Month: February 2008

Menigitis is an inflammation of the meninges which are the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. Most of the time, the inflammation is caused by bacteria or viruses while the less common causes include fungi, protozoa, and other parasites. Sometimes certain medications, cancers, or other diseases can inflame the meninges, although such noninfectious cases of meningitis are very rare. Bacterial menigitis occurs in people of all ages but is more common in infants and young children and people above age 60. Teenagers and young adults are slightly more at risk for the disease because of time spent in close contact with many of their peers. Viral meningitis occurs in people of all ages, although it is more common in children. Many of the bacteria or viruses that can cause meningitis are fairly common and are more often associated … Read more

Definition: An increase in normal brain pressure can be due to an increase in cerebrospinal fluid pressure. It can also be due to increased pressure within the brain matter caused by lesions (such as a tumor) or swelling within the brain matter itself. Alternative Names: ICP; Intracranial pressure – increased Causes, incidence, and risk factors: An increase in your intracranial pressure is a severe medical problem. The pressure itself can be responsible for further damage to the central nervous system by causing compression of important brain structures and by restricting blood flow through blood vessels that supply the brain. Many conditions can increase intracranial pressure. Common causes include: severe head injury subdural hematoma hydrocephalus brain tumor hypertensive brain hemorrhage intraventricular hemorrhage menigitis encephalitis aneurysm rupture and subarachnoid hemorrhage status epilepticus stroke Symptoms: Infants: bulging fontanelle separated sutures lethargy vomiting Older children and … Read more

A Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator, more commonly referred to as a TENS unit is an electronic device that produces electrical signals used to stimulate nerves. he current may be delivered intermittently. The mild electrical current generates heat that serves to relieve stiffness, improve mobility, and relieve pain. The treatment is believed to stimulate the body’s production of endorphins or natural pain killers. TENS units are sometimes used in an attempt to alleviate neuropathic pain. Although results are modest, some patients benefit from this approach. However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that TENS therapy was no more effective against chronic lower back pain than a placebo. To find out more visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcutaneous_Electrical_Nerve_Stimulator

New research at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center suggests that a three-drug cocktail may one day improve outcomes in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a type of brain tumor with a dismal prognosis. Two of the drug candidates have been developed, and the team is working on the third — all targeted to kill or impair cancer cells and spare healthy brain.Waldemar Debinski, M.D., Ph.D., senior researcher and director of the Wake Forest Brain Tumor Center of Excellence, predicts that the cocktail could be tested in patients within five years. The treatment would be based on the first-ever documented “molecular signature” of GBM tumors. The researchers had previously reported that three different proteins are found in high levels individually in these cancers. In the current study, reported in Clinical Cancer Research, they examined 76 specimens of brain tumor, including … Read more