What is bacterial meningitis and how do you protect yourself? – KHOU.com

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HOUSTON The death of a 5-year-old boy is being investigated as a possible bacterial meningitis case.

The Montgomery County Public Health District said the case was reported to them on New Years Eve.

Myles Cheathams family told KHOU 11 the boy fell ill on Dec. 28 and died two days later at Texas Childrens Hospital in The Woodlands. MCPHD officials said Myles family was given preventative treatment and there is no risk to the general public.

Dr. Hana El Sahly, associate professor of molecular biology, microbiology and infectious diseases at Baylor College of Medicine, said not everyone who comes in contact with the bacteria that causes meningitis will get sick.

For most people the acquisition goes unnoticed," Dr. El Sahly said.

That is why its so important to be aware of your body. Dr. El Sahly said bacteria that can cause infections like meningitis are everywhere and are very serious.

People with weaker immune systems are more likely to develop meningitis.

Its usually coming in contact with someone who has the bacteria in their upper respiratory tract and transmission to another person, she said.

Dr. El Sahly said the disease causes inflammation of the lining of the brain. She said getting sick can happen really quickly.

Symptoms to be on the lookout for include fever, headaches, stiffness of the neck, nausea and vomiting.

Neurologic findings like fever and all of a sudden an inability to move or having particular neurologic dysfunction," Dr. El Sahly said.

She urges people to keep track how theyre feeling especially when something seems out of the ordinary.

Fever on its own that resolves or responds to certain medications should not be alarming, Dr. El Sahly said.

She added hygiene is crucial and so is keeping up with vaccines because they can help lower the risk of developing infectious diseases like meningitis.

RELATED: Vaccine group announces creation of Ebola vaccine stockpile

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What is bacterial meningitis and how do you protect yourself? - KHOU.com

Knoxville Neurology Specialists Joins Covenant Health

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We are pleased to welcome the board-certified neurologists of Knoxville Neurology Specialists to Covenant Health and Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center.

Knoxville Neurology Specialists is the practice of Timothy Braden, MD; Darrell Thomas, MD; Joel Torres, MD; and Gregory Wheatley, MD. Together, the physicians bring more than 60 years of combined medical experience treating diseases of the brain, spine and nervous system. Almost all conditions can be treated within their practice, as they subspecialize in different areas of neurology, including adult neurology, epilepsy, and neuromuscular diseases.

Learn more about the neurologists below.

Board Certified in Neurology

Neurology,Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

University of Tennessee, Memphis

Board Certified in Neurology

Electrodiagnosis and Neuromuscular Diseases,University of Alabama

Neurology,Bowman Gray School of Medicine

University of Tennessee, MemphisKnoxville Neurology

Board Certified in Neurology

Neuromuscular Medicine,Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Neurology,Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

East Tennessee State UniversityJames H. Quillen College of Medicine

Board Certified in Neurology

Epilepsy,University of Alabama School of Medicine

Electrophysiology,Mayo Clinic

Neurology,West Virginia University Hospital

University of Tennessee, Memphis

Knoxville Neurology Specialistsat Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center501 20th Street, Suite 505Knoxville, TN 37916

For an appointment with one of our neurologists or for more information about the medical services provided at Knoxville Neurology Specialists, call(865) 546-0157.

Here are directions to help you easily find our office.

Tags for this post:Covenant Health, Covenant Medical Group, Darrell Thomas, Dr. Darrell Thomas, Dr. Gregory Wheatley, Dr. Joel Torres, Dr. Timothy Braden, fort sanders regional medical center, Gregory Wheatley, Joel Torres, Knoxville Neurologist, Knoxville Neurology, Knoxville Neurology Specialists, Timothy Braden

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Knoxville Neurology Specialists Joins Covenant Health

St. Luke s Neurology Associates – St. Luke’s University …

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St. Luke's is the leading provider of primary and specialty care for your entire family in the greater Lehigh Valley and Warren County, New Jersey.

St. Luke's specialty care providers play an important role in your family's health and well-being and are committed to providing you with quality and compassionate care. New patients are welcome.

After-Hours Calls and Emergencies:If you have a health concern that arises at night or over the weekend, please call our office's main number. The answering service will contact the physician on-call. If you believe any delay in medical attention could result in a life-threatening situation, please go immediately to the nearest emergency room for treatment and notify our office as soon as you are able. For life-threatening emergencies, please use 911.

Practice Addresses

true940.6884-75.2207Reset the MapWJu9QBTrAmRuDzJ8Iz62

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

1417 Eighth Avenue

Bethlehem,PA18018

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Anderson Campus Medical Office Building

1700 St. Luke's Boulevard

Suite 300

Easton,PA18045

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

240 Cetronia Road

Suite 210

Allentown,PA18104

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Bone & Joint Institute

1534 Park Avenue

Suite 330

Quakertown,PA18951

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

59 Roseberry Street

Phillipsburg,NJ08865

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Miners Campus

360 West Ruddle Street

Coaldale,PA18218

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Tamaqua Medical Center

120 Pine Street

Suite 106

Tamaqua,PA18252

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Health Center - Macungie

2550 Route 100

Suite 230

Macungie,PA18062

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

3 Parkinsons Road

East Stroudsburg,PA18301

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

St. Luke's Center Valley Health Center

5445 Lanark Road

Suite 202

Center Valley,PA18034

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

525 Iron Street

Suite B

Lehighton,PA18235

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

Inpatient Neurology

1021 Park Avenue

Quakertown,PA18951

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

Inpatient Neurology

801 Ostrum Street

Bethlehem,PA18015

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

1107 Eaton Avenue

Suite F

Bethlehem,PA18018

St. Luke's Neurology Associates

240 Cetronia Road

Suite 210

Allentown,PA18104

To view all providers in this practice CLICK HERE.

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

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St. Luke s Neurology Associates - St. Luke's University ...

Neurology – Albany Medical Center

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Message from the Department of Neurology

Welcome to the Neurosciences Institute at Albany Medical Center. We are proud to be the regions first choice for the diagnosis, treatment and care of disorders and diseases affecting the brain, spine and peripheral nervous system. As members of the Albany Medical College faculty, our providers specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of specific diseases, and many are national leaders defining new standards of care.

Our multidisciplinary team of expert neurologists, neurosurgeons and physiatrists treats everyone from newborns to adults with disorders including brain tumors, epilepsy, Parkinsons disease, stroke, aneurysms, Alzheimers disease, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease) and neuropathic pain.

Our achievements are many.

In addition to earning the Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Stroke Association, Albany Medical Center is the only hospital in the region, and one of only 13 statewide, to be certified by both the New York State Department of Health as a Stroke Center and by the Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center with the organizations Gold Seal of Approval as an accredited institution with an advanced certification in stroke care.Along with programs at other prestigious institutions including the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins, Albany Meds Epilepsy and Human Brain Mapping Program is designated Level 4, the highest distinction authorized by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers.

Our Alzheimers Center was named a Center of Excellence for Alzheimers disease as designated by the New York State Department of Health.

And, our neuromuscular program is the only one in the area recognized by the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

With our comprehensive array of services and team of experts, Albany Medical Center is uniquely qualified to bring world-class care to people of all ages with neurological disorders.

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Neurology - Albany Medical Center

Lipid levels and the risk of hemorrhagic … – n.neurology.org

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Pamela M. Rist

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Julie E. Buring

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Paul M Ridker

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Carlos S. Kase

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Tobias Kurth

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

Kathryn M. Rexrode

From the Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine (P.M. Rist, J.E.B., P.M Ridker), Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Department of Neurology (C.S.K.), Emory University, Atlanta, GA; Institute of Public Health (T.K.), CharitUniversittsmedizin, Berlin, Germany; and Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine (K.M.R.), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.

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Lipid levels and the risk of hemorrhagic ... - n.neurology.org

Practice guideline recommendations … – n.neurology.org

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Tamara Pringsheim

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Michael S. Okun

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Kirsten Mller-Vahl

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Davide Martino

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Joseph Jankovic

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Andrea E. Cavanna

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Douglas W. Woods

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Michael Robinson

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Elizabeth Jarvie

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Veit Roessner

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Maryam Oskoui

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

Yolanda Holler-Managan

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

John Piacentini

From the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Community Health Sciences (T.P., D.M.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery (M.S.O.), Fixel Center for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida, Gainesville; Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry, and Psychotherapy (K.M.-V.), Hannover Medical School, Germany; Department of Neurology (J.J.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Department of Neuropsychiatry (A.E.C.), BSMHFT, University of Birmingham and Aston University, UK; Department of Psychology (D.W.W.), Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI; Massachusetts Chapter (M.R.), Tourette Association of America, Bayside, NY; Waisman Center (E.J.), University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Technische Universitaet Dresden (V.R.), Germany; Departments of Pediatric and Neurology/Neurosurgery (M.O.), McGill University, Montral, Canada; Department of Pediatrics (Neurology) (Y.H.-M.), Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL; and Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (J.P.), Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles.

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Practice guideline recommendations ... - n.neurology.org

Neurology | Neurology Conference | Neurosurgery Conference …

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About Conference

We welcome you and appreciate your participation at the26thEuropean Neurology Congress, which will be held during August 06-08,2018 in Madrid, Spain and will be organized around the theme of "Harnessing the understanding and advancement in Neurology and Neuroscience

Neurology Congress 2018will be operated by world class experts in the field of neurology and Neuroscience, International symposiums, B2B meetings, workshops will also be organised to discuss the specific topics in the field ofNeurologylike Neuro Genesis, Neurophysiology, Neurological Disorders, Neuro Muscular Disorders, Neuro Infecticious Diseases, Neuropathology and Neuroplasticity. The conference is aimed in to identify the genetic determinants of common disorders to understand the mechanisms underlying human cognition.Neurogenetic Disordersare common among developed and developing countries. Genetic disorders and congenital abnormalities occur in around 2-5% of live births accounting for approximately 30% of pediatric hospital admissions in many places in the world. Neurogenetic conditions are generally chronic, long-term and incurable. In Netherlands approximately 10% of patients with neurological conditions have a single mutated gene as the basis for their disease. Furthermore, when polygenic inheritance is considered that is, the interplay between multiple genes and environment, a much larger proportion of neurological diseases are included.Dementiais strongly linked with age, and the Netherlands and other European countries have an increasingly ageing population. Currently 16% of the European population is over 65, with this figure expected to reach 25% by 2030. In the Netherlands it has been estimated that dementia alone costs the economy 17 billion a year.

Student Poster Competition is organized at Conference, to encourage students and recent graduates to present their original research which will be later published in the OMICS International Journals. All accepted abstracts will be presented at the poster sessions during the conference. OMICS International provides an opportunity to present E-Poster for all the students who cannot attend the conference at 99$ with abstract published in the website with DOI number Live Streaming is a value added service offering to speaker at OMICS International Conference.

Business networking is an avenue for vendors to have network and B2B meetings with Top scientists and colleagues and with an effective low cost marketing method for developing sales and opportunities and contacts, based on referrals and introductions either face-to-face at meetings and gatherings, or by other contact methods such as Telephone, E mail, Digital and Increasingly social and business networking websites.

Why to attend?

NeurologyCongress 2018 will bring together experts like Neuroscientists, Clinicians, Neurogeneticst, Neurologists, Psychiatrists, Medical practitioners, Care specialists, academic professionals and students from all over the world to share an interest in the genetic pathways underlyingneurological disorders, techniques to identify those genetic pathways, and the use of genetics and genomics as tools to develop therapeutics.

The aim of the conference is to provide a platform to academicians and practitioners from multiple disciplines to debate and deliberate on social change that is encompassed by innovation and technology.

Target Audience

Neurologists and Directors

Physicians

Neuroscientists

Specialists

Researchers

Health care professionals

Professors

Industrial Experts

Neurosurgeons

Psychiatrist

Nutritional Scientists

Lecturers and Students from Academia

Students from Academia in the research of Neurology

Track 01: Neurology

Neurologydeals with the treatment and diagnosis of all categories of conditions and disease involving the peripheral and central nervous system including their coverings, blood-vessels and all effector tissue, such as muscle.Neurologistsmay also be involved in clinical trials,clinical researchand basic or translational research.

RelatedNeurology Conferences|Neurology Congress|Neuroscience Events|Meetings on Neurology

Track 02 :Neurophysiology

The study of nature and origin of the brain which also concerns with the functioning ofthe nervous system, often usingelectrophysiologicalor molecular biological tools. This is the subspecialty of both the physiology andNeuroscienceas different regions of brain constitute signals to different parts of the body. This topic could give detailed description about the revolutionized anatomy of nervous system, the motor response control system, thought processing and memory management system. Discussions can also be made inneuromuscular physiology, neural mechanisms of higher nervous activity and contemporary problems of Neuroscience can also be conferred. It features board investigations in the Neuropathology and interdisciplinary departments ofNeuro ophthalmology, Neuro otology.

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Track 03 :Child Neurology

Child neurologyrefers to a branch of medicine that deals with the management and diagnosis of neurological conditions inneonates,children, infants andadolescents. The discipline of child neurology encompasses diseases and disorders of thebrain, peripheral nervous system,spinal cord, autonomic nervous system and blood vessels that affects individuals in these age groups.

If child has problems that involve the nervous system, pediatric neurologist has the specialistknowledge to assess,diagnose, training and treat the child. The conditions deal with bypediatric neurologist'svary considerably, from relatively disorders such as cerebral palsy or migraine through to more complex and rare conditions such asneurodegenerative disordersor metabolic disease.

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Track 04 :Central Nervous System

TheCentral Nervous Systemhas hundred billions of neurons which work by tolerating, engendering and transmitting electrochemical driving forces.Neurobiologymanages useful humanneuroanatomyandneurophysiologyof cerebrum, spinal rope, white and dim issue, cerebrospinal liquid, synaptic and circuit elements.

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Track 05 :Neuromuscular Disorders

Neuromuscular disordersare disorders of the nerves that control the voluntary muscles. One of the causes is the immune system disorder and genetic. More than 2 million people in the United States are affected by such form ofneuromusculardiseases and about 30% of them are under the age18.Diagnosisincludes NCV test, biochemical, genetic test, a multi-step process like muscle biopsyetc. The motive of this session is to understand the origin of Musculardystrophy, Lambert-Eaton syndrome andneuromuscular junction disorder. Further there will be an interactive conversation on Hyper reflexia, Spasticyand its prevention.

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Track 06 :Neurosurgery

Neurosurgeryrefers to the medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders that affects our nervous system i.e spinal cord, brain, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system. Developed in the first half of the twentieth centuryneurosurgeryhas witnessed till date exponential advances in intensive care, technology and sophisticated non-invasive procedures. This has undoubtedly have widened the scope of neurosurgical practice. Paediatric neurosurgery, Functional neurosurgery, Neurovascular surgery, Traumatology, Neuro-oncology,Skull-base surgery,Spinal surgeryare the different categories of neurosurgery

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Track 07:Neuroradiology and Neuro Imaging

Neuroimagingis the visual function of brain and nervous system. Throughneuroimagingdiagnosisof current status and progression of neurodegenerative, psychiatric, intracranial disease is possible. Neuroimaging includes various techniques such as PET,MRI, and CT for diagnosis.

Biomarkercan be any substance which is introduced into organisms as an indicator for detecting,screening, diagnosing, monitoring organ function. Biomarker indicates whether there is any disease or healthy state. Use of biomarkers is increasing day by day indrugs development. A biomarkers should be easy to measure easily modifiable, cost effective for treatment and should be consistent with gender.

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Track 08:Clinical Neurology andNeuropsychiatry

Neuropsychiatry is the branch of Neurology that deals with neural andmental disorders attributable to diseases of the nervous system. It preceded current disciplines of neurology and psychiatry, which had common. Psychiatry and neurology subsequently split aparts and are typical practiced separately. Clinical neuropsychology is a subspecialty ofclinical psychologythat specialises in assessment and treatment of patients with brain disease or injury. Epilepsy is the third common neurological disorder in the Europe after stroke, andAlzheimers disease.

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Track 09:Neuropharmocology

Neuropharmacology is the study of drugs that affect cellular functions in the neural mechanisms andnervous system, through which they influence behavior. Molecularneuropharmacologyinvolve the study of neurons and their neurochemical interactions with the overall motive of developing new drugs that have beneficial effects onnervous system.This session also includes to group think the alteration in psychiatric diseases,neuromodulationand the recent Drug development in the field of Neuro-immunological disorders.

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Track 10:NursingCare in Neurology

Neurological Nursing is very challenging nursing specialty dealing withnursing diagnosis, assessment and management of many neural disorders for which nurses provides patient care. This includes brain injuries, trauma,stroke, seizures, infections, headaches and aneurysms as well as a host of other neurological complexities. Over an estimated half billion people worldwide are affected by neurological diseases and disorders. 9 million people in the United Kingdom alone suffer from neurological conditions.

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Track 11 :Neurotherapeutics, Diagnostics and Case Studies

In order to accelerate the discoveries of novel diagnostic therapy, gathering of neurology researchers is encouraged in order to discuss on neural disorder and treatment,Neurogenesis, Nerve injury and repair andheadache, and last but not the least some new therapeutics evolved for neurological disorders. An estimated 72,120 new cases of primarybrain tumorsare expected to be diagnosed in 2012, that includes both malignant andnon-malignantbrain tumors. Basing on prevalence of diseases, Conference focuses on advances in neurological treatment.

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Track 13 :Spine Disorders

Spine disordersoccurs in individuals irrespective of their age -spina bifida in infants to spinal stenosis in the elderly. Many types ofspinal disordersare seen. The increase inspinal disordershas been met with a leap in advancements in the diagnostic techniques.Endoscopic spine , X rays, MRI, CT and DEA are some of the widely used tool s in diagnosingspinal disorders.

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Track 14 :Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity also known asbrainplasticity. It is an umbrella term that encompasses both non-synaptic plasticity and synaptic plasticity. It refers to change in synapses and neural pathways due to changes in environment, neural processes, thinking, behavior and emotions. The motive of this session is to understand the neuro-plasticity, advances in theNeurite remodelingand How to increaseNeural-Connections.

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Tracks 15 :Neural Engineering

Brainengineering orNeural engineeringcan be used to understand, replace,repair, enhance and otherwise exploit the properties of the neural systemsandNeuro-computing are the study of neurons function in terms of information processing property of structures that make up the nervous system. The current researches in the field of neural engineering include: neural networking, Neural imaging and Biomoleculartherapies inneuralregeneration, Biological neural networking, Neurorobotics, Neuro hydrodynamics and clinical treatment, Engineering strategies for repair.

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Track 16:Neuropathology

Neuropathologyis the study of diseases related to nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small whole autopsies or surgical biopsies. Neuropathologyis a subspecialty of anatomic pathology, neurology, andneurosurgery. Diseases with diverse the etiologic and genetic features have very similar clinical and pathologic characteristics. From theNeuropathologicalpoint of view, types and incidences of neuropathologic changes and the diseases that they produce correlate with the major periods of life.

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Neurology Congress 2017 welcomes attendees, presenters, and exhibitors from all over the world to Madrid, Spain. We are delighted to invite you all to attend and register for the26th European Neurology Congress which is going to be held during August 06-08, 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

The organizing committee is gearing up for an exciting and informative conference program including plenary lectures, symposia, workshops on a variety of topics, poster presentations and various programs for participants from all over the world. We invite you to join us at theNeurology Congress 2017,where you will be sure to have a meaningful experience with scholars from around the world. All members of the Neurology Congress 2017 organizing committee look forward to meeting you in Madrid, Spain.

For more details please visit-http://www.neurologyconference.com/europe

Importance and Scope:

European Neurology Congressis a unique forum to bring together worldwide distinguished academics in the field of neuroscience and neurology, Brain researchers, public health professionals, scientists, academic scientists, industry researchers, scholars to exchange about state of the art research and technologies.

The aim of this conference is to stimulate new ideas for treatment that will be beneficial across the spectrum of Neuroscience.

Conferences, National symposiums, and Workshops provide a dedicated forum for the advancement, execution and exchange of information about Neuroscience and its allied areas.

Why Madrid?

Madrid is the most populous city and thecapital ofSpain with a metropolitan area of about 3.2million Inhabitants. There are about 15 Universities in and around Spain which are working in the field of Neurological disorder. Around 1000 neurologist, psychiatrist and neurosurgeons are working exclusively on Neurological disorder in Spain. Along with professional services, media companies are concentrated in Spain and the media distribution industry is Spains second most competitive sector.

National Alliance provided the fund of $650 million to fuel the research on mental illness. NARSAD Young Investigator Grant provides $30,000 per year on research in Neural and behavior disorders such as schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, or child and adolescent mental illnesses. Brain tumor research receives less than 1% (0.7%) of national cancer research spending in the UK.

Conference Highlights:

Why attend???

International Conference on Neurology and Therapeutics is a unique forum to bring together worldwide distinguished academics in the field of neuroscience and neurology, Brain researchers, public health professionals, scientists, academic scientists, industry researchers, scholars to exchange about state of the art research and technologies.

The aim of this conference is stimulate new ideas for treatment that will be beneficial across the spectrum of Brain disorders.

A Unique Opportunity for Advertisers and Sponsors at this International event:

http://neurologyconference.com/europe/sponsors.php

Major Associations around the Globe

Around 20 associations of Neurology are there in Spain

A few associations of Neuroscience in Spain are:

Target Audience:

Directors, neurologist, neurosurgeons, psychiatrist, head of department, Professors, and Students from Academia in the research of Neuroscience.

Target Audience:

Academia 60%

Industry 30%

Others 10%

Around 500 top universities globally working in the field of Neuroscience

There are around 200 universities in Spain which are working in the field of Neurology

There are about 15 Universities in and around Madrid which are working in the field of Neurology

Hospitals Associated with Neuroscience Research

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Neurology | Neurology Conference | Neurosurgery Conference ...

Dr. Frederick Jennart Jr, DO – Warner Robins, GA …

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Peripheral Nerve Disorders includes other areas of care:

- Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy

- Alcoholic Neuropathy

- Alcoholic Polyneuropathy

- Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

- Auditory Neuropathy

- Autonomic Disorders

- Autonomic Dysreflexia

- Autonomic Neuropathy

- Carcinomatous Polyneuropathy

- Carotid Sinus Syncope

- Chronic Demyelinating Neuropathy With IgM Monoclonal Gammapathy

- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

- Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy

- Congenital Neuropathy With Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita

- Congenital Sensory Neuropathy With Neurotrophic Keratitis

- Demyelinating Polyneuropathy

- Diabetic Neuropathy

- Diabetic Polyneuropathy

- Hand Neuropathy

- Hereditary Neuropathy With Liability to Pressure Palsies

- Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy, Type I

- Infantile Refsum Disease

- Inflammatory and Toxic Neuropathy

- Inflammatory Neuropathies

- Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy

- Metabolic Neuropathy

- Motor and Sensory Neuropathy With Sensorineural Hearing Loss, Bouldin Type

- Motor Neuropathy

- Motor Neuropathy, Peripheral With Dysautonomia

- Multifocal Motor Neuropathy

- Multifocal Motor Neuropathy With Conduction Block

- Neuropathy, Distal Hereditary Motor

- Neuropathy, Distal Hereditary Motor, Jerash Type

- Neuropathy, Distal Hereditary Motor, Type III

- Neuropathy, Distal Hereditary Motor, Type VIIa

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Motor and Sensory, Lom Type

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Motor and Sensory, Okinawa Type

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Sensory, Radicular

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Sensory, Type I

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Sensory, Type II

- Neuropathy, Hereditary Sensory, Type IV

- Neuropathy, Motor & Sensory

- Optic Neuropathy

- Peripheral Neuropathy

- Peroneal Muscular Atrophy

- Polyneuropathy

- Polyradiculoneuropathy

- Pudenal Neuropathy

- Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy

- Retrobulbar Neuropathy

- Sensory Neuropathy With Spastic Paraplegia

- Spinal Bulbar Motor Neuropathy

- Spinocerebellar Ataxia With Axonal Neuropathy, Type 2

- Spinocerebellar Ataxia, Autosomal Recessive, With Axonal Neuropathy

- Toxic Polyneuropathy Due to Acrylamide

- Ulnar Neuropathy

- Vascular Neuropathy

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Dr. Frederick Jennart Jr, DO - Warner Robins, GA ...

New Research Shows That Human Working Memory can be Tweaked With Non-Invasive Magnetic Stimulation – Technology Networks

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A group of scientists from the Research Center of Neurology and Skoltech showed that human working memory can be tweaked using non-invasive magnetic stimulation of the brain. Also, they discovered that the effect of magnetic stimulation weakens as the brain works on a cognitive task under stimulation. The results of their study were published in the journal Brain Sciences.

Working memory (WM) stores and processes the information we need for daily use. The WM mechanisms get activated when, for example, we memorize a phone number until we find a scrap of paper or a smartphone to write it down. WM disorders are a frequent occurrence in many nervous system diseases, whereas in healthy people, the WM capacity is associated with an individuals learning ability and general intelligence level.

The transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is regarded as one of the promising non-pharmacological WM enhancement methods leveraging the effect of the alternating magnetic field which painlessly penetrates through the scalp and skull bones, with an electric field forming in the cortex. As TMS can influence the mechanisms of neuroplasticity, it is used as a therapeutic method for various nervous system diseases. The TMS effects are known to depend both on the stimulation parameters and the brain activity during stimulation. Combining TMS with concurrent cognitive activity has evolved into a cognitive enhancement technique for patients with Alzheimers disease. However, data are still lacking on how exactly the brain activity influences the TMS efficiency.

The researchers compared the effects of TMS on WM when stimulation was applied with and without a cognitive load. The WM performance was evaluated before and after a 20-minute stimulation session. The stimulation area was selected based on the individual brain activation pattern which formed during a WM-engaging task. The results suggest that WM does not respond to any stimulation other than TMS with no cognitive load.

The results of our research lead us to conclude that cognitive activity can reduce rather than increase the TMS efficiency. This should be borne in mind when developing new stimulation protocols for cognitive enhancement in both healthy volunteers and patients suffering from various nervous system diseases, says Natalya Suponeva, Head of Department of Neurorehabilitation and Physiotherapy at the Research Center of Neurology and Associate Member of RAS.

Maxim Fedorov, Director of the Skoltech Center for Computational and Data-Intensive Science and Engineering (CDISE), is inspired by the research outcomes and the ensuing opportunities: The results attest to the efficiency of interdisciplinary research in biomedicine and cognitive sciences, benefiting from advanced data processing methods. We at CDISE have much interest in collaborating with the Research Center of Neurology and studying WM mechanisms for a number of reasons. First, this would be an exciting experience and a good opportunity to apply some of the findings in practice in the short term (better memory is what many of us need). Second, modern biomedical research tools open up broad horizons for data and AI scientists. Data are abundant but sometimes too noisy and the data samples are often heterogeneous. Generally speaking, we are faced with non-trivial tasks that prompt ideas for new research targets in our field. Third, many ideas in Big Data and AI, such as neural networks, were born out of research into the human higher nervous activity. And this is very interesting. Currently, we are busy working on many projects at the crossroads of neuroscience, simulation and Big Data. Personally, I believe that man is as boundless as the Universe, and we are just beginning to understand how interesting we are and how much potential we have. I am convinced that we have a lot of unexpected discoveries ahead of us. We strongly hope that our collaboration with the Research Center of Neurology will be a continued success.

Currently, the study is moving forward with a larger number of healthy volunteers in order to validate the recent findings and evaluate the long-term effect of TMS on WM performance.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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New Research Shows That Human Working Memory can be Tweaked With Non-Invasive Magnetic Stimulation - Technology Networks

UPDATE: Charged with sexually assaulting 68 women, former Kitchener neurologist goes from jail to house arrest – TheRecord.com

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KITCHENER A former Kitchener neurologist charged with sexually assaulting dozens of women has been released on bail, the Crown confirmed on Monday.

Jeffrey Sloka, 51, got bail on Friday and is now under house arrest.

Sloka, who had an office at Grand River Hospital and privileges at St. Mary's General Hospital, is charged with sexually assaulting 68 women.

He was initially charged last September with sexually assaulting 34 female patients under his care from January 2010 to February 2017. More charges were laid in December and still more in February of this year. None of the allegations have been proven.

Sloka had been in protective custody at Maplehurst jail in Milton after being assaulted there in September.

Fear of the COVID-19 pandemic spreading to Ontario jails is leading to an increase in the number of people being released from custody. It is unclear whether that move has anything to do with Sloka's release.

Under his bail conditions, Sloka must live with his surety, stay in the residence unless he's with his surety or for medical, dental or legal appointments, notify police of any change in address, possess no weapons and have no contact with the alleged victims.

He is set to return to court on June 1.

Before any charges were laid, Sloka faced non-criminal disciplinary action by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

He agreed last April to never practise medicine again after his licence was revoked.

The agreement confirmed Sloka was the subject of a further 22 investigations.

Sloka pleaded no contest at the hearing held in Toronto by the College of Physicians.

"We take the safety and quality of care for our patients very seriously," Grand River Hospital said in a previous statement, "and the alleged actions of Mr. Sloka do not reflect the values, standards, beliefs or behaviour of our staff and physicians."

gpaul@therecord.com

Twitter: @GPaulRecord

gpaul@therecord.com

Twitter: @GPaulRecord

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UPDATE: Charged with sexually assaulting 68 women, former Kitchener neurologist goes from jail to house arrest - TheRecord.com

New neurology clinic planned at St. Anthony in Midtown Oklahoma City – NewsOK.com

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St. Anthony Hospital is set to once again expand its Midtown campus with construction of a two-story neurology clinic.

The 17,438-square-foot building is set to be built on vacant land at the southwest corner of NW 9 and Shartel adjacent to a collection of modern homes known as SoSA. That acronym stands for south of St. Anthony.

Plans show space for six physicians on the first floor with additional doctors' space to be leased on the second floor.

The project will include 26 parking spots for patients with staff parking to be provided in the hospital garage across the street.

Over the past dozen years, St. Anthony has invested $220 million rebuilding its campus and redeveloping Midtown.

Dr. Salman Zubair, who is leading the latest project, said the clinic represents an expansion of the hospital's neurology services. Construction is set to start later this year.

We will have new equipment, new technology and special expertise in neurology that will be provided to patients, Zubair said.

The designs by ADG, led by architect Betsy Brunsteter, cite material inspiration from surrounding modern homes and the nearby Lift apartments. The plans include the possibility of a second-floor balcony.

It's a great site with a great focal point, Brunsteter said. We're taking advantage of that with the design.

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New neurology clinic planned at St. Anthony in Midtown Oklahoma City - NewsOK.com

New Aberdeen hospital ward gives neurology patients the care they need – Aberdeen Evening Express

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Patients are benefiting from a new hospital ward opening up in Aberdeen.

Neurosurgery patients suffering from acute illness, such as brain injuries, have been sharing a space at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary with neurology patients with chronic or life-limiting conditions.

The two groups require different types of care and NHS Grampian has now launched a dedicated space for people admitted for neurology care.

Describing the layout before the change, consultant neurosurgeon Anastasios Giamouriadis said: We would have a patient who is recovering from surgery for a brain tumour and were expecting improvement nursed in a bed next to a patient with progressive motor neurone disease (MND) that we are trying to delay the worsening and deterioration of the neurological condition.

As far as the staff are concerned these patients have different needs. Whereby neurosurgery patients need less and less support neurology patients need more support over time.

Caroline McIntosh, who is the senior charge nurse for the new neurology ward also known as Ward 204 said: Its an opportunity to enhance the already excellent care we are giving patients.

Weve been working to specialities in one unit and doing it exceptionally well with lots of positive feedback.

Claire McNab, senior charge nurse for the neurosurgery ward known as Ward 205 said: This is an evolution of the service we already offer to further improve the care we provide.

The way you nurse both sets of patients is very different.

Neurosurgical patients come in either for a listed operative procedure or with an acute illness where they receive surgery and then either go on to receive oncology services or rehab.

They are with us for their neuro treatment be it brain surgery, spinal or something similar and then they tend to go on for specialist care in different areas.

With neurology patients, because they usually have a life-limiting or chronic illness, like MS or MND, the management of that is quite different.

Ward 204 will have 10 beds and Ward 205 will have 17 beds maintaining the same number as before the change.

Caroline said she hoped having two dedicated wards will help attract graduate nurses in both neurology and neurosurgery.

She added: It will provide a better environment for learning for newly qualified nurses and we will hopefully capture their interest in one area and can go on to further their education and training from there.

Hopefully over the next five years we will see benefits and staff vacancies will drop as a result and it will help us recruit new people and also retain them.

Although we are going to be two separate wards it will still be a neuroscience floor and we will work together for the best of the patients.

On the same floor is the neurophysiology department and we also have the planned investigation unit.

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New Aberdeen hospital ward gives neurology patients the care they need - Aberdeen Evening Express

Study Finds Artisanal CBD Not as Effective as Pharmaceutical CBD for Reducing Seizures – Southernminn.com

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MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Children and teens with epilepsy who were treated with pharmaceutical cannabidiol (CBD) had much better seizure control than those who were treated with artisanal CBD, according to a preliminary study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020.

CBD is a cannabis component that relieves stress and anxiety and has anti-seizure properties. It does not produce a "high" like another cannabis component called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Pharmaceutical CBD for epilepsy does not have THC. It is FDA approved for use in two severe forms of childhood epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, which do not respond well to other medications. Artisanal CBD is manufactured using varying techniques and contains variable amounts of CBD and THC.

"The use of medical cannabis to treat various medical conditions has grown in recent years. While not always legal, artisanal CBD has been available longer, so some people have been using it to treat epilepsy for years," said study author Nathan T. Cohen, M.D., of Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C., and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. "They may want to reconsider because our research indicates that pharmaceutical CBD may indeed be more effective than artisanal CBD."

For the study, researchers reviewed the medical charts of 31 children and teens with an average age of 10 who were followed for an average age of one year. All had some form of epilepsy including 32% with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and 6% with Dravet syndrome. Of the group, 22 were taking pharmaceutical CBD and nine were taking artisanal CBD. Researchers recorded medication doses, levels of CBD in the blood, seizure history and reduction in seizures with medication and side effects.

Those taking artisanal CBD had an average level of CBD in the blood of 31 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) compared to 124 ng/mL for those taking pharmaceutical CBD.

Researchers found children and teens taking artisanal CBD had a 70% increase in seizures during the study. Those taking prescription CBD had a 39% reduction in seizures.

However, 11 participants reported side effects. All were taking pharmaceutical CBD. Side effects included sleepiness, low appetite, nausea and diarrhea. Six of those participants stopped taking pharmaceutical CBD due to side effects.

"The difference in seizure control is dramatic and is definitely of concern since many people continue to use artisanal CBD," said Cohen. "However, a limitation of our study is that it was small. More research is needed to see if similar results are found in larger groups of people."

Another limitation of the study was that it was a look back at medical records. It did not involve participants who were given either pharmaceutical or artisanal CBD and then followed over time.

Learn more about epilepsy at BrainandLife.org, home of the American Academy of Neurology's free patient and caregiver magazine focused on the intersection of neurologic disease and brain health. Follow Brain & Life on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The American Academy of Neurology is the world's largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals, with more than 36,000 members. The AAN 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 Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit AAN.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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Study Finds Artisanal CBD Not as Effective as Pharmaceutical CBD for Reducing Seizures - Southernminn.com

AI predicts outcomes for stroke patients following thrombolysis – AI in Healthcare

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These models may have clinical value in assisting decision-making, the authors wrote. Further research is must be conducted on their predictive value and diagnostic accuracy while taking into account invasive adjuvant strategies.

In addition, blood pressure (BP), heart rate, glucose level, consciousness level, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and a history of diabetes mellitus (DM) were all determined to be associated with MNI. Age, glucose level, BP, hemoglobin A1c, history of DM, stroke subtype and NIHSS score were all significant factors affecting long-term stroke outcomes.

BP was found to be especially crucial in both prediction models, with both low and high BP appearing to impact patients short-term and long-term outcomes after thrombolysis.

Patients with lower BP during the acute phase of AIS are associated with brain injury and poor outcome they wrote. A higher initial BP may imply a later reduction in BP in response to thrombolysis and a better neurological improvement. The dynamic changes in BP during AIS are associated with impaired cerebral autoregulation, reperfusion injury, edema, and hemorrhagic transformation.

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AI predicts outcomes for stroke patients following thrombolysis - AI in Healthcare

Social Constructionism Meets Aging and Dementia – Psychiatric Times

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CONVERSATIONS IN CRITICAL PSYCHIATRY

Conversations in Critical Psychiatry is an interview series aimed to engage prominent critics within and outside the profession who have made meaningful criticisms of psychiatry and have offered constructive alternative perspectives to the current status quo.

Peter Whitehouse MD, PhDneurologist, cognitive neuroscientist, and bioethicist by formal training and transdisciplinarian in practiceis Professor of neurology, psychiatry, cognitive science, neuroscience, and organizational behavior at Case Western Reserve University, with additional past appointments in the departments of psychology, bioethics, history, and nursing. He is also a Professor at University of Toronto, honorary research fellow at University of Oxford, and the founding president of Intergenerational Schools International. He has served in national and international leadership positions in neurology, geriatrics, and public health. He has authored numerous academic, peer-reviewed research publications. His current main foci are on ecopsychosocial models of brain health and aging, as well as the role of the arts and humanities in health. He considers himself a wising-up, intergenerative, transdisciplinary, action-oriented scholar, and an emerging artist. He is the author of The Myth of Alzheimers: What You Aren't Being Told About Today's Most Dreaded Diagnosis (co-written with Daniel George, published in 2008, St Martins Press) in which he criticized the conceptualization of Alzheimer disease as a disease distinct from the aging process.

I became acquainted with Dr Whitehouse and his ideas during my geriatric psychiatry fellowship as I explored conceptual and philosophical issues related to aging. Up to that point I had considered dementias to be relatively immune to social constructivist ideas given that the underlying neurodegeneration had been convincingly demonstrated. What I had not accounted for, however, was the complexity of the relationship between aging and AD, and to what extent these two constructsthe former considered a natural, universal feature of human existence, the latter a horrendous diseaseare enmeshed with each other. There is a provocative side to Dr Whitehouses ideas, and it is easy for some to get distracted by thatbut the underlying arguments are well-constructed and backed by scientific evidence. It helps that Dr Whitehouse has the stellar academic credentials that he has, along with the experience of working with pharmaceutical companies in the development of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, because his views cannot be summarily dismissed as a product of lack of expertise. Dr Whitehouse forces us to challenge our preconceived notions and to think anew about aging from a very different perspective.

Aftab: Lets talk about The Myth of Alzheimers. Its a very well-written and provocative book that challenges conventional wisdom in how we understand this condition. Some themes that stood out to me in your arguments:

We tend to think of Alzheimer disease (AD) as a single entity, but it is actually highly heterogenous and is an umbrella term for many different conditions.

We think of AD as a disease but its status as a disease is questionable because it is a consequence of natural aging processes; seeing it as related to aging still acknowledges that the individuals diagnosed with AD do suffer, can be highly impaired, and are in need of help.

We have focused so much of our efforts in trying to cure this disease with a medication that we have forgotten the issue that really matters: how do we create social conditions in which the aging members of the communityincluding those with dementiacan flourish and have some measure of well-being.

Do you agree with this characterization? Have your views changed much since this book was published in 2008?

Whitehouse: Thanks, Awais, for your positive comments and the opportunity to speak with you. My writing and academic collaboration with Danny George has been a productive joy and is manifesting in a second coauthored book tentatively called Brain Health in an Unhealthy Society (forthcoming Johns Hopkins University Press) that addresses exactly your first questions. We do believe time has supported the claims of The Myth that AD is heterogenous and intimately related to aging processes, although I might argue with the label natural for all the changes that occur with aging or dementia.

In this new book, we argue that the potentially more modifiable causes of dementia lie in economics, politics, and ecology, not only in aging processes themselves. Eleven years have passed since our first book was published and income inequity and environmental deterioration are increasingly deadly forces affecting health. In Brain Health we present further evidence, not available in 2008, that the excessive emphasis on medicalized approaches is harmful to individuals and society, and once again argue for broader public health and more fundamental cultural responses to the challenges of age-related cognitive decline.

Aftab: How was the book received by the medical community? Did it have the impact you were hoping it would?

Whitehouse: The dominant power players either rejected it with uncritical anger or more commonly ignored it. Prominent lay organizations (and their experts) locally and nationally publicly rejected the book as irresponsible and inaccurate apparently before reading our gift copies. The title was too provocative for them. Their livelihood is based on, in our view, an irresponsible and inaccurate social construction of Alzheimers. Many of my friends and other dementia experts would privately agree with us. So, I think we did serve to get people thinking about different ways of framing AD and related conditions. Slowly we are moving more toward prevention and care rather than sticking with our obsession with drugs, biologics, and cure.

Aftab: Was the title of your book The Myth of Alzheimers in any way a hat-tip or nod to Thomas Szaszs infamous The Myth of Mental Illness?

Whitehouse: Yes, it was. Szasz influenced me during my training in neurology and psychiatry at Johns Hopkins. As my mentor Jerry Frank said to me the medical model is not even good for medicine. So, I extended the ideas of social construction into neurological conditions and beyond biopsychosocial to ecopsychosocial, especially in the new book. This latter term emphasizes that health is imbedded in ecosystems and that often biomedicine gets the biology wrong by focusing too much on reductionistic and static models rather than systemic and evolutionary conceptions. We wanted to call the book The End of Alzheimers to mimic other concept-based books like The End of History and The End of Nature, but the publisher wisely thought that would imply promising a cure. The Myth title rightly emphasized the power of grand stories.

Aftab: Even if we accept that AD is a form of brain aging, one may argue that AD should nonetheless be seen as a disorder of brain aging. This could be in a qualitative sense, such that some aging process has gone awry (for instance, genetic mutations in pre-senile dementias) or quantitative sense, such that AD is at the extreme end of the spectrum of biological aging.

Whitehouse: First, we must keep the plural in mind. AD includes various forms of brain aging and a panoply of biological processes we may never fully understand. Each persons AD is unique to them because of the personal nature of their own genetic makeup and their life circumstances over time. Since both AD and brain aging are heterogenous, it is very difficult to define the boundaries between them. Yes, we think it better to call AD a disorder, condition, illness, or syndrome rather than well-defined disease. Eventually it is all about economic and political power surrounding who gets to control the labeling process. Do we want the often self-serving professional purveyors of false hope and profit-at-any-cost Big Pharma to control our brains (and minds) and our aging or do we want to embrace our collective responsibility to create opportunities for and with each other in community?

Aftab: Youve had a hard, unforgiving look at AD. What about other dementias, such as frontotemporal or Lewy body? Do you approach them with the same sort of skepticism that you do AD? Or do you accept the standard biomedical narratives of these dementias?

Whitehouse: Awais, this is a fundamentally important question. After our new chair of neurology praised (excessively I thought) our book in a department meeting for the second time, I tongue-in-cheek suggested we need a series of books emanating from our departmentthe Myth of Parkinson Disease and the Myth of Stroke! What I say is that every disease is socially constructed, and everyone has a biology (however complex). Lewy body dementia was controversial in the beginning as to whether it was a variant of AD or a separate entity with UCSD and Newcastle advocating different views.

Similarly, we can take a look at how the labels arteriosclerotic, multi-infarct, and vascular dementia have evolved over time. What of studies that show some decline in executive functions with normal aging? The essential issue is how do we help people at risk for or who suffer from brain conditions that impair quality of life. Yes, I am skeptical of essentially all claims from modern medicine which has lost a bit of its soul in my view, no thanks to the proliferation of bioethicists who do not in my opinion adequately challenge the incessant claims of progress in medicine.

Aftab: Every disease is socially constructed in the sense that there is a particular inter-subjective way in which we describe it, classify it, treat it, understand its relationship with other conditions, and these particular ways are influenced by a host of social-historical-political factors. I would like to think that different conceptualizations of disease differ in the degree to which they capture the objective reality or carve nature at its joints. Neurasthenia and tuberculosis may both be socially constructed but their correspondence to nature is likely very different. I guess what Im trying to say is that if we are not careful, we are at risk of trivializing the notion of social construction and what it may have to offer medicine. If everythingwhether Parkinson disease, or stroke, or glioblastoma multiformeis a myth, then calling something a myth (such as AD) doesnt possess much of a significance or sense of alarm that something is amiss.

Whitehouse: I would not want to trivialize social construction! All diagnostic labels are words first that we agree (with varying degrees of controversy) to use that signal something about patterns that we think we see in nature. Before we understood the role of bacteria in disease, the clinical phenomenology of diseases such tuberculosis and syphilis and so on were socially constructed in different ways. Social construction is informed by biologybut the real issue for me is how dis-ease and suffering are viewed and who gets the power over attempts to relieve them.

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Social Constructionism Meets Aging and Dementia - Psychiatric Times

Folate in Young Women With Epilepsy: Start Early, Remind Often – Medscape

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BALTIMORE Neurologists should repeatedly remind young female patients with epilepsy, particularly those who are black, to take folic acid, new research suggests.

Deepti Zutshi, MD

A new pregnancy-outcomes study showed that black women with epilepsy are about half as likely to take folic acid as their counterparts of other racial backgrounds and are significantly more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy and later complications.

Clinicians should discuss the importance of taking folic acid with their female patients with epilepsy not just once but at every visit, said study investigator Deepti Zutshi, MD, assistant professor of neurology, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

"It's important to really enforce this message and start when patients are young; start at puberty," Zutshi told Medscape Medical News.

The findings were presented here at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 73rd Annual Meeting 2019.

The study included 104 pregnancies in patients at the High Risk Pregnancy and Epilepsy Clinic in Detroit. Of these pregnancies, 79.8% were among black women.

"I had a unique opportunity to add to what we know already about pregnancy outcomes in this population," Zutshi said.

Black participants were comparable to the other participants in terms with a mean age of 26 years, duration of epilepsy of just over 10 years, and seizure type, which was mostly focal and generalized.

Nevertheless, black participants were significantly more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy (83% vs 63%, respectively; P = .02).

"The next step is to figure out the reason for this discrepancy," said Zutshi.

This includes looking at cultural differences, stigma, and whether they receive or have access to birth control counseling and counseling on the potential risks of birth defects associated with antiepileptic drugs, she added.

The study also showed that black women were less likely to have taken folic acid pre-conception (22% vs 55%), possibly because they weren't counseled to do so, said Zutshi.

"The problem could be lack of access to prenatal care, lack of access to an OB-GYN, maybe lack of access to a neurologist who needs to prescribe folic acid to women who are on antiepileptic drugs," Zutshi said.

However, even if women are prescribed folic acid, they may not take it, she added.

"Anecdotally, that's because they don't know why they should be taking it. When you prescribe it, you have to explain what it is and what it does" to help prevent complications such as neural tube defects, Zutshi noted.

Most doctors already counsel their female patients with epilepsy to take folic acid, but patients need reminding as they may be taking antiseizure medicines and dealing with numerous other issues, Zutshi said. "It's all about repetition," she added.

Barriers to prenatal care for black women, especially those with epilepsy, include younger age at pregnancy, no means of transportation, not realizing they are pregnant until later gestation, and lack of education.

About 48% of black participants, vs 41% of the other women in the study, had at least one seizure during pregnancy.

Pregnancy complications, including miscarriages and premature deliveries, were skewed toward black women and again, likely reflects lack of prenatal care, Zutshi said.

In the nonblack participant group, there was one case of threatened miscarriage vs five cases in the group of black women. The latter group also had six cases of premature delivery and three cases each of eclampsia/preeclampsia and congenital malformation vs zero cases in the group of nonblack participants.

Black women are not well represented in national pregnancy registries; and most of these registries recruit women in the first trimester before they have their 18- to 22-week ultrasound, Zutshi noted.

"I'm getting patients way into their second and third trimester. Why weren't they referred to me beforehand?" said Zutshi.

Future studies should compare pregnancy outcomes in black women with, and without, epilepsy, Zutshi said.

"That research needs to control for whether [black patients] receive prenatal care. I think that's probably one of the biggest confounding factors you have to consider when you do that comparison," she added.

Commenting on the study for Medscape Medical News, Anna Serafini, MD, director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois, Chicago, said the new information is useful.

"It shows that we need to target the African American population even more, and we need to remember that the majority of pregnancies in this population are unplanned," said Serafini, who was not involved in the research.

She said she prescribes 1 mg of folate per day to all her patients with epilepsy of childbearing age, even if they insist they are not planning to become pregnant. She raises the dose to 4 mg once a woman does become pregnant. Many multivitamins geared to women contain folate.

However, she acknowledged that many patients don't follow her advice.

A limitation cited by Serafini was that there were relatively few nonblack women in the study. "It would be interesting to increase that number to have a better comparison," she said.

She also agreed that data in national pregnancy registries come from very select patient populations.

"We need to start to include more populations such as African Americans because the data might be different," said Serafini.

American Epilepsy Society (AES) 73rd Annual Meeting 2019: Abstract 3.24. Presented December 9, 2019.

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High cost of MS medicines forcing patients to take ‘drastic actions’ – STAT

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The high cost of multiple sclerosis treatments has forced 40% of patients to take drastic actions and alter their use of the medicines, such as cutting back or skipping dosages altogether. And many report the financial burden is not only hurting their lifestyle, but impairing their ability to save for retirement or college for their children, a new survey found.

For instance, 14% reported they switched to a generic, despite being satisfied with their existing treatment; 12% stopped using their medication for a period of time; 9% skipped or delayed filling a prescription; and 8% took less of their medicine than prescribed, according to the survey by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Meanwhile, the out-of-pocket costs associated with the medicines meant that 25% of the nearly 600 patients who responded to the survey spent less on themselves. In addition, 16% saved less for retirement or college, 11% spent less on groceries, 9% postponed paying other bills, 4% postponed retirement, and 2% took a second job.

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The survey findings continue to tell the real story of what its like for people with MS to get the treatment that they need, said Bari Talente, executive vice president of advocacy for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which canvassed patients last summer. It is these experiences and perspectives that should lead every conversation happening about drug pricing and access.

The results emerge amid a wider national debate over the cost of medicines in general. Drug pricing has become a key pocketbook issue for many Americans, prompting the Trump administration to devise several plans, none of which have gained traction, and Congress to propose numerous bills. But whether legislation will proceed remains unclear.

The cost of multiple sclerosis medicines, however, has been one of the flashpoints, as studies have demonstrated that patients and taxpayers face rising costs.

Last year,astudyin Neurology found that multiple sclerosis patients paid $15 a month average out-of-pocket costs in 2004, but that jumped to an average of $309 a month by 2016, a 20-fold increase over a 12-year period. Patients with high-deductible plans paid an average of $661 per month compared to $246 a month for those not in a high-deductible plan two years ago.

A recentlystudy in JAMA Neurology found that over a recent 10-year period, rising prices for multiple sclerosis drugs caused Medicare spending for the medicines to rise more than 10 times, and Part D beneficiaries saw out-of-pocket costs increase more than sevenfold. Spending per 1,000 beneficiaries by the health program jumped from nearly $7,800 in 2006 to more than $79,400 in 2016.

Meanwhile, the wholesale, or list, prices for a dozen drugs new and old continued to risebetween 2014 and 2019, according to academics at Oregon Health and Science University, whoseearlier researchfound prices for older medicines kept rising even as newer treatments were launched. The prices for the medicines ranged from approximately $76,000 to nearly $99,000.

Drug pricing mechanisms and economics that have attracted so much negative attention in recent years remain very much intact

Christopher Raymond, PiperJaffray analyst

For instance, Gilenya, a Novartis (NVS) drug, rose from $63,444 to $99,896, while the cost of Avonex, which is sold by Biogen (BIIB), increased from $59,085 to $$90,035. Tecfidera, another Biogen drug, climbed from $59,957 to $94,991. List prices do not reflect any rebates a drug maker may pay for favorable placement on formularies, the list of medicines covered by health plans.

Price hikes have not gone unnoticed on Wall Street, either.

Earlier this month, PiperJaffray analyst Christopher Raymond expressed surprise that Biogen boosted prices as it did. As an example, he cited the Tysabri, which rose 3.5% and experienced price hikes in January 2019 and again in July 2019 by the same amount. Similarly, the list price for Tecfidera rose 6%, mirroring the price hike early last year.

We think this is somewhat remarkable, given how much scrutiny has been assigned to pharmaceutical drug pricing both in terms of tactics and industry structure over the last several years, he wrote in an investor note. But the broader point here is that drug pricing mechanisms and economics that have attracted so much negative attention in recent years remain very much intact.

A spokesman for the BIO trade group wrote us that patients should never have to go without the medicines they need because of what they are forced to pay out of their own pockets. As the results of this survey show, people face difficult choices when insurance companies discriminate against those who rely on prescription medicines and restrict patients access to the therapies their doctors prescribe. This is exactly why we need a holistic solution, because its the only way to ensure all patients have access to the medicines they need with out-of-pocket costs they can afford.

More than once, pricing has prompted the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to take companies to task.

Last fall, the organization criticized Biogen for boasting that a newly approved pill would have the lowest annual wholesale price of any such medicine, although the difference amounted to $500 less than another new treatment from Novartis. The move was designed to appease criticism, but the organization accused the company of being disingenuous.

A Biogen spokeswoman wrote us to say the company will continue to work closely with PBMs and payers to help minimize the impact of out-of-pocket costs to patients. Our approach is to consider modest price adjustments only for products we continue to substantially invest in (new research and increasing clinical evidence base) and limit adjustments for other products to minimum levels, in-line with inflation.

And over the past year, the patient group also chided Novartis for pricing its new Mayzent pill at $88,500 and EMD Serono for charging $99,500 for its new Mavenclad tablet. Such public statements are unusual from patient groups that accept industry funding. Drug makers provide about 4% of total revenue to the organization, and Biogen is the largest donor, contributing more than $1.3 million in 2018.

A paper in Neurology last November detailed how four unnamed executives acknowledged that pricing for multiple sclerosis drugs is based on competition, insurance rebates, and the ability to set U.S. prices higher than in other countries, rather than a long-standing industry argument about the high cost of research and development.

MS has seen remarkable treatment innovations in the last 25 years, but that progress doesnt mean much ifpeople with MS cant access these innovations due to price considerations, nor should they experience the enormous challenges and choices we heard about in our survey, said Tim Coetzee, chief advocacy, services and research officer, at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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Is Targeting Oligomers in APOE4 Homozygotes the Path… : Neurology Today – LWW Journals

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By Richard Robinson January 23, 2020

Investigators review the scientific evidence for targeting amyloid oligomers and outline the case for a new drug in development for Alzheimer's disease, ALZ-801, an orally administered prodrug of tramiprosate.

What is the right target for drugs for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and what is the right population to test them in? For one biopharmaceutical company, the answers are amyloid-beta (Abeta) oligomers and APOE4 homozygotes, and they plan to test a drug that inhibits oligomerization in this genetic subgroup of AD patients in the coming year.

But while the target is increasingly recognized as an important one in AD pathogenesis, not every expert believes that the rationale for restricting such a trial to the small number of AD patients who carry two copies of e4 is compelling.

The case for oligomeric forms of Abeta as central to AD is persuasive, according to Marwan Sabbagh, MD, FAAN, co-author of a November 4, 2019 perspective in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia that reviews the scientific evidence for targeting amyloid oligomers and outlines the case for the new drug. Dr. Sabbagh is the Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair for Brain Health and director of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, NV. His co-authors are neurologists Martin Tolar, MD, PhD, and Susan Abushakra, MD, both of Alzheon, the company that is developing the drug, called ALZ-801, a prodrug of tramiprosate.

Monomeric forms Abeta don't tend to cause damage or activate microglia, and plaques are essentially graveyards, said Dr. Sabbagh. Oligomers, on the other hand, cause damage particularly to synapses, and microglial activation often starts when you get to the oligomeric phase, so we as a field think that oligomeric species tend to be more toxic than other species of Abeta.

The distinction between amyloid species is important, he added, because different treatmentsespecially the monoclonal antibodiestarget different forms of amyloid. Crenezumab and solanezumab bind most strongly to monomers, while bapineuzumab targets both soluble forms and plaques. The newest group of monoclonals, including aducanumab and BAN 2401, target both oligomers and plaques, but with different selectivity.

The concept of targeting oligomers was recently given a boost by the whipsaw change in fate for aducanumab. After announcing disappointing results and withdrawing the drug from further development early in 2019, Biogen this fall announced they had reanalyzed their data to suggest it did in fact lead to slowing of cognitive decline in patients with early AD, and that they would be submitting it to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval of the drug.

The data suggest that monoclonals that include oligomers within their targets have had better effects than the previous generation of monoclonals, both in terms of clearance of amyloid, and downstream cognitive effects, Dr. Sabbagh said, including reduction in tau and clinical stabilization, so targeting oligomeric species seems to be holding up scientifically.

All of that has led Alzheon to move ahead with a phase 3 trial of ALZ-801, an orally administered prodrug of tramiprosate. In preclinical studies, ALZ-801 inhibited the formation of oligomers without affecting fibrils or plaques. Those studies have shown that multiple molecules of tramiprosate reversibly bind and envelop the Abeta monomer, stabilizing it and preventing it from aggregating into an oligomeric form.

Previous clinical trials of ALZ-801 have shown good long-term safety, but phase 3 trials of tramiprosate did not demonstrate efficacy in the whole group of patients with mild to moderate AD. However, a prespecified analysis published in 2017 in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer's Disease did show that those patients carrying two copies of the APOE4 allele experienced a statistically significant slowing of decline in the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale compared with placebo.

This time, the trial will not enroll across the AD spectrum, but instead will be limited to patients with early AD who are e4/e4 homozygotes. In this group, the production of amyloid is elevated and the clearance is reduced, said Dr. Sabbagh, and the clinical course is both more uniform and more rapid than in the general AD population. Researchers are hoping that this will allow an efficacy signal to emerge clearly and quickly. The 78-week phase 3 trial is expected to start this year.

The rationale for specifically targeting oligomers is sound, William Klein, PhD, professor of neurology at Northwestern University in Chicago told Neurology Today. Dr. Klein, who studies Abeta oligomerization, said, This is an intensely studied field, and most of the results point to disruption of signaling by oligomers in particular.

That appears to trigger phosphorylation of tau, a major step in AD pathogenesis, he noted. Much about Alzheimer's disease is controversial, but there have been [more than] 4,000 papers on Abeta oligomers, and the preponderance of evidence favors these as being important players.

There is an additional reason for targeting Abeta oligomers, Dr. Klein noted. The transition from monomeric Abeta to higher molecular weight forms is not a linear set of reactions, but rather a spiderweb of pathways, and so depleting fibrils, for instance, as some therapies have attempted, does not necessarily deplete oligomers. It's not a simple equilibrium, he said.

Depletion of monomers is also a challenge, because it is really hard to get rid of enough monomer to really make a difference in the quantity of oligomers, he said. A lot of the products haven't been developed to uniquely focus on oligomers, which is why they have requirements for very high doses, and lead to side effects.

Restricting the trial to e4 homozygotes is more problematic, said Paul Aisen, MD, professor of neurology and director of the Alzheimer's Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

APOE genotype is the most important risk factor for sporadic AD, and determination of APOE genotype has played an important role in our trials for many years, Dr. Aisen said, but mainly as a covariate in assessing outcomes, not as an inclusion criterion for enrollment. Treating only those with two copies of the e4 allele is certainly a valid approach, but it raises important regulatory issues.

If the study is successful, he asked, where does that leave the one third of AD individuals that don't carry an e4 allele? Will approval be restricted to e4 carriers? Do you have an obligation to test in the e4-negative group?

In addition, Dr. Aisen said it is not clear why this drug should have a special effect on e4 homozygotes versus other patients who also produce amyloid. The drug doesn't target the biology of e4 in particular, he pointed out, and so it is not clear that the drug effect should be restricted to one genotype versus another. I would expect an anti-aggregation agent to work across genotypes. My own view is that unless you are testing a drug that is specifically related to APOE, it may be more appropriate to target your therapeutics for everybody with AD.

Dr. Sabbagh receives stock options as an advisor to ALzheon on the design of their phase 3 clinical trial. Dr. Klein has stockin Acumen Pharmaceuticals, which he co-founded in the 1990s. Acumen has a humanized antibody that is very specific for A-beta oligomers and is being readied for clinical trials in 2020; his lab received research funding from AbbVie and RxGen for oligomer-related studies. Dr. Aisen had no disclosures.

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Is Targeting Oligomers in APOE4 Homozygotes the Path... : Neurology Today - LWW Journals

Meat, Fish, and Vegetables: New Data on Heart Disease and Stroke – Medscape

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This transcript has been edited for clarity.

Dear colleagues, I am Christoph Diener, a neurologist from the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany. Today I would like to discuss six noteworthy publications that came out in September of this year.

The EPIC-Oxford study recruited 48,000 people without stroke or ischemic heart disease and followed them for 20 years. Participants were divided into three groups: meat eaters, fish- but not meat eaters, and vegetarians.

Researchers published the results of 18 years of follow-up of these participants in the BMJ,[1] reporting 2820 cases of ischemic heart disease and 1072 cases of stroke during that time. Compared with meat eaters, fish eaters and vegetarians had a 13% and 22% relative risk reduction of developing ischemic heart disease, respectively. In absolute numbers, this accounts for 10 fewer cases of heart disease per 1000 for vegetarians compared with meat eaters over 10 years. Interestingly, and surprisingly, vegetarians had a 20% higher risk for stroke than meat eaters, mostly due to cerebral hemorrhage. In absolute numbers, this accounts for three more cases out of 1000 over 10 years.

I think the most likely explanation for why meat eaters have a higher risk for ischemic heart disease is LDL cholesterol. This could also explain the increased risk for cerebral hemorrhage, as it's known that very low LDL can [be associated with] a slightly higher risk for stroke.

The European Stroke Organisation offered guidelines on antithrombotic therapy for secondary stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation in the European Stroke Journal.[2]

The most important recommendation is that antiplatelet therapy should no longer be used. The second recommendation is that vitamin K antagonists should be used compared with no treatment or with aspirin, and nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants are preferred over vitamin K antagonists. There is no recommendation about the timing of when to initiate treatment after ischemic stroke. Another important recommendation is that no bridging with low-molecular-weight heparin is needed until anticoagulation is started. At the moment, there is no recommendation on occlusion of the left atrial appendage in patients with contraindications for long-term anticoagulation, given that the ongoing trials are not yet finished.

A third, very interesting paper was published in Lancet Neurology,[3] looking at people with cerebral cavernous malformations. Investigators identified 300 patients in a registry and followed them for 7 years to determine whether antithrombotic therapy or anticoagulation had an impact on the risk for intracerebral bleeding. Approximately 20% of patients were on antiplatelet therapy or anticoagulation, and they clearly had a lower risk for intracranial hemorrhage. They also performed a meta-analysis of six cohort studies with 1342 patients, which basically showed the same result: a reduced risk for intracerebral hemorrhage with antithrombotic therapy.

The most likely explanation for these results is that antithrombotic therapy allows you to avoid venous thrombosis that can lead to hemorrhage.

We recently published the results of the RE-SPECT CVT Study in JAMA Neurology.[4] This was a safety study in 100 patients with cerebral venous thrombosis, who were randomized to either high-dose dabigatran (150 mg twice daily) or warfarin for 25 weeks after an initial treatment period of low-molecular-weight heparin. There was one intestinal bleed on the dabigatran, two intracranial bleeds on warfarin, and no recurrent venous events.

The good news here is that dabigatran is as safe as warfarin for the prevention of recurrent venous events in cerebral venous thrombosis. However, the drug is not approved for this indication.

In a study published in Annals of Neurology,[5] 140 patients with epilepsy and current major depressive disorder were randomized to receive sertraline or cognitive-behavioral therapy for 16 weeks. Both treatments were effective, with over 50% of patients achieving remission. Importantly, sertraline does not increase the risk for seizures.

Ideally, I think these two treatment methods should be combined in such patients.

The last study dealt with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and was published in Neurology.[6] Young boys with this disorder are usually treated with prednisone, with all of the adverse events that this entails when given long-term.

There is now a new drug called vamorolone which has similar activity to prednisone, but it doesn't have the side effects. In this dose-finding study, vamorolone at 2 mg/day improved motor function and clearly had fewer adverse events than the historical controls of prednisone or cortisone. We now need phase 3 trials to show whether this effect is also replicated in everyday clinical practice.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have six new studies of interest: four on stroke, one on depression and epilepsy, and one on Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Thank you very much for watching and listening.

Hans-Christoph Diener, MD, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Neurology at University Duisburg-Essen in Essen, Germany. He is widely published and best known for his contributions to stroke and headache medicine.

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‘Snake oil salesmen’: Two neurologists respond to the CBD craze – Yahoo Finance

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The CBD craze has taken the world by storm, seizing promotional and consumer dollars as fast as anything in recent memory: cryptocurrencies, fake (but edible and delicious)meat, or vaping. According to estimates fromdata research firm Brightfield, the U.S. CBD market in 2019 is expected to reach $5 billion 706% growth compared to 2018.

But whilecelebrityaftercelebrity has endorsedcannabidiol (CBD) products, to which they can personally attest to the benefits, the science isnt so sure.

Kim Kardashian is one of many celebrities and athletes to have endorsed CBD products. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

While the efficacy of CBD to treat everything fromanxiety to Crohns diseaseisnt clear, its a real substance with real medical potential.

In June 2018, the FDAapproved the first drug containingCBD oil, an epilepsy drug called Epidiolex from Greenwich Biosciences, a subsidiary of GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH). On Nov. 5, GWreported $91 million in salesin the third quarter, of which $86 million came from Epidiolex, which helped the company beat sales expectations.

But the rest of CBDs claims remain untested and unapproved as far as FDA standards are concerned. Yahoo Finance spoke to Dr. Susan M. Lippmann and Dr. William E. Rosenfeld, neurologists and co-directors at the Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Center for Children and Adults in St. Louis, Mo.

The duo have performed studies on epilepsy drugs for over 40 years through Phases I, II, III, and IV of the FDA approval process. They performed the double-blind FDA trials for Epidiolex, and though they saw positive results in terms of epilepsy, the pair remain skeptical of the drugs meteoric entry into mainstream society and the business world.

Emoji gummies by JustCBD are displayed at the Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition trade show, Thursday, May 30, 2019 in New York. The treats contain non-psychoactive cannabidiol, CBD. (AP Photo/Jeremy Rehm)

We believe it has been proven by double-blind placebo studies to be successful in reducing certain types of seizures, said the doctors in a joint email to Yahoo Finance. For other diseases, much of the information out in the public domain is not based on FDA studies and is based on hearsay and anecdotes.

Lippmann and Rosenfeld were quick to point out that this doesn't mean that some of these usages won't later prove to be true, but without the studies, theres no proof.

Double-blind studies when neither the researchers nor the patients know which drugs are placebo and which are real are especially important given the fact that the placebo effect can typically result in 10% to 30% improvements in epilepsy studies, and potentially higher for other diseases, according to Lippmann and Rosenfeld.

Looking at the surge ofCBD products, the physicians view the CBD craze as based on peoples own perceptions about cannabis combined withbig businesshype.

It is large financial interests who want to take advantage of a financial boom, Lippmannn and Rosenfeld said. Some well-meaning individuals may even be taking advantage of a potential boom, basing it only on a personal bias, having used CBD oil themselves and feeling it helped them, all the while not realizing the potential for the well-known placebo effect.

For epilepsy, the doctors said, a 10 to 30% improvement for patients can come from the placebo effect, and in other diseases it can be even more pronounced.

Story continues

Unfortunately to date, the sale of CBD is based on little fully blinded proven data, much like the snake oil salesman or Carters little liver pill of days gone past, the doctors said. Will CBD make lots of money for its growers and sales stores and corporations? I am sure it will. Is it all based on science? The answer is no.

The trials Lippmann and Rosenfeld performed used a dosage of 10 to 30 mg/kg/day and the recommended dosage for the approved drug is 10 to 20 mg/kg/day for Lennox Gastaut or Dravets Syndrome, with a starting dose of 5 mg/kg/day. For a 150-pound person, thats 680 mg to 2041 mg. Contrast this with capsules on the market that are 25 mg of CBD.

Many patients come to the office and are only taking droppers amounts of CBD with very minimal amounts of CBD, the doctors said. Some of these may well be placebo doses. This may well explain why patients often feel they are having little or no side effects.

In the doses that were effective for epilepsy, CBD does have side effects, on both the liver and cognitive functions.

People feel that because it comes from a plant, they believe there are no side effects, said Rosenfeld and Lippmann. They do not realize that many drugs come from plants and that clearly there is a potential for side effects from CBD.

The doctors pointed out a key additional problem with other CBD drugs that comes from the fact that the space is almost entirely unregulated by the FDA or other parts of the federal government. Many CBD products could easily contain little or no CBD or contaminants which could be potentially very toxic, Lippmann and Rosenfeld said.

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Ethan Wolff-Mannis a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, personal finance, retail, airlines, and more. Follow him on Twitter@ewolffmann.

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'Snake oil salesmen': Two neurologists respond to the CBD craze - Yahoo Finance