Drugs/Therapy
Drugs/Therapy
Latest News
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Deep brain stimulation provides sustained relief for severe depression
By Staff Reporter | Mar 20, 2019 08:23 AM EDTWorld's largest study of deep brain stimulation in the brain's reward system Study with 16 participants with previously treatment-resistant depression shows excellent results over one year Results published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology Patients suffering from severe, treatment-resistant depression can benefit not only acutely but also the long-term from deep brain stimulation, as researchers from the Medical Center - University of Freiburg and their colleagues from the University Hospital Bonn demonstrate in a current study. The team used thin electrodes to stimulate a deep seated part of the reward system in the brains of 16 patients. This led to a significant reduction of ratings of depression severity in all patients, it was reduced by half on average. For half of the study participants it was even reduced below the level regarded as the threshold for a depression requiring treatment. Most of the patients experienced those positive stimulation effects within the first week, and they lasted throughout the course of the one-year study. The study was published online in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology on Thursday, 14 March 2019. "The most compelling outcome from the study is the sustained efficacy in very severely ill patients. Most treatments in psychiatry cease to be efficacious after moths and years, we demonstrated for the first time in demonstrating in a relatively large-scale study that deep brain stimulation is a real option for those patients suffering from treatment-resistant, severe depression," says group leader Prof. Dr. Thomas Schläpfer, head of the Division of Interventional Biological Psychiatry at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. Success after Dozens of Unsuccessful Treatments An estimated 10 to 30 percent of all people with recurring depression do not respond to approved treatments. Deep brain stimulation could be a treatment option for some of these patients. The 16 participants in the FORSEE-II study had suffered from severe depression for 8 to 22 years and had previously undergone an average of 18 drug therapies, 20 electroconvulsive therapies, and 70 hours of psychotherapy - without success. Prof. Dr. Volker A. Coenen, first author of the study and director of the Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery Unit at the Department of Neurosurgery of the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, and his team implanted the deep brain stimulation systems in the patients medial forebrain bundle of the brain and used them to stimulate the medial forebrain bundle. This brain region is involved in the perception and regulation of pleasure and reward and is thus also significant for motivation and the perceived quality of life. Clear Relief Often within Days The doctors evaluated the success of the therapy monthly with the help of the established Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The MADRS scores of ten study participants already decreased significantly within the first week and remained at a low level. All study participants reacted to the stimulation in the course of the study. Eight of the 16 patients had a MADRS score of under 10 points at the end of the study and thus were regarded as non-depressive. "Our patients had struggled with severe depression for years with no signs of improvement. Deep brain stimulation brought most of them significant relief within days, which lasted throughout the course of the therapy. Other forms of treatment like medication and psychotherapy often lose their effectiveness over the course of time. Absolutely sensational about the study data is that the effect seems to be long lasting, with the positive effects continuing for years", says Prof. Schläpfer. "We know from a pilot study that the stimulation of this brain region is very promising and we are delighted about the replication of these significant effects," says Prof. Coenen. Hopes for European Approval of the Method On the basis of the results of the just-published study, the Freiburg researchers already began work on their third study (FORESEE-III) in October 2018. It will involve the treatment of 50 severely depressed patients. Fifteen patients have already been operated. "If the follow-up study is as successful as the current one, we have high hopes for receiving European approval of the method," says Prof. Schläpfer.
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It's no Fortnite, but it's helping stroke survivors move again
By Staff Reporter | Mar 20, 2019 08:19 AM EDT'Gamified' new rehab therapy helps severely impaired stroke survivors regain arm mobility
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Hormone therapy may increase cardiovascular risk during gender transition
By Staff Reporter | Feb 25, 2019 11:08 AM ESTPatients receiving hormone therapy as part of their gender-transition treatment had an elevated risk for cardiovascular events, including strokes, heart attacks and blood clots, according to a study published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.
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Antibody therapy training phagocytes to destroy tumors now tested on patients
By Staff Reporter | Feb 25, 2019 11:03 AM ESTDeveloped by researchers at the University of Turku in Finland, an immunotherapeutic antibody therapy re-educates macrophages to activate passivated cytotoxic T cells to kill cancer.
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Promising new therapies for food allergies: A research update
By Staff Reporter | Feb 25, 2019 10:49 AM ESTPromising new therapies for food allergies are on the horizon, including experimental immunotherapy awaiting federal approval that enables people who are very allergic to eat peanut protein without suffering serious side effects.
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Novel gene therapy approach creates new route to tackle rare, inherited diseases
By Staff Reporter | Feb 20, 2019 09:23 AM ESTNonsense mutations are single-letter errors in the genetic code that prematurely halt the production of critical proteins.
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Advancing therapy by measuring the 'games' cancer cells play
By Staff Reporter | Feb 19, 2019 08:55 AM ESTDespite rapid advances in targeted therapies for cancer, tumors commonly develop resistance to treatment.
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AASM publishes clinical practice guideline on use of PAP therapy for sleep apnea
By Staff Reporter | Feb 19, 2019 08:49 AM ESTA new clinical practice guideline from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) provides guidance to clinicians on the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults.
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Drinking and drug-use dreams in recovery tied to more severe addiction history
By Staff Reporter | Feb 13, 2019 09:18 AM ESTFrequency of these relapse dreams decreases as the body and brain adapt to abstinence
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Relationship counseling encourages couples HIV testing
By Staff Reporter | Feb 08, 2019 10:11 AM ESTIt's long been known that couples HIV testing and counseling is an effective way to mutually disclose HIV status and link to health care--unfortunately, couples don't use it even though it's widely available.
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Gene therapy cassettes improved for muscular dystrophy
By Staff Reporter | Feb 04, 2019 08:29 AM ESTThe next-generation versions made muscles stronger and avoided causing contraction injuries in an animal model of the disease
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Cancer patients can quit smoking through lengthened medication time, counseling support
By Staff Reporter | Feb 02, 2019 10:56 AM ESTQuitting smoking can significantly improve the effectiveness of cancer treatment, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, yet almost half of cancer patients continue to smoke after they've been diagnosed.
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Medical cannabis relieves symptoms in children with autism
By Staff Reporter | Feb 01, 2019 09:24 AM ESTIn a new study of patients with autism who are 18 years old and under, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Soroka University Medical Center report that cannabis as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders appears to be a well-tolerated, safe and effective option to relieve symptoms including seizures, tics, depression, restlessness, and rage attacks.
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Better outcomes in depression therapy with new innovations in treatment planning
By Staff Reporter | Jan 30, 2019 09:43 AM ESTTherapists should routinely monitor depression symptoms during psychotherapy and intervene early for insufficient responders
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West Virginia study details promising method for estimating rural intravenous drug use
By Staff Reporter | Jan 28, 2019 09:22 AM ESTResearchers release a new tool to help rural communities understand the resources needed to combat the opioid epidemic
