Discovery of mechanism controlling Tourette Syndrome tics
A mechanism in the brain which controls tics in children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) has been discovered by scientists at The University of Nottingham.The study, which has been published in the British Psychological Society's Journal of Neuropsychology, could herald new non-drug therapies to help young people with TS overcome the repetitive physical movements and vocal sounds which characterise their condition.The work was funded with a £150,000 grant from the James Tudor Foundation and was carried out by PhD student Amelia Draper. (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - December 14, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology / Neuroscience Source Type: news
Clonidine and other central alpha-2 agonists: can one pill kill a toddler?
3 out of 5 stars
Unintentional Pediatric Exposures to Central Alpha-2 Agonists Reported to the National Poison Data System. Wang GS et al. J Pediatr 2013 Oc 1 [Epub ahead of print]
Abstract
Central alpha-2 agonists — clonidine, guanfacine, and tizanidine — are increasingly being used for approved and off-label indications, including hypertension, muscle spasms, tics, and opioid withdrawal. Extended-release forms of guanfacine (Intuniv) and clonidine (Kapvay) have been approved for treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
These drugs are selective agonists at the central presynaptic alpha-2 adrener...
Source: The Poison Review - November 9, 2013 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical central alpha-2 agonist clonidine guanfacine intuniv kapvay kill one pill pediatric tizanidine Source Type: news
Zebrafish may predict therapy response to prostate cancer
Researchers have investigated the use of zebrafish to identify self-renewing tumor stem cells in prostate cancer, and they say the model could be more beneficial for predicting therapy response, compared with traditional experimental models. According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer - cancer of the prostate gland - is the second most common cancer in American men. Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey say that prostate cancers contain self-renewing tumor stem cells called tumor-initiating cells (TICs)... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)
Source: Health News from Medical News Today - October 30, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Prostate / Prostate Cancer Source Type: news
Treatment of depression in children 'needs improving'
“Children as young as five are now suffering from depression,” says The Daily Telegraph, while the Daily Mail reports on the “worrying rise in the number of children with depression,” saying that almost 80,000 children are now affected.
While these figures are cause for concern, they do not represent a sudden worsening of the problems of childhood depression. The statistics on childhood mental health are actually taken from a 2004 report into child mental health.
The figures were quoted in a press release that accompanied new “quality standards” for the care of depression in children and young people publishe...
Source: NHS News Feed - September 30, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Pregnancy/child QA articles Source Type: news
Myths & Truths about Tourette Syndrome
This study also found a decrease in tics in adults who received CBIT.
Unfortunately, behavior therapy isn’t widely available. Medication is used more frequently to treat tics. Doctors typically prescribe clonidine or guanfacine as the first line of treatment, Woods said. They also may prescribe atypical antipsychotics, such as risperidone, he added.
4. Myth: Teaching kids to suppress one tic will trigger more or different tics.
Fact: Research has found that when kids successfully suppress their tics, they don’t experience an increase in tics. One study even found that after the suppression condition, tics decreased by...
Source: Psych Central - August 29, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. Tags: Atypical Antipsychotics Children and Teens Disorders General Medications Psychotherapy Self-Help Treatment Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Behavior Therapy CBIT Clinical Psychologist Commo Source Type: news
Specieswatch: Wood ant
Colonies of wood ants, which inhabit Britain's ancient woods and pine forests, are at their most active at this time of year. Workers are surprisingly large, more than a centimetre long, and will be aggressive if disturbed. Colonies up to 500,000 build nests up to two metres high. These need to be approached with care if you want to avoid being bitten and have the wounds sprayed with formic acid. Those who intend to get close are advised to wear trousers with cycle clips.The most common wood ant, Formica rufa, is widespread in older woods in England and Wales. There are three related but much rarer species in Scotland. It ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - August 26, 2013 Category: Science Authors: Paul Brown Tags: The Guardian Features Insects Environment Science News Source Type: news
Getting Help for Your Child with ADHD & Prognosis
Where does one turn when they fear that their child or teenage son or daughter is suffering from attention hyperactivity deficit disorder (ADHD)? Most families turn to their family physician or pediatrician for help, which is usually a good first step. Such health care professionals are usually able to make the initial assessment.
A reliable diagnosis and effective treatment of ADHD, however, is best made and carried out by a trained and experienced mental health professional who specializes in helping children and teens with attention deficit disorder. Such professionals are usually child psychologists, child psychiatris...
Source: Psych Central - July 8, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Attention Deficit Disorder Children and Teens Disorders General Adhd Adhd Assessment Adhd Doctors Brain Injury Brain Trauma Check Ups Child Psychiatrist Child Psychiatrists Child Psychologist Child Psychologists Child Therapist Source Type: news
Problems & Diagnoses Related to Childhood ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often does not occur alone in children and teens. Common co-occurring problems include learning disabilities, disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder.
When your child or teen is affected by additional mental health concerns, these will generally be treated in conjunction with ADHD. The best treatment for your child’s or teen’s mental health concerns is through a partnership with a well-qualified and experienced mental health professional, such as a child psychologist.
Learning Disabilities
Somewhere around 1-in-4 children with ADH...
Source: Psych Central - July 8, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: John M. Grohol, Psy.D. Tags: Attention Deficit Disorder Children and Teens Disorders General Adhd Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Adhd Treatment Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Adhd Child Psychologist Children With Adhd Defiant Behavior Disorder Source Type: news
Movement Disorder Docs Meet Down Under
SYDNEY (MedPage Today) -- Parkinson's disease will get the main spotlight at the annual meeting of the Movement Disorder Society next week, but dystonia, tics, ataxia, spasticity, and other disorders will share the stage here. (Source: MedPage Today Geriatrics)
Source: MedPage Today Geriatrics - June 14, 2013 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: news
We may stop the clocks, but never nature's own tics
Our internal clocks tell us when to sleep and when to eat - and we ignore them at our peril, says Steve Jones (Source: Telegraph Health)
Source: Telegraph Health - March 26, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
AAN: Old Drug Safe in Tourette, New Drug Relieves Tics (CME/CE)
SAN DIEGO (MedPage Today) -- An old-line antipsychotic drug may be safer for treating Tourette syndrome than previously thought, while a novel agent could provide an entirely new approach to treating the condition. (Source: MedPage Today Psychiatry)
Source: MedPage Today Psychiatry - March 20, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Source Type: news
TV highlights 08/01/2013
Stargazing Live | Death In Paradise | The Undateables | Primeval: New World | Taboo | PramfaceStargazing Live8pm, BBC2In what looks like it will be an annual fixture, Professor Brian Cox scans the night skies with that infectiously awestruck, half-moon smile of his. He's accompanied once more by comedian Dara Ó Briain, who makes for an effective sidekick with his comic rather than cosmic background and demeanour. He is shown how to spot and take pictures of celestial marvels, followed by half an hour of discussion with an invited audience over what hidden glories the telescope has revealed. David StubbsDeath In Paradise9p...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - January 7, 2013 Category: Science Authors: David Stubbs, Martin Skegg, Hannah Verdier, Ali Catterall, Ben Arnold Tags: The Guardian Astronomy Culture Television & radio Brian Cox Editorial Science amp; radio Source Type: news
