Apr 14 2008

BIAA Endorses Bill To Create VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence

In addition this week, BIAA submitted an official letter of endorsement for H.R. 2818, The VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence Act of 2007, which would establish six VA Epilepsy Centers of Excellence (Epilepsy CoEs) across the country to lead the way in epilepsy diagnosis, research, treatment and surgery. Continue Reading »

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Jan 26 2008

Punitive Damages Shrink as High Court Reins in Trial Lawyers

As can be seen in this latest Bloomberg post, the recent changes in punitive damage settlements cases has had a profound impact on civil and tort litigations around the country. From Ford motor company settlements to the Exxon Valdez, this is a watershed moment in the world of serious injury law and civil litigation. Read more here.

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Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) — A U.S. court crackdown on punitive damages resulted in the second consecutive year of declines and reversals of earlier verdicts, a trend working in favor of companies like Ford Motor Co.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker in the past five years has been hit with more than $392 million in punitive awards. Limits on such damages have given Ford victories in appeals of two decisions totaling more than $100 million and may help it in hundreds of other product-liability suits. Click here for more.

Punitive damages in the 50 biggest verdicts fell to $1.6 billion in 2007 from $1.8 billion in 2006 and $5 billion in 2005, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision last year will aid in appeals and help reduce future awards, companies’ lawyers say. The court said defendants can’t be punished for harming anyone not included in a case, such as other customers.

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Dec 18 2007

BIAA News Flash

SENATE PASSES TBI ACT REAUTHORIZATION BILL

Earlier today (Tuesday, December 11, 2007), the Senate passed by voice vote S. 793, legislation to reauthorize the TBI Act. The reauthorization includes provisions to continue and hopefully expand TBI Act programs, such as the HRSA State Grant and CDC surveillance programs.

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Dec 18 2007

Urge Congress to Enact Omnibus Appropriations Bill Now

The House is scheduled to vote on Dec. 11 on a multi-bill “omnibus” Fiscal Year 2008 appropriations bill which splits the difference between the White House and Congressional budget proposals.

The omnibus appropriations package is expected to consist of the 11 remaining spending bills - including the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill, which funds TBI programs - totaling $10.6 billion less than what Congress had originally planned. The new Labor-HHS-Education bill spending allocation in such an omnibus bill is expected to be approximately $3.5 billion less than its current form.

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Oct 11 2006

Special Education: The expensive vehicle that will help drive our children to a better future

Local schools are called upon to make major investments in the lives of children with special needs
Name : Ronald Scaglia

Last year, 21 Long Island school districts’ budgets were defeated, and a record number were forced to adopt austerity budgets.

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Oct 10 2006

Apathy and Its Treatment in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

By Paul F. Malloy, Ph.D., and Patricia A. Boyle, Ph.D.

Although memory and other cognitive impairments are considered the hallmark features of most dementias, neuropsychiatric abnormalities occur in the majority of such patients (Cohen et al., 1993). Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with a rapid course of decline, elevated caregiver distress and overutilization of health care services (Chung and Cummings, 2000; Teri, 1997). Apathy is the most common neuropsychiatric symptom reported among individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), affecting approximately 70% of patients in the mild-to-moderate stages (Landes et al., 2001) and increasing in severity as the illness progresses (Mega et al., 1996). Apathy is common in other dementing illnesses as well (e.g., Parkinson’s disease [PD], vascular dementia) and may even occur in substantial numbers of patients with mild cognitive impairment (Ready et al., 2003). Apathy is associated with functional impairment and caregiver distress at all levels of disease severity (Boyle et al., 2003; Norton et al., 2001; Rymer et al., 2002).

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Oct 06 2006

‘Trying to find happiness is harder’

May 07,2006
ROSELEE PAPANDREA
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Greg Acosta was the kid who made everybody laugh.

During his senior year at Jacksonville High School in 2005, he was voted class clown and most unforgettable in the yearbook.

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Oct 02 2006

Electroencephalography in Neuropsychiatry

By Nash N. Boutros, MD, and Kerry Coburn, PhD
Special Report: Neuropsychiatry
April 2006, Vol. XXIII, No. 4

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a noninvasive, widely available, and relatively inexpensive test that can help exclude or identify structural or functional factors contributing to psychiatric syndromes. This article defines the clinical usefulness of EEG in evaluating neuropsychiatric disorders, emphasizing the complementary nature of the visually inspected standard EEG (SEEG) and the computeranalyzed quantified EEG (QEEG).

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Oct 02 2006

Father admits killing baby

Name: Carl Butler, Daily Post

A NORTH Wales dad yesterday admitted killing his 14-week-old baby son.

A court heard how David Robert James Price threw the little boy onto the sofa in a fit of “frustration and temper”. The youngster died of severe brain injuries.

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Sep 29 2006

Exploring Phantom Limb Pain

Name : Steven A. King, MD, MS
April 2006, Vol. XXIII, No. 4

First described more than 500 years ago, phantom limb pain (PLP) is a common disorder today; as many as 50% to 80% of patients who undergo amputation report experiencing pain in the missing body part.1 Although it is easy to recognize and diagnose, its cause remains unclear and it can be difficult to manage successfully. Perhaps that’s why health care professionals often do not address it. A survey by Hanley and associates,2 for example, found that 53% of patients with PLP and 38% with severe PLP had never been treated for the disorder.

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