By Dan Carroll | More Articles February 22, 2013 | Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) released in a press statement yesterday that its anticonvulsantdrug Lyrica met the primary endpoints in a phase 3 study judging the medication's effectiveness as an epilepsy therapy for patients with refractory partial onset seizures. The study showed that Lyrica reduced seizures by at least 50% in an acceptable amount of patients. It also proved Lyrica to be as effective as a comparabletreatment, the seizure therapy Keppra. Refractory partial onset seizures refer to those incidents that medication alone cannot completely control. Lyrica is already approvedfor a number of other indications around the world, such as fibromyalgia and neuropathic pain. Pfizer's previous studies for the medication's effectiveness against epilepsy have been mixed, however, including a 2012 study involving a once-a-day Lyrica formulation that failed. See original here: Pfizer's Lyrica Hits Primary Endpoints in Epilepsy Trial … Continue reading →

EMORY, Ga. -- "Every family we meet is struggling." As the Assistant Director of the Emory Autism Center, Michael Morrier says he gets more than a half dozen calls from desperate parents every day. "I get phone calls from parents, probably seven a day, that want to know what we offer and we tell them, and they say 'I can't afford that.'" But for those who can afford the $25,000 dollar a year tuition, The Walden Early Childhood Center at the Emory Autism Center can be life changing for a child with autism. MORE |Sign the petitions for or against mandating insurance plans cover autism and see our completeThe Autism Gapspecial coverage "In each class, one third of the children have a diagnosis of autism and two thirds are typically developing children." Morrier explains, "Deficits in social behavior are sort of the hallmark of autism. So we feel in order to teach normalized social behavior you need to have normalized social behavior models." This early intervention program is so effective that a third who graduate from it are indistinguishable from their peers. Across town at the headquarters for Autism Speaks, a small group of dedicated mothers brainstorm. They've heard the … Continue reading →

A spokesperson for a newly formed autism support group is worried that proposed cuts to education in the province will have an effect on students with special needs. Ed Knox from FEAT - Families for Early Autism Treatment - says the group advocates and supports children with autism. Knox says if the deficit indeed results in cuts to the education system, he fears children with disabilities will suffer. Knox says government needs to start investing in schools in order to provide the resources and support that need to be implemented. He says, as a parent of an autistic child, it's a struggle everyday. Instead of steps forward, he says government is taking a step back. Knox says the inclusion model put forth by government in recent years isn't serving its full purpose. While he says he does support the inclusion model, the system will not work properly without the proper resources. See the original post here: Autism Support Group Concerned about Cuts … Continue reading →

Southend Hospital to provide specialist care for stroke patients 11:00pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in Southend SOUTHEND would provide specialist treatment for stroke patients under new proposals for the east of England. The towns hospital, which already has a first-class stroke unit, is being recommended as one of three future hyper-acute stroke units for Essex. The others would be Colchester and Chelmsford. They could each see up to 40 per cent more patients in the first three days following a stroke and will have more specialist stroke physicians available. All five hospitals in Essex, including Basildon, would continue to have an acute stroke unit. However, hyper-acute stroke units in the three hospitals would give all patients in Essex immediate access to top stroke specialists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Jacqueline Totterdell, Southend Hospital chief executive, said: We are delighted that our award winning stroke service has been recognised as a preferred option to become a hyper acute stroke service as part of the on-going review into the provision of stroke services across Essex and the East of England. We will work with our colleagues in the clinical commissioning groups and patient and carers across the local area … Continue reading →

Southend to become hyper-acute stroke unit for Essex 10:00pm Friday 22nd February 2013 in News SOUTHEND could become a major hub providing specialist treatment for stroke patients under new proposals. The towns hospital, already with a first class stroke unit, is recommended as one of three future hyper-acute stroke units for Essex. The others would be Colchester and Chelmsford. All five hospitals in Essex including Basildon would continue to have an acute stroke unit but would effectively be downgraded. Hyper-acute stroke units in the three hospitals would give all patients in Essex immediate access to top stroke specialists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The hyper-acute units would provide critical care for patients in the first three crucial days of having a stroke. After that, patients would return to their nearest stroke unit, if they needed further specialist care, or they would return home with a full rehabilitation programme. Southend is already providing this enhanced service and has received widespread and national recognition. Its stroke unit was been named the best in the East of England and the Midlands last year for its swift and effective treatment of patients in danger of having a potentially fatal stroke. Original … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The University of Utah unveiled two emergency treatment rooms for stroke patients Friday. The rooms are touted as the first of their kind in the world. They're designed to speed up treatment for stroke patients by 30 to 60 minutes. Dr. Steve Stephens says minutes matter. "For every 30 minute delay or treatment results in a 10 percent decrease in the probability of a good outcome," he said. One room is designed to hold the patient on a bed. Doctors will examine and diagnose in this room and will have the ability to wheel a powerful MRI around the patient from a second room. The MRI uses magnets 100,000 times more powerful than the earths magnetic field to give real time information about when the stroke began, how much brain tissue is dead and how much can be saved. The equipment in one location is key to speeding treatment and saving lives. Most hospitals treat patients in three different rooms located hundreds of feet apart. The new design removes the time it would take to wheel a patient from room to room. The University of Utah will open the equipment to patients in … Continue reading →

ANDERSON, Ind. (AP) - David Turner was unconscious on a warehouse floor when his son found him. "I felt odd," said Turner, 47, who works at Anderson's Carter Express Inc. "My head hurt and I wanted to lay down." Then everything went black punctuated with blurry flashes of paramedics, physicians and white hospital walls. He was having a stroke. A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood vessel is blocked or ruptures, which keeps oxygen or nutrients from reaching a particular section of the brain. "Within a few minutes of an obstruction, brain cells are injured and tissue begins to die in the affected area," said Lisa Hayes, a registered nurse at Community Hospital Anderson. Hayes coordinates CHA's Primary Stroke Center where Turner was taken which uses a tag team of paramedics, physicians and other multi-disciplinary specialists to quickly diagnose, treat and educate about strokes. The result of a months-long effort, the Center is the only one in Madison County with advanced certification from the Joint Commission and the American Heart and American Stroke associations. "I think what this is, is a commitment to giving stroke patients the best possible care," said neurologist Dr. Larry Blankenship, the program's medical … Continue reading →