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Post-Stroke Speech Problems Inflate Cost of Treatment

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Average medical costs for a stroke patient with language impairment (aphasia) are more than $1,700 higher in the first year after stroke than for a patient without aphasia, a new study finds. Researchers analyzed the medical records of 3,200 Medicare patients in South Carolina who had an ischemic (blocked blood flow to the brain) stroke in 2004. They found that 12 percent of them had trouble speaking because of the stroke. Help in regaining lost speech drive up medical bills, the researchers found. Medicare payments averaged over $20,700 for those with aphasia compared to about $18,700 for those without these language difficulties, an 8.5 percent difference. The researchers also found that patients with aphasia were older and suffered more severe strokes, stayed in health care facilities 6.5 percent longer than those without impaired language, and had higher rates of illness and death. The study appears Feb. 16 in the journal Stroke. Each year in the United States, strokes leave about 100,000 people with language impairment. "These findings are important because dramatic changes are occurring in health care reimbursement, specifically imposed caps on Medicare reimbursement for outpatient speech language pathology and physical therapy," study lead … Continue reading →

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InVivo Therapeutics Announces Pricing of Public Offering of Common Stock

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTC/BB: NVIV), a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries, today announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 8,281,574 shares of its common stock, offered at a price to the public of $2.10 per share, for gross proceeds of approximately $17.4 million. Net proceeds to InVivo, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $15.7 million. InVivo anticipates using the net proceeds from the offering for working capital and other general corporate purposes, including the research, development and pre-clinical and clinical trials for its product candidates, capital expenditures, repayment of debt and possibly acquisitions of other businesses, products or technologies. In addition, InVivo has granted the underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 1,242,236 shares of its common stock to cover overallotments, if any. The offering is expected to close on or about February 23, 2012, subject to customary closing conditions. Aegis Capital Corp. and Summer Street Research Partners are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. The securities described above are being offered by InVivo pursuant to a shelf registration statement previously filed with the Securities … Continue reading →

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High doses of 'load' slows loss of bone in spinal cord injury

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

A new clinical trial conducted by University of Iowa researchers shows that delivering high doses of "load," or stress, to bone through programmed electrical stimulation of the muscle significantly slows the loss of bone density in patients with SCI. The focus on quantifying the effective dose of load is one of the study's most important aspects, says Richard Shields, P.T., Ph.D., a professor and director of the UI Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science Graduate Programs. The study also is the first to carefully test the impact of different doses of load in humans with paralysis. Previous research had suggested that stressing or loading bone through muscle contractions could slow the loss of bone density, but results from clinical trials have been mixed. "Thirty years ago a clinical trial concluded that putting patients with SCI in an upright weight-bearing position with braces or standing frames did nothing to prevent loss of bone density," Shields says. "The novelty of our study is we have designed a method for individuals with paralysis to stand (bear weight) while superimposing a dose of muscle force using programmed electrical stimulation of the muscle." The study findings, published in the journal Osteoporosis International in December 2011, reveal … Continue reading →

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InVivo Therapeutics’ CEO Frank Reynolds Scheduled to Appear on Fox News First and San Antonio Living

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (OTC/BB: NVIV), a developer of groundbreaking technologies for the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI), today announced that CEO Frank Reynolds is scheduled to appear on San Antonio’s Fox News First on KABB-TV on Wednesday, February 22nd during their 7:00 AM (CST) newscast. Reynolds is also scheduled to appear the same day on San Antonio Living on WOAI-TV that airs from 10:00 to 11:00 AM (CST). InVivo Therapeutics has pioneered a new treatment platform that uses a biocompatible polymer-based scaffold to provide structural support to a damaged spinal cord in order to spare tissue from scarring while improving recovery and prognosis after a traumatic spinal cord injury. Reynolds will discuss the scaffold and how it is expected to work in humans, as well as results from InVivo’s largest non-human primate study. “We expect that our technology will change the standard care for spinal cord injury treatment. We’re currently under review at FDA and we look forward to receiving approval to begin human studies,” said Reynolds. “Our therapeutic approach confirms a clear paradigm shift in the treatment of spinal cord injuries.” Fox News First is the morning show that airs weekdays from 5:00 – … Continue reading →

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Study shows exercise may help Parkinson's patients

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) – Promising new work in the field of exercise may help some Parkinson's patients regain some lost control of their motor skills. A new study has found that weight training for two years may improve the motor symptoms of those who live with Parkinson 's disease. "Slowing this progression or altering the progression is really the single greatest unmet medical need in Parkinson's. And to date, there haven't been any positive pharmacological interventions or surgical interventions that have been effective in slowing disease progression." said Dr. Jay Alberts of the Cleveland Clinic. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago found separated 48 patients into two groups. One group did weight training, while the other used flexibility, balance and strengthening exercises to manage the disease. The results of the study show that both forms of exercise reduced motor symptoms after 6 months, but those in the weight training group seemed to slow the progression of the disease even after two years. Researchers say that weight training could be an important component in managing Parkinson's disease, and Dr. Alberts believes it also empowers the patient: "Rather than being a passive recipient to medication or even a surgical procedure, … Continue reading →

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Parkinson's Disease and Exercise: How Much Is Beneficial?

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

Newswise — Daniel Corcos has studied Parkinson's disease for more than 20 years. For most of the past 10, he has focused on the effects of exercise. "It became obvious several years ago that exercise really was good for people with Parkinson's disease," said Corcos, who is professor of kinesiology and nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago. "Not only is it good for the heart, the brain, and muscles in the same way it is for healthy people, it also modifies signs and symptoms of Parkinson's disease." Now as a co-principal investigator of a four-year, $3 million National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke grant, he will try to quantify the benefits of aerobic exercise in managing symptoms in persons with recently diagnosed Parkinson's disease. At this April's annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Corcos will report the finding that two years of weight training can significantly and progressively improve motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease as compared to alternatives such as stretching and balancing. Those exercises produced no improvements after six months. The results suggest that long-term weight training could be considered as an important component in managing Parkinson's disease, he said. In the planned study … Continue reading →

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Weight Training May Help Parkinson's Patients Retain Function

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

THURSDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthDay News) -- When it comes to helping Parkinson's disease patients retain vital motor function, weight training may be more effective than stretching or balance exercises, a new study concludes. The findings "reconfirm our notions that exercise plays an important part in the treatment of Parkinson's disease," according to one outside expert, Dr. Nora Chan, director of the Movement Disorder Program at Winthrop-University Hospital, in Mineola, N.Y. The research involved 48 people with Parkinson's who were randomly assigned to either a weight-training program or a workout routine that included flexibility, balance and strengthening routines. Both groups exercised for one hour, twice a week for two years. The severity of the patients' motor symptoms, including tremors, was assessed after six, 12, 18, and 24 months of exercise. The symptoms were checked when the patients were not taking their medication. Both groups showed improvements in motor symptoms at six months. But patients in the weight-training group had a 7.3 point improvement in their Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale after two years, while the patients in the other group returned to the same scores they had at the start of the study. The findings are being released early but will … Continue reading →

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Marialena Trinca, 4, Leaves Hospital Months After Crash That Killed Her Mom, Brother

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

Marialena Trinca discharged from Port Jefferson hospital (Credit: Mona Rivera/1010 WINS) PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) – A 4-year-old girl has been released from the hospital four months after a car crash nearly killed her and claimed the lives of her mother and oldest brother. Doctors and medical staff applauded Marialena Trinca on Thursday as she walked on her own, discharged from St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson. Marialena underwent months of treatment after suffering a broken leg and a traumatic brain injury that left her unable to speak, walk or eat. 1010 WINS’ Mona Rivera reports Doctors said Marialena can now speak, walk, eat and play but still “continues to face challenges.” “Seeing her eyes open and actually mouth her first word – her first word was indeed mommy,” Anthony Trinca, Marialena’s uncle, told CBS 2?s Jennifer McLogan. The girl’s grandmother said Marialena still hasn’t been told that her mother, 30-year-old Keri Trinca, and 7-year-old brother Jason Jr. were killed in the October 2011 crash in Manorville. Keri Trinca and her son, Jason (credit: Handout) “I think she might know,” Patrica Trinca said. “There’s tons of pictures in her room, we haven’t tried to hide them, [but] in her heart … Continue reading →

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Mass Gen Begins Study on Depression Treatment Response Using Genetic Biomarker Data

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

By a GenomeWeb staff reporter NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Massachusetts General Hospital is starting a major study aimed at guiding treatment of patients suffering from treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. The study, which is using genetic biomarker data to compare standard treatment with assay-guided treatment in inpatient adults with treatment-resistant depression, will use Genomind's Genecept Assay. The technology combines a proprietary panel of genetic tests with an analytical report to clinicians. The primary objective of the study is to improve depressive symptoms from baseline to six months, Genomind said. Other goals are to change clinician behavior and reduce costs. Researchers will focus on pharmacogenetic genotyping of metabolic activity, which can then be used to guide treatment of patients with antidepressants. Also, genome-wide association study analysis will be performed in the future to identify biomarkers that may be predictive of patient response to and tolerance of certain therapeutics. Recruitment of patients begins immediately. Based in Chalfont, Penn., Genomind specializes in neuropsychiatric personalized medicine using genetic information. Visit link: Mass Gen Begins Study on Depression Treatment Response Using Genetic Biomarker Data … Continue reading →

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Genetic 'Rosetta Stone' unveiled in Nature

Posted: Published on February 17th, 2012

A new paper in Nature describes the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, or DGRP, which provides the highest-resolution view to date of the genome structure and variation in a population of 192 fruit flies with diverse traits.  The study was led by Trudy Mackay of North Carolina State University, in collaboration with the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine and David Mittelman of Virginia Tech's Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, as well as a large group of researchers around the world. "One of the grand challenges of biology is to understand how genetic variants and environmental factors interact to produce variation in complex phenotypes such as height, behaviors, and disease susceptibility within populations. This effort has been stymied by the lack of knowledge of all genetic variants in a population of a genetically tractable model organism. The DGRP sequences provide such a resource," Mackay noted. It’s been known for a long time that genes often work in concert to produce different effects, or phenotypes. But determining the exact contribution of these genes and genetic changes within them to animal traits remains a key challenge in genetics. That’s where model organisms like Drosophila melanogaster (the common fruit fly) shine. Using inbred strains of … Continue reading →

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