London, July 22 (ANI): People with epilepsy are 11 times more likely to die early than people without the condition, new research has found. A 41-year study in Sweden revealed a "striking" correlation between dying before their mid-fifties and mental illness in patients with epilepsy. People with epilepsy were four times more likely to have received a psychiatric diagnosis in their lifetime compared with the general population, the report said. The figures are considerably higher than previously thought and have important implications for epilepsy management. Researchers at the University of Oxford and Karolinska Institutet studied 69,995 people with epilepsy born in Sweden between 1954 and 2009 and followed up over 41 years, between 1969 and 2009. They compared mortality and cause of death information from these patients with 660,869 age- and sex-matched people from the general population. The study also looked at the unaffected siblings of those with epilepsy, in order to rule out the influence of background factors such as genetic risk factors and upbringing. Throughout the course of the study, almost nine per cent (6,155) of people with epilepsy died compared with less than one per cent (4,892) of people from the general population. The most important cause … Continue reading →

July 22, 2013 People with epilepsy are ten times more likely to die early, before their mid-fifties, compared with the general population, according to a 41 year study in Sweden published today in the Lancet and part-funded by the Wellcome Trust. The findings reveal a striking correlation between premature death and mental illness in these patients and people with epilepsy were four times more likely to have received a psychiatric diagnosis in their lifetime compared with the general population. The figures are considerably higher than previously thought and have important implications for epilepsy management. Researchers at the University of Oxford and Karolinska Institutet studied 69,995 people with epilepsy born in Sweden between 1954 and 2009 and followed up over 41 years, between 1969 and 2009. They compared mortality and cause of death information from these patients with 660,869 age- and sex-matched people from the general population. The study also looked at the unaffected siblings of those with epilepsy, in order to rule out the influence of background factors such as genetic risk factors and upbringing. Throughout the course of the study, almost nine per cent (6,155) of people with epilepsy died compared with less than one per cent (4,892) of … Continue reading →

BOULDER, Colo., July 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In a study published in the June 2013 edition of the Journal of Probiotics & Health, a nutritional supplement named Delpro was found to have important beneficial effects on bowel issues associated with people suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD. In addition to other health issues affecting individuals with autism, chronic diarrhea and constipation are major issues, particularly for children. Adding to the inherent discomfort of chronic diarrhea and/or constipation that can typically last up to several days or more, these conditions can also contribute to behavioral problems in children as well as present substantial management challenges for parents and teachers. Delpro nutritional supplement capsules were studied in children with ASD to determine the level of benefits that could be achieved. The measurement of response was determined by using the ATEC (Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist) scoring tool developed by the Autism Research Institute in San Diego, California. The ATEC tool is used to evaluate autism severity in four categories: (1) speech/language/communication; (2) sociability; (3) sensory/cognitive awareness; and (4) health/physical/behavior. The Delpro study's investigational strategy required parents of children with autism to complete an ATEC questionnaire prior to participation. The data derived served … Continue reading →

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ApniCure, Inc., a medical device company focused on developing and commercializing novel home-use devices for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced the publication of positive results from the ATLAST clinical trial of its Winx Sleep Therapy System, a first-of-its kind, lifestyle-friendly treatment for mild, moderate and severe OSA. The Winx system has an innovative design to increase treatment adherence and overall efficacy without the inconvenience of a mask. The study results showed significant improvements in both apnea-hyponea index (AHI), a common measurement of sleep apnea severity, and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) on the first night of treatment and following 28 days of Winx usage. The study also demonstrated high levels of patient adherence with Winx, as well as significant improvements in sleep architecture and subjective sleepiness. The results are published in Sleep Medicine. OSA is a major healthcare concern that impacts as many as 20 million Americans, the vast majority of whom remain undiagnosed and many of whom refuse treatment due to unwillingness to use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the current standard of care, said Ian M. Colrain, Ph.D., director of Human Sleep Research Program at SRI International and lead author of the … Continue reading →

By Ian Dipple Monday 22 July 2013 Updated: 22/07 15:44 STROKE services will be removed from the Alexandra Hospital this week it has been confirmed. From Wednesday (July 24) anyone calling an ambulance reporting the symptoms of stroke will be taken to Worcester and not the Alex to a new expanded 24/7 Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU). Anyone who turns up at the Alex who appears to be having a stroke will automatically be transferred. Stroke beds at the Alex will be closed to new admissions. The new unit will include an acute stroke ward and give patients access to an extra two consultants with expertise in thrombolysis - a life saving clot busting treatment - a nursing team specifically trained to care for stroke patients and support from physiotherapists, dietitians and occupational therapists. TIA (mini stroke) clinics will remain unchanged and continue to run at the Alex on Fridays. The decision to centralise stroke care for the whole of the county into the Worcestershire Royal was made last year. Health bosses argue the move will cut death rates, the lenth of people's stay in hospital, make it easier to recruit consultants and develop a comprehensive service on a par … Continue reading →

By Ian Dipple Monday 22 July 2013 Updated: 22/07 13:45 STROKE services will be removed from the Alexandra Hospital this week it has been confirmed. From Wednesday (July 24) anyone calling an ambulance reporting the symptoms of stroke will be taken to Worcester and not the Alex to a new expanded 24/7 Hyper Acute Stroke Unit (HASU). Anyone who turns up at the Alex who appears to be having a stroke will automatically be transferred. Stroke beds at the Alex will be closed to new admissions. The new unit will include an acute stroke ward and give patients access to an extra two consultants with expertise in thrombolysis - a life saving clot busting treatment - a nursing team specifically trained to care for stroke patients and support from physiotherapists, dietitians and occupational therapists. TIA (mini stroke) clinics will remain unchanged and continue to run at the Alex on Fridays. The decision to centralise stroke care for the whole of the county into the Worcestershire Royal was made last year, before the Joint Services Review was launched. Health bosses argue the move will cut death rates, the lenth of people's stay in hospital, make it easier to recruit consultants and … Continue reading →

TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Biosan Medical, an emerging medical device company, announced today that it has been issued U.S. Provisional Patent No. 61,957,293 for its revolutionary Ventritek105 Stroke Treatment Device and Method (Device & method for CSF auto-transfusion therapy for the treatment of SAH (subarachnoid hemorrhage), Alzheimers Disease & other Neuro-Degenerative CNS diseases). Approximately 50 percent of those affected by hemorrhagic strokes die within 30 days of the initial event (median age of death due to SAH is 59 years). The Ventritek device and method has been used successfully by neurosurgeon and prominent researcher David Michaeli, M.D., Ph.D., in Russia to treat 40 patients who had a severe, stroke-caused Intra Ventricular Hemorrage (IVH), which is a bleeding into the brain'sventricles where cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is produced and circulates into the subarachnoid space. Dr. Michaeli, recognized as the Father of MRI in Russia and inventor of the Ventritek105 device, treated his study patients at the Polenov Neurosurgery Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia. More than 90% of the study patients treated with the Ventritek105 system and method to purify their blood-tainted CSF were alive and well at 30-day follow-up. These patients were not part of a clinical study, but were treated … Continue reading →