Δευτέρα 29 Οκτωβρίου 2012
Δευτέρα 15 Οκτωβρίου 2012
Νέα ευρήματα για την επιληψία
Ερευνητές βρήκαν νέα στοιχεία
για το μηχανισμό που υπόκειται της εμφάνισης επιληπτικών κρίσεων,
αποκαλύπτοντας ένα νέο δυνητικό στόχο για φαρμακοθεραπείες.
Όπως αναφέρουν στο περιοδικό Nature Neuroscience,
αν και μέχρι πρόσφατα οι έρευνες εστίαζαν στους νευρώνες του εγκεφάλου,
μια νέα αμερικανική μελέτη δείχνει ότι το «κλειδί» για την ανεξέλεγκτη
εγκεφαλική δραστηριότητα που συνδέεται με την πάθηση ενδέχεται να είναι η
συμπεριφορά ενός εντελώς διαφορετικού τύπου κυττάρων, των
αστροκυττάρων.
Τα αστροκύτταρα είναι γνωστό ότι έχουν ένα μεγάλο εύρος λειτουργιών,
συμπεριλαμβανομένης της παροχής αίματος σε άλλα κύτταρα του εγκεφάλου,
καθώς και της παροχής βοήθειας στον εγκέφαλο προκειμένου να αντεπεξέλθει
στην καταστροφή νευρικών κυττάρων, εξηγούν οι ερευνητές από την Ιατρική
Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου Tuft και το Νοσοκομείο Παίδων της Φιλαδέλφειας.
Σε ορισμένες εγκεφαλικές παθήσεις τα αστροκύτταρα διογκώνονται και
συμπεριφέρονται διαφορετικά, μια κατάσταση που οι επιστήμονες της
παρούσας μελέτης πιστεύουν ότι συνδέεται με την επιληψία.
Η πρόκληση οιδήματος στον εγκέφαλο ποντικιών έδειξε ότι τα
μεγεθυσμένα αστροκύτταρα οδήγησαν σε μειωμένα επίπεδα μιας χημικής
ουσίας του εγκεφάλου, η οποία είναι γνωστό ότι αναστέλλει την υπερβολική
ηλεκτρική σηματοδότηση από τους νευρώνες.
Όπως επισημαίνει ο Dr Douglas Coulter, ένας από τους ερευνητές της
μελέτης, «στην επιληψία, η αναστολή της υπερβολικής ηλεκτρικής
σηματοδότησης στον εγκέφαλο δεν λειτουργεί φυσιολογικά, με αποτέλεσμα η
σηματοδότηση να είναι ανεξέλεγκτη και να προκαλεί τις κρίσεις».
Η καλύτερη κατανόηση της ακολουθίας γεγονότων που συμβαίνουν στην
επιληψία θα μπορούσε, σύμφωνα με τους επιστήμονες, να οδηγήσει σε
βελτιωμένες θεραπείες όχι μόνο για την ίδια την επιληψία, αλλά πιθανώς
και για άλλες νευρολογικές νόσους.
Πηγή: BBC News
Γιατροί αφαίρεσαν τον μισό εγκέφαλο βρέφους ως θεραπεία για την επιληψία
Πρόσφατα γιατροί αφαίρεσαν
σχεδόν ολόκληρη τη μία πλευρά του εγκεφάλου ενός βρέφους 10 μηνών στις
ΗΠΑ, σε μια προσπάθεια να σταματήσουν τις καθημερινές επιληπτικές
κρίσεις από τις οποίες έπασχε.
Τα φάρμακα δεν είχαν καταφέρει να βοηθήσουν τον μικρό Jaxon, ο οποίος μπορεί να είχε έως και 15 επιληπτικές κρίσεις την ημέρα.
Οι χειρουργοί πραγματοποίησαν ημισφαιρεκτομή, ελπίζοντας ότι αυτό θα
βοηθούσε στην ίαση του παιδιού, δήλωσε ο Dr. William Bingaman,
αντιπρόεδρος του Νευρολογικού Ινστιτούτου της Cleveland Clinic, ο οποίος
πραγματοποίησε την επέμβαση.
Οι γονείς του Jaxon είχαν παρατηρήσει ότι η δεξιά πλευρά του σώματος
του παιδιού ήταν σημαντικά πιο αδύναμη από την αριστερή. Οι εξετάσεις
έδειξαν ότι η αριστερή πλευρά του εγκεφάλου του Jaxon δεν αναπτυσσόταν
φυσιολογικά.
Όπως δήλωσε ο Dr. Bingaman, οι γιατροί δεν ήξεραν γιατί συνέβη αυτό,
αλλά το παιδί είχε έναν υπερδραστήριο εγκέφαλο ο οποίος πυροδοτούσε
υπερβολικά και η επιληψία σχετιζόταν με αυτό.
Η μητέρα του Jaxon δήλωσε ότι αρχικά τρομοκρατήθηκε όταν της είπαν
ότι θα αφαιρούσαν την αριστερή πλευρά του εγκεφάλου του γιου της.
Ωστόσο, ο Dr. Bingaman τη διαβεβαίωσε ότι η δεξιά πλευρά του εγκεφάλου
θα αντιστάθμιζε την απώλεια.
«Στα μικρά παιδιά, ευτυχώς, ο εγκέφαλος έχει πλαστικότητα» δήλωσε ο
Dr. Bingaman . «Η δεξιά πλευρά θα αναλάβει πολλά πράγματα, αλλά δεν θα
αναλάβει τον λεπτό κινητικό έλεγχο του δεξιού χεριού. Θα περπατάει με
μια ελαφριά χωλότητα και θα έχει απώλεια της περιφερικής όρασης στη
δεξιά πλευρά.»
Στη διάρκεια της πεντάωρης επέμβασης, ο Dr. Bingaman αφαίρεσε το 40%
του αριστερού ημισφαιρίου του Jaxon. Ο μικρός θα πρέπει να υποβληθεί σε
εργοθεραπεία, φυσικοθεραπεία και λογοθεραπεία, αλλά έως τώρα δεν έχει
ξαναεμφανίσει επιληπτική κρίση.
Πηγή:
Fox News
Fox News
Τετάρτη 3 Οκτωβρίου 2012
Together, We are Stronger
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to share exciting news with you for the Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP) and people whose lives are affected by epilepsy. As you are aware, we have closely collaborated over the years with other leading epilepsy organizations, and in particular the Epilepsy Foundation, to expand support for and accelerate new therapies in a timeframe that matters to people living with epilepsy today. This week we will be issuing a press release on a transformational decision to merge ETP with the national Epilepsy Foundation (EF).
Over the last 10 extraordinary years, ETP is proud to have provided funding for 42 of the 85 known drugs, devices and biologics in active development for epilepsy. We are particularly pleased that three of these have crossed the finish line in the past year, and are now available to patients: the Visualase MR guided laser for epilepsy surgery, the SmartWatch seizure detection and caregiver alert device and most recently the non-invasive NeuroSigma eTNS Trigeminal Nerve Stimulator therapeutic device. Acceleration is our mission and will remain the mission of ETP. Though a nonprofit entity, we take a business like focus in putting dollars to work where they can have the greatest impact – weighing likely therapeutic effect, risk, and timeline to success. We are impatient and passionate, and we could not celebrate 10 years of progress without examining how to have even more impact in the next 10 years.
For close to a decade, we have had a very successful partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation in funding new therapies. Looking forward, we have an opportunity to create a single organization able to execute with greater economy and greater impact across both ETP’s mission of accelerating new therapies in a timeframe that matters as well as EF’s broad mission of improving the lives of people with epilepsy. Later this week, the Boards of ETP and EF will announce a “Memorandum of Understanding” to merge. Under the terms of this merger, ETP will continue as the Epilepsy Therapy Project of the Epilepsy Foundation, a key program of the new Epilepsy Foundation. Epilepsy.com will continue under the leadership of our editor-in-chief, Mayo Clinic neurologist Joe Sirven, to inform and connect people with epilepsy, caregivers and professionals about epilepsy and available and emerging therapies. Epilepsy.com will serve as a portal to all of the resources and programs of the new organization.
By joining together, we will be able to focus even more funding into new therapies and broadly into improving the lives of those with epilepsy instead of duplicating efforts, building out two competing national infrastructures. If you do not know EF’s new CEO Phil Gattone, I am excited to have you get to know him. Phil and his team share our dedication and philosophy of collaboration. Phil is the father of an adult son with epilepsy and has for the last 5 years served as the CEO of the Chicago affiliate of EF. He is a sincere and talented individual, and I am thrilled at the prospect of working with Phil, his national EF team and with all 48 EF Affiliates around the country.
The merger represents an exceptional opportunity. I truly believe that we will be stronger together, with more energy and more impact in each of the important areas of advocacy, education and accelerating new therapies. I want to assure you that I am in no way stepping back from my commitment to ETP, in fact quite the opposite, as I look forward to working together with Phil Gattone, ETP, EF and Affiliate board members, staff and leaders around the country to bring our vital mission and unique approach to a wider audience in the epilepsy community and beyond and to achieving even greater impact.
Please know how excited I am about this opportunity and that I welcome your thoughts and questions as we work through the transition. Our loved ones deserve an even greater commitment to accelerating new therapies and improving the lives of people with epilepsy. I would like to personally thank you again for your continued support.
Warm regards,
![-Warren]()
Warren Lammert
Chairman and Co-Founder
Epilepsy Therapy Project
I am pleased to share exciting news with you for the Epilepsy Therapy Project (ETP) and people whose lives are affected by epilepsy. As you are aware, we have closely collaborated over the years with other leading epilepsy organizations, and in particular the Epilepsy Foundation, to expand support for and accelerate new therapies in a timeframe that matters to people living with epilepsy today. This week we will be issuing a press release on a transformational decision to merge ETP with the national Epilepsy Foundation (EF).
Over the last 10 extraordinary years, ETP is proud to have provided funding for 42 of the 85 known drugs, devices and biologics in active development for epilepsy. We are particularly pleased that three of these have crossed the finish line in the past year, and are now available to patients: the Visualase MR guided laser for epilepsy surgery, the SmartWatch seizure detection and caregiver alert device and most recently the non-invasive NeuroSigma eTNS Trigeminal Nerve Stimulator therapeutic device. Acceleration is our mission and will remain the mission of ETP. Though a nonprofit entity, we take a business like focus in putting dollars to work where they can have the greatest impact – weighing likely therapeutic effect, risk, and timeline to success. We are impatient and passionate, and we could not celebrate 10 years of progress without examining how to have even more impact in the next 10 years.
For close to a decade, we have had a very successful partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation in funding new therapies. Looking forward, we have an opportunity to create a single organization able to execute with greater economy and greater impact across both ETP’s mission of accelerating new therapies in a timeframe that matters as well as EF’s broad mission of improving the lives of people with epilepsy. Later this week, the Boards of ETP and EF will announce a “Memorandum of Understanding” to merge. Under the terms of this merger, ETP will continue as the Epilepsy Therapy Project of the Epilepsy Foundation, a key program of the new Epilepsy Foundation. Epilepsy.com will continue under the leadership of our editor-in-chief, Mayo Clinic neurologist Joe Sirven, to inform and connect people with epilepsy, caregivers and professionals about epilepsy and available and emerging therapies. Epilepsy.com will serve as a portal to all of the resources and programs of the new organization.
By joining together, we will be able to focus even more funding into new therapies and broadly into improving the lives of those with epilepsy instead of duplicating efforts, building out two competing national infrastructures. If you do not know EF’s new CEO Phil Gattone, I am excited to have you get to know him. Phil and his team share our dedication and philosophy of collaboration. Phil is the father of an adult son with epilepsy and has for the last 5 years served as the CEO of the Chicago affiliate of EF. He is a sincere and talented individual, and I am thrilled at the prospect of working with Phil, his national EF team and with all 48 EF Affiliates around the country.
The merger represents an exceptional opportunity. I truly believe that we will be stronger together, with more energy and more impact in each of the important areas of advocacy, education and accelerating new therapies. I want to assure you that I am in no way stepping back from my commitment to ETP, in fact quite the opposite, as I look forward to working together with Phil Gattone, ETP, EF and Affiliate board members, staff and leaders around the country to bring our vital mission and unique approach to a wider audience in the epilepsy community and beyond and to achieving even greater impact.
Please know how excited I am about this opportunity and that I welcome your thoughts and questions as we work through the transition. Our loved ones deserve an even greater commitment to accelerating new therapies and improving the lives of people with epilepsy. I would like to personally thank you again for your continued support.
Warm regards,
Warren Lammert
Chairman and Co-Founder
Epilepsy Therapy Project
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