Latest Conference Articles

There are many factors to consider when treating patients with epilepsy, from the number of medications they take to the impact of the condition on their daily lives. All these factors can help determine their overall quality of life.

Barbara Cappelli, MD, Eurocord International Registry, Paris, France, shared an overview from her team's study that found further evidence that for patients with severe sickle cell disease who have an HLA-identical sibling available as a donor, HSCT can be safe and effective.

Tetramethylenedisulfotetramine, a banned yet still available rat poison, is considered a potential terrorist weapon, largely because there is no specific antidote. Poisoning causes status epilepticus and death. Perampanel may be an antidote, researchers found.

Focal epilepsy is just one form of the condition which can affect patients of all ages. Recent research into what may cause the condition and what can be done to treat it focused on a gene known as CLOCK.

Mitchell Smith, MD, Cleveland Clinic shared highlights of his team's posters and discussed the progression of immunotherapies at the 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

Epileptic seizures that go on for 30 minutes or more put children in mortal danger. Researchers report on promising treatments, and ones that appear ineffective.

A new treatment option for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) was recently introduced, but it looks like old habits die hard when it comes to prescriptions.

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) are literally life savers for some patients with heart failure, however, the technology can be accompanied by serious risks.

Brian Bolwell, MD, Cleveland Clinic, discussed how all the information they're finding out about myeloid malignancies is very important, but also complex so making broad statements is challenging.

The phase three studies, B-LONG and Kids B-LONG, examined outcomes with a hemophilia B therapy in adults and adolescents. Now an extension study went further to verify the findings and the results were presented at the 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH 2015) in Orlando, Florida.

MRI scans of patients with intractable epilepsy showed their brains age prematurely, a study found. These patients' brains looked almost 9 years older than they really were.

Cannabidiol-a marijuana plant extract that does not have psychoactive effects-is showing promise in treatment-resistant forms of epileps

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is poorly understood. In research presented at the American Epilepsy Society 69th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, there is new evidence that mutations in genes that control heart rhythm may explain some cases.

Could personal monitoring devices give patients with epilepsy advance warning of seizures? An array of such gizmos is already available and more are coming.

Sleep disorders are common in children with Dravet syndrome, a genetic epileptic encephalopathy. Researchers call for medicating these young patients.

Ketamine, an anesthetic drug that is also being used for patients with treatment-resistant depression, may hold promise for refractory status epilepticus.

Although the increased bleeding risk in patients with both acute and chronic liver disease is recognized, strategies to predict the occurrence are lacking. A team from South Korea discussed parameters to do just that during a poster session 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH 2015) in Orlando, Florida.

At the 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting, Christine Cserti-Gazdewich, BSc, MD, Blood Transfusion Laboratory, Toronto General Hospital discussed the progress made in blood unit storage.

Two studies have already shown that a hemophilia treatment option is safe and effective, but researchers from the United Kingdom took an in-depth look to confirm these outcomes.

Christine Cserti-Gazdewich, BSc, MD, Blood Transfusion Laboratory, Toronto General Hospital, and colleagues wanted to address the burgeoning concern that the longer blood units are stored, the likelier it may be to introduce harm or simply not work as well.

When a medical condition is paired with another, it could make for a trickier situation. New research found that some diseases can significantly impact platelet function while others appear to have no effect.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is used by about 20% of epilepsy surgery programs, but not without controversy. Researchers came up with case data and showed MEG is a valid approach and useful tool.

Genetic testing is increasingly used in studying epilepsy, but few studies have looked at how patients and their families feel about getting tested from a religious standpoint.

Researchers are looking at how cannabidiol interacts with traditional anti-seizure drugs. It appears to have a synergy with one but an antagonistic effect with others.

Seth Karol, MD, St. Jude's Children's Research Center and his team focused their research on the 10-20 age group, the "sweet spot" where the bones are still finishing up development and thus going to be susceptible to therapy.

New research further supports the understanding that patients with hemophilia suffer from pain and mobility issues, and it went on to uncover which joints are most greatly affected by the condition.

Seth Karol, MD, St. Jude's Children's Research Center discussed several ways in which he and his colleagues intensified therapy over the years and referred to a key toxicity that had emerged from the two drugs they used.

Bleeding events are to be expected in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), but the average time before the first episode may be sooner than you think.

Romiplostim has been indicated for adults with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), but what about for kids? A phase three study examined the notion during a presentation at the 57th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH 2015) in Orlando, Florida.

Drugs do not usually help patients with autoimmune epilepsy but surgery may. The severity of illness appears to vary depending on which antineuronal antibodies are present.