Profile of once-daily zonisamide as monotherapy for treatment of partial seizures in adults.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic disorders, affecting about 50 million people around the world. It is recognized that around 50% of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy become seizure-free with the first drug treatment, so the choice of first antiepileptic drug is crucial. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of zonisamide as monotherapy for partial seizures, with special attention to the possibility of a once-daily regimen. The available data suggest that zonisamide is an effective and well tolerated option as monotherapy. Once-daily dosing is indicated, considering the long plasma half-life and linear pharmacokinetics of the drug. Zonisamide 300 mg was shown to be noninferior to carbamazepine 600 mg in terms of efficacy and safety, but even lower doses may be effective. Finally, the broad spectrum of efficacy in different seizure types, the low drug interaction potential, and the possibility of weight loss make zonisamide a preferred option in many epilepsy practices. Further data on monotherapy, especially in special populations, such as women of childbearing potential, are needed

Learning in 2030 - what will it be like?

The technologies that are mentioned in this fictional story have been developed and will be available in the next year. The intelligence required to drive the Lpod is not far away. What are now needed are the will and the strategy to attain the vision of a different future for higher education institutions

On the extraordinary : problematisation, flatness, and repetition

This essay reflects on the meaning and connotations of “the extraordinary” as applied to a person’s life context. To do so, it transposes to a smaller scale different concepts from philosophy of history (such as the notion of repetition in Nietzsche and Freud). These are then mainly framed with artistic (literary) examples for its capability of moment-creation in order to examine the mere condition of possibility of the emergence of something extraordinary in the personal affective sphere. In the essay, the extraordinary is defined both as an unlikely probability within a system and a moment in which various potentialities unfold, but also as a moment of flat temporality. The three conceptualizations intertwine to describe a feeling of waiting for something to happen: the extraordinary becomes only possible by its own indictment, in a version of vitalism that invests the incitement of the moment with counter-boredom. Ultimately, boredom provides a way of thinking flatness as previous to the condition of possibility, thus understanding the extraordinary as resistance against the force that orients action towards illusionary horizons.peer-reviewe

Suicidal behavior and antiepileptic drugs in epilepsy: analysis of the emerging evidence.

Two years after the warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration on an increased risk of suicide for people taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), a number of pharmacoepidemiologic studies have been published but the scientific community is far from definitive answers. The present paper is aimed at reviewing available evidence on the association between AEDs and suicidal behavior, discussing major variables involved such as the relationship between epilepsy, depression, and suicide and the psychotropic potential of AEDs. All studies published so far show a lack of concordance and are constrained by various methodological limitations. What seems to be established is that mood disorders represent a frequent comorbidity in epilepsy and suicide is a serious complication more frequently encountered in epilepsy rather than in the general population. Moreover, a subgroup of patients appears to be at risk of developing treatment-emergent psychiatric adverse effects of AEDs independently of the specific mechanism of action of the drug. The prior history of suicide attempt, especially preceding the onset of the epilepsy, may represent a key element explaining why what is observed is independent of the specific mechanism of the drug. In general terms, risks associated with stopping, or not even starting, AEDs in epilepsy might well be in excess of the risk of suicide in epilepsy, as deaths due to accident and epilepsy itself may predominate. Clinicians need to pay attention not only to seizure patterns when choosing the appropriate AED but also to a number of different parameters (eg, age, gender, working needs, medical comorbidities, history of psychiatric disorders, and suicidality before epilepsy onset) and not the least the mental state of the patient. Missing severe complications such as suicidal behavior or delaying its treatment may worsen the prognosis of epilepsy

Sustainability management accounting system (SMAS): towards a conceptual design for the manufacturing industry

[Abstract]: The study reported in this paper aims to identify an effective management accounting system using sustainability accounting concept for environmental and social cost measurement to add value to organizations. The motivation for undertaking this research is driven by the current practice of activity based costing (ABC), which has not identified and allocated costs of environment and social impacts to a single production activity. This has resulted in inaccuracies in cost accounting information when preparing environmental and social performance disclosures for internal management decisions, as well as external disclosures. This study therefore develops a conceptual model for a Sustainability Management Accounting System (SMAS) to improve the identification and measurement of environmental and social impact costs. A SMAS also provides sustainable organizations with a way to enhance cost allocation and analysis efficiently, thus creating more accurate cost accounting information for management decisions and reporting disclosure purposes. This paper describes preliminary work undertaken to date. Currently, it would appear that most Australian firms fail to report on their environmental performance, however, social indicators make it increasingly important for organisations to embrace corporate social reponsibility in their financial reporting and disclosure. Further, the results of quantitative data anlaysis will be used to identify an effective management accounting of sustainable organizations while supporting the development of a SMAS conceptual model

Cross-cultural impact on the budgeting cycle: a preliminary analysis of Anglo-American and Libyan companies operating in Libyan oil sector

[Abstract]: Globalization is causing the rapid integration of markets, nations, and technology, which facilitates faster contact between people, corporations, and nations. However, there is a failure to notice cultural differences that exist between workforces across nations. Thus all staff needs to have cultural sensitivity, which could be helped by studying cross-cultural differences. Current understanding of how and why specific budget aspects and budgeting processes are different could be attributed to cultural differences. This study utilizes societal cultural dimensions identified by Hofstede to identify differences in budgets and budgeting process between Libyan and Anglo-American companies operating in Libyan oil sector. Some preliminary analysis is discussed