Encephalopathy News and Research

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Steps to minimise the risk of onward transmission of vCJD

Selected groups of patients are this week being notified about the results of a risk assessment exercise for blood plasma products.

22 Sep 2004

Protein that causes juvenile Batten disease also plays a key role in normal cell function

The aberrant protein that causes juvenile Batten disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of childhood, also plays a key role in normal cell function, Duke University Medical Center researchers have found.

16 Sep 2004

One of Australia's largest hospitals has suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

The Royal Melbourne Hospital, one of Australia's largest hospitals, has contacted 1056 patients today after a man died of a suspected case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

13 Sep 2004

Up-to-date scientific reports on the geographical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued today seven up-to-date scientific reports on the Geographical Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Risk (GBR) assessments for Australia, Canada, Mexico, Norway, South Africa Sweden and the United States of America.

22 Aug 2004

Second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infection that was probably caused by blood transfusion

Research reported in The Lancet this week details the second case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) infection that was probably caused by blood transfusion. The rogue prion responsible for vCJD was identified at postmortem five years after an elderly person received a blood transfusion from a donor who later developed vCJD.

5 Aug 2004

Scientists have produced a prion protein that can trigger the development of a neurological disorder similar to "mad cow" disease

Scientists have produced a prion protein that can trigger the development of a neurological disorder in mice that is similar to "mad cow" disease, according to a new study supported by the National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

2 Aug 2004

New precautionary measures against the possible risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

The UK Department of Health (DOH) has said today that recipients of blood transfusions are to be excluded from donating blood in the future as a further precautionary measure against the possible risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD), Health Secretary John Reid announced today.

23 Jul 2004

HHS strengthen safeguards against mad cow disease

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman has announced three actions being taken to further strengthen existing safeguards that protect consumers against the agent that causes bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as “mad cow disease”).

10 Jul 2004

300,000 mad French cows since the 1980's

According to new French research reported in le figaro more than 300,000 French cows would have been infected by the agent BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ) since the 1980's.

3 Jul 2004

Americans not that bothered by Mad Cow disease

Only a small percentage of U.S. beef consumers changed their buying habits after December's Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy-positive case in Washington, according to a recent national survey from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.

30 Jun 2004

Topiramate may protect newborns from brain injury and long-term neurologic problems caused by excitotoxicity

An existing drug already approved by the FDA may protect newborns from brain injury and long-term neurologic problems caused by excitotoxicity, or over-activation of neurons, report two NIH-funded studies from Children's Hospital Boston.

14 Jun 2004

Possible new type of zoonose in England

A short item was considered by the UK Zoonoses Group on a nervous condition in a heifer which had suffered partial leg paralysis. It was initially diagnosed as suspected botulism.

9 Jun 2004

Anemia is a major determinant of fatigue in patients with cirrhosis

Fatigue is a common complaint among patients with cirrhosis with many possible contributing factors, including severity of liver disease, anemia, and cardiopulmonary complications.

27 May 2004

Signs of liver disease also improve in conjunction with alterations to gut flora

Some cirrhotic patients develop brain dysfunction, called hepatic encephalopathy, which causes deficits in behavior, intelligence, consciousness and neuromuscular function.

14 May 2004

No evidence of CJD associated with the Garden State Racetrack

The Department of Health and Senior Services released a report today on an investigation of a suspected cluster of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) associated with the Garden State Racetrack.

8 May 2004

Mad cow sent to slaughterhouse

On Friday, April 30th, the Food and Drug Administration learned that a cow with central nervous system symptoms had been killed and shipped to a processor for rendering into animal protein for use in animal feed.

7 May 2004

Heart pumps better than medical therapy in keeping heart failure patients alive

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) – heart pumps – worked better than medical therapy in keeping seriously ill congestive heart failure patients alive, despite an increased risk of neurological complications, researchers report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

6 May 2004

Experts conclude plans to control zoonoses, diseases transmitted from animals to humans

International experts today concluded a three-day international consultation on zoonoses, held by the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), in collaboration with the Dutch Health Council.

6 May 2004

Jefferson scientists learn how HIV causes dementia

Ever since the AIDS epidemic began more than two decades ago, scientists have been trying to understand why as many as one-quarter of those infected with HIV develop dementia.

19 Apr 2004

Consumer trust in food is high in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway, but low in Italy and Portugal

Consumer trust in food is high in the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Norway, but low in Italy and Portugal and relatively low in Germany. Research also shows that consumers in these countries are most sceptical about meat products, fast-food outlets and food processors.

5 Apr 2004