PAPER ON PATENT RIGHTS FOR A DEVICE FOR INVESTIGATION OF ALTERNATING AREAS

A device and a method for investigation of the visual assessement of alternating luminous areas (VAALA) (1) was created and patented by a group of the Departement of Neurology, Medical University of Varna: Assoc. Prof. D. Mintchev, MD, PhD, Assoc. Prof. N. Deleva, MD, PhD, A. Tzukeva, MD, together with Assoc. Prof. Eng. S. Slavchev, PhD, of the Technical University ofVarna

Does Participation in a Multi-Modal Activity-Based Program Impacts on Functional Recovery, and Quality of Life in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury?

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between relevant personal factors, participation in a multi-modal activity-based training program, and the program\u27s impact on an individual\u27s level of functional recovery, and overall quality of life in adults with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). A descriptive, correlational design was performed on a secondary analysis dataset to conduct this study. Inferential statistics were performed with mixed ANOVA\u27s on measures of ASIA UEM and LEM scores, EuroQol, and SWLS to compare their means. The study proposed that participation in a multi-modal activity-based training program would be associated with greater functional recovery, less dependency on others for ADLs, fewer costly secondary diagnoses, and an improved quality of life. This study was undertaken to explore a relatively under-studied area. In the parent study a total of 29 cases were examined at a private outpatient clinic for patients with SCI in Southern California using a non-blinded, non-randomized controlled design over a 6-month period. These 29 cases were not evenly distributed, with the experimental group who participated in the multi-modal activity-based program having more cases (n = 21) than the control group (n = 8). Additionally, in the experimental group there were more men (n = 18) than women (n = 3) (Table 1). Within the experimental group, more than three-fourths constituted cervical site injury cases (n = 19) compared to thoracic site injury cases (n = 2) (Table 1). Further breaking down the level of SCI, participants with cervical site injuries were slightly older (µ = 35.74, sd = 14.13) compared to participants with thoracic site injuries (µ = 24.50, sd = 4.95)(Table 1). Given the small overall sample size, the skewed number of participants in the experimental group prevents any meaningful examination of group differences

Short-term Prognosis of Stroke Due to Occlusion of Internal Carotid Artery Based on Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography

Background and Purpose: The clinical course of stroke due to occlusion of the internal carotid artery is influenced by amount of collateral flow. We measured mean frequency shifts in the middle cerebral artery by transcranial Doppler ultrasonography to determine its prognostic value. Methods: Patients with proven extracranial occlusion of the internal carotid artery and ipsilateral hemispheral stroke were enrolled in our study. We performed transcranial Doppler ultrasonography on 31 patients within 48 hours after the stroke onset and followed up 25 patients in 28 days. At the same time, neurological examination with quantification of neurological deficit was done. We correlated values of flow frequency shifts on the side of stroke with degree of neurological deficit at the onset and at 28 days as well as the degree of clinical improvement and the value of frequency shifts. Results: We found a negative correlation between blood flow frequency shifts in the middle cerebral artery and degree of neurological deficit at the onset (Spearman rank correlation coefficient, -0.567; p< 0.001). We also found a positive correlation between the change of the neurological deficit during follow-up and frequency shifts at the onset (Spearman rank coefficient, 0.548; p<0.05). Conclusions: Diminished blood flow velocity (mean frequency shift) in the area of stroke is a negative prognostic factor for the degree of neurological deficit at the onset and a negative prognostic factor for possible improvement. Knowledge of hemodynamic conditions in the stroke area may help to improve therapeutic decisions. (Stroke 1992;23:1069-1072 KEY WORDS • carotid artery diseases • prognosis • ultrasonic

Oncolog, Volume 37, Issue 02, April-June 1992

The primacy of patient welfare Potential doubling time of tumors may be the key to accurate prognosis, appropriate treatment Cognitive deficits in survivors of childhood cancershttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1038/thumbnail.jp

Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Functioning for Transitional-Aged Youth with Autism

There is mounting evidence to suggest that higher numbers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are being identified, including a wide range of severity and outcome (Eaves & Ho, 2008). As identification of ASD has improved, there is a larger proportion of identified young adults with ASD (YA-ASD) in the transition to adulthood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Though exceptionally talented in many cases, a large proportion YA-ASD have difficulty establishing independence and navigating the complex social nuances of a workplace, many end up “homebound” with difficulty finding employment (Daley, Weisner, & Singhal, 2014; Shattuck, Wagner, Narendorf, Sterzing, & Hensley, 2011; Taylor & Seltzer, 2011). It is quite likely that remaining homebound has far-reaching effects on the development of self-efficacy and mood functioning. In response to this challenge parents, advocates, and individuals with ASD have developed a technology-training program to help teach skills that will allow individuals with ASD to be independent: increasing skills and kindling hope for the future. The current study sought to explore the impact of the training program components on anxiety, depression, and friendships, specific to YA-ASD in the transition to adulthood. YA-ASD (n = 23) from vocational training program were given Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment - Adult Self-Report (ASR) before and after an 8-week period in a vocational program. Group and individual difference were measured for significant change. Few group significance was observed across the scales of the ASR. Some individual significance was observed, however no patterns of individual significance was found

Migraine: Diagnosis, treatment and understanding c1960-2010

seminar transcriptThere are around eight million migraine sufferers in the UK today. This Witness Seminar looked at the last 50 years of research into the diagnosis and treatment of the condition and the changing attitudes of the medical profession towards this debilitating disorder. Chaired by Dr Mark Weatherall, the participants, some of whom were also migraine sufferers, included neurologists and pharmacologists, representatives from patient organizations such as Migraine Action and the Migraine Trust, and GPs and headache nurses. The discussion covered the vascular and neuronal theories of migraine, the early treatment with ergotamine, analgesics and antiemetics, and investigations into the importance of 5-HT. It then moved on to examine the scientific research behind the development of the triptans during the 1980s and impact of their introduction in the early 1990s. More recent treatments, such as the use of Botox (botulinum toxin), were also considered. Other topics included the development of headache classification and diagnostic criteria for migraine; the support for migraine sufferers such as headache clinics, specialist headache nurses, and charities; and the reason why, despite the number of sufferers and its high socio-economic cost, there is often little interest in migraine and research attracts limited fundin

Revisiting protein aggregation as pathogenic in sporadic Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases.

The gold standard for a definitive diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD) is the pathologic finding of aggregated α-synuclein into Lewy bodies and for Alzheimer disease (AD) aggregated amyloid into plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau into tangles. Implicit in this clinicopathologic-based nosology is the assumption that pathologic protein aggregation at autopsy reflects pathogenesis at disease onset. While these aggregates may in exceptional cases be on a causal pathway in humans (e.g., aggregated α-synuclein in SNCA gene multiplication or aggregated β-amyloid in APP mutations), their near universality at postmortem in sporadic PD and AD suggests they may alternatively represent common outcomes from upstream mechanisms or compensatory responses to cellular stress in order to delay cell death. These 3 conceptual frameworks of protein aggregation (pathogenic, epiphenomenon, protective) are difficult to resolve because of the inability to probe brain tissue in real time. Whereas animal models, in which neither PD nor AD occur in natural states, consistently support a pathogenic role of protein aggregation, indirect evidence from human studies does not. We hypothesize that (1) current biomarkers of protein aggregates may be relevant to common pathology but not to subgroup pathogenesis and (2) disease-modifying treatments targeting oligomers or fibrils might be futile or deleterious because these proteins are epiphenomena or protective in the human brain under molecular stress. Future precision medicine efforts for molecular targeting of neurodegenerative diseases may require analyses not anchored on current clinicopathologic criteria but instead on biological signals generated from large deeply phenotyped aging populations or from smaller but well-defined genetic-molecular cohorts

The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 67, Issue 1, Winter 2018

This issue includes: Dean\u27s Column Findings: Living Electrodes may change neurological device design Ch-ch-ch-changes: Jefferson\u27s realignment of departments and programs The Difference Alumni Make: A message from Elizabeth Dale A Fighting Chance: Harrisburg\u27s boxing scene has an unlikely ally in cardiologist Andrew Foy, MD \u2708 Alumni Weekend 2017 Jefferson Gala: Gathering to celebrate our shared success Time Capsule The Shot Doc: Meet Herb Magee, head coach of Jefferson\u27s men\u27s basketball team, the Rams Going the Distance: Students bring compassion into the clinic in Nicaragua\u27s remote mountains On Campus Stephanie Moleski, MD \u2705: Jefferson doctor moves from board room to exam room Class Notes In Memoriam By the Number