Public release date: 30-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Anna-Sabine Ernst presse@iqwig.de 49-221-356-85153 Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care The drug perampanel (trade name Fycompa) has been approved since July 2012 as adjunctive ("add-on") therapy for adults and children aged 12 years and older with epileptic fits (seizures). In an early benefit assessment according to the German Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) examined whether perampanel offers an added benefit over the previous standard therapy. However, no such added benefit can be derived from the dossier, because the manufacturer failed to present any relevant data in it for the comparison with the drugs lamotrigine or topiramate. Lamotrigine and topiramate as appropriate comparator therapy Fits that affect only a small part of the brain are called "focal" or "partial seizures". In this type of fit, the muscle twitches and spasms remain limited to isolated parts of the body. They may, however, spread over the entire body and this process is then called a "secondary generalization". Perampanel is approved as add-on therapy for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondary … Continue reading →

Autism Treatment - Sensory Issues Therapy Solutions FREE REPORT = autismparenthood.com FREE REPORT = http://www.aspergerssociety.org Autism Therapy: Solving Sensitivity Issues There are many things, often referred to as a "sensory diet," that can help kids with sensory issues. Simply put, some kids are under receptive to sensory information, and need to engage in activities like spinning, balancing, running, rolling on a ball and so on to get themselves going and start "feeling okay." Others are too sensitive to this information and there are activities that can help re-engineer the brain so that they can process it better. Often something that looks like play can actually be changing the way a child's brain works. AUTISM OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Occupational therapy helps a person learn to cope with their specific difficulties in a way that works best for them. One area that kids with Autism have many problems with is sensory issues. Things are too loud, too bright, too chaotic, clothes are too tight. Occupational therapists can do different forms of sensory integration therapy to help the child with these issues. When we say that kids with Autism have sensory issues, we mean that they have trouble processing sensory information. All around … Continue reading →

Courtesy of OC Kids UC Irvine recently received $14.8 million in funding to create a center dedicated to finding a treatment for autism. With $14.8 million of financial support from private donors of the William & Nancy Thompson Family Foundation and the Children & Families Commission of Orange County (CFCOC), UC Irvine hopes to bring a viable treatment to children in the U.S. afflicted by autism, a condition that affects one out of every 88 children. UCI recently announced at a launch in mid-December the creation of the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders of Southern California, which will combine both clinical and research aspects of treating the disorder. This new center is really amazing in what it can accomplish for families living with ASD and researchers, clinicians and educators working in this area, Gillian Hayes, the director of technology research for the center, said. This is one of only a handful of places that supports integrated care across a variety of disorders from birth through adulthood. Originally intended to be one entity, the center will exist as a two-pronged force with both clinical aspects and translational research approaches to try and remedy autism from the genetic level all the … Continue reading →

Stroke Treatment And Recovery Video stroke-treatments-todd-lempert-md By: AHJMentalHealth … Continue reading →

A new study has shown that stem cells may aid recovery in rats that have suffered a stroke. The study, published in the journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy, found that stem cell treatments improved the amount of brain and nerve tissue that was repaired and increased the ability of the rats to complete behavioral tasks. Researchers used stem cells from both bone-marrow and fat tissue, and found positive results for each. Improved recovery was seen regardless of origin of the stem cells, which may increase the usefulness of this treatment in human trials, said Dr. Exuperio Dez-Tejedor, principal investigator in the neurology department at La Paz University Hospital. Adipose-derived cells in particular are abundant and easy to collect without invasive surgery. Though this type of research is promising for human patients, the researchers stated that questions regarding treatment protocols and which types of stem cells to use still need to be answered. The rats in the study were injected with stem cells or saline 30 minutes after suffering a stroke. 24 hours after the stroke, the rats treated with stem cells had already shown a better recovery. Two weeks later the stem cell-treated rats had nearly normal scores on … Continue reading →

Public release date: 29-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Ellen Acconcia eacconcia@sirweb.org 703-460-5582 Society of Interventional Radiology FAIRFAX, Va.The first outcome-based guidelines for interventional treatment of acute ischemic strokeproviding recommendations for rapid treatmentwill benefit individuals suffering from brain attacks, often caused by artery-blocking blood clots. Representatives from the Society of Interventional Radiology and seven other medical societies created a multispecialty and international consensus on the metrics and benchmarks for processes of care and technical and clinical outcomes for stroke patients. In February, the guidelines will be published first in SIR's Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and subsequently by each society either in its respective journal or on its website. "These groundbreaking guidelines are the product of two years of collaboration among multidisciplinary teams from eight societies," said Marshall E. Hicks, M.D., FSIR, president of the Society of Interventional Radiology, the national society of nearly 5,000 doctors, scientists and allied health professionals dedicated to improving health care through minimally invasive treatments. "With real progress being made in research and treatment of stroke over the last decade, this distinguished group of international authorsfrom societies whose members perform minimally invasive stroke treatmentsfelt that the time was right for a consensus … Continue reading →