http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Children with persistent and drug-resistant seizures treated with the high-fat, low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet may get an added therapeutic benefit from periodic fasting, according to a small Johns Hopkins Children's Center study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-fasting-benefit-patients-epilepsy.html Medical research Fri, 07 Dec 2012 03:00:01 EST news274070450 (Medical Xpress)—The unique needs of people with younger onset dementia have been addressed for the first time in new research by the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-extra-younger-dementia.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:41:42 EST news273998489 Researchers have found that using telemedicine to deliver stroke care, also known as telestroke, appears to be cost-effective for rural hospitals that do not have an around-the-clock neurologist, or stroke expert, on staff. The research, published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, is intended to help hospital administrators evaluate telestroke. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-telestroke-effective-hospitals.html Cardiology Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:43:47 EST news273851018 DNA sequences obtained from a handful of patients with multiple sclerosis at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center have revealed the existence of an "immune exchange" that allows the disease-causing cells to move in and out of the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-multiple-sclerosis-immune-exchange-brain.html Medical research Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:09:06 EST news272563736 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers and patients look forward to the day when stem cells might be used to replace dying brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. Scientists are currently able to make neurons and other brain cells from stem cells, but getting these neurons to properly function when transplanted to the host has proven to be more difficult. Now, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have found a way to stimulate stem cell-derived neurons to direct cognitive function after transplantation to an existing neural network. The study was published November 7 in the Journal of Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-neurons-stem-cells-brain-transplantation.html Neuroscience Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:14:18 EST news272214851 New evidence indicates that Parkinson's disease is preceded by a period during which healthy regions of the brain take over the functions of damaged ones. Neurologist Bart van Nuenen performed a unique study involving people who are clinically still healthy and free from disease manifestations, but who have an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life due to their genetic predisposition. Van Nuenen will defend his PhD thesis based on this study on 22 November. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-compensation-brain-treatment.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Tue, 13 Nov 2012 08:18:33 EST news272017099 What do a tight, fitted bed sheet and a blood clot in the wrist have in common? Both are associated with a condition called sheet fitting palsy. True to its name, the palsy is reported in those who spend a long period of time repeatedly trying to pull a fitted bed sheet over the corner of a mattress. But it has also been reported in basketball players and in those who do push-ups as exercise. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-housework-health-hazard-sheet-fitting-palsy.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 08 Nov 2012 16:28:08 EST news271614467 (Medical Xpress)—It could happen during a nasty spill on the ski slopes, a hard tackle at football practice, or even a car accident. ASU nursing student Sarah Hollowell sustained her concussion playing intramural softball, when she took a hit from a ball right between the eyes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-reliable-concussion.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 01 Nov 2012 08:10:01 EST news270975393 In an early-stage breakthrough, a team of Northwestern University scientists has developed a new family of compounds that could slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-parkinson-breakthough-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Wed, 24 Oct 2012 13:31:21 EST news270304265 (Medical Xpress)—The number of people affected by dementias continues to climb as baby boomers age, increasing the urgency to identify ways to prevent, diagnose and treat these neurodegenerative brain disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-diagnostic-exams-dementia-treatment-implications.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:09:12 EST news270112136 New research links motor skills and perception, specifically as it relates to a second finding—a new understanding of what the left and right brain hemispheres "hear." Georgetown University Medical Center researchers say these findings may eventually point to strategies to help stroke patients recover their language abilities, and to improve speech recognition in children with dyslexia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-what-you-hear-could-depend.html Neuroscience Sun, 14 Oct 2012 17:17:01 EST news269453812 Stroke care has improved considerably in Alberta following the implementation of the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy (APSS), leading to more targeted patient care and fewer health complications, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-provincial-effort-alberta.html Cardiology Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:38:41 EST news268371514 It takes one to know one, especially when it comes to stroke recovery, according to two new Calgary programs providing support and resources to 1,200 stroke patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-calgary-life.html Cardiology Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:38:18 EST news268371478 (Medical Xpress)—Routine screening for psychiatric, cognitive and social problems could enhance the quality of care and quality of life for children and adults with epilepsy, according to a study by UC Irvine neurologist Dr. Jack Lin and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Amedeo Avogadro University in Italy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-potential-quality-life-epilepsy-patients.html Neuroscience Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:12:27 EST news268056739 A medical record review study of 97 patients with the fatal, degenerative brain disorder sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (sCJD) suggests that a correct diagnosis of the disease was often delayed by a variety of misdiagnoses, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-misdiagnosis-sporadic-jakob-creutzfeldt-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:00:07 EST news267704801 (Medical Xpress)—The gridiron is back in action. From little leagues to professional teams, football frenzy has begun, and with it, concerns about concussions. But it's not just jarring tackles that can lead to concussions in kids. According to Dr. Ryan Coates, a pediatric neurologist at Loyola University Health System, there are many ways kids are exposed to concussion risks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-concussions-kids-athletes.html Health Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:10:52 EST news266141444 Sleep disruptions may be among the earliest indicators of Alzheimer's disease, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report Sept. 5 in Science Translational Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-problems-early-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:00:01 EST news266057923 A new study shows that the compound Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ) reduces oxidative damage, a key finding that hints at its potential to slow the progression of Huntington disease. The discovery, which appears in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Huntington's Disease, also points to a new biomarker that could be used to screen experimental treatments for this and other neurological disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-coenzyme-q10-huntington-treatment.html Neuroscience Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:00:01 EST news259251435 (HealthDay) -- Doctors and patients need to be aware of the potential risk of injuries and death associated with an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis called liberation therapy, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in an alert issued Thursday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-fda-issues-controversial-ms-treatment.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 May 2012 17:10:01 EST news255884974 In the 19th century, the celebrated neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, developed a "vibration chair" to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now a group of scientists at Rush University Medical Center have replicated his work, and they report that while vibration therapy does significantly improve some symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the effect is due to placebo or other nonspecific factors, and not the vibration. Their study is published in the April issue of Journal of Parkinson's Disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-19th-century-therapy-parkinson-disease.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:40:02 EST news254058781 Two research studies, co-led by UC Davis neurologist Charles DeCarli and conducted by an international team that included more than 80 scientists at 71 institutions in eight countries, has advanced understanding of the genetic components of Alzheimer's disease and of brain development. Both studies appear in the April 15 edition of the journal Nature Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-major-memory-adults-impacted-versions.html Genetics Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:00:08 EST news253619104 Today's anti-depressant medications can ease depression in Parkinson's patients without worsening other symptoms of the disease, according to a study published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-meds-ease-depression-parkinson-patients.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:00:01 EST news253367422 Treatment for epilepsy typically focuses on medication, with some patients spending 20 years or more on a variety of drugs in search of effective management of the condition. But a UC Health neurologist says that for many epilepsy patients, surgery can result in a seizure-free lifestyle. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-surgery-safe-effective-option-epilepsy.html Surgery Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:12:30 EST news251705534 Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia may spread within nerve networks in the brain by moving directly between connected neurons, instead of in other ways proposed by scientists, such as by propagating in all directions, according to researchers who report the finding in the March 22 edition of the journal Neuron. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-brain-scans-alzheimer.html Neuroscience Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:22:33 EST news251551341 Researchers have identified a gene that causes adult-onset primary cervical dystonia, an often-painful condition in which patients' necks twist involuntarily. The discovery by a team from the Jacksonville, Fla., campus of Mayo Clinic and the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center sheds light on a movement disorder that physicians previously could seldom explain. Their research appears in the Annals of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-id-gene-primary-cervical-dystonia.html Genetics Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:32:10 EST news250169485 Researchers are reporting the first treatment to speed recovery from severe brain injuries caused by falls and car crashes: a cheap flu medicine whose side benefits were discovered by accident decades ago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-flu-drug-brain-injury-recovery.html Medical research Wed, 29 Feb 2012 18:04:05 EST news249761034 A paper from Rhode Island Hospital and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit examines whether different presentation formats, presenter characteristics, and patient characteristics affect decision-making for patients requiring treatment for asymptomatic carotid stenosis. Based on the study, the researchers concluded that how the treatment options are presented to a patient strongly impacts patients' decision-making, while the patient's age, gender, and education level may also influence the decision. The study was recently published in the journal Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-patients-decision-making-asymptomatic-carotid-stenosis.html Neuroscience Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:55:51 EST news249134147 A study of mothers and their young babies by neurologists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has shown that mothers who suffer migraine headaches are more than twice as likely to have babies with colic than mothers without a history of migraines. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-links-babies-colic-mothers-migraines.html Neuroscience Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:03 EST news248956990 The American Academy of Neurology is issuing an updated guideline that recommends monitoring the spinal cord during spinal surgery and certain chest surgeries to help prevent paralysis, or loss of muscle function, related to the surgeries. The guideline, which was developed with the American Clinical Neurophysiology Society, is published in the February 21, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and also in the Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-guideline-spinal-cord-surgery-paralysis.html Neuroscience Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:00:01 EST news248957156 Occasional erratic heart rhythms appear to cause about one-fifth of strokes for which a cause is not readily established, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-erratic-heart-rhythm-account-unexplained.html Cardiology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:37:35 EST news247397843