ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) New research shows that human herpesviruses (HHV)-6B and HHV-7, commonly know as roseola virus), account for one third of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) cases. Results of the FEBSTAT prospective study now available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), suggest that HHV-6B may be involved in the development of epilepsy and further research is urgently needed. FEBSTAT is a multi-center study of the consequences of FSE, designed to identify the factors that increase the risk of injury to the hippocampus, an area of the brain responsible for long-term memory and implicated in the development of temporal lobe epilepsy. The FEBSTAT study is funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to previous research, up to 5% of children under the age of five have febrile seizures, making it the most common type of seizure, with peak incidence at age 2. While brief or simple febrile seizures are most common, 5% -- 8% of cases are prolonged and meet the criteria for status epilepticus (SE) -- a critical condition where a persistent seizure lasts more than 30 … Continue reading →

When Bill Schrumpf suffered his first grand mal seizure two years ago, it took a videotape from a surveillance camera to diagnose it. Schrumpf, the first patient to undergo epilepsy surgery with electrodes implanted in the brain at Spectrum Health, was 35 and working at Best Buy in Muskegon when he suffered the seizure. He doesnt remember what happened only that a co-worker found him walking around the store in a daze and incoherent. He was rushed to Mercy Hospital, where doctors began tests to find out what happened. Schrumpf has a heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, so the focus was on a malfunctioning heart valve. After six hours of tests, Schrumpf mentioned to his wife, Stacie, that his tongue hurt. It looked as if it had been mauled, he said. Youve had a seizure, said Stacie, a school social worker. A co-worker went to Best Buy and checked the video surveillance tape and found Schrumpfs seizure was captured on camera. It was just plain dumb luck I had it on video the whole nine yards, Schrumpf said. Schrumpf, who had electrodes placed in his brain June 4, is undergoing two weeks of monitoring in the epilepsy center at Spectrums Butterworth … Continue reading →

Ridma DISSANAYAKE The Health Ministry yesterday said arrangements are in place to build the first Epilepsy Treatment Centre in the South Asian region in Sri Lanka and the basic construction of this hospital has already commenced. Dr.Palitha Maheepala and Dr.Ranjani Gamage look at a model of the Epilepsy Treatment Centre with representatives of the Saudi Arabian government. The government is to spend Rs.3000 million on this project with financial assistance from the Saudi Arabian government. The hospital is scheduled to be completed by 2014. The majority of patients seeking outdoor treatment from state hospitals countrywide for neuro diseases suffer from epilepsy. Around 300,000 persons in Sri Lanka are Epilepsy patients. The most tragic situation is that most are pre-school and schoolchildren. Without being properly treated,their future will be at risk, a Health Ministry Spokesman said. Epilepsy is a disease which all family members should pay attention to, even if one person in the family is suffering. All Epilepsy patients should receive proper treatment and therefore the Health Ministry has diecided to establish the National Epilepsy Treatment Hospial attached to Colombo National Hospital. The hospital will consist eight storeys. The best treatment for neuro diseases in Sri Lanka can be received … Continue reading →

14-06-2012 13:34 The Medical Center of Plano's advanced stroke treatment technology was recently featured on Inside Edition. Dr. Janardhan highlights the advanced stroke therapy which removed a brain clot and produced an excellent outcome for a North Texas woman whose stroke symptoms were filmed on an iPhone video. Read more from the original source: The Medical Center of Plano's Latest Stroke Treatment is Featured on Inside Edition - Video … Continue reading →

NEW YORK & PETACH TIKVAH, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (BCLI), a developer of adult stem cell therapeutics targeting Central Nervous System (CNS) neurodegenerative diseases, announced today that Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd. received the first installment of the 2012 grant from Israels Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) in the amount of approximately $350,000. The yearly grant for 2012 is $1,100,000 (~4.2 M NIS). The grant is awarded to BrainStorms Research and Development program towards the development of its leading and innovative NurOwn therapy for ALS using autologous adult stem cells. We are thankful to the OCS for its continued support of our Research and Development program. The non-dilutive capital that we are receiving from the OCS will help move forward our NurOwn technology as a potential new treatment standard for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), said Dr. Adrian Harel BrainStorms newly promoted CEO. BrainStorm is in Phase I/II human clinical trials in Israel with NurOwn, BrainStorms adult stem cell therapy in patients with ALS (often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease). The study is conducted at the Hadassah Medical Center and is headed by principal investigator Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D., of the Hadassah … Continue reading →