Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Epilepsy News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/epilepsy/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119438.php Elevated cholesterol levels return to normal or near normal levels over time in four out of 10 children with uncontrollable epilepsy treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet, according to results of a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reported in the Journal of Child Neurology. The study appears online ahead of print here. Epilepsy Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119424.php Elevated cholesterol levels return to normal or near normal levels over time in four out of 10 children with uncontrollable epilepsy treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet, according to results of a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reported in the Journal of Child Neurology. The study appears online ahead of print here. Epilepsy Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118594.php People with epilepsy appear to have a much higher risk of drowning compared to people without epilepsy, according to a study published in the August 19, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies have shown a higher risk most likely due to seizures but this study is one of the first to show exactly how high the risk may be. Epilepsy Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/118403.php Thanks to continued campaigning by Epilepsy Scotland and specialist nurses, Transport Scotland has now simplified the travel card application process for people with epilepsy. From this week GPs and epilepsy specialist nurses can sign the epilepsy eligibility form as well as consultants. This is important because many people with epilepsy are seen by their GP or nurse rather than a consultant. Local authorities have been advised of this change by Transport Scotland. Epilepsy Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117881.php According to an article published in the open-access journal PLoS Medicine, children with drug-resistant partial epilepsy who are enrolled in trials tend to have a greater response to placebo than adults enrolled in such trials. Philippe Ryvlin (Hospices Civils de Lyon, France) and colleagues say in their systematic review of antiepileptic drugs that their findings should be considered when researchers are designing drug trials to be carried out with epileptic children. Pediatrics / Children's Health Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117847.php A multi-state study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that about one out of 100 adults have active epilepsy, and more than one-third are not getting sufficient treatment. The study, which examined the prevalence of epilepsy or seizure disorder in 19 states, was published in today′s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Epilepsy affects an estimated 2.7 million people in the United States and costs about $15. Epilepsy Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117587.php New research published in The Lancet finds that childhood seizures due to fever - febrile seizure - do not increase long-term mortality. During the two years following complex febrile seizures, there appears to be a doubling of mortality, but the overall risk of death associated with febrile seizures remains extremely low. Pediatrics / Children's Health Wed, 06 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117388.php Seizures in neonates are usually caused by hypoxia and can increase risk of later epilepsy and cognitive impairment. Rakhade et al. induced hypoxic seizures in early postnatal rats to identify molecular changes that increase seizure susceptibility. Seizures increased the amplitude and frequency of miniature and spontaneous EPSCs mediated by AMPA receptors (AMPARs) within 1 h. Pediatrics / Children's Health Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117093.php It's a Catch-22 of the highest order. People with alcohol problems often use alcohol to get to sleep -- but it actually keeps them from getting good-quality sleep all night long. At the same time, they're highly likely to suffer from full-blown chronic insomnia that keeps them from getting enough sleep night after night - and that condition has been shown to cut their chances of getting sober again. Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/116574.php UCB announced that it received a not-approvable letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lacosamide for the treatment of diabetic neuropathic pain in adults. The company will seek clarification from the FDA of its position and of the additional information required to obtain final marketing approval. Pain / Anesthetics Tue, 29 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/116405.php Debra Satterfield sat in yet another hospital room awaiting a diagnosis for the disorder that caused her eight-year-old son to suffer as many as 400 seizures a day. As she waited, Satterfield jotted down notes about her surroundings and experiences. Three years later her son's severe epilepsy under control the design researcher is teaming up with the Mayo Clinic to transform those personal observations into a more satisfying health care experience for others. Epilepsy Thu, 24 Jul 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/116015.php Pregnant women with epilepsy who took the seizure drug topiramate, which is sold by Johnson and Johnson under the brand name Topamax, increased their risk of having an infant with birth defects, especially when taken in combination with another drug called valproate, according to a study published in the July 22 issue of journal Neurology, the Pregnancy / Obstetrics Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115699.php Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Research has shown that many epilepsy drugs increase the risk of birth defects, but little research has been done on topiramate. Neurology / Neuroscience Wed, 16 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/115133.php Women taking antiepileptic drugs and planning a pregnancy are advised to prepare well ahead of conception to reduce the risk of birth defects, according to an article in the current edition of Australian Prescriber. Associate Professor Cecilie Lander, Department of Neurology at the University of Queensland, states in the article that these women have two to three times more risk than other women of having a baby with a foetal abnormality. Epilepsy Mon, 14 Jul 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114859.php A panel of experts that advises the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted last week to reject the Agency's proposal to make manufacturers of 11 epilepsy drugs put the strongest level of warning label on their products (the Black Box warning). The FDA had recommended the Black Box warning because studies showed the drugs had nearly double the risk of suicide compared to placebo, although in absolute terms it was still quite small. Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114704.php The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry President-Elect Laurence Greenhill, M.D., in collaboration with allied professionals, discussed the risks and benefits of antiepileptic medications at the FDA's Joint Committee Meeting of the Peripheral and CNS Advisory Committee and Psychopharmacologic Advisory Committee. The meeting was convened to review meta-analysis data on suicidality from antiepileptic medication trials. Epilepsy Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/114173.php A panel of independent experts that advises the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is meeting this Thursday in Beltsville, Maryland, to review evidence of increased suicide risk for patients on anti-seizure drugs, and is expected to agree to the FDA's recommendation that these drugs carry the highest level of warning, the so-called "Black Box" label. Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113435.php In recent years, stem cell researchers have become very adept at manipulating the fate of adult stem cells cultured in the lab. Now, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies achieved the same feat with adult neural stem cells still in place in the brain. They successfully coaxed mouse brain stem cells bound to join the neuronal network to differentiate into support cells instead. Stem Cell Research Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113120.php Regulated information UCB announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending that the European Commission grants a marketing authorisation for lacosamide, proposed trade name Vimpat™, for the adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy, aged 16 years and older. Epilepsy Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/113009.php UCB announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has issued a positive opinion recommending that the European Commission grants a marketing authorisation for lacosamide, proposed trade name Vimpat(TM), for the adjunctive treatment of partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy, aged 16 years and older. Epilepsy Wed, 25 Jun 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112642.php Mechanical engineering Assistant Professor Adela Ben-Yakar at The University of Texas at Austin has developed a laser "microscalpel" that destroys a single cell while leaving nearby cells intact, which could improve the precision of surgeries for cancer, epilepsy and other diseases. "You can remove a cell with high precision in 3-D without damaging the cells above and below it," Ben-Yakar says. IT / Internet / E-mail Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112144.php The most prestigious funding body in the world for epilepsy has financially backed Australian research into new approaches to treat the condition. The Epilepsy Therapy Project will provide almost US$300,000 over the next two years to a group of researchers from leading Australian institutions including the University of Newcastle. Epilepsy Sat, 21 Jun 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112259.php Sepracor Inc. (Nasdaq: SEPR) announced the presentation of Phase III combined clinical results for eslicarbazepine acetate (SEP-0002093 / BIA 2-093) in the treatment of epilepsy at the Ninth Eilat Conference on New Anti-Epileptic Drugs in Spain. Results of the studies demonstrated a significant reduction in the frequency of partial seizures in patients who were administered eslicarbazepine acetate in combination with other existing anti-epileptic drugs. Epilepsy Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112092.php A drug discovery and development collaboration between leading Australian Institutions, the Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI), University of Newcastle, University of Melbourne and Bio-Link Partners Ltd., has been announced as the Epilepsy Therapy Project, June 2008 New Therapy Grant winners. Epilepsy