Late-breaking science presented at 57th AAN Annual Meeting
...nox-Gastaut Epilepsy Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome is a catastrophic form of childhood epilepsy that is often resistant to treatment with conventional anti-seizure medications. In this trial, 138 patients with treatment-resistant LGS received either the novel drug rufinamide or placebo for 12 weeks. Rufinamide reduced...Gastric bypass patients fare better as surgical programs' experience increases
...uch as leaks [of the staple line], often result in catastrophic outcomes for these patients." Scott A. Shikora, M.D., of Tufts-New England Medical Center, Boston, and colleagues analyzed the medical records of 750 consecutive morbidly obese patients who underwent laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery at T...Connecting to cure spinal cord injury
...0 new cases occur each year, but a "cure" for this catastrophic injury remains elusive. Nevertheless, new science is raising the hope that one day a cure for SCI will be within reach. To address controversial and misunderstood issues related to SCI cure research, the University of Michigan Health System's Model S...Research offers new approach to developing treatments for cocaine and amphetamine addiction
... drug that eventually thrusts them into a dire and catastrophic existence. Doctors don't have any effective treatments for these addicts, or for any other drug addicts; drug addiction is a disease that remains a medical mystery. A recent study led by Pastor R. Couceyro, PhD, at Rosalind Franklin University of Med...Children and adolescents with advanced cancer can make complex end-of-life care decisions
...ves the suffering of children and adolescents with catastrophic diseases; reduces their pain, nausea, and other symptoms; enhances their quality of life during treatment; and attends to the psychosocial needs of these patients and their families. The program cares for children who are cured as well as children fo...March of Dimes receives federal grant to help meet needs of pregnant women and infants in Louisiana
...ential that these women be helped now to prevent a catastrophic rise in premature babies," said Dr. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "If we don't help them, babies will die, and many who survive will be left with devastating consequences - such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning problems, chro...ICSU pursues new initiative that challenges science to do more to prevent natural disasters
...g science to prevent natural hazards from becoming catastrophic events. "It's time to change the mindset that natural disasters are inevitable," said Gordon McBean, Chair in Policy for the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction at the University of Western Ontario and head of the ICSU Scoping Group on Human-In...Satellite survey of Elbe flood helps Swiss Re insure for disaster
...arket Development project commencing in 2002, this catastrophic event was used as the basis of an sample explorato...ance to the insurers, taking on responsibility for catastrophic risks such as earthquakes, cyclones or floods the latter being the world's single most costly natur...Medical debt undermines housing security for working families, new national study shows
...tal purpose, protecting American families from the catastrophic effects of large medical bills," Seifert added. "And the ripples of that failure can persist into the next generation." Housing, credit counseling and community advocacy agencies in the survey's seven sites (Des Moines, IA; Phoenix, AZ; St. Louis, ...Implantable pumps extend lives of patients too sick for transplant
...ermore, unlike some earlier studies, there were no catastrophic mechanical failures." According to Rogers, there are a number of challenges to be addressed before the use of LVADs can be considered as a widespread destination therapy. The first challenge is selecting appropriate patients, which is crucial, since ...Cardiac pump can extend life in end-stage heart failure
... more than three years," he said. "No patient had catastrophic pump failure, defined as death, or the need for emergency pump replacement." Researchers said this study provides additional support for the notion that mechanical heart technologies can extend life. The findings also point out the real challenges t...Caution: New Medicare drug plan may cause headaches
...e -- if drug costs reach $5,000. "Even at a fairly catastrophic level of $10,000 per year of annual drug costs, the enrollee pays nearly 43 percent of the total bill," Kaplan noted. Because of the doughnut hole, many retirees with existing employer-sponsored drug plans might not wish to sign up for the Medicare p...Breakthrough in unravelling the causes of sudden cardiac death in young people
...hannels may represent the best way to prevent this catastrophic disease in people containing this faulty gene." Work is already underway to develop a new therapeutic approach which is hoped will eventually restore proper channel closure and may help prevent SCD in susceptible individuals....What the public needs to hear during a disaster
...American Public Health Association meeting. "The catastrophic failure of the emergency response system in the wake of Hurricane Katrina reinforces the need to better understand the public's concerns and to include the public in emergency planning and response. This will help state and local officials effectivel...Mayo Clinic researchers challenge sepsis theory
...nce free to function, the receptor can trigger the catastrophic cascade of events that is sepsis. The sepsis syndrome can occur during a bacterial infection, as the accepted medical principle holds, or -- as the Mayo Clinic team theory suggests -- it also can occur when substances the body makes act like the bact...What constitutes acceptable earthquake risk in the Central United States?
..., but it is necessary to be ready for the eventual catastrophic quake that will strike." Gillespie presented the paper, "Dyanmics of Earthquake Safety and Economic Development," on Feb. 20 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement science, held Feb. 16-20 in St. Louis. In his study, Gi...Mayo Clinic study finds coma grossly misrepresented in the movies
... genre could potentially tend toward ridicule of a catastrophic illness, including the agony of a family during a patient's prolonged coma and rehabilitation. Actors portraying those in a coma might visit neurology intensive care units or neurology rehabilitation centers to observe patients in a coma or rehabi...Employees in small firms pay 18 percent more for health insurance when adjusted for value of plan
...aning their coverage does not protect them against catastrophic costs, and they face cost barriers to needed care," said Davis. "The value of an insurance plan and the financial protection it provides are crucial for state and federal policymakers to consider when designing health care coverage strategies." Healt...Conference to focus on healthcare systems' response to disasters and overloads
... the need for surge capacity is paramount during a catastrophic event with large scale medical/public health effec...es even without the added burden of dealing with a catastrophic event." Speakers and participants examine current scientific knowledge and understanding of surge an...WPI team receives $1.8 million to study atherosclerotic plaque progression and rupture
...ing the sequence of events that ultimately trigger catastrophic plaque rupture. MRI and histological studies of diseased arteries will be used to document the progression of plaques and assess their likelihood of rupture. For the first time, human plaque growth functions will be quantified based on multi-year pa...