News | Mind & Brain Experts call for small and easy changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, the "bible" of psychiatry, so that everyone with autism spectrum disorder qualifies for a diagnosis By Ferris Jabr  | January 30, 2012 | DIAGNOSING THE DSM: The DSM-5 should sharpen the definition of autism, if the American Psychiatric Association makes a few tweaks in time Image: UrsaHoogle, iStockphoto People have been arguing about autism for a long time—about what causes it, how to treat it and whether it qualifies as a mental disorder. The controversial idea that childhood vaccines trigger autism also persists, despite the fact that study after study has failed to find any evidence of such a link. Now, psychiatrists and members of the autistic community are embroiled in a more legitimate kerfuffle that centers on the definition of autism and how clinicians diagnose the disorder. The debate is not pointless semantics. In many cases, the type and number of symptoms clinicians look for when diagnosing autism determines how easy or difficult it is for autistic people to access medical, social and educational services. The controversy remains front and center because the American Psychiatric Association (APA) has almost finished redefining autism, … Continue reading →

January 30, 2012 -- As Senator Mark Kirk continues to recover, we take a closer look at the warning signs of stroke. In Monday morning's Rapid Round, we're joined by Dr. Melvin Wichter, neurologist with Advocate Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn. 1) What are the signs you're having a stroke? No two strokes are alike, thus the expression "we learn strokes, stroke by stroke". However certain patterns are more common than others. The most important pattern is best remembered by the acronym F.A.S.T. Face meaning a drooped or twisted face, Arm weakness or drifting of the arm, Speech slurred speech or difficulty finding words, Time reminds us that "Time is Brain" and the shorter the time to appropriate therapy the less likely permanent damage will occur. 2) What Types of strokes are there? 85% of total strokes are due to blocked arteries which prevent blood from getting to particular parts of the brain. Overwhelmingly these kinds of stroke are related to the clotting of blood in the heart or the blockage of blood vessels in the neck or within the brain. These are often called "bland" or ischemic strokes they are directly or indirectly related to hardening … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON -- When a stroke hits at 52, like what happened to Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the reaction is an astonished, "But he's so young." The reality is that strokes don't just happen to grandma. They can happen at any age, even to children – and they're on the rise among the young and middle-aged. That makes it crucial to know the warning signs no matter how old you are. "Nobody's invincible," warns Dr. Ralph Sacco, a University of Miami neurologist and past president of the American Heart Association. Every year, about 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. While some strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain, most are like a clogged pipe. Called ischemic strokes, a clot blocks blood flow, starving brain cells to death unless that circulation is restored fast. Make no mistake, the vast majority of strokes do occur in older adults. But up to a quarter of them strike people younger than 65, Sacco says. In the so-called stroke belt in the Southeast, that figure can be markedly worse. At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, a stunning 45 percent of stroke patients are young or middle-aged, says stroke center … Continue reading →

The Solitaire FR Revascularization Device by Covidien plc won approval for investigational use in the thromectomy part of the Interventional Management of Stroke (IMS III) trial, funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The IMS III Executive Committee approved the device’s inclusion in the trial and in an amendment made to the FDA. The Irish company, which has its U.S. headquarters in Mansfield, develops the Solitaire FR device, a device made to improve blood clots and restore blood flow. The IMS III trial is expected compare two ways to restore blood flow after stroke – the first way uses the current method of giving intravenous rTPA alone, as approved by the FDA, and the second uses a combined intravenous and intra-arterial treatment with the Covidien device. Covidien (NYSE: COV) announced last week that it had named Stacy Enxing Seng, a co-founder and former executive of ev3 Inc., as president of its Vascular Therapies Global Business Unit.  The company notably announced plans in December to spin off its pharmaceuticals business in order to focus entirely on its medical device and supply business.  The business, which is expected to become a stand-alone company, supplies branded generic pain killers, including … Continue reading →

WASHINGTON (AP) — When a stroke hits at 52, like what happened to Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois, the reaction is an astonished, "But he's so young." The reality is that strokes don't just happen to grandma. They can happen at any age, even to children — and they're on the rise among the young and middle-aged. That makes it crucial to know the warning signs no matter how old you are. "Nobody's invincible," warns Dr. Ralph Sacco, a University of Miami neurologist and past president of the American Heart Association. Every year, about 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. While some strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain, most are like a clogged pipe. Called ischemic strokes, a clot blocks blood flow, starving brain cells to death unless that circulation is restored fast. Make no mistake, the vast majority of strokes do occur in older adults. But up to a quarter of them strike people younger than 65, Sacco says. In the so-called stroke belt in the Southeast, that figure can be markedly worse. At Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, a stunning 45 percent of stroke patients are young or middle-aged, says stroke … Continue reading →

In this June 6, 2011 file photo, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum holds his daughter Bella before announcing he is entering the Republican presidential race, on the steps of the Somerset County Courthouse in Somerset, Pa. Bella has the genetic disorder Trisomy 18, and was hospitalized over the weekend with pneumonia. (Credit: AP) (CBS) Bella Santorum, the 3-year-old daughter of Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, was hospitalized over the weekend with pneumonia and complications from the genetic disorder, Trisomy 18. Also known as Edwards syndrome, Trisomy 18 occurs when a person is born with three copies of the 18th chromosome, as opposed to two. That extra chromosome interferes with typical childhood development, causing children to be born with clenched hands, crossed legs, feet with rounded bottoms, a small head and jaw, and intellectual disabilities. The disorder can also cause serious heart and kidney problems. Trisomy 18 occurs in about one out of every 3,000 births. It is three times more common in girls than boys, according to the National Institutes of Health. Unlike Down syndrome, which is caused by an extra chromosome 21, the issues caused by Trisomy 18 are associated with more life-threatening medical complications and 50 percent of … Continue reading →

Public release date: 30-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center STANFORD, Calif. ? Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons. The multiple successes of the direct conversion method could refute the idea that pluripotency (a term that describes the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell in the body) is necessary for a cell to transform from one cell type to another. Together, the results raise the possibility that embryonic stem cell research and another technique called "induced pluripotency" could be supplanted by a more direct way of generating specific types of cells for therapy or research. This new study, which will be published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a substantial advance over the previous paper in that it transforms the skin cells into neural precursor cells, as opposed to neurons. While … Continue reading →