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Compounds Found to Protect Rabbits From Cerebral Palsy
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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 The next step is to experiment with these compounds in sheep, Silverman said. "It's a long way to humans," he noted.
Dr. Ernest Graham, an assistant professor of maternal-fetal medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, agrees that using the compounds in clinical practice is a long way off.
"This is very exciting stuff," Graham said. However, he added, how it could be used remains elusive.
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Graham said that perhaps the compounds could be used after delivery for infants who appear lethargic or "floppy," or have poor muscle tone, he said. Giving it before delivery would mean giving it to many babies who don't need it, he noted.
Using it before delivery on an infant with a prolapsed cord or similar problem might not be practical, Silverman said. "With these kids, things are moving so fast, I don't know it is going to be practical to give an additional drug," he said.
Cerebral palsy is caused by an injury to the brain before, during or shortly after birth, although it typically is not diagnosed until after the age of 1. Approximately 750,000 children and adults in the United States have a form of cerebral palsy, with most having been born with the condition.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has more on cerebral palsy.
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Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Last updated 2/25/2009
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SOURCES: Richard B. Silverman, Ph.D., John Evans Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.; Ernest Graham, M.D., assistant professor, maternal-fetal medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore; February 2009, Annals of Neurology
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