Seizure News and Research

Latest Seizure News and Research

Sedative propofol could be fatal

Patients treated for their prolonged seizures with the sedative propofol may be at high risk for complications and even death. New research presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), shows that the use of propofol as an antiepileptic agent in patients with refractory status epilepticus (RSE), prolonged seizures that do not respond to initial treatment, was associated with significant mortality and morbidity.

28 Oct 2008

Keppra XR approved in the U.S. for partial onset seizures

UCB announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Keppra XR (levetiracetam extended-release tablets) for use as an add-on to other antiepileptic treatments for people with partial onset seizures who are 16 years of age and older. Keppra XR is expected to be available in U.S. pharmacies at the end of September 2008.

15 Sep 2008

Vimpat (lacosamide) approved in Europe

UCB announced today that the European Commission (EC) has approved Vimpat (lacosamide) as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients with epilepsy aged 16 years and older. Vimpat is the first new antiepileptic drug (AED) for partial-onset seizures in three years and offers a new treatment option for European patients living with uncontrolled partial-onset epilepsy.

3 Sep 2008

Charity says using Valium as a substitute for heroin, increases overdose risk

A drug charity in Britain says increasing numbers of drug users are turning to the tranquilliser Valium (diazepam) as a substitute for heroin.

3 Sep 2008

Shots are nothing to shy away from with the right approach

"Getting shots may seem burdensome and even downright scary to some children, but they protect children against dangerous and deadly diseases."

28 Aug 2008

High cholesterol levels drop naturally in children on high-fat antiseizure diet

Elevated cholesterol levels return to normal or near normal levels over time in four out of 10 children with uncontrollable epilepsy treated with the high-fat ketogenic diet, according to results of a Johns Hopkins Children's Center study reported in the Journal of Child Neurology.

26 Aug 2008

New model for studying the genetics of Angelman syndrome

A model for studying the genetics of Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes mental retardation and other symptoms in one out of 15,000 births, has been developed by biologists at The University of Texas at Austin.

14 Aug 2008

Managing diabetes at school

The first ever UK study to seek the opinions of young people with type 1 diabetes, regarding managing their diabetes care at school, uncovered a number of significant misconceptions about the condition.

14 Aug 2008

Anti-reflux surgery - research may lead to changes in treatment recommendations

Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have found that the reflux and swallowing problems that are common symptoms in patients with Rett syndrome and other neurological impairments, may be caused by a different mechanism than they are in healthy individuals. The finding leaves researchers to wonder if these patients truly benefit from anti-reflux surgery commonly performed in these children.

4 Aug 2008

Desmopressin for bed-wetting linked to convulsions in children

Australian authorities have issued a warning regarding a drug sometimes used to treat primary nocturnal enuresis (bed-wetting) in children.

3 Aug 2008

Variation in TNFAIP3 gene - cutting the brakes on the immune system

Your immune system may have more in common with a Corvette than you thought. When a virus or bacteria enters a human body, the immune system revs up to fight and expel the invader. Once the invader is gone, the body puts on the brakes to stop the immune response.

3 Aug 2008

FDA seizes more than $24 Million in unapproved new drugs

Representatives of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service today seized $24.2 million worth of unapproved new drugs from KV Pharmaceutical Company of St. Louis, Mo. Agents acted after United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway filed a civil forfeiture suit and obtained a warrant to seize the unapproved new drug products being made by KV Pharmaceutical.

30 Jul 2008

FDA approves first generic divalproex sodium for the treatment of seizures, bipolar disorder and migraine headaches

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Depakote delayed-release tablets (divalproex sodium). Depakote is approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures, bipolar disorder and migraine headaches.

29 Jul 2008

U.S. authorities seize Xiadafil VIP tablets after company refuses to recall product

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals seized nearly $74,000 worth of Xiadafil VIP tablets, Lots 6K029 and 6K209-SEI, distributed by SEI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Miami, Fla. Although marketed as a dietary supplement to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) and for sexual enhancement, these lots represent an illegally marketed drug containing an undeclared ingredient.

24 Jul 2008

Epilepsy drug may raise the risk of birth defects

Scientists have found that women who take an epilepsy drug while they are pregnant may increase the risk of birth defects in their babies.

22 Jul 2008

Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate may increase risk of birth defects

Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Jul 2008

Hormesis deserves the respect and attention of toxicologists

A comprehensive review published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry argues that toxicologists can positively affect public health and reduce the economic costs of drug treatment by increasing their knowledge of hormesis and applying its principles to their discipline.

17 Jul 2008

Depression after stroke: a neglected problem

People who have had a stroke and the people who are close to them need more support in order to manage the consequences of stroke.

10 Jul 2008

Discovery of new function for an old enzyme in sialidosis

The lack of a single protein usually thought of as a run-of-the-mill enzyme that helps to recycle molecules in cells causes an incurable and often fatal disease of children, according to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators.

7 Jul 2008

Seizures in newborns can be detected with bedside brain-activity monitors

Compact, bedside brain-activity monitors detected most seizures in at-risk infants, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed. That means the compact units could assist clinicians in monitoring for electrical seizures until confirmation with conventional EEG (electroencephalography), the researchers assert in an article published in the June issue of Pediatrics.

2 Jul 2008