonegran (zonisamide) has been approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for the treatment of partial epilepsy in adolescents and children aged six years and above in Scotland.[1] This decision follows zonisamide's paediatric license extension approval by the European Commission (EC) on 3 October 2013. Already available in Scotland as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial seizures, with or without secondary generalisation, in adults, zonisamide is a second generation anti-epileptic drug (AED) with multiple mechanisms of action and a chemical structure unrelated to any other AEDs.[2] "Uncontrolled epilepsy can affect all aspects of children and their family's lives and so new, effective and well tolerated medications are always needed," commented Professor Martin Brodie, Director of the Epilepsy Unit at the Western Infirmary in Glasgow. "My extensive experience of treating adults with zonisamide in Scotland has demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing partial onset seizures[3] and I look forward to seeing this opportunity extended to children and adolescents." Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases and affects around 54,000 people in Scotland.[4] Across the United Kingdom around 63,400 children and young people aged 18 years and under have epilepsy.[5] The successful treatment … Continue reading →

Best Local Autism Therapy Fort Lauderdale Looking for a Psychiatrist or Psychologist? Know Someone Experiencing Depression, Anxiety or Bipolar Disorder? Watch Informative Guides to Recognize Early Sy... By: BestLocal Fort Lauderdale … Continue reading →

A long-sought bill mandating insurance coverage for childhood autism treatment was described as a compromise Monday, but several advocates said it had been too watered-down to mollify the insurance industry. Monday's testimony was scheduled for proponents of House Bill 2744, but several of those who testified Monday said the bill was now unacceptable due to coverage caps and provider licensing requirements. "If you were in my position, would you vote for this bill or not?" Rep. John Doll, R-Garden City, asked Mike Wasmer, an Olathe resident and representative from Autism Speaks. "I would not," Wasmer said. Rep. Barbara Bollier, R-Mission Hills, asked early in the hearing where the bill came from, which she later said was an attempt to discern who had been at the table when it was devised. "I needed a reference point when they said 'this is a compromise,'" Bollier explained after the hearing. "I needed to know what that meant and who were the compromisers." Wasmer said the compromise was between insurance companies not eager to see an autism mandate go forward and Rep. John Rubin, R-Shawnee, who has promoted the mandate for years. "No parent, no provider group, no parent advocacy group was at the … Continue reading →

Improving diagnosis and treatment for individuals with autism has been the focus of a growing body of research. New information from these studies led the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to revise key parameters for evaluating and treating autism. Researchers led by Yale Child Study Center director Fred Volkmar, M.D., have published the new practice parameters in the Feb. issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "Early diagnosis of children with autism spectrum disorders means treatments will be introduced that lead to more positive outcomes for children," said Volkmar the Irving B. Harris Professor of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, and Psychology at the Yale School of Medicine. According to the parameters, clinicians should routinely look for symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in young children undergoing developmental assessments, and in all psychiatric evaluations. If significant symptoms are detected, clinicians should then coordinate a careful medical, psychological, and communication evaluation. These evaluations should differentiate between autism and a variety of developmental and other disorders, as well as intellectual and behavioral disabilities. "Our goal was advocacy for individuals with autism and their families, and to ensure that services are coordinated across clinical care," said Volkmar. "Our field … Continue reading →