The nations eyes have turned to the story of U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson, who has been charged with striking two different cars multiple times with his Lexus, within the time span of a couple of minutes, in Southern California this past Saturday afternoon. After hitting the first vehicle, Los Angeles law enforcement said Bryson proceeded to get out of his car to speak with the other cars occupants. But as he was leaving the scene, Bryson allegedly hit their car yet again and then hit a second vehicle a few minutes later. Bryson was later found unconscious in his car and was admitted to a hospital where he was treated for "non-life threatening injuries." According to police, there was no evidence that alcohol or drugs were involved in the incident. A spokesperson for the Commerce Department revealed in a statement Monday that Bryson had apparently suffered a seizure while driving this weekend. The official also said that Bryson has since been released and was given medication for the seizure. While it was not clear whether or not Brysons episode caused the accidents, one expert believes that its entirely possible that a seizure could be responsible and that Bryson may … Continue reading →

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 11, 2012 At its signature annual Care and Cure Benefit in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, June 5, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles announced three new Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship grants for three major hospitals in the region. With too few neurologists to treat the numbers of children with epilepsy, its a serious uphill battle for patients and their families. And even if a patient can be seen by a specialist, these clinically complex cases must be approached on a case by case basis, said Andrew Gumpert, one of co-chairs of the Benefit and a Trustee of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. To address the need for more epilepsy specialists, the Care and Cure Benefit to End Epilepsy in Children raises funds to support the training of doctors at Mattel Childrens Hospital at the University of California, Los Angeles, USC-County Medical Center, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and the University of California, San Francisco. The doctors chosen to receive these grants will focus their attention on providing clinical care and research that will profoundly benefit children with epilepsy who lack access to quality treatment for their seizures. To date, the Care and Cure Benefit … Continue reading →

A freezer malfunction at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital has severely damaged one-third of the worlds largest collection of autism brain samples, potentially setting back research on the disorder by years, scientists say. An official at the renowned brain bank in Belmont discovered that the freezer had shut down in late May, without triggering two alarms. Inside, they found 150 thawed brains that had turned dark from decay; about a third of them were part of a collection of autism brains. This was a priceless collection, said Dr. Francine Benes, director of the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, where the brains were housed. You cant express its value in dollar amounts, said Benes, who is leading one of two internal investigations into the freezer failure. The damage to these brains could slow autism research by a decade as the collection is restored, said Carlos Pardo, a neuropathologist and associate professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University. The collection, owned by the advocacy and research organization Autism Speaks, yields very, very important information that allows us to have a better understanding of what autism is, as well as the contribution of environmental and immune factors, said Pardo, whose 2004 study of brains stored … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (June 11, 2012) Habitually sleeping less than six hours a night significantly increases the risk of stroke symptoms among middle-age to older adults who are of normal weight and at low risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study of 5,666 people followed for up to three years. The participants had no history of stroke, transient ischemic attack, stroke symptoms or high risk for OSA at the start of the study, being presented June 11 at SLEEP 2012. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham recorded the first stroke symptoms, along with demographic information, stroke risk factors, depression symptoms and various health behaviors. After adjusting for body-mass index (BMI), they found a strong association with daily sleep periods of less than six hours and a greater incidence of stroke symptoms for middle-age to older adults, even beyond other risk factors. The study found no association between short sleep periods and stroke symptoms among overweight and obese participants. "In employed middle-aged to older adults, relatively free of major risk factors for stroke such as obesity and sleep-disordered breathing, short sleep duration may exact its own negative influence on stroke development," said lead author Megan Ruiter, PhD. "We … Continue reading →

Newswise Getting a good nights rest continues to be of utmost importance to your health. New data from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham shows not getting enough sleep can increase the risk for stroke symptoms in people with a healthy body mass index who are at low risk for obstructive sleep apnea and have no history of stroke. The study, being presented June 11, 2012 at the SLEEP 2012 conference in Boston, looked at self-reported sleep data from 5,666 people ages 45 and older who were followed up to a three-year period. In people with a low risk for obstructive sleep apnea and a BMI of 18.5 to 24.99, which is considered optimal, there was a four-time greater risk of stroke symptoms in participants who had fewer than six hours of sleep per night, compared to participants in the same BMI range who got seven to eight hours of sleep per night. The study found no association between short sleep periods and stroke symptoms among overweight and obese participants. We adjusted for many possible factors that could explain this increase, including hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep disordered breathing and being overweight or obese, explains Megan Ruiter, Ph.D., the … Continue reading →