Medical News Today: Researchers Find Relationship Between Brain Fluid And Adult Seizures

According to a new study published early online and in the December issue of Lancet Neurology, researchers better understand the disease mechanisms behind brain seizures that are due to the tapeworm-derived parasitic infection called neurocysticercosis. Their finding that the seizures are frequently associated with fluid or perlesional oedema (PO) around dead calcified cysticercal granulomas (immune cells) may lead to better possible treatment targets.

For more information on this study please visit: Medical News Today

Feasibility of Multi-Phase Trials

Mahesh Paramar, Ph.D., from the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit in London, along with some colleagues have "modified standard clinical trial methodology so that multiple therapies or combinations can be compared in a single trial." What this means, is that Phase II and Phase III goals are combined into a single "multi-phase trial," that also would have the benefit of needing less patients. As stated in this article, from Science Daily, Parmar and his colleagues wrote an article for the Journal of the National Cancer Institute detailing their proposal. regarding the practicality of using the approach outlined by Paramer, the authors of the proposal wrote:

"With three real examples, we hope that we have shown that such trials are feasible and can lead to major improvements in speed and decision making"