BACKGROUND: Observational studies suggest that cholinesterase inhibitors and/or memantine may delay clinical progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in 40% of individuals taking the medications. Given this response and existence of side effects, we sought to quantify medication use and benefits in a population-based study of incident AD cases. METHODS: The ...

OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic effect of probiotics has been studied in many clinical and experimental studies but no data exist concerning the influence of probiotics on pharmacokinetics of contemporary administered drugs. In this paper, we describe the influence of indomethacin-induced gastrointestinal lesions and Escherichia Coli Nissle 1917 medication on absorption of ...

The chemical weapon nerve agent known as Russian VX (VR) is a potent organophosphorus (OP) compound that is much less studied than its VX analogue with respect to toxicity, as well as to the effectiveness of several known countermeasures against it. An anaesthetized domestic swine model was utilized to assess ...

Efficacy and safety of medications used for the treatment of astronauts in space may be compromised by altered stability in space. We compared physical and chemical changes with time in 35 formulations contained in identical pharmaceutical kits stowed on the International Space Station (ISS) and on Earth. Active pharmaceutical content ...

The outer insulation layer of some power cords supplied with certain InterMetro mobile workstations (the Flo 1750, the Flo 1800 computing workstation, and the Flo 2400 medication workstation) may experience degradation along the inner surface of the coiled portion of the cord, which may expose the internal wires and increase ...

To compare the intellectual coefficient (IQ) of three groups of children with epilepsy: 1) medically controlled, 2) medically uncontrolled and 3) surgically controlled. From December 2007 until July 2008, 98 pediatric patients were selected, with an age range between 6 and 12 years. Neuropsychological assessment included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale ...

Status epilepticus (SE) is a common pediatric neurologic emergency that refers to a prolonged seizure or recurrent seizures without a return to baseline mental status between seizures. Appropriate treatment strategies are necessary to prevent prolonged SE and its associated morbidity and mortality. This review discusses the importance of a rapid ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among medicine symptom distress, self-efficacy, patient-provider relationship, and medication compliance in patients with epilepsy. Patients with epilepsy (n=357) were recruited using convenience sampling from three medical centers in northern Taiwan. Results showed significant differences in relationships between medication compliance and ...

OBJECTIVE: To compare intranasal midazolam, using a Mucosal Atomization Device (IN-MMAD), with rectal diazepam (RD) for the home treatment of seizures in children with epilepsy. DESIGN: Prospective randomized study. SETTING: Patients' homes and a freestanding children's hospital that serves as a referral center for 5 states. PATIENTS: A total of ...

OBJECT: The wide application of deep brain stimulation in the management of movement as well as other degenerative neurological and psychiatric disorders has renewed the interest in using deep brain stimulation in the management of medically intractable epilepsy. Various stimulation targets have been used with significantly varying results in aborting ...

Seizures often occur in patients with microchromosomal aberrations responsible for moderate to severe intellectual disability. We hypothesised that epilepsy alone could be caused by microdeletions or microduplications, which might also relate to epilepsy refractory to medication. Chromosomes from 20 subjects with epilepsy and repeated failure of antiepileptic medication were examined ...

About one third of patients with focal epilepsy experience seizures despite adequate medical treatment. In this population, successful epilepsy surgery improves life expectancy and health-related quality of life, while reducing health care costs as a result of reduced hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and use of antiepileptic drugs. The effectiveness ...

In 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration approved three medications for the treatment of epilepsy: rufinamide, lacosamide, and vigabatrin. In addition, extended-release formulations of lamotrigine and levetiracetam were approved recently. When added to the dozen medications for treating epilepsy, the choice is a luxury in terms of additional options, ...

This study examines the determinants of patients' side effects from arthritis medication. Proposed predictors were patients' beliefs about medications, objective disease activity, treatment regimen, and psychiatric and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. In a longitudinal design, 100 rheumatoid arthritis outpatients were investigated at baseline and again at 6 months after receiving both ...

To evaluate whether generic substitution was associated with any difference in medical resource utilization for 5 widely used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in the United States. Health insurance claims from PharMetrics Database, representing over 90 health plans between January 2000 and October 2007, were analyzed. Adult patients with epilepsy, continuously treated ...

Mesotherapy and anti-obesity medications are gradually gaining worldwide popularity for purposes of body contouring and weight loss. Their adverse effects are various, but there is a tendency to disregard them. Ischemic colitis is one of the most common diseases associated with non-obstructive blood vessel disorders. However, there have been no ...

Antiepileptic medication use in noncancer hospice/palliative care patients is not well defined. The authors report the case of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient under hospice care with increased seizure frequency. The patient is a 22-year-old female with advanced HIV disease complicated by tonic-clonic seizures, hypoalbuminemia, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ...

NARRATIVE REVIEW: Myopathy, fracture, tendon rupture, and neuropathy are severe physical adverse effects associated with commonly prescribed medications. Recognition of and exercise adjustment for these medication-induced effects by the therapist is essential to providing adequate care. The normal structure and function of muscle, tendon, cartilage, or bone may be altered ...

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe medication side effects in a cross-section of young people taking low-dose risperidone, using a self-report measure. METHODS: The Liverpool University Neuroleptic Side Effect Rating Scale (LUNSERS) was completed by 66 patients aged between 6 and 18 years who had been taking low-dose risperidone (alone or ...

Propofol is an emulsion formulation of 2,6 diisopropylphenol developed in 1975. Widely recognized, it offers beneficial effects compared with other sedative drugs. Propofol is used in several clinical situations including multiple surgical procedures and critical-care medical conditions. Since technological advances over recent years have allowed an ever-increasing number of patients ...

There have been many papers reviewing the dental office assessment and management of the patient with a seizure disorder. This paper will discuss two updated medical management issues which may impact dental office care of the seizure patient. The focus will on the use of a pacemaker-like device connected to ...

Medication side effects are an important cause of morbidity, mortality and costs in older people. The aim of our study was to examine prevalence and risk factors for self-reported medication side effects in an older cohort living independently in the community. The Melbourne Longitudinal Study on Healthy Ageing (MELSHA), collected ...

Tattoos are common phenomena in the western world and the demand for their removal has become widespread in the recent years. The introduction of quality-switched lasers has provided an effective removal method that is increasingly being exploited by tattoo studios themselves. Dermatologists, however, are frequently confronted with complications and side ...

The purpose of this article is to highlight the hallmarks of epilepsy as a disease and symptom during antiquity and especially during Ancient Greece and Rome. A thorough study of texts, medical books, and reports along with a review of the available literature in PubMed was undertaken. Observations on epilepsy ...

Seizures in neonates are common and often suggest a serious underlying brain injury such as hypoxia-ischemia, stroke, or hemorrhage. There is a lack of evidence regarding optimal monitoring, evaluation, and treatment for newborns with seizures. Prolonged video-electroencephalogram (EEG) is the gold standard for detecting seizures, whereas amplitude-integrated EEG may be ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a substantial health burden. Cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death, frequently coexists with COPD, an effect attributed to high individual disease prevalences and shared risk factors. It has long been recognized that COPD, whether stable or during acute exacerbations, is associated with ...

Although it is known that Jacksonian epilepsy was first described by Bravais in 1827, some 40 years before Jackson began his work on the topic, little has been published on what Bravais wrote. Louis Fran?ois Bravais (1801-1843) came from a French provincial family, which made a number of scientific, mainly ...

Obesity is epidemic; new medications and therapeutic options are urgently needed to reduce the associated health care burden. The initial clinical strategy for weight loss is lifestyle modification involving a combination of diet, exercise, and behavior change. However, it is difficult for many to achieve and maintain weight loss solely ...

OBJECTIVE: Our main objective was to use videoconferencing as a primary means to: a) assist in launching an epilepsy surgery program in Pakistan; 2) participate in case conferences on complex epilepsy patients in each country. METHODS: Extensive testing using both point to point and bridged integrated service digital network (ISDN) ...

The NSAID class of medications is frequently used for mild to moderate pain. While overall safe, NSAIDs have several important adverse effects including esophageal, gastric and duodenal ulceration which limit their use. This has led to the development of NSAIDs with either less gastrointestinal side effects or concurrent use of ...

To describe the profile of children with adolescent-onset epilepsy and to determine factors predictive of outcome. A database was searched for all patients with a first seizure between the age of 12 and 16 years. Sixty-five adolescents met inclusion criteria. Ten patients needed at least two medications to control seizures, ...

Status epilepticus (SE) is a medical emergency associated with significant morbidity and mortality. SE is defined as a continuous seizure lasting more than 30 min, or two or more seizures without full recovery of consciousness between any of them. Based on recent understanding of the pathophysiology, it is now considered ...

PURPOSE: To assess differences in medical care expenditures and informal care received for adults and children by individuals' self-reported epilepsy status and to estimate the total economic impact of epilepsy in the United States. METHODS: Pooled medical expenditure panel survey data from 1996-2004 were used. Children's regression analyses were adjusted ...

This report describes a novel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) guiding catheter equipped with an additional lumen running along the full length of the main lumen. This lumen allows continuous infusion of medications (e.g., thrombolytic agents, nitroglycerin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, etc.) during the procedure without interrupting the procedure being carried out ...

PURPOSE: To present long-term outcome and predictors of the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large group of patients operated for refractory extratemporal epilepsy. METHODS: A German QOLIE-31 questionnaire and additional questions has been mailed for all adult patients operated for extratemporal epilepsy in the Bethel Epilepsy Centre, ...

Regina v Gillett deals with a man who did not disclose his epilepsy when seeking a drivers licence. Subsequently, he had a seizure while driving, causing an accident in which three people died. He was found guilty but appealed. During the trial to decide whether Gillett was guilty of dangerous ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The preterm birth rate in the United States remains at an all-time high and continues to rise. Acute tocolysis has potential to delay preterm birth for 48 h, the critical period of antenatal steroid administration, or to arrest an episode of preterm labor, thus delaying birth and ...

Ophthalmological pharmacology is a rapidly expanding field aimed at achieving the safest and most effective treatment results. Physicians must be aware of the side-effect profiles, both beneficial and harmful, of medications currently used. This review highlights the available data on the effect of some ophthalmic medications on pupil size; it ...

Acute isolated seizure, repetitive or recurrent seizures, and status epilepticus are all deemed medical emergencies. Mortality and worse neurologic outcome are directly associated with the duration of seizure activity. A number of recent reviews have described consensus statements regarding the pharmacologic treatment protocols for seizures when patients are in pre-hospital, ...

OBJECTIVE: High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) can be recorded in epileptic patients with clinical intracranial EEG. HFOs have been associated with seizure genesis because they occur in the seizure focus and during seizure onset. HFOs are also found interictally, partly co-occurring with epileptic spikes. We studied how HFOs are influenced by antiepileptic ...

There is a limited understanding of the complex relationship between poverty and epilepsy. To address the complex interaction of environmental and psychosocial factors in epilepsy a 'social determinants of health' model is presented where individual factors are influenced through three pathways (social environment, work and material factors). In the 2005 ...

The intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) is routinely conducted as part of the presurgical evaluation of pediatric patients with epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possibility that anesthetization failures are the result of interactions of carbonic anhydrase-inhibiting (CAI) medications with sodium amobarbital. An archival review of ...

OBJECTIVES: The objectives for this study were to determine the prevalence of use, safety and efficacy of different preparations of rescue medication used for prolonged seizures in children in the community and to use the information gained to inform good practice within the network. METHODS: For all children in the ...

There have been many papers reviewing the dental office assessment and management of the patient with a seizure disorder. This paper will discuss two updated medical management issues which may impact dental office care of the seizure patient. The focus will on the use of a pacemaker-like device connected to ...

BACKGROUND: Medication side-effects such as tardive dyskinesia (TD) are known to occur in individuals with a history of psychotropic drug use. This study aimed to contribute to the development of measures for assessing TD by examining the validity of the Matson Evaluation of Drug Side-effects (MEDS) with the Dyskinesia Identification ...

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent and unprovoked seizures (Dreifuss, 1987; Hauser & Hesdorffer, 1990). It is one of the most common neurologic disorders in the adult. The lifetime risk of developing epilepsy is 3.2% (Mattson, 1992). Approximately 90% of the incident cases in adults have symptomatic partial ...

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are a commonly prescribed, effective medication in the treatment of hypertension and heart failure. Several side-effects of dental relevance can occur including angioedema of the lips, mouth and throat. This adverse effect is well reported and can be fatal, but it is not always recognised ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine rates of cross-sensitivity of rash among commonly used antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in patients with epilepsy. METHODS: The incidence of AED-related rash was determined in 1875 outpatients (> or =12 years), taking carbamazepine (CBZ), clobazam (CLB), felbamate (FBM), gabapentin (GBP), levetiracetam (LEV), lamotrigine (LTG), oxcarbazepine (OXC), phenobarbital (PB), ...

A woman with a past medical history of epilepsy was transferred to our hospital for episodic changes in mental status, jerking movements, and decreased hearing that were thought to represent seizure activity. While in the hospital, she was diagnosed with Brugada syndrome. Her antiepileptic medications were adjusted while she was ...

MR is a fundamental step in the diagnostic path of patients with medically refractory partial epilepsy (MRPE) potentially amenable to surgery. The most frequent lesions harboured by these patients are: malformations of cortical development (MCD), mainly focal cortical dysplasias (FCD); epileptogenic tumours, such as dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumours (DNT) and gangliogliomas ...