Category Archives: Neurology

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

Botulinum Toxin for Prophylaxis of Migraine and Tension Headaches: not so great - JAMA http://j.mp/IecqxB

Varicocele Is Associated with Erectile Dysfunction: 3.3% of ED patients have it vs. 1.2% of controls http://goo.gl/R8nPi

Evaluation of nail abnormalities: subungual melanomas, account for 50% of melanomas in persons with dark skin http://goo.gl/ryWVo

Sunscreens & Vitamin D: the overwhelming majority of dermatologists recommend to get your vitamin D from food, not from the sun http://goo.gl/BcFtP

Heat waves that last for more than a week can be deadly, particularly for the elderly. For every 1 degree C increase in summer temperature, death risk of the elderly with chronic conditions rises 3-4% http://goo.gl/2sYh1

Personal vs. Professional: How Doctors Manage Their Social Media Profiles - University of Chicago Medicine blog http://goo.gl/JNyu1

45% of women overestimate the effectiveness of the Pill and condoms for pregnancy prevention (study) http://goo.gl/1QcXW

FDA approves fast-acting Viagra rival: Avanafil (Stendra) starts working in 15 min, the fastest of the 4 ED drugs http://goo.gl/Joskq

More than 40% of people in the U.S. live in counties with unsafe levels of air pollutants http://goo.gl/G2bG8

20% of Americans have gone out on a date with someone they met online. New to Online Dating: Here are 11 Tips http://goo.gl/ulviK

Most Peaceful, Least Peaceful U.S. States - For 11th year in a row, Maine is the most peaceful state in America http://goo.gl/ZTr4X

Damage control on physician-rating websites - "We've all got a megaphone now," says CEO of physician-rating site http://goo.gl/ouxiI

7 steps to responding to angry patients - "RAPSAND" acronym builds "emotional muscle" in staff members http://goo.gl/IXcWP

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

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

Public release date: 26-Apr-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dawn Peters healthnews@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley-Blackwell

Blueberries and strawberries, which are high in flavonoids, appear to reduce cognitive decline in older adults according to a new study published today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. The study results suggest that cognitive aging could be delayed by up to 2.5 years in elderly who consume greater amounts of the flavonoid-rich berries.

Flavonoids are compounds found in plants that generally have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Experts believe that stress and inflammation contribute to cognitive impairment and that increasing consumption of flavonoids could mitigate the harmful effects. Previous studies of the positive effects of flavonoids, particularly anthocyanidins, are limited to animal models or very small trials in older persons, but have shown greater consumption of foods with these compounds improve cognitive function.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, elderly Americansthose 65 years of age and olderincreased by 15% between 2000 and 2010, faster than the total U.S. population, which saw a 9.7% increase during the same time period. "As the U.S. population ages, understanding the health issues facing this group becomes increasingly important," said Dr. Elizabeth Devore with Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. "Our study examined whether greater intake of berries could slow rates of cognitive decline."

The research team used data from the Nurses' Health Studya cohort of 121,700 female, registered nurses between the ages of 30 and 55 who completed health and lifestyle questionnaires beginning in 1976. Since 1980 participants were surveyed every four years regarding their frequency of food consumption. Between 1995 and 2001, cognitive function was measured in 16,010 subjects over the age of 70 years, at 2-year intervals. Women included in the present study had a mean age of 74 and mean body mass index of 26.

Findings show that increased consumption of blueberries and strawberries appear to slow cognitive decline in older women. A greater intake of anthocyanidins and total flavonoids was also associated with reduce cognitive degeneration. Researchers observed that women who had higher berry intake delayed cognitive aging by up to 2.5 years. The authors caution that while they did control for other health factors in the modeling, they cannot rule out the possibility that the preserved cognition in those who eat more berries may be also influenced by other lifestyle choices, such as exercising more.

"We provide the first epidemiologic evidence that berries may slow progression of cognitive decline in elderly women," notes Dr. Devore. "Our findings have significant public health implications as increasing berry intake is a fairly simple dietary modification to test cognition protection in older adults."

###

This study is published in Annals of Neurology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact healthnews@wiley.com.

View original post here:
Eating more berries may reduce cognitive decline in the elderly

NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

GE Healthcare today announced results from four pooled brain biopsy studies, as well as key results from a brain autopsy study, of the investigational PET amyloid imaging agent, [18F]flutemetamol.1 The data showed that both biopsy and autopsy study images had high sensitivity and specificity, and that strong concordance exists between [18F]flutemetamol PET images and Alzheimers disease-associated beta amyloid brain pathology. The data confirm the potential of [18F]flutemetamol as an imaging agent to detect beta amyloid plaque, a pathology associated with Alzheimers disease (AD), in living patients.

These data are being presented as part of the Emerging Science Program (formerly known as Late-Breaking Science) at the American Academy of Neurologys 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21 to April 28, 2012, and support an application for regulatory approval of [18F]flutemetamol, which is intended to be filed later this year. [18F]flutemetamol is a GE Healthcare PET imaging agent in development for the detection of beta amyloid.

Currently, the standard for definitively confirming AD is through detection of pathology, including amyloid plaque in the brain during autopsy, said David Wolk, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Cognitive Neurology Division, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, presenter and lead investigator for the biopsy study. Because accurate detection of brain amyloid in vivo can help physicians make a more accurate clinical diagnosis and potentially enhance patient management, we were particularly pleased to see that flutemetamol performed in a similar manner in both the autopsy and biopsy studies.

The study to be presented at AAN pooled analysis from four studies of 49 patients receiving [18F]flutemetamol before or after brain biopsy during shunt placement or intracranial pressure measurement and 68 autopsy subjects to determine the presence of brain amyloid pathology. For patients with biopsy tissue samples, the study found that [18F]flutemetamol detected beta-amyloid with a pooled sensitivity of 93 percent and pooled specificity of 100 percent. In autopsied subjects, [18F]flutemetamol showed the ability to detect beta-amyloid with a sensitivity of 86 percent and specificity of 92 percent. Sensitivity is the percentage of amyloid-positive brains that are correctly identified by [18F]flutemetamol image readers as positive and corresponding to abnormal amyloid pathology. Specificity refers to the percentage of amyloid-negative brains that are correctly identified via [18F]flutemetamol images as negative, corresponding to normal pathology, by image readers.

The accumulation of beta amyloid in the brain is believed to play a role in the degeneration of neurons in AD and is one of several pathological characteristics implicated in its development. Currently, AD is confirmed by histopathological identification of core features, including beta amyloid plaques, in post-mortem brain samples.2Targeted amyloid imaging agents are being studied to determine their ability to help physicians detect amyloid deposition in living humans.

We know that AD-related pathological markers such as amyloid plaques may appear decades before clinical symptoms are observed, and these studies show flutemetamol images may prove to be a clinically valuable component of a broader diagnostic workup that neurologists conduct when assessing patients with cognitive impairments who may have AD, said Jonathan Allis, General Manager, PET, GE Healthcare Medical Diagnostics. Additionally, the ability to help rule out AD by reliably showing an absence of amyloid deposits in the brain could assist physicians in making appropriate disease management decisions. The results from these studies are encouraging in that they demonstrate the potential of flutemetamol imaging in living patients.

[18F]Flutemetamol is one component of a broad portfolio of diagnostic solutions that GE Healthcare is currently developing in the Alzheimers field. GE Healthcare is taking a comprehensive approach to understanding AD through its ongoing research to uncover the causes, risks and physical effects of the disease. For example, the company is partnering with pharma to identify a biosignature, or biological indicator, that may help physicians diagnose AD before the onset of clinical symptoms.

GE Healthcare offers a broad portfolio of imaging resources, that support accurate visualization of the signs of neurodegenerative diseases via state-of-the-art scanners - including MRI, PET, and CT - that deliver clear visualization of the brain. In addition, an expanding portfolio of imaging agents is being developed to enhance visual evidence of disease and innovative software applications that can aid physicians in image interpretation and determination of disease management.More specifically, our portfolio today includes cyclotrons and chemistry systems to manufacture PET imaging agents, PET and MR scanners to scan patients, and image analysis software to interpret the results.

GE Healthcare has been a key contributor to the Alzheimers Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) since its inception. GE Healthcare also plays a key role in PredictAD, an EU-funded research project to develop solutions to enable earlier diagnosis of AD, and in the Coalition Against Major Diseases (CAMD).

Continued here:
Phase 3 Results for GE Healthcare Imaging Agent Flutemetamol Presented at American Academy of Neurology Meeting

Aims to Become World Leader in Supporting Research to Cure Brain Disease

Newswise NEW ORLEANS The American Academy of Neurology Foundation is now the American Brain Foundation. The name change is part of an overall re-branding campaign as the organization repositions itself to become the worlds leader in raising money for research to cure brain diseases, such as Alzheimers disease, stroke, Parkinsons disease, autism, and epilepsy. Todays re-branding announcement was made at the American Academy of Neurologys 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans and on http://www.CureBrainDisease.org.

"Today is an exciting chapter in our organization's 20-year history as we aim to become the leader in funding research to cure brain disease, which affects more than 50 million Americans in the United States alone," said John Mazziotta, MD, PhD, Chair of the American Brain Foundation's Board of Trustees and Professor and Chair of UCLA's Department of Neurology and Brain Mapping Center in Los Angeles. "Brain disease is in the news every day, yet research funding is flat. We're in a perfect storm; but it is also a perfect opportunity. In the face of flat research funding, we have tremendous treatments on the horizon and a more knowledgeable and concerned public to help us in this fight to cure brain disease once and for all."

The re-branding campaign includes a new look for the Foundation as well as new ads to educate neurologists, patients, caregivers and the public about the need to donate money to research to cure brain disease. Since 1993, the Foundation has raised more than $16 million dollars for research into brain disease.

"Whether you are a patient, caregiver, neurologist, researcher, or someone who cares deeply about our cause, we are counting on you to join us in this fight now to cure brain disease by making a donation today at http://www.CureBrainDisease.org," said Mazziotta.

The American Brain Foundation, the foundation of the American Academy of Neurology, supports vital research & education to discover causes, improved treatments, and cures for brain and other nervous system diseases. Learn more at http://www.CureBrainDisease.org or find us on Facebook.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 25,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimers disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, brain injury, Parkinsons disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

Go here to read the rest:
American Academy of Neurology Foundation is Now the American Brain Foundation

NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Vanessa Doyle was a practicing nurse in her native Canada, but what she really wanted was to become a doctorit was a lifelong dream. Doyle hoped that her nursing training would make her a strong candidate for entry into a Canadian medical school.

When Doyle learned that a seat would not immediately be open to her, she decided that waiting would only postpone her dream longer. As a result, she applied and was accepted to Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM). Now she has been accepted into a highly prized neurology residency program at the renowned University of Ottawa. The position was one of only five neurology appointments in the country available to IMGs in the first iteration.

Each year, thousands of fourth-year medical students in North America wait to hear the results of the U.S. National Residency Matching Program and its Canadian equivalent, the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). Plain white envelopesand these days, online notification systemshold the keys to new careers in medicine. Doyle, who grew up in the rural town of New Ferolle (about 100) in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, was elated to learn that shed landed the prized appointment.

I must have looked at my computer screen a dozen times, just to confirm the result. This program was my first choice, she said.

Doyles interest in neurology developed during her second semester at RUSM, and peaked during her clinical rotation in internal medicine at Griffin Hospital in Connecticut. There she felt herself drawn to the neurology cases and participated in case discussions and treatment planning with the neurology residents. Her neurology elective at Memorial University of Newfoundland solidified her desire to pursue a career in neurology.

The field of neurology stresses the importance of the doctor-patient relationship, as many of the cases are not curative, but focused rather on management of the disease. The skills of taking a history, performing the physical exam, and tying it all together are very importantand challenging, said Doyle. Many of the diseases are degenerative or debilitating diseases, affecting the whole family. The neurologist has to recognize the significant psychosocial aspect of these diseases and provide a supportive role not only to the patient, but to the family as well.

Doyle applied to RUSM after hearing about the program from a student who was completing a family medicine elective with her family doctor. She has no doubt that she made the right choice.

I think Ross prepares you to be an independent learner, which is extremely important in the field of medicine, she said. The school provides an avenue to achieve ones goal of becoming a doctorwhat you do with that opportunity is entirely up to you. I knew what I wanted from day one at Ross and I wasnt going to stop until I got it.

About Ross University School of Medicine

Read the original here:
Ross University School of Medicine Student Lands Competitive Neurology Residency with Renowned Canadian Teaching ...

"You take what you need and you leave the rest, But they should never have taken the very best" is a refrain from The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, one of the best known songs of The Band.

Levon Helm, the revered drummer and singer of group the Band who kept the band's heart for more than three decades, died "peacefully" on April 19.

From CNN:

Born in Elaine, Arkansas, in 1940, the son of a cotton farmer, Helm rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s as a member of The Band, a folk rock group.

His soulful, drawling vocals highlighted many of the group's hit recordings, such as "The Weight," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," and "Up on Cripple Creek."

Helm, 71, was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998. He fell on hard times as cancer took his voice and medical bills threatened his house.

"You got to pick one -- pay your medical bills or pay the mortgage. Most people can't do both, and I'm not different," he told CNN in 2010.

So The Barn, as the residence is known around Helm's adopted hometown of Woodstock, New York, became the setting for what he called a "last celebration." Not quite. Instead, The Barn became the center of an unlikely and unrivaled rock 'n' roll revival.

It was there that Helm regularly hosted the Midnight Ramble, weekly concerts that attracted sell-out crowds and all-star support. The result not only paid the bills but also led to a creative resurgence for Helm, with his collaborations producing back-to-back Grammy-winning albums: 2007's "Dirt Farmer" and 2009's "Electric Dirt."

"If I had my way about it, we'd probably do it every night," Helm said. "I never get tired of it."

From Wikipedia:

Helm remained with "The Band" until their 1976 farewell performance, The Last Waltz, which was recorded in a documentary film by director Martin Scorsese (an excerpt is embedded above). Many music enthusiasts know Helm through his appearance in the concert film, a performance remarkable for the fact that Helm's vocal tracks appear substantially as he sang them during a grueling concert.

In the late 1990s, Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer suffering hoarseness. Advised to undergo a laryngectomy, Helm instead underwent an arduous regimen of radiation treatments at Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. Although the tumor was then successfully removed, Helm's vocal cords were damaged, and his clear, powerful tenor voice was replaced by a quiet rasp. Initially Helm only played drums and relied on guest vocalists at the Rambles, but Helm's singing voice grew stronger. On January 10, 2004, he sang again of his Ramble Sessions. In 2007, during production of Dirt Farmer, Helm estimated that his singing voice was 80% recovered.

The Midnight Ramble was an outgrowth of an idea Helm explained to Martin Scorsese in The Last Waltz. Earlier in the 20th century, Helm explained, traveling medicine shows and music shows such as F.S. Walcott Rabbit's Foot Minstrels, featuring African-American blues singers and dancers, would put on titillating performances in rural areas. This was also turned into a song by the Band, "The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show," with the name altered so the lyric was easier to sing.

"After the finale, they'd have the midnight ramble," Helm told Scorsese. With young children off the premises, the show resumed: "The songs would get a little bit juicier. The jokes would get a little funnier and the prettiest dancer would really get down and shake it a few times. A lot of the rock and roll duck walks and moves came from that."

Helm has refused to play The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down since 1976 even though he continued to hold "Midnight Rambles" concerts several times a month at his private residence in Woodstock, New York.

References:

Fans remember Levon Helm as he faces final stages of cancer. CNN.
Levon Helm, co-founder of The Band, dead at 71. CNN.
Levon Helm, icon of Americana music, 'in the final stages of cancer'. Guardian.
Fauquier ENT Blog: Levon Helm, Singer/Drummer for The Band, Dies of Throat Cancer  http://goo.gl/tDgxL
Levon Helm. Wikipedia.

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