Category Archives: Neurology

by MBJ Staff

Published: May 7,2012

Tags: clinic, diagnosis, doctors, health, health care, imaging, medical, medicine, physicians, scans, technology

HATTIESBURG Hattiesburg Clinic Neurology is the first in Mississippi to perform the recently FDA-approved DaTscan test, which helps physicians differentiate between essential tremor and parkinsonian syndromes, according to the clinic.

After the FDA approved DaTscan in May 2011, Hattiesburg Clinic Neurology performed the diagnostic imaging modality just two months later. On July 14, Wendell R. Helveston, M.D., and Ronald L. Schwartz, M.D., CPI, ordered the first DaTscans in Mississippi. Since this initial step, the clinic has successfully performed over 100 DaTscan tests.

The test is a significant step forward in physicians abilities to effectively diagnose and provide treatment to their patient with these symptoms, Helveston said. Currently, we diagnose these disorders based on clinical examinations, MRI and neuropsychological evaluations, but lacked a method that was specific and sensitive in the diagnosis of Parkinsons disease. This differentiation is paramount because the various disorders are treated differently.

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Originally posted here:
Hattiesburg Clinic pioneers new diagnostic scanning procedure

Consumption of omega-3 rich foods could reduce the risk of Alzheimers by lowering levels of plasma beta-amyloid, according to new research.

Omega-3 intake could help to slow declines in cognitive functioning, suggest the researchers

The new study published in Neurology suggests that consumption of foods that contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids may be associated with lower blood levels of the protein, which has been implicated in the onset of Alzheimer's disease and memory problems.

Led by Dr Nikolaos Scarmeas, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York, USA, the research team noted that previous research has shown increasing evidence that diet could play an important role in preventing or delaying the onset of Alzheimer disease.

Scarmeas revealed that consumption of one additional gram of omega-3 per day above the average omega-3 consumed by people in the study was associated with 20% to 30% lower blood beta-amyloid levels.

We found that higher dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was associated with lower plasma beta-amyloid42 level, suggesting that the potential beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFA intake on Alzheimers disease and cognitive function in the literature might be at least partly explained by an amyloid-beta-related mechanism.

Commenting on the study, Harry Rice, PhD, VP of regulatory andscientific affairs for the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED) told NutraIngredients that whilst the research has limitations, the results are exciting given that they provide support for what many scientists have been speculating for a number of years.

Rice said that one the next steps would be to determine to what extent, if any, plasma beta-amyloid proteins reflect amyloid levels in the brain.

Scarmeas noted that while it is not easy to measure levels of beta-amyloid deposits in the brain, it is relatively easy to measure the levels of beta-amyloid in the blood, which, to a certain degree, relates to the level in the brain."

Visit link:
Omega-3 may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s: Study

Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles related to healthcare social media in the past 2 weeks:

Doctors and social media: “How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Internet” http://goo.gl/pIrgh

Consumer Expectations for Healthcare Social Media http://goo.gl/REXqV

Why all hospitals need Twitter accounts: Google ranking of a URL linked to number of Tweets about that URL http://goo.gl/AYf9t

Interviewee eliminated as a candidate because his Klout score was too low (34), “They hired a guy whose score was 67”. Even if you have no idea what your Klout score is, there’s a chance that it’s already affecting your life. People with formidable Klout will board planes earlier, get free access to VIP airport lounges, stay in better hotel rooms, and receive deep discounts from retail stores. A two-week vacation from social media might causes your Klout score to nose-dive. http://goo.gl/ABu2S

13 Things You Never Knew You Could Do On LinkedIn http://goo.gl/mh4da

100 Ways To Use Twitter In Education, By Degree Of Difficulty http://goo.gl/lAs5v

Pack the Right Gadgets for the Road - NYTimes http://goo.gl/SmQgA

A Review of Living Language and Rocket Languages - App Smart - NYTimes http://goo.gl/kpvJT

10 HTML Tags All New Bloggers Should Learn http://goo.gl/24FpW

Is this the future of Khan Academy? http://goo.gl/xtErX - Bozeman Biology on YouTube http://goo.gl/GUry5

Many consumers worldwide worry that technology is overtaking their lives http://goo.gl/cJj5e

The articles were selected from my Twitter and Google Reader streams.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CasesBlog

Tips from ProBlogger on how to have a successful blog:

- Regular useful content: Daily “how to” posts that solved problems and showed people how to achieve their goals, 90%

- Shareable content: inspirational posts, breaking news, humor, controversy, grand list posts, 5%

- Community: reader discussions, debates, polls, forum, 5%

- Email newsletter: collect people’s email addresses and send them weekly updates/newsletters

Here is a great quote from another blog: "Blogging is teaching, whether it’s yourself or others, and that’s the best feeling in the world" http://goo.gl/hCpF8

References:

2 Different Tales of Blog Growth. ProBlogger.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CasesBlog

Here are my suggestions for some of the top articles in medicine in April-May 2012:

Always advocate for the patient. When in a bind, ask yourself, “Self, what's best for my patient?” You can only see ONE patient at a time. The patient in front of you is the only patient you have. http://bit.ly/HGJcU8

Adolescence is changing: age of onset of puberty is decreasing, age at which mature social roles are achieved is rising http://goo.gl/dshDG

Pilot sends plane into dive after mistaking Venus for oncoming plane http://bit.ly/INqXjw - "It's happened to most of us", starts CNN... North American-based pilots flying eastbound at night towards Europe are at increased risk of fatigue-related performance issues http://bit.ly/INqXjw

Are we ready to recommend aspirin for cancer prevention? Lancet http://goo.gl/WyRXY and http://goo.gl/oytIK

First described in 1967, Kawasaki disease is now a leading cause of acquired heart disease in developed countries http://goo.gl/ShL00 -- Addition of prednisolone to standard treatment with IVIG improves coronary artery outcomes in severe Kawasaki disease http://j.mp/JdUbTl

Bullying victimisation is associated with a myriad of emotional and behavioural problems throughout adolescence http://goo.gl/VzBrf

Thoughts for new medical students http://goo.gl/cr5k3 - Advice from the BMJ editor in 2003, still mostly relevant.

Consumer Expectations for Healthcare Social Media http://goo.gl/REXqV

Women are much more responsive than men to the weather, and life satisfaction decreases with rain (study) http://goo.gl/gp5KE

Use of Social Media by Western European Hospitals: Longitudinal Study shows that SoMe awareness is growing http://goo.gl/l41tz

Geriatrics update 2012: What parts of our practice to change, what to ‘think about’ - CCJM http://goo.gl/rvH9O

Family history: Still relevant in the genomics era - CCJM http://goo.gl/ty5vG

The articles were selected from my Twitter and Google Reader streams.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CasesBlog

These are excerpts from a review in the Medical Journal of Australia (MJA):

Older people with mild cognitive impairment are at increased risk of progressing to dementia, but no tests are helpful in assessing this risk. Medications are not beneficial in mild cognitive impairment.

Physical activity and treatment of hypertension decrease the risk of dementia.

In people with Alzheimer’s disease, a cholinesterase inhibitor or memantine (an N-methyl- D-aspartate receptor antagonist) provides symptomatic relief. Medications do not change progression of the illness.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms are common in Alzheimer’s disease.

Atypical antipsychotics reduce agitation and psychosis but increase the risk of cardiovascular events.

Antidepressant role in managing depression with mild cognitive impairment is uncertain but they may increase the risk of delirium and falls.

References:

Memory loss. Leon A Flicker, Andrew H Ford, Christopher D Beer and Osvaldo P Almeida. Med J Aust 2012; 196 (2): 114-117.

Image source: Hippocampus, from Wikipedia, public domain.

Source:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CasesBlog