Goodell: Some don't recognize bounties must end

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says his biggest regret about the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal is that he can't get everyone to recognize bounties need to be eliminated from the game.

Goodell said he hasn't been able to make the point clearly enough with the players' union and others that the league will not tolerate pay for hard hits.

He said the league, coaches, executives and players all share the responsibility for eliminating bounties from football.

He vowed to be "incredibly relentless" about pushing the point moving forward.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/goodell-dont-recognize-bounties-must-end-182350255--nfl.html

goldman sachs brandon carr knicks coach encyclopedia britannica pi white lion mike d antoni resigns

Needless abdominal CT scans can be avoided in children, study says

Feb. 1, 2013 ? A study of more than 12,000 children from emergency departments throughout the country in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) has identified seven factors that can help physicians determine the need for a computed tomography (CT) scan following blunt trauma to the abdomen. Because CT scans pose radiation hazards for youngsters, the findings may enable doctors to determine which children do not need to be exposed to such tests after a traumatic injury.

The study is online first in advance of an upcoming issue of the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

"CT scans involve significant radiation risk, especially for children, who are more vulnerable than adults to radiation's effects," said principal investigator and lead author of the study James Holmes, a professor of emergency medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. "We have now identified a population of pediatric patients that does not typically benefit from a CT scan, which is an important step in reducing radiation exposure."

The prospective study involved children who arrived at emergency departments in the PECARN network after blunt trauma to their torsos, such as sustained from a car or bicycle crash, a fall or an assault. A variety of factors related to the children's histories and clinical presentations were evaluated. Among these, seven were identified by statistical analysis to correlate with risk for involving a clinically important injury. The factors included evidence of trauma on the abdomen or chest (such as seat-belt marks), neurological changes, abdominal pain or tenderness, abnormal breath sounds and vomiting.

Children who had none of the factors when evaluated in the emergency department had only a 0.1 percent chance of having an abdominal injury that required acute intervention. For the great majority of these cases, therefore, a CT scan would not likely provide additional useful information. According to the authors, the risk of developing a future cancer from radiation exposure from a CT scan in this situation (i.e., when lacking all seven factors) outweighs the risk of having a significant medical problem from the abdominal injury.

The authors stated that the prediction rule is intended only to help "rule out" the need for CT for children when none of the seven factors is present. However, the rule does not mandate a CT solely based on any one of the factors being present. If the prediction rule were used in that way, CT usage would actually increase over current levels. The authors emphasized that clinical judgment must play an important role in determining whether a CT is needed in each case. Extending the period of observation in the emergency department, and using findings from laboratory tests and ultrasonography, can also contribute to decision-making in cases of abdominal trauma.

According to Holmes, the prediction rule must be tested in another clinical trial designed specifically to evaluate its validity before being generally adopted. He expects that this will be carried out in the near future.

Another related ongoing study at UC Davis Medical Center is investigating the role of ultrasonography in the evaluation of abdominal trauma in children, and whether increasing its usage can lead to further reduction of the need for CT scans.

This study also was conducted through PECARN, a network of pediatric emergency departments throughout the United States that enables researchers to gather enough data to perform significant studies on critical issues in pediatric emergency medicine. PECARN studies have previously led to new standards of care for infants or children presenting with head trauma, diabetic crisis and infections.

"Because of PECARN, we are uniquely positioned to perform large studies that can provide important information," said Nathan Kuppermann, senior investigator of the study, who is professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the UC Davis School of Medicine. "The results of such studies are making emergency medicine decision-making more of a science and leading to better and safer outcomes for children."

Kuppermann is founding chair of PECARN and leads one of the network's research nodes, which is centered at UC Davis Medical Center and includes the children's hospitals of the University of Utah and University of Pennsylvania.

Other UC Davis Medical Center investigators involved in the study are Peter Sokolove, professor of emergency medicine, David Wisner, professor of surgery, and Sandra Wootton-Gorges, professor and medical director of radiology at the ShrinersHospital for Children Northern California. Other authors were from emergency departments in Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. A complete listing of the authors and their affiliations can be found in the article.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of California - Davis Health System.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. James F. Holmes, Kathleen Lillis, David Monroe, Dominic Borgialli, Benjamin T. Kerrey, Prashant Mahajan, Kathleen Adelgais, Angela M. Ellison, Kenneth Yen, Shireen Atabaki, Jay Menaker, Bema Bonsu, Kimberly S. Quayle, Madelyn Garcia, Alexander Rogers, Stephen Blumberg, Lois Lee, Michael Tunik, Joshua Kooistra, Maria Kwok, Lawrence J. Cook, J. Michael Dean, Peter E. Sokolove, David H. Wisner, Peter Ehrlich, Arthur Cooper, Peter S. Dayan, Sandra Wootton-Gorges, Nathan Kuppermann. Identifying Children at Very Low Risk of Clinically Important Blunt Abdominal Injuries. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 2013; DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2012.11.009

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/EzDIoClzZvQ/130201132330.htm

whitney houston whitney houston autopsy results obama trayvon jim yong kim michael bush the host trailer whitney houston cause of death

Applebee's brouhaha: Readers take sides

Herb Weisbaum, NBC News contributor ? ? ? 2 hrs.

Reaction is growing to the story of an Applebee?s waitress fired this week for posting a customer?s receipt online. It?s raised the issue of customer privacy, corporate policy and how to treat the people who serve us and count on tips as part of their income.

As we reported on Thursday, a waitress at an Applebee?s franchise in the St. Louis area waited on a table, and as is customary for parties larger than eight, the bill came with an automatic 18 percent tip added. That didn?t sit well with the person paying the bill, Pastor Alois Bell of the World Deliverance Ministries Church in Granite City, Ill.

Pastor Bell crossed out the automatic tip and wrote ?0? on the receipt, along with this message: ?I give God 10% why do you get 18??

Applebee?s says another waitress, one who did not wait on that table, took a photo of the bill and uploaded it to Reddit, where it soon went viral.

The pastor complained to the restaurant manager, and Chelsea Welch, the waitress who posted the receipt (which included the pastor?s signature), was fired.

?I thought the note was insulting, but it was also comical,? Welch told TheConsumerist. ?I posted it to Reddit because I thought other users would find it entertaining.?

Pastor Bell has apologized for her action. She told The Smoking Gun that she did leave a $6.29 cash tip (that?s 18 percent) on the table.

?My heart is really broken,? she told them. ?I?ve brought embarrassment to my church and my ministry.?

NBC News shared this story with the Emily Post Institute, the experts on social and business etiquette.

?The customer was absolutely out of line,? said Anna Post. ?In my opinion, what the pastor did was not only rude, but the message was just snarky. What she did was wrong. I appreciate that there are people who are frustrated with how tipping works in America; this is not the answer.?

In other words, for the servers at a restaurant, that tip is part of his/her salary.

?That?s why it?s so egregious not to leave an appropriate tip,? Post said. She pointed out that tithing is different than tipping.

?When you go into a restaurant in the U.S., you are essentially entering into a social contract that you will tip ? usually a minimum of 15 percent ? for the service rendered. Frankly, in most places now it?s 20 percent these days. So, an 18 percent tip might have been a little on the low side.?

And what about what the waitress did?

Post told me she understands why Welch might want to share something like this, but she warned that whenever you put something online that relates to your job, there can be negative consequences.

Many of you have shared your thoughts on my Facebook page. Here are just a few of the comments I?ve received so far.

• Rachel Quezada wrote: ?Shame on the pastor and shame on the waitress, too.?
• Charles A Lewis: ?The Pastor should be ashamed of herself, and the young lady should not have been fired.?
• Nicholas Worden: ?Most people in the service industry make minimum wage (or less), and depend on the tips from the customers. Since this pastor obviously hates leaving a tip, then maybe she should stick to McDonalds where she stands in line to order!?
• Linda Brown: ?If the pastor wishes to follow in Jesus' steps, the pastor should plead for the waitress to get her job back. The loss of work may be a terrible financial burden on the woman. That is not very Christian.?
• Jennifer Witters-Hopkins: ?The waitress should have been given a warning and the so-called pastor a bible lesson.?

Today, Applebee?s posted detailed information on its Facebook page about the action taken by its franchisee and noted that the company has a clear policy in the employee handbook about social media:

?Employees must honor the privacy rights of Applebee's and its employees by seeking permission before writing about or displaying internal Applebee's happenings that might be considered to be a breach of privacy and confidentiality. This shall include, but not be limited to, posting of photographs, video, or audio of Applebee's employees or its customers, suppliers, agents or competitors, without first obtaining written approval from the Vice President of Operations. The company said employees are told that if they violate this policy, they will be subject to ?disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.?

More information:

Herb Weisbaum is The ConsumerMan. Follow him on Facebook and Twitteror visit The ConsumerMan website.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/applebees-brouhaha-readers-take-sides-1B8218082

npr rush limbaugh rush limbaugh karl rove Election 2012 Results polling place washington post

Gay-rights backers wait for their Jackie Robinson

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver answers questions Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans, regarding anti-gay remarks he made during Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Culliver apologized for the comments he made to a comedian, saying "that's not what I feel in my heart." The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver answers questions Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans, regarding anti-gay remarks he made during Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Culliver apologized for the comments he made to a comedian, saying "that's not what I feel in my heart." The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, seated at top, answers questions Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans, regarding anti-gay remarks he made during Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Culliver apologized for the comments he made to a comedian, saying "that's not what I feel in my heart." The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver answers questions Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans, regarding anti-gay remarks he made during Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Culliver apologized for the comments he made to a comedian, saying "that's not what I feel in my heart." The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver (29) takes a seat to answer questions Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, in New Orleans, regarding anti-gay remarks he made during Super Bowl media day Tuesday. Culliver apologized for the comments he made to a comedian during an interview, saying "that's not what I feel in my heart." The 49ers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game on Feb. 3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) ? Brendon Ayanbadejo has heard from many players who applaud his support of gay marriage ? some of them teammates, others from the opposing side of the line.

Then, just days before the biggest game of the year, he received a striking reminder of the macho attitudes that still prevail in the NFL.

San Francisco cornerback Chris Culliver said he wouldn't welcome a gay player on his team. Even though he quickly backtracked, the comments underscored what Ayanbadejo already believed:

The league is still a long way from embracing its first openly gay player.

"It's going to take a very courageous person to come out," said Ayanbadejo, a backup linebacker and special teams ace for the Baltimore Ravens.

Culliver apologized Thursday, maintaining that what he said during an interview with comedian Artie Lange during Super Bowl media day ? videotaped and posted on the Internet ? were not his true beliefs.

"That's not what I feel in my heart," the defensive back said.

But Ayanbadejo (EYN'-beh-day-joe), who stirred debate this season by backing a gay-rights amendment in his adopted state of Maryland, estimates that at least half the NFL's players would agree with what Culliver said, at least privately.

Responding to a series of crude questions from Lange, Culliver said the 49ers didn't have any gay players, and if they did those players should leave. "Can't be with that sweet stuff," he said, seemingly unaware that his comments would ever get back to San Francisco and the Bay Area, home to a large gay community.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone. They were very ugly comments," Culliver said. "Hopefully I will learn and grow from this experience and this situation. I love San Francisco."

Whether he was honestly expressing his true feelings or trying to limit the damage, the comments prompted plenty of discussion about a larger issue: Is the NFL ? or any major pro sport in the U.S. ? ready to accept a player who comes out?

Several retired athletes have acknowledged their homosexuality after their careers were over. But no one has revealed it while actually suiting up, no doubt mindful of the divisiveness it might cause in the locker room.

"I'd say 50 percent of the people (in the NFL) think like Culliver. I'd say 25 percent of the people think like me. And 25 percent of the people are religious. They don't necessarily agree with all the things I agree with, but they're accepting," Ayanbadejo said. "So it's a fight. It's an uphill battle."

For Ayanbadejo, taking a strong stand on heated issues is just part of his makeup. The 36-year-old grew up in northern California ? less than an hour from the 49ers current training facility ? and learned at an early age from his family to treat all people with tolerance and respect. He remembers marveling at the skill of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis, then finding out later he was gay.

"I thought it was awesome he could go out there and do his thing," Ayanbadejo said. "No matter who you are or what you're doing, if you're doing something you love, you should be able to do that and express who you are."

That's why he thought it important to come out in support of gay marriage in Maryland, an issue that put him at odds with a vocal state lawmaker who opposed the measure. The amendment was passed by the voters in November, and Ayanbadejo was pleasantly surprised that a number of players ? even from other teams ? gave him a pat on his back.

Of course, there were others who didn't agree ? many of them in his own locker room. Safety Bernard Pollard is among those who doesn't support gay marriage, though he insisted it doesn't affect his relationship with Ayanbadejo.

"Everybody's entitled to their own opinion," Pollard said. "Ayanbadejo has taken a position to back everything that's going on there (in Maryland). There's a lot of guys that disagree.

"But, you know, we can all disagree, and be perfectly fine. He knows I don't back what he's doing. I don't stand for it. But at the same time, that doesn't take away from us being teammates. I still respect him as a man. I'm never going to demean him. He's never going to demean me. He's got his thing, and I've got mine."

Ayanbadejo was asked what kind of player ? and person ? it would take to be the first openly gay athlete in the NFL. He said it would have to be someone along the lines of Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in baseball and, coincidentally, would have been 94 on Thursday.

"If you're an amazing player, acceptance is going to come a lot easier," the Ravens linebacker said. "People would be like, 'Man, I didn't know gay people were such amazing athletes.' Uh, yeah, it's not that farfetched. But some people think like that."

San Francisco safety Donte Whitner, another strong supporter of gay rights, said a number of factors would have to be lined up perfectly before a gay player could make the call to come out.

"It depends on what team he's on, what market he's in and the character of the guys in the locker room," he said. "The character of the guys in the locker room is important. You can feel a lot more comfortable about coming out if there's guys in there to back you up."

Interestingly enough, considering it was a teammate who stirred up the issue during Super Bowl week, Whitner said the 49ers would probably be one of the most accepting squads.

"I believe there would be no issues with our team," he said. "I believe San Francisco would probably be the best city to do it in."

Niners CEO Jed York said he needs to become a leader on the issue of gay rights. After the Super Bowl, he intends to set up a meeting between Culliver and members of the LGBT community in the Bay area.

"I can't force anybody to think or to act the way that I want them to," York said. "But what I can do is give them the opportunity to experience other cultures, other communities."

While Ayanbadejo praised the efforts of NFL executives like York, as well as the backing he received from his own team on the gay-marriage issue, the first player to come out will surely face plenty of obstacles.

"I think it would be tough," 49ers receiver Randy Moss said. "That person would get ridiculed and just beat up verbally. I don't know if they'd be able to handle it."

But Moss said it's time ? past time, really ? for everyone in the NFL to acknowledge that gay players have always been part of the league. And, he added, to realize they're not going to hide their true feelings forever.

"It's not going anywhere," Moss said. "We're all the same people. What is it ? a 16th of an inch of our skin color ? that separates us from one another? I don't really look at gays in sports as a problem. We just need to accept it and move on."

___

AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley, Howard Fendrich and Barry Wilner contributed to this report.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-01-31-FBN-Super-Bowl-Gay-Rights/id-fa77fe600864438584ea3b62cff019df

Misty May And Kerri Walsh Jake Dalton London 2012 field hockey Missy Franklin Hunter Pence NBCOlympics Danell Leyva

Super Bowl Social Media: A Touchdown Pass for National Brands ...

Super Bowl advertising spots are one of the most sought after 30 seconds in television each year. With the event having an estimated viewership of well over 110 million, many national companies view the hefty $4 million dollar price tag as money well spent. In fact, the New York Times reported that the ad spots were already sold out on January 8th, almost a full month before the big event. In recent years many companies have amped up their traditional television campaigns to include YouTube sneak peeks, dedicated websites, hashtags, Facebook campaigns, and apps designed to garner appeal and catch their audience?s attention on the second screen. Social media is a growing factor in many major corporation?s 2013 Super Bowl advertising campaigns, which is a huge change from the surprise element and secretive campaigns of years past.

The YouTube teaser video is a popular move by many major national brands. This year, one of the most viral involves model Kate Upton ?washing? a Mercedes-Benz, a clip that has already been viewed by over 5 million people. The video directs the audience to the Mercedes USA Facebook page, where more teaser clips of their Super Bowl promo are linked. This method of social integration leads to viewers interacting with the brand on several different forms of media, all well before the Super Bowl kickoff, and creates a great deal of buzz for the 30 second ad spot.

Coca-Cola was the first brand to launch their Super Bowl campaign this year, which features a gamified ?choose your own ending? storyline that asks viewers to vote on the official Super Bowl commercial. Like the Mercedes campaign, Coke has also expanded the storyline on their Facebook page. With polls, character bios, additional video clips and more posted on their Timeline, Coca-Cola also seeks to engage with their audience in an unpaid, organic manner. The use of polls and competition between the three video endings adds an additional level of interaction and has fans gunning for their favorites.

Other companies have taken a social approach to the entire advertising process. Popular deodorant company Speed Stick ran a contest through its Twitter profile with the hashtag #handleit to solicit pitches for its very first Super Bowl spot. The winning tweets are all already up on Tongal and lead to a funny and viral campaign for an everyday product. They?ve tied the campaign in to their Youtube Channel, which features dozens of ?Handle It? moments. It?s definitely a nontraditional move to release a full Super Bowl ad ahead of the big weekend, but it works for Speed Stick?s entirely social campaign.

Major corporations? Super Bowl social media campaigns extend their advertising buzz well beyond the big game. By harnessing organic user interest on multiple channels, the expense of a 30 second ad spot seems almost worth it. Do you like the modern trend of brands releasing their Super Bowl commercials ahead of the big game? Let us know in the comments!

Source: http://www.searchinfluence.com/2013/02/super-bowl-social-media-a-touchdown-pass-for-national-brands/

Sikh Sanya Richards Ross decathlon Honey Boo Boo Child marilyn monroe Nathan Adrian London 2012 Synchronized Swimming

Scrapbook Layout: family favorites, feb 2012 - Garnish, Deanna ...

?

This is a layout I made last February to document how our family was at that time.? I wanted to play on the Valentine theme and use some fun supplies without making a Valentine layout.? It's a really fun thing to just ask everyone what their favorites are, and it's even more fun to look back on!

The background paper, the sizzlit doily die and the heart shapes are all Stampin' Up! if you are interested in finding them.? Enjoy!

Source: http://deannam.blogspot.com/2013/02/scrapbook-layout-family-favorites-feb.html

maryland lottery grand jury ozzie guillen fidel castro darvish george zimmerman website edmund fitzgerald uss enterprise

Cats and humans suffer from similar forms of epilepsy

Public release date: 1-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr Akos Pakozdy
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at
43-664-602-576-866
University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna

There is something sinister about epilepsy: the disease affects the very core of our being, our brain. Epileptic attacks can lead to seizures throughout the body or in parts of it. Clouding of consciousness or memory lapses are also possible. The causes are still only partially understood but in some cases brain tumours, infections, inflammations of the brain or metabolic diseases have been implicated.

Epilepsy is not confined to humans and many animals also suffer from it. Together with partners in Oxford and Budapest, Akos Pakozdy and his colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have managed to identify the cause of a certain form of epilepsy in cats, in which the body's own immune system attacks particular proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The symptoms include twitching facial muscles, a fixed stare, chewing motions and heavy dribbling. Based on their clinical experience, the researchers believe that this form of epilepsy is fairly widespread in cats. Interestingly, a highly similar type of epilepsy occurs in humans: an inflammation in the brain, known as limbic encephalitis, leads to epileptic seizures that generally manifest themselves in the arm and the facial muscles on only one side of the body.

Pakozdy and his colleagues have found antibodies in the blood of epileptic cats that react to proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The proteins form the building blocks of ion channels that are involved in the production of nerve signals. The same ion channels are affected in the corresponding human form of epilepsy. They control the membrane's permeability to potassium ions based on the electric potential across the membrane, thereby helping generate the rapid nerve signals of the so-called action potential.

Immunotherapy for cats?

If the immune system attacks components of these ion channels, the production of nerve signals is disrupted. There is an increased release of neurotransmitters, which leads directly to the symptoms of epilepsy. Previous work in another group on human patients has shown that normal anti-epilepsy medication has hardly any effect on this form of epilepsy. However, immunotherapy has proven to be relatively effective. Pakozdy's work now shows that "limbic encephalitis in cats has the same cause as it does in humans, where the origins have been known for years. It is important that cats with epilepsy are diagnosed early, so that the correct form of therapy can be started. We believe this will dramatically increase the chances of a successful treatment. It seems as though epileptic cats might benefit from treatment with immune preparations."

###

The article Suspected Limbic Encephalitis and Seizure in Cats Associated with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC) Complex Antibody by A. Pakozdy, P. Halasz, A. Klang, J. Bauer, M. Leschnik, A. Tichy, J.G. Thalhammer, B. Lang and A. Vincent is published in the current issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2013(27), 212-214).

A summary of the original article is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.12026/abstract

The full text is available for purchase or by subscription.

Press release to a previous article by the research team, in which the symptoms of epilepsy in cats were described: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/de/infoservice/aktuelles/presseinformationen/presseinfo2011/pakozdy-epillepsie-katze/

Scientific contact:
Dr Akos Pakozdy
Clinical Department for Internal Medicine of Small Animals
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 664 60257-6866
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at

Contact:
Klaus Wassermann
Public Relations/Science Communications
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 1 25077-1153
klaus.wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 1-Feb-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr Akos Pakozdy
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at
43-664-602-576-866
University of Veterinary Medicine -- Vienna

There is something sinister about epilepsy: the disease affects the very core of our being, our brain. Epileptic attacks can lead to seizures throughout the body or in parts of it. Clouding of consciousness or memory lapses are also possible. The causes are still only partially understood but in some cases brain tumours, infections, inflammations of the brain or metabolic diseases have been implicated.

Epilepsy is not confined to humans and many animals also suffer from it. Together with partners in Oxford and Budapest, Akos Pakozdy and his colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have managed to identify the cause of a certain form of epilepsy in cats, in which the body's own immune system attacks particular proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The symptoms include twitching facial muscles, a fixed stare, chewing motions and heavy dribbling. Based on their clinical experience, the researchers believe that this form of epilepsy is fairly widespread in cats. Interestingly, a highly similar type of epilepsy occurs in humans: an inflammation in the brain, known as limbic encephalitis, leads to epileptic seizures that generally manifest themselves in the arm and the facial muscles on only one side of the body.

Pakozdy and his colleagues have found antibodies in the blood of epileptic cats that react to proteins in the cell membranes of nerve cells. The proteins form the building blocks of ion channels that are involved in the production of nerve signals. The same ion channels are affected in the corresponding human form of epilepsy. They control the membrane's permeability to potassium ions based on the electric potential across the membrane, thereby helping generate the rapid nerve signals of the so-called action potential.

Immunotherapy for cats?

If the immune system attacks components of these ion channels, the production of nerve signals is disrupted. There is an increased release of neurotransmitters, which leads directly to the symptoms of epilepsy. Previous work in another group on human patients has shown that normal anti-epilepsy medication has hardly any effect on this form of epilepsy. However, immunotherapy has proven to be relatively effective. Pakozdy's work now shows that "limbic encephalitis in cats has the same cause as it does in humans, where the origins have been known for years. It is important that cats with epilepsy are diagnosed early, so that the correct form of therapy can be started. We believe this will dramatically increase the chances of a successful treatment. It seems as though epileptic cats might benefit from treatment with immune preparations."

###

The article Suspected Limbic Encephalitis and Seizure in Cats Associated with Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel (VGKC) Complex Antibody by A. Pakozdy, P. Halasz, A. Klang, J. Bauer, M. Leschnik, A. Tichy, J.G. Thalhammer, B. Lang and A. Vincent is published in the current issue of the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (J. Vet. Intern. Med. 2013(27), 212-214).

A summary of the original article is available online at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jvim.12026/abstract

The full text is available for purchase or by subscription.

Press release to a previous article by the research team, in which the symptoms of epilepsy in cats were described: http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/de/infoservice/aktuelles/presseinformationen/presseinfo2011/pakozdy-epillepsie-katze/

Scientific contact:
Dr Akos Pakozdy
Clinical Department for Internal Medicine of Small Animals
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 664 60257-6866
akos.pakozdy@vetmeduni.ac.at

Contact:
Klaus Wassermann
Public Relations/Science Communications
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
Tel. +43 1 25077-1153
klaus.wassermann@vetmeduni.ac.at

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-02/uovm-cah020113.php

joe pa joe paterno dead marist south carolina primary results betty white ed reed football schedule