Ohio State implants first brain pacemaker to treat Alzheimer's

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013
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Contact: Eileen Scahill
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio During a five-hour surgery last October at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Kathy Sanford became the first Alzheimer's patient in the United States to have a pacemaker implanted in her brain.

She is the first of up to 10 patients who will be enrolled in an FDA-approved study at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center to determine if using a brain pacemaker can improve cognitive and behavioral functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The study employs the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), the same technology used to successfully treat about 100,000 patients worldwide with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. In the study, researchers hope to determine whether DBS surgery can improve function governed by the frontal lobe and neural networks involved in cognition and behavior by stimulating certain areas of the brain with a pacemaker.

Dr. Douglas Scharre, neurologist and director of the division of cognitive neurology, and Dr. Ali Rezai, neurosurgeon and director of the neuroscience program, both at Wexner Medical Center, are conducting the study.

"If the early findings that we're seeing continue to be robust and progressive, then I think that will be very promising and encouraging for us," says Rezai, who also directs the Center for Neuromodulation at Ohio State. "But so far we are cautiously optimistic."

The deep brain stimulation implant is similar to a cardiac pacemaker device with the exception that the pacemaker wires are implanted in the brain rather than the heart.

"Basically, the pacemakers send tiny signals into the brain that regulate the abnormal activity of the brain and normalize it more," says Rezai. "Right now, from what we're seeing in our first patient, I think the results are encouraging, but this is research. We need to do more research and understand what's going on."

The study, which will enroll people with mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease, will help determine if DBS has the potential to improve cognitive, behavioral and functional deficits.

Sanford continues to be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the technology, says Rezai. She says she volunteered for the study to help others avoid the angst she has suffered as Alzheimer's slowly disrupted her life.

"I'm just trying to make the world a better place," says Sanford. "That's all I'm doing."

Her father, Joe Jester, says he is proud that his daughter is participating in the study, and is pleased to see her showing improvements.

"This study seemed to just give us hope," said Jester. "I guess we were at the place where you just don't do anything and watch the condition deteriorate over the years, or try to do something that would give us hope and might stop the progression of this disease."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of degenerative dementia, afflicting about 5.5 million Americans and costing more than $100 billion per year, ranking it the third costliest disease in terms of health care expenditures in the United States.

Alzheimer's disease which has no cure and is not easily managed becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, cognition, worsening behavioral function, in addition to a gradual loss of independent functioning, says Scharre.

The Ohio State neurology team is nationally renowned for expertise in dementia and Alzheimer's care and research. In addition, the neuromodulation team at Ohio State are pioneers in the use of DBS to treat Parkinson's disease, as well as exploring the use of DBS for other neurological and neurobehavioral conditions. Researchers at the Neuromodulation Center are completing a study of DBS in patients with traumatic brain injuries, and have initiated a study of DBS for treating obesity.

The Alzheimer's study is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

###

BROADCAST QUALITY B-ROLL, SOUND BITES, WEB ELEMENTS & STILL PHOTOS - Including HD video available with or without names/titles is available free/unrestricted: http://bit.ly/114UlJB

Media Contact: Shannon McCormick, office: 614-932-9950 or cell: 614-477-2719 or shannon@mediasourcetv.com

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 23-Jan-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Eileen Scahill
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center

COLUMBUS, Ohio During a five-hour surgery last October at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Kathy Sanford became the first Alzheimer's patient in the United States to have a pacemaker implanted in her brain.

She is the first of up to 10 patients who will be enrolled in an FDA-approved study at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center to determine if using a brain pacemaker can improve cognitive and behavioral functioning in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

The study employs the use of deep brain stimulation (DBS), the same technology used to successfully treat about 100,000 patients worldwide with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. In the study, researchers hope to determine whether DBS surgery can improve function governed by the frontal lobe and neural networks involved in cognition and behavior by stimulating certain areas of the brain with a pacemaker.

Dr. Douglas Scharre, neurologist and director of the division of cognitive neurology, and Dr. Ali Rezai, neurosurgeon and director of the neuroscience program, both at Wexner Medical Center, are conducting the study.

"If the early findings that we're seeing continue to be robust and progressive, then I think that will be very promising and encouraging for us," says Rezai, who also directs the Center for Neuromodulation at Ohio State. "But so far we are cautiously optimistic."

The deep brain stimulation implant is similar to a cardiac pacemaker device with the exception that the pacemaker wires are implanted in the brain rather than the heart.

"Basically, the pacemakers send tiny signals into the brain that regulate the abnormal activity of the brain and normalize it more," says Rezai. "Right now, from what we're seeing in our first patient, I think the results are encouraging, but this is research. We need to do more research and understand what's going on."

The study, which will enroll people with mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease, will help determine if DBS has the potential to improve cognitive, behavioral and functional deficits.

Sanford continues to be evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the technology, says Rezai. She says she volunteered for the study to help others avoid the angst she has suffered as Alzheimer's slowly disrupted her life.

"I'm just trying to make the world a better place," says Sanford. "That's all I'm doing."

Her father, Joe Jester, says he is proud that his daughter is participating in the study, and is pleased to see her showing improvements.

"This study seemed to just give us hope," said Jester. "I guess we were at the place where you just don't do anything and watch the condition deteriorate over the years, or try to do something that would give us hope and might stop the progression of this disease."

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of degenerative dementia, afflicting about 5.5 million Americans and costing more than $100 billion per year, ranking it the third costliest disease in terms of health care expenditures in the United States.

Alzheimer's disease which has no cure and is not easily managed becomes progressively disabling with loss of memory, cognition, worsening behavioral function, in addition to a gradual loss of independent functioning, says Scharre.

The Ohio State neurology team is nationally renowned for expertise in dementia and Alzheimer's care and research. In addition, the neuromodulation team at Ohio State are pioneers in the use of DBS to treat Parkinson's disease, as well as exploring the use of DBS for other neurological and neurobehavioral conditions. Researchers at the Neuromodulation Center are completing a study of DBS in patients with traumatic brain injuries, and have initiated a study of DBS for treating obesity.

The Alzheimer's study is scheduled to be completed in 2015.

###

BROADCAST QUALITY B-ROLL, SOUND BITES, WEB ELEMENTS & STILL PHOTOS - Including HD video available with or without names/titles is available free/unrestricted: http://bit.ly/114UlJB

Media Contact: Shannon McCormick, office: 614-932-9950 or cell: 614-477-2719 or shannon@mediasourcetv.com

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/m-osi012313.php

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Being Gobbled Up By This Furry Monster Chair Looks Incredibly Comfy

Inspired by a story his grandmother used to tell him at dinner about how his fish balls would turn into a giant hairy hungry monster if he didn't eat up, Jason Goh created this incredibly cozy looking Moyee Monster Chair. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3HJbF0w7SaU/being-gobbled-up-by-this-furry-monster-chair-looks-incredibly-comfy

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Midwest wind chill nears 50 below; storm heads east

By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News

Icy winds and bitter cold lashed the Midwest as a powerful storm made its way eastward and left New England preparing for up to a foot of snow.

Pushed by northwesterly winds, Arctic air was bringing wind chills near to minus 50 in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Highs were expected to remain below zero into Tuesday, according to forecasters.

In Detroit, about 40,000 customers were without power early Monday. Utility DTE Energy blamed high winds for knocking out power Sunday to 120,000 customers.

DTE said it was receiving assistance from crews based in neighboring Ohio and Wisconsin, as well as outlying parts of Michigan.

"We expect to have the vast majority of our customers restored by midnight Monday," DTE said in a statement.

In Illinois, temperatures dipped into the single digits, with wind chills well below zero, NBCChicago.com reported.?NBC Chicago meteorologist Cheryl Scott said wind chills could hover around 15 below zero, which would be the city's coldest weather in two years.

The?National Weather Service?issued lake-effect-snow warnings from western Michigan to western New York, and a winter storm watch for Boston and the surrounding area.

In Boston, forecasters predicted 4 to 8 inches of snow, poor?visibility?and slippery travel Monday evening as well as a difficult commute Tuesday morning.

Some high spots in northeast Massachusetts, eastern New Hampshire and southwest Maine could approach 12 inches of snow, The Weather Channel reported.

A hazardous-weather outlook reached into New Hampshire and Connecticut. Gale warnings were issued for much of the New England coast.?

A so-called?Alberta Clipper?could bring as much as three inches of snow to parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey Monday afternoon and early evening.

However, Weather.com said there was "a small chance" that the Alberta Clipper could strengthen closer to the New Jersey coast, which would bring heavier snow to New York City, Long Island and New Jersey.

NBCChicago.com and weather.com contributed to this report.

Related:

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/21/16619662-minnesota-shivers-as-wind-chill-nears-50-below-zero-new-england-braces-for-foot-of-snow?lite

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Pakistan's action in Kashmir "highly provocative" - Indian defence minister

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India on Wednesday branded as "highly provocative" Pakistan's action in Kashmir, where two Indian soldiers were killed in an encounter the previous day, and said the mutilation of one of the soldier's bodies was "inhuman".

"The way they treated the dead body of the Indian soldiers is inhuman. We will convey our protest to the Pakistan government," the minister, A.K. Antony, told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday.

India on Tuesday accused old enemy Pakistan of triggering a gunfight by sending troops across the heavily militarized line dividing the disputed region of Kashmir.

The body of one of the soldiers was found "badly mutilated" in a forested area of the Himalayan territory on the side controlled by India, military officials said.

(Reporting by Arup Roychoudhury; Editing by John Chalmers)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pakistans-action-kashmir-highly-provocative-indian-defence-minister-053711619.html

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Gunmen kill 2 local Afghan officials in north

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? Police say gunmen have killed two local government officials in separate attacks in northern Afghanistan.

Deputy Police Chief of Kunduz province Ghulam Mohammad says both attacks happened Tuesday. He says the commander of a police detention center in Dashti Archi district was ambushed by gunmen while driving on a main road through the area in the afternoon. Commander Abdul Salam and his bodyguard were killed.

Mohammad says the commander of the district's government-backed militia force was also killed in a similar ambush about the same time. He says it was not clear if there was a connection between the two attacks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-09-Afghanistan/id-a768843215ca47be95df1155ec9003a0

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New nuclear plant design unveiled

13 December 2012 Last updated at 07:57 ET By Rory Cellan-Jones Technology correspondent

The design for the first UK nuclear power stations to be built for 25 years has been granted approval.

After a five-year process, regulators have said the European Pressurised Reactor, designed by two French firms, is safe and environmentally sound.

But there are still a number of hurdles to be cleared before energy supplier EDF and the nuclear engineering firm Areva can begin construction.

The firms are weighing up the economic case amid concerns about rising costs.

The French companies are looking at building two new plants at Hinkley Point in Somerset, but will need planning permission.

EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said: "The acceptance of the design for the EPR reactor is a major achievement and milestone for our new nuclear project in Somerset.

"It represents four years of hard work and allows our project to have a stable design before we start, offering a huge boost for the predictability of costs. It highlights our credibility and that of the EPR design, as well as demonstrating that the UK has a credible policy and regulatory framework in place."

Issues

In 2007, the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency began the process of examining four potential designs for new nuclear plants. But three of the applicants dropped out, leaving just the EPR.

The design has already been used for new reactors in Finland, France and China. But construction has taken longer than planned and costs continue to mount.

Last month, EDF revealed that the cost of its Flamanville EPR plant in Normandy had risen by more than 2bn euros (?1.8bn) due to design changes following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Last year, the UK regulators gave interim approval to the EPR under a process called the Generic Design Assessment, which aims to cut costs by examining new nuclear plans on paper rather than during the construction process.

But they said 31 issues must be addressed by EDF and Areva before approval could be granted.

Changes

As a result, there have been changes to the design, some of them due to lessons learnt from the Fukushima disaster.

"We asked them to look at the accident, why it came about.... and how that might affect the UK EPR," said Dave Watson of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

That led to 16 changes, including additional flood protection measures and the provision of mobile generators and pumping equipment.

The regulators said the UK EPR was now "the most-assessed design ever" after a process costing ?35m, which will be recouped from EDF and Areva.

EDF has still to confirm that it will go ahead with the investment in the new plan on its existing site in Somerset, to be known as Hinkley Point C.

A decision had been promised by the end of 2012, but the company has now revised that to "the earliest possible date".

Negotiations with the government over price guarantees for nuclear electricity could determine whether the company proceeds with its investment plans.

A decision on planning permission by the Planning Inspectorate is imminent, and the Secretary of State for Energy Ed Davey will then have three months to make his decision on final approval.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20701474#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

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Can Obama recover from his 'horrible, no-good' week?

President Obama's bad week included weak jobs numbers, the Wisconsin recall vote, less-than-helpful comments by Bill Clinton, and his own verbal gaffe. Obama has the edge in most polls, but there could be more bad weeks between now and the presidential election.

By Brad Knickerbocker,?Staff writer / June 10, 2012

President Barack Obama pauses while talkig about the economy, Friday, June 8, 2012, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Enlarge

In what looks to be a historically contentious campaign season, there?s at least one point on which there?s no argument: The past week was particularly bad for President Obama ? a ?terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad week,? as the headline over Chris Cillizza?s ?The Fix? blog at the Washington Post puts it.

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Look at what happened: Lousy employment numbers report (just 69,000 jobs created in May and unemployment ticking up to 8.2 percent); failed recall of Republican Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin (a major blow to unions, a key part of the Democratic base); Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee raising a lot more money last month than Obama and the Democratic National Committee; Bill Clinton ? again ? going off-message on a key point Obama?s been trying to make (end the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy).

Then, at week?s end, there was Obama?s own major gaffe now chiseled in stone in GOP campaign ads ? his off-hand declaration that ?The private sector is doing fine.? ? which the normally well-scripted Obama had to quickly walk back.

On Sunday, the Romney campaign released a new video contrasting Obama?s ?doing fine? quote with images of Americans recounting their economic struggles.

Know your US presidents? See if D.C. Decoder can stump you!

Meanwhile, press accounts of Obama?s tough-mindedness and direct involvement in fighting terrorism became a dispute over whether the White House had leaked sensitive national security information in order to boost the President?s image. Democrats as well as Republicans in Congress are asking critical questions.

Romney, of course, has had his own major gaffes. Who can forget ?I like being able to fire people?? Or ?I'm not concerned about the very poor.? Or ?I'm also unemployed.?

It?s worth noting that in both Romney?s and Obama?s cases, what seemed like insensitive sound bites made more sense in fuller context.

But Obama?s comes a lot closer to the election ? an election that inevitably turns on his record during tough economic times, which he (for the most part accurately) ties to Europe?s problems and Republican congressional intransigence.

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