Category Archives: Neurology

Mayo Clinic Florida sports medicine physician Daniel Montero, M.D., provides tips on avoiding injuries while running in a marathon. He also addresses tips on:

- safely keeping up when running in large crowds
- staying hydrated
- dressing for weather conditions
- running the way you were trained to do

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Even though he recently turned 100, Dr. Engleman still sees arthritis patients regularly at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). He has some rather unconventional longevity secrets to share:

"I think exercise is mostly overrated. And the use of vitamins, forget it. And I don't encourage a lot of doctors.

Fall in love and get married. Sex is to be encouraged. Children are a priority."

His two sons are physicians. His daugher, a lawyer, is a married to a doctor, and their son is a physician.

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100-year-old doctor still practicing at UCSF, shares unconventional longevity secrets

Comments from Twitter:

Mauna @MissMauna: How many times? RT @DrVes: 100-year-old doc, still practicing, shares longevity secret: "Fall in love and get married" goo.gl/fb/cw0ge

Jamie Carracher @JamieCa: That might be the hardest doctor's orders to follow of them all!

Michelle Kane @mishysmosh: I'm doomed.

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Dr. Jeffrey L. Saver of Thousand Oaks, professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the UCLA Stroke Center, received the William Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke at the American Stroke Association's 2012 International Stroke Conference in New Orleans on Feb. 2.

The Feinberg Award recognizes a Stroke Council Fellow actively involved in patient-based research who has made significant contributions to clinical stroke research.

Saver, a stroke physician and scientist for nearly 20 years, has been a principal investigator or co-investigator in numerous national and international trials spanning a spectrum of stroke care.

In addition, Saver has trained more than 20 neurology fellows and created the UCLA Visiting Scholars Program for international vascular neuroscientists to perform clinical research within the UCLA Stroke Center.

Founded in 1994, the UCLA Stroke Center is designated as a certified Primary Stroke Center by the national Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

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Originally posted here:
UCLA Stroke Center researcher honored

On the third floor of U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley, a new clinic operates out of vacant patient rooms helping those with disorders that affect the nervous system, until it finds a more permanent residence. The Neurology Department opened for business Dec. 28, 2011. The growing in- and out-patient clinic provides consults, and diagnostic and treatment options for general neurological disorders, such as migraines and seizures.

The clinic only sees adult patients by referral from their primary care providers, so appointments cannot be made directly through the appointment line. The clinic is opened Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

With one neurologist, Dr. Jane Peng, two neurology technicians, two nurses and one administrative assistant, anywhere from six to eight patients with a variety of symptoms are seen daily. Routine procedures, such as tests using an electromyography machine to evaluate the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles, and consultations are completed to determine the neurological disorder and the best course of treatment.

Due to its limited space and capacity at this time, the Neurology Department cannot service acute neurological disorders, such as stroke or spinal cord injury. According to Col. Jerry Wizda, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron commander, the clinic does have plans to develop, and able to treat all neurological disorder conditions.

"This is a growing service," said Wizda. "Once space becomes available, equipment becomes available, the services will expand."

According to Lt. Col. Maria Melendez, 633rd Medical Operations Squadron Internal Medicine and Specialty Clinics flight commander, the establishment of the Neurology Department helps to re-capture patients in the USAF Hospital Langley system, providing continuity and saving time for the patient.

"We want the patient to be able to come back to the Neurology Department and get feedback," said Melendez. "We want to be able to focus on patient satisfaction and customer service."

Editor's Note: U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley has been identified by the Air Force Surgeon General as one of seven Air Force Medical Service currency platforms, a full-spectrum location to receive and provide for patient needs in an encompassing medical environment. To fulfill the currency platform plan, USAF Hospital Langley is adding new specialty departments to cover all conditions in patient care. Throughout 2012, The Peninsula Warrior will feature these new departments as they become operational.

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New departments have come to USAF Hospital

Public release date: 17-Feb-2012
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Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology

NEW ORLEANS ? New research looks at whether clot-busting drugs can safely be given to children who have strokes. The research was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012.

In adults, the clot-busting drugs can reduce disability if given within a few hours after stroke symptoms begin. But few studies have looked at whether the drugs are safe for children.

The study used a national database to look at all children admitted to a hospital with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke from 1998 to 2009. Only ischemic strokes can be treated with clot-busting drugs; they are the most common type of stroke.

Of the 9,367 children who were admitted with ischemic stroke, only 75 children, or 0.8 percent, received clot-busting drugs, also called thrombolytic therapy. Intracerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in the brain, is a risk of thrombolytic therapy. The four percent rate of hemorrhage in the 75 kids who received thrombolytic therapy was higher than the 0.38 percent rate in kids who did not receive the therapy, but it was similar to the rate in adults who receive thrombolytic therapy.

Children who received thrombolytic therapy were no more likely to die following the stroke than those who did not receive the therapy.

"These findings provide evidence that clot-busting drugs can be safely used with children," said study author Amer Alshekhlee, MD, of St. Louis University in St. Louis. "More research is needed to determine whether the drugs are as effective in preventing disability from stroke in children as they are in adults."

The children in the study who received the therapy were older than those who did not, an average of 13 years old compared to eight years old. There were no differences in treatment regarding race, gender, or family income.

###

Learn more about stroke at http://www.aan.com/patients.

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 stroke, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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Is clot-busting drug safe for kids with strokes?

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Academic Journal
Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Also Included In: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Article Date: 16 Feb 2012 - 6:00 PST

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A report in the February issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals states that increases in brain cortical binding of the chemical marker called [18F]FDDNP were related to increases in clinical symptoms of neurodegeneration, whilst regional baseline values of this marker seem to be linked to with future cognitive decline.

The researchers explain:

"Nearly 20 percent of people 65 years or older have mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 10 percent have dementia. Such a high prevalence has led to recent research on the development of brain imaging tools to track the neuropathologic changes associated with these conditions.

Previous cross-sectional studies have shown that [18F]FDDNP brain binding patterns correspond to the known neuropathologic deposition patterns determined from autopsy studies."

Gary W. Small, M.D., and colleagues with the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, analyzed 43 individuals aged between 40 to 87 years old (22 patients with normal aging and 21 patients with mild cognitive impairment [MCI]), in order to evaluated if baseline [18F]FDDNP binding values are predictors of future cognitive decline, and if brain regional binding values increase as cognitive decline progresses.

Among participants in the MCI and normal aging group, the researchers measured longitudinal [18F]FDDNP positron emission tomography (PET) binding values in specific regions of the brain.

At the two-year follow up, the researchers discovered that individuals in the MCI showed considerably increases in [18F]FDDNP binding values in parietal, frontal, global and posterior cingulate regions of the brain, although levels in the medial temporal region did not considerably increase.

In addition, frontal and parietal [18F]FDDNP binding among individuals in the MCI group, showed the greatest diagnostic accuracy in detecting individuals at highest risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than individuals who were not at risk of converting after two years. The researchers found no considerable binding increases in any region of the brain among individuals in the normal aging group.

Furthermore, the team found that among all participants, increases in global, frontal and posterior cingulate binding at follow-up were linked to progression of memory decline after 2 years. In addition, they found that higher [18F]FDDNP binding at baseline was connected with future decline in most cognitive domains including attention, visuospatial, language and executive abilities.

The researchers conclude:

"Our findings indicate that in vivo regional [18F]FDDNP binding patterns are consistent with known patterns of disease deposition and associated with future disease course. Using [18F]FDDNP PET may not only assist in predicting future cognitive decline and identifying individuals more likely to benefit from prevention treatments, but it may also track the effectiveness of such treatments to accelerate drug discovery efforts."

Written by Grace Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
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Chemical Marker May Predict Cognitive Decline Risk