There is now hope for stroke victims who have motor sequelae. At Northwestern University, researchers are using cortical stimulation by implanting electrodes on the dura to stimulate specific areas of the brain. The basis for this treatment begins with "constraint therapy" which was developed by Edward Taub. This refers to the patient receiving intense therapy for his affected limb while preventing him from using his unaffected one. According to Taub, this technique re-wires the brain so that another region takes over the function of the damaged area. According to neurosurgeon Robert Levy from Northwestern, "The use of electrical stimulation to the ‘pitch-hitting’ area…probably creates an electrical and chemical micro-environment that is conducive to neuroplasticity," thus allowing new synapses to grow.

Compared to stroke patients who received only traditional therapy, those who also receive cortical stimulation had more improvement both immediately and long-term. "This looks like the first therapy to produce long-term improvements of this magnitude in chronic stroke patients," added Levy.

At this point, this technique only targets paralysis; but there are promising results against the loss of speech associated with stroke. Clinical trials to test these preliminary findings are currently underway.

Our series, Advances in Stroke Treatment (656) provides an overview of the pathophysiology, assessments, and interventions that can be used for student nurses or by hospitals for inservices or orientation.

According to a new study, only one in four children, or 1.5 million youngsters in the US, who have high blood pressure are properly diagnosed. "Hypertension in children is very underdiagnosed," said Dr. David Kaelber, a pediatrician, internist and fellow at the Center for Information Technology Leadership at Harvard Medical School. He added that those at greatest risk, “…were children who were younger, shorter, and those who didn't have an obesity-related diagnosis."

It is important for health care providers to be aware that normal BP values in children are based on the child’s age, weight, height, and gender; and while the 120/80 reading is normal for adults, it could signify hypertension in a child. Therefore, numerous tables and charts have been created to assist nurses and physicians in recognizing high blood pressure in their pediatric patients. To be diagnosed as hypertensive, the patient must have three readings that fall outside normal ranges.

Electronic medical records could assist in diagnosis. "If you had a system where you could put in the age, gender and height, and the system would automatically give you the upper and lower limits for that child, you could see immediately if they're above or below normal," said Kaelber.

It is important for health care professionals and parents to realize that high blood pressure can and does occur in children. As with adults, hypertension can usually be prevented with a healthy diet, exercise, and maintaining normal weight.

We have numerous series which deal with care of the pediatric patient. They can be used in schools for RNs or LVNs as well as in hospitals for nurses’ orientation for working with children. Rapid Assessment of the Ill and Injured Child (686) and Pediatric Tips and Tricks (301) demonstrate techniques for evaluating and caring for youngsters in a health care setting. Human Development: Conception to Neonate (618), Human Development: Birth to 2½ (670), Human Development: 2½ to 6 Years (620), and Human Development: 6 to 12 Years (650) all contain programs dealing with the normal physical changes that occur as the child matures.

Smoking is harmful during pregnancy. It can cause increased bleeding and miscarriage, low birth weight, prematurity, infants with high rate of respiratory illnesses and SIDS, and low IQ. A new study has revealed yet another anomaly related to it: extra fingers or toes, missing fingers or toes, or webbed fingers or toes. Just one-half pack every day increases this risk by nearly 30 percent,” explained Dr. Manuel Alvarez. Smoking a pack a day increases the risk to 78 percent. "One of the things that smoking does is interfere with oxygen delivery to cells at very key moments in development,” Alvarez added. "If cells are deprived of oxygen, they don't proliferate as they should. If cells don't proliferate, you can have limb deformities."

According to the March of Dimes, almost one out of every nine pregnant women smokes. If they stopped, the rate of stillbirths would drop by 11 percent and newborn deaths would decrease by 5 percent. In addition, the risk of premature birth, a low birth-weight newborns, and cerebral palsy would decline.

We have several series that deal with pregnancy: Pregnancy, Labor, and Delivery (687) and Human Development: Conception to Neonate (618), which can be used by instructors for RN and LVN students or in hospitals for orientation or inservices.

• August 30, 2007: 50% of All Cancer Deaths can be Linked to Obesity and Smoking
• August 23, 2007: Physical Activity Found to Improve Cardiovascular Risk in Children with Type 1 Diabetes
• August 16, 2007: Hostility and Depression Harmful to Men's Immune System
• August 7, 2007: Decrease in Women's Use of Hormone Therapy Linked to Drop in Breast Cancer
• August 2, 2007: Use of SSRI's Down in Teens While Suicide Number Rises
• July 26, 2007: New Definitions from the International Diabetes Federation

Concept Media produces and distributes award winning education media for colleges, healthcare institutions, social service agencies and counseling centers throughout North America, Europe, and the South Pacific. Most programs come in VHS, DVD and CD formats. Site Licenses and Distance Learning packages are also available for our library of programs.

Concept Media is best known in the area of professional nursing education and represented in more than 95% of the nation's nursing school media libraries. We have developed partnerships with leading nursing education institutions including Brigham Young University, Drexel University, and ICN/ Washington State University College of Nursing. Concept Media is well-respected and has received numerous awards for programs on diabetes, human development, mental health, substance abuse, counseling, and addiction.

For your convenience, Concept Media also offers additional resources in the form of Instructor's Guides which are available online. And, in keeping with our mission to focus on the needs of educators in the healthcare field, we invite you to call with any suggestions, questions, program requests, or ways in which we can better serve you.

We would like to hear from you. Please email us on any topics you would like to see covered in Hot Topics.

hottopics@conceptmedia.com. Or call us at (800) 233-7078.