Encephalopathy News and Research

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Xifaxan drug receives FDA approval

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the use of Xifaxan for reduction in the risk of the recurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in patients with advanced liver disease.

25 Mar 2010

Special issue of NeuroRehabilitation journal devoted to HI-BI published

IOS Press announces publication of a special issue of NeuroRehabilitation: An International Journal devoted specifically to hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HI-BI), a significant disruption of brain function due to a deficient supply of oxygen to the brain.

24 Feb 2010

Enrollment complete in Ocera Therapeutics' ASTUTE Phase 2B trial for mild hepatic encephalopathy

Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that the ASTUTE Study (AST-120 Used to Treat Hepatic Encephalopathy) has completed enrollment for its Phase 2B study ahead of schedule, with data expected mid 2010.

24 Feb 2010

FDA Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee supports approval of XIFAXAN 550 mg for management of HE

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today reported that the Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA has recommended by a vote of 14 to 4 in favor of the approval of XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) Tablets, 550 mg for the maintenance of remission of hepatic encephalopathy (HE).

23 Feb 2010

NASDAQ halts trading of Salix Pharmaceuticals stock, FDA Committee to discuss XIFAXAN NDA

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. today announced that NASDAQ has halted trading of the Company’s common stock this morning. The Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA is meeting today to discuss the efficacy and safety of the New Drug Application (NDA) for XIFAXAN® (rifaximin) Tablets, 550 mg for the maintenance of remission of hepatic encephalopathy.

23 Feb 2010

Pall launches Leukotrap Affinity Plus Prion and Leukocyte Reduction Filter System

Pall Corporation, a global leader in filtration, separation and purification, today announced the launch of the Leukotrap® Affinity Plus Prion and Leukocyte Reduction Filter System. The new blood filter reduces prions and leukocytes in a single step.

From Pall Corporation 3 Feb 2010

Normal protein can be converted into prion that causes fatal brain diseases in humans

Scientists have determined how a normal protein can be converted into a prion, an infectious agent that causes fatal brain diseases in humans and mammals.

29 Jan 2010

Hyperion Therapeutics commences enrollment in its HPN-100 episodic hepatic encephalopathy trial

Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that the first patient has been enrolled in its phase II clinical trial of investigational compound HPN-100 (glycerol phenylbutyrate).

3 Dec 2009

University of Leeds scientists' discovery could lead to new treatment route for BSE and CJD

A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) could be a step closer thanks to a discovery by scientists at the University of Leeds.

20 Nov 2009

Aethlon Medical begins collaborative biomarker program to study neurodegenerative disease

Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: AEMD) announced today that it has initiated a collaborative biomarker discovery program with the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine and the Sports Legacy Institute (SLI).

3 Nov 2009

Effects of head injuries on players in the NFL: House Judiciary Committee's call to experts

The House Judiciary Committee today called upon national experts and stakeholders in the fields of science and sport to better understand the effects of head injuries on players in the National Football League (NFL). Nationally recognized sports physician and neurosurgeon, Julian E. Bailes, M.D. was called to provide expert testimony based on decades of research detailing how repetitive head trauma on the field leads to long-term neurological damage among athletes.

29 Oct 2009

CTE cases are misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease, says CSTE researchers

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) announced today that a recently deceased member of the NFL Hall of Fame suffered from the degenerative brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) when he died, becoming the 10th former NFL player diagnosed with the disease.

29 Oct 2009

Patients with chronic hepatitis C can benefit by drinking coffee

Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who drink three or more cups of coffee per day have a 53% lower risk of liver disease progression than non-coffee drinkers according to a new study led by Neal Freedman, Ph.D., MPH, from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

20 Oct 2009

Experts to develop effective surveillance system to monitor emerging infections at global level

Avian influenza (H5N1), rabies, plague, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and more recently swine flu (H1N1) are all examples of diseases that have made the leap from animals to humans.

8 Oct 2009

Study reveals large structural differences between natural prions and man-made synthetic analogs

A collaboration between scientists at Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Francisco has led to the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions. In addition, the study has revealed surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs that scientists have created in the lab.

7 Oct 2009

Study reveals information about molecular structure of prions

6 Oct 2009

Researchers uncover evolutionary ancestry of prion gene

A University of Toronto-led team has uncovered the evolutionary ancestry of the prion gene, which may reveal new understandings of how the prion protein causes diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease."

30 Sep 2009

Benefits and harms of screening infants for hyperbilirubinemia still unclear

According to a new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, there is insufficient evidence to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening infants for hyperbilirubinemia to prevent chronic bilirubin encephalopathy. Hyperbilirubinemia is a condition marked by a high level of bilirubin in the blood, which is often apparent as yellow-colored skin and eyes (jaundice).

29 Sep 2009

Higher rate of motor vehicle crashes in MHE patients

A recent study by Jasmohan Bajaj, M.D., and colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University and McGuire VA Medical Center found that patients with cirrhosis of the liver who developed minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) had a 16% rate of motor vehicle crashes compared to only 4% of those without MHE over one year.

10 Sep 2009

BRNI announces agreement to advance research on brain and neurological disorders

The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI) announced today an agreement with a group of neurological specialists (Brain Injury Group) to examine possible confluences of the Group's work with brain injuries, head trauma, and strokes and BRNI's research.

2 Sep 2009