Hatfield, England (ots/PRNewswire) - Child friendly formulation will help treatment of orphan syndrome LGS a severe form of childhood epilepsy Inovelon(R) (rufinamide) oral suspension for adjunctive (add-on) treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in children four years and older is launched today in France. The new formulation of the orphan drug has been developed as a child friendly drinkable liquid to aid the administration of treatment. LGS is one of the most severe forms of childhood epilepsy accounting for four per cent of epilepsy in children.[1] The rare but serious condition affects approximately 11,000 children across Western Europe and the peak age of onset is between ages three and five.[2] The condition is characterised by multiple daily seizures and people with the condition can have up to 70 seizures a day.[3] Two in three individuals with LGS experience at least one prolonged period of seizure causing confusion and a loss of alertness lasting from hours to weeks.[4] Most children with LGS also experience developmental problems leading to impaired intellectual functioning and behavioural issues.[5] LGS is one of the most drug-resistant forms of childhood epilepsy and effective management of the condition is often very difficult, reiterating the importance for … Continue reading →

An Australia-led study has identified a gene associated with a common form of epilepsy which could lead to earlier diagnosis, a researcher said Tuesday. Melbourne University academic Ingrid Scheffer said a number of genes linked to epilepsy were known to scientists, but these related to rare families in which a large number of members had the condition. "The reason that this discovery is very important is that it's not just for rare families, we think it will be a gene that will be important for people without a family history," Scheffer told AFP. "So it's changing the game in terms of being important for a much broader number of people with focal epilepsy." Focal, or partial, seizures start in one part of the brain and affect the part of the body controlled by that part of the brain. Scheffer said a clinical diagnosis could not be made for epilepsy without seizures of some kind but the finding could aid genetic counselling and diagnosis -- particularly in cases where everything else in the brain is normal. "When you have epilepsy people always say, 'Why have I got this?' And this is the next level, which is the gene test," she said. … Continue reading →

This is an abridged version of the article from the May 2013 issue of the magazine. At a think tank meeting about autism several years ago, molecular geneticist Simon Gregory spoke with mainstream and nonconventional doctors about oxytocin, the so-called love hormone that some doctors were using to treat symptoms of social disconnection in children with autism. Asking for a show of hands, Gregory was stunned to see that about a fifth of the attendees were supplying oxytocin nasal sprays to their young patients. Yet safety data were scanty, and it was pretty evident there wasnt any standard of care for autism, Gregory says. Some people were using once a day, others twice. There was no metric of successful treatment. Its the Wild West. In one of the few studies that tested oxytocin beyond a single dose, neurologist Evdokia Anagnostou at the Bloorview Research Institute in Toronto gave intranasal oxytocin to 10 high-functioning adults with autism, and a placebo to nine others, twice daily for six weeks. Participants who took oxytocin showed no ill effects and exhibited modest reductions in some repetitive behaviors compared with those on the placebo. They were also 20 percent better at reading emotions in pictures … Continue reading →

This time last year, a dozen Rock Hill businesses shined blue lights to spread the word about autism. Tonight, nearly three times as many will do it again. For the second year in row, businesses in Rock Hill will Light It Up Blue in support of families affected by autism and a worldwide campaign aiming to raise awareness about the developmental disorder that studies show afflicts about one in 110 people in the United States. The businesses that participated last year were very quick to jump on board again, said Tobie Presler, founder and director of Rock Hills Chrysalis Autism Center, a nonprofit early intervention center for autistic children that spearheaded the campaign locally last year, as well. By Monday, 35 businesses had agreed to give donations in exchange for light bulbs that will radiate blue tonight in honor of the Light It Up Blue, started by Autism Speaks, the worlds leading autism research and advocacy agency, in 2010 to celebrate Worldwide Autism Awareness Day. April is national Autism Awareness Month. Last year was the first time Rock Hill participated in the initiative, which will see citizens worldwide adorn city landmarks, their homes and even their clothing with blue lights … Continue reading →

ATLANTA & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On the heels of the startling news reported by the CDC that now one in 50 school-aged children in the U.S. has autism, Sharecare, the health and wellness social network, has released its Top 10 Autism Bloggers. Known as Social HealthMakers, these 10 passionate individuals are leading the way in online conversations, serving as invaluable resources of symptoms, treatment and support for autism spectrum disorder. Among the list is a dad raising three autistic sons, a special education teacher and a woman with Aspergers syndrome. Each brings a unique point of view to the autism conversation. Autistic people are wired differently and think differently from those who are not autisticand that is a strength that can make them innovators and broaden our perspective. Our world needs more of that, says Leah Kelley, #5 on the Social HealthMakers list. For Aprils Autism Awareness Month, here are the Top 10 Social HealthMakers in Autism to follow: 1. Ariane Zurcher Emmas Hope Book 2. Jess A Diary of a Mom 3. Rob Gorski Lost and Tired 4. Maia Szalavitz Time 5. Leah Kelley 30 Days of Autism 6. Autism Daddy Autism Daddy Continued here: Sharecare Names Top 10 … Continue reading →

Apr. 1, 2013 Risk prediction tools that estimate future risk of heart disease and stroke may be more useful predictors of future decline in cognitive abilities, or memory and thinking, than a dementia risk score, according to a new study published in the April 2, 2013, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "This is the first study that compares these risk scores with a dementia risk score to study decline in cognitive abilities 10 years later," said Sara Kaffashian, PhD, with the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris, France. The study involved 7,830 men and women with an average age of 55. Risk of heart disease and stroke (cardiovascular disease) and risk of dementia were calculated for each participant at the beginning of the study. The heart disease risk score included the following risk factors: age, blood pressure, treatment for high blood pressure, high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol, smoking, and diabetes. The stroke risk score included age, blood pressure, treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, history of heart disease, and presence of cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat). The dementia risk score included age, education, blood … Continue reading →

Stroke A diet thats rich in fiber may make a stroke less likely, study suggests THE QUESTION Fiber, best-known for aiding digestion, can also help keep weight, cholesterol and blood sugar levels in check. Might this mean lower risk for stroke? THIS STUDY analyzed data from eight studies, involving 327,537 adults who were generally healthy at the start of their study. During the study periods, which ranged from eight to 19 years, 11,236 participants had a stroke for the first time. People whose diets included the most fiber were less likely to have had a stroke than those who consumed the least. Stroke risk fell by 7 percent for every seven-gram increase in fiber intake daily. (Seven grams is equal to the amount of fiber in a serving of whole-grain pasta and two servings of fruit and vegetables.) WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? Adults, whose odds of having a stroke which occurs when blood flow to the brain stops, either because of a clot or a broken blood vessel vary by age and race. Strokes can occur at any age, but they become more likely as you age, and risk is higher for blacks and Hispanics than for whites in the … Continue reading →

When Melissa McCann (left) suffered a stroke in 2007, her twin sister, Terry Blanchard, helped her make a full recovery. McCann is now back to work as a flight nurse with Life Flight at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. When Melissa McCann (left) suffered a stroke in 2007, her twin sister, Terry Blanchard, helped her make a full recovery. McCann is now back to work as a flight nurse with Life Flight at the Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. Most people (including a lot of doctors) think of a stroke as something that happens to old people. But the rate is increasing among those in their 50s, 40s and even younger. In one recent 10-year period, the rate of strokes in Americans younger than 55 went up 84 percent among whites and 54 percent among blacks. One in 5 strokes now occurs in adults 20 to 55 years old up from 1 in 8 in the mid-1990s. These are people like Melissa McCann, a nurse in Maine who spends most days on a helicopter, accompanying sick and injured patients to a distant hospital. McCann had a stroke at age 37. It began with a weird sensation. "I … Continue reading →