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Deep brain stimulation changes rhythms to treat Parkinson's disease and tremor

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

ScienceDaily (Aug. 28, 2012) Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) may stop uncontrollable shaking in patients with Parkinson's disease and essential tremor by imposing its own rhythm on the brain, according to two studies published recently by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers in the journal Movement Disorders. An article addressing brain stimulation for essential tremor was published online August 28; a related article on Parkinson's disease was released May 30. DBS uses an electrode implanted beneath the skin to deliver electrical pulses into the brain more than 100 times per second. Although this technology was approved by the Food and Drug Administration more than 15 years ago, it remains unclear how it reduces tremor and other symptoms of movement disorders. With the help of electroencephalography or EEG -- electrodes placed on the scalp -- study authors used new techniques to suppress the electrical signal associated with the DBS electrode. That enabled the first clear, non-invasive EEG measurements of the underlying brain response during clinically effective, high-frequency brain stimulation in humans. The results show that nerves in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, fire with rapid and precise timing in response to individual stimulus pulses. This suggests that DBS may … Continue reading →

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Parkinson's patient finds hope through Michael J. Fox Foundation

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

FAIRHOPE, Alabama -- A sense of doom enveloped Jayne Godfrey when doctors diagnosed her in 2007 with early onset Parkinsons disease at 39. "It was depressing," said the Spanish Fort mother of two, paralegal and recreational runner. "Doctors told me, You have a progressive neurological disease for which there is no cure. I kept thinking, Could this be a wrong diagnosis? Where was the hope?" A persistent tremor and increasingly frequent falls while jogging brought Godfrey to neurologists in Fairhope and in Jacksonville, Fla. at the Mayo Clinic. "My life was unraveling and I had to do something about it," Godfrey said. The diagnosis confirmed her worst fears. "It was so absolutely devastating for both of us," Godfreys mother, Mary Robbins of Daphne, said. "You are told there is no hope. It is a death sentence." But during an Internet search for information about the chronic, progressive movement disorder, Godfrey happened upon to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research. It was a beacon in an otherwise bleak landscape, connecting Godfrey to others in the Parkinsons community and illuminating her with knowledge and hope. Established in 2001 by actor Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinsons, the foundations mission is … Continue reading →

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Cerebral palsy procedure: Girl, 4, denied operation to help her walk due to postcode lottery to have surgery after …

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Evie suffers from cerebral palsy and can only shuffle using a walking frame She will undergo a procedure to 'free' her legs thanks to contributions from well-wishers after her story was featured on MailOnline in January By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 05:30 EST, 28 August 2012 | UPDATED: 15:44 EST, 28 August 2012 A four-year-old girl denied an operation that could help her walk because of an NHS postcode lottery will now have the procedure - after well-wishers raised 30,000. Evie Tucker suffers from cerebral palsy - causing painful spasms in her legs - and can only shuffle a few steps at a time in her walking frame. She will be unable to walk without a 30,000 operation, equipment and physio which is only performed at one hospital in Britain - which happens to be just 12 miles away from her home. Evie Tucker, 4, suffers from cerebral palsy and can only shuffle a few steps at a time in her walking frame. She will be unable to walk without an operation costing 30,000 - the amount well-wishers have raised But her local NHS Trust ruled that Evie's case was not strong enough to justify the cost. Her determined family … Continue reading →

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Allstate Suit Says Brain-Injured Washed Cars as Therapy

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

By David Armstrong - 2012-08-28T14:14:58Z Allstate Corp. (ALL), the second-largest U.S. auto insurer, is seeking fraud damages in a lawsuit alleging that a Florida brain-injury facility warehoused patients who were beaten and abused by staff. The suit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Tampa, seeks $7.6 million that the insurer says it paid the Florida Institute for Neurologic Rehabilitation to treat its claimants, as well as triple damages under federal racketeering laws and other costs. Allstate alleges patients from Michigan, which mandates unlimited lifetime medical benefits for automobile injury coverage, were recruited to the Florida facility through an aggressive marketing campaign that promised an array of services that were never provided. Some patients washed the cars of the centers employees, an activity that was considered vocational training, according to the lawsuit. Wayne J. Miller, an attorney representing the facility, known as FINR, said in an e-mail that he was confident that this matter will ultimately be resolved in FINRs favor. The lawsuit, which also named FINR owner Joseph Brennick as a defendant, follows a Bloomberg News report last month on dozens of cases of alleged abuse at the facility. Patients families or state agencies have accused FINR of abuse … Continue reading →

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Pate Rehabilitation Joins Forces with Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition to Educate Local Youth on Bicycle Helmet …

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pate Rehabilitation, delivering evidence-based treatment and support programs for individuals recovering from acquired brain injuries, today announced its participation in the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalitions bicycle helmet safety event. Pate will be handing out their donated helmets on Friday, August 31, at Forest Oak Middle School to students who arrive on their bicycles, skateboards or scooters without any head protection. Students wearing a helmet will be rewarded with a free ice cream coupon donated by Texas Dairy Queen, Blue Bell Ice Cream and Braums Ice Cream and Dairy Store. Those seen not wearing a helmet will be educated on the citys bicycle helmet ordinance by participating Fort Worth police officers and firefighters. In Fort Worth, children and teens under age 18 are required by law to wear a helmet at all times while riding a bicycle, skateboard or scooter. The penalty for failure to wear a helmet is $50 for the first incident and $100 for the second. As a member of the Fort Worth Safe Communities Coalition Child Injury Task Force, we are honored to work together in their efforts to increase helmet safety awareness and help prevent bicycle-related injuries this school year, said Kent Hayden, … Continue reading →

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Acorda Therapeutics Announces GGF2 Preclinical Data on Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

ARDSLEY, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. (ACOR) announced data from a preclinical study showed that treatment with Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2) improved erectile function in an animal model following a cavernous nerve (CN) injury, a common complication of prostate surgery. These data were featured in a platform presentation at the ISSM/SMSNA World Meeting on Sexual Medicine in Chicago, IL. Approximately 270,000 prostate surgeries are performed in the United States annually. The vast majority of those surgeries are to treat prostate cancer and prostate enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH). The National Cancer Institute estimates that approximately 120,000 men in the U.S. diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 will have surgery to remove the prostate. The American Urological Association estimates that more than 150,000 men annually in the U.S. have surgery to address BPH. One of the most common complications of prostate surgery is erectile dysfunction, caused by inadvertent damage to the cavernous nerve during surgery. There is currently no effective therapy for preventing these complications, said Andrew R. Blight, Ph.D., Acorda Therapeutics Chief Scientific Officer. The data from this study are consistent with previous preclinical work, indicating that GGF2 can improve erectile function after cavernous nerve damage, either through … Continue reading →

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Advances in ataxia research to be featured at USF's Innovative Learning and Simulation Center

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Public release date: 28-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Anne DeLotto Baier abaier@health.usf.edu 813-974-3303 University of South Florida (USF Health) Tampa, FL (Aug. 27, 2012) Scientists, clinicians and patients will gather at the University of South Florida's Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation (CAMLS) in downtown Tampa Sept. 6 to share research insights and energize the search for a cure for Friedreich's ataxia and related disorders. The fourth annual scientific symposium "Understanding a Cure" will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, at USF Health CAMLS, 124 South Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602. The symposium, free and open to the public, is hosted by Friedreich Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA) and the USF Ataxia Research Center (ARC), and will include a tour of CAMLS. This year, for the first time, the scientific symposium will be live streamed through the FARA Facebook page, with opportunities for visitors to join the discussion long distance. To connect to the live stream and learn about cutting edge research advances in Friedreich's ataxia, visit: http://www.facebook.com/CureFA/app_196506863720166 on September 6 at 6 p.m. A Facebook account is not needed to join. Friedreich's ataxia is a rare, debilitating neuromuscular disorder. Symptoms, typically … Continue reading →

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URMC researchers connect new genetic signature to leukemia

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

Public release date: 28-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Leslie Orr Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu University of Rochester Medical Center University of Rochester Medical Center scientists believe they are the first to identify genes that underlie the growth of primitive leukemia stem cells, and then to use the new genetic signature to identify currently available drugs that selectively target the rogue cells. Although it is too early to attach significance to the drug candidates, two possible matches popped up: A drug in development for breast cancer (not approved by the Food and Drug Administration), and another experimental agent that, coincidentally, had been identified earlier by a URMC laboratory as an agent that targets leukemia cells. The research not only provides a better understanding of the basic biology of leukemia it uncovered genes not previously known to be associated with the disease -- but demonstrates a powerful strategy for drug discovery, said senior investigator Craig T. Jordan, Ph.D., the Philip and Marilyn Wehrheim professor of Medicine at URMC and the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center. First author John Ashton, PhD, led the study, which was published this month in the journal Cell Stem Cell. "Our work is both basic and translational, and … Continue reading →

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Sequenom Completes International Distribution Agreements To Expand Access To MaterniT21 PLUS Prenatal Testing Service

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

SAN DIEGO, Aug.28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequenom, Inc. (SQNM), a life sciences company providing innovative diagnostic testing and genetic analysis solutions, today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine (Sequenom CMM), has completed several international distribution agreements that will expand access to the MaterniT21 PLUS testing service outside the United States. Agreements in Asia cover Japan and Hong Kong; in Europe cover the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and the Netherlands; and in the Middle East, cover Israel. The announcement of these agreements follows recent news that Sequenom's current licensee in Europe, LifeCodexx, gained CE Marking for their trisomy 21 test, the PraenaTest, using the Sequenom-licensed technology and has made it available as a testing service at prenatal clinics and hospitals in Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. "We believe the completion of these international agreements represents an important advance in access to and future adoption of our technology in the international prenatal care market," said Harry F. Hixson, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Sequenom, Inc. "We look forward to working closely with each of our partners in these countries and to continuing our efforts to further expand access for expectant parents around the world." The distribution agreements … Continue reading →

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PART 1: Lorna Tolentino admits undergoing stem cell treatment to keep vital organs rejuvenated

Posted: Published on August 29th, 2012

PART 1: Lorna Tolentino admits undergoing stem cell treatment to keep vital organs rejuvenated Isang bihirang pagkakataon na nakausap uli ng PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) sa isang mahabang interview ang multi-awarded actress na si Lorna Tolentino. Naganap ang panayam noong nakaraang Huwebes, August 23, sa faculty office ng Central Colleges of the Philippines (CCP), kung saan ginanap ang taping ng weekly supernatural mystery drama series naThird Eye ng TV5. During dinner break, nabanggit ni Lorna ang tungkol sa pinsang si Zsa Zsa Padilla, who was diagnosed with Stage 1 cancer of the kidney. "Ka-text ko si Zsa Zsa. Four weeks daw siya doon, tapos saka babalik dito. Four weeks after the operation, hindi pa siya puwedeng mag-work. August 27 ang naiulat noon na schedule ng operasyon ni Zsa Zsa sa Cedars-Sinai Medical Center sa Los Angeles, California. Sixteen hours and delay ng oras ng U.S. sa Pilipinas, kayat malamang na ngayong araw na ang operasyon ni Zsa Zsa. Tatanggalin ang mala-golf ball sa laking namuong laman sa kanyang kidney. Originally posted here: PART 1: Lorna Tolentino admits undergoing stem cell treatment to keep vital organs rejuvenated … Continue reading →

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