• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.335-338
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• 2016

The present study aimed to investigate the possible association of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara spp. infections with cryptogenic epilepsy in children. The study was carried out between June 2014 and March 2015. Total 90 children (40 with cryptogenic epilepsy, 30 with non-cryptogenic epilepsy, and 20 healthy control children) were evaluated to determine the anti-Toxocara and anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity using ELISA kits. Epileptic cases were selected from those attending the pediatrics outpatient clinic of Benha University Hospital, Pediatrics Neurology Unit, and from Benha Specialized Hospital of children. The results showed that the level of anti-T. gondii IgG seropositivity was significantly higher among children with cryptogenic epilepsy (20%) than among children with non-cryptogenic children (0%). In healthy controls (10%), there was no association between toxocariasis seropositivity and cryptogenic epilepsy (only 5.7%; 4 out of 70 cases) among cases and 10% (2 out of 20) among controls. Among toxocariasis IgG positive cases, 3 (7.5%) were cryptogenic, and only 1 (3.3%) was non-cryptogenic. These statistically significant results support the association between T. gondii infection and cryptogenic epilepsy while deny this association with toxocariasis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.328-335
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• 2019

Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological disorder affecting 6-7 per 1000 worldwide. Nearly one-third of patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy continue to have recurrent seizures despite adequate trial of more than two anti-seizure drugs : drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Children with DRE often experience cognitive and psychosocial co-morbidities requiring more urgent and aggressive treatment than adults. Epilepsy surgery can result in seizure-freedom in approximately two-third of children with improvement in cognitive development and quality of life. Understanding fundamental differences in etiology, co-morbidity, and neural plasticity between children and adults is critical for appropriate selection of surgical candidates, appropriate presurgical evaluation and surgical approach, and improved overall outcome.

• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1.1-1.13
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• 2014

Epilepsy has now become the most serious brain disorder. A number of synthetic antiepileptic drugs are available in practice, however their effectiveness does not grip true with the entire population suffering from epilepsy. Traditional systems of medicine are popular in developing countries and most of the population relies on traditional medicines for their primary health care need. Medicinal plants to be an important source of traditional medicines. Various plants are used for the treatment of epilepsy in traditional system of medicines and various plants are yet to be scientifically investigated. Phyto-constituents have been the basis of treatment of human diseases including epilepsy. Herbal products are extensively used for the treatment of many diseases worldwide and where allopathic fails or has severe side effects. Psycho neural drugs are also have very serious side effects like physical dependence, tolerance, deterioration of cognitive function and effect on respiratory, digestive and immune system. So the treatments through herbal medicines are widely used across the world due to their wide applicability and therapeutic efficacy with least side effects, which in turn has accelerated the research regarding natural therapy. In this review we have summarized some herbal anti-epileptics.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.361-365
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• 2019

Epilepsy has been known to humankind since antiquity. The surgical treatment of epilepsy began in the early days of neurosurgery and has developed greatly. Many surgical procedures have stood the test of time. However, clinicians treating epilepsy patients are now witnessing a huge tide of change. In 2017, the classification system for seizure and epilepsy types was revised nearly 36 years after the previous scheme was released. The actual difference between these systems may not be large, but there have been many conceptual changes, and clinicians must bid farewell to old terminology. Paradigms in drug discovery are changing, and novel anti-seizure drugs have been introduced for clinical use. In particular, drugs that target genetic changes harbor greater therapeutic potential than previous screening-based compounds. The concept of focal epilepsy has been challenged, and now epilepsy is regarded as a network disorder. With this novel concept, stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) is becoming increasingly popular for the evaluation of dysfunctioning neuronal networks. Minimally invasive ablative therapies using SEEG electrodes and neuromodulatory therapies such as deep brain stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation are widely applied to remedy dysfunctional epilepsy networks. The use of responsive neurostimulation is currently off-label in children with intractable epilepsy.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2015

Objectives The goal of this study is to investigate childhood epilepsy based on the recent literature of Eastern and Western medicine and look for better treatment. Methods This study reviewed definition, etiology and therapy method of childhood epilepsy based on 24 studies about the treatment of epilepsy in children Results and Conclusions Based on the comparison studies, not only herbal medication has shown better efficacy than anti-epileptics, but also as a monotherapy, or as combination therapies, herbal medications were superior in childhood epilepsy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.171-176
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the natural history of epilepsy and response to anti-epileptic drug treatment in patients with Angelman syndrome (AS) in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 14 patients diagnosed with epilepsy out of a total of 17 patients with a genetic diagnosis of AS. These patients were seen at the Department of Pediatric Neurology at Severance Children's Hospital from March 2005 to March 2011. Results: Fourteen (9 males and 5 females) subjects (82.3%) were diagnosed with epilepsy in AS. The most common seizure types were generalized tonic-clonic (n=9, 27%) and myoclonic (n=9, 27%), followed by atonic (n=8, 24%), atypical absence (n=4, 12%) and complex partial seizure (n=3, 9%). The most commonly prescribed antiepileptic drug (AED) was valproic acid (VPA, n=12, 86%), followed by lamotrigine (LTG, n=9, 64%), and topiramate (n=8, 57%). According to questionnaires that determined whether each AED was efficacious or not, VPA had the highest response rate and LTG was associated with the highest rate of seizure exacerbation. Complete control of seizures was achieved in 6 patients. Partial control was achieved in 7 patients, while one patient was not controlled. Conclusion: Epilepsy is observed in the great majority of AS patients. It may have early onset and is often refractory to treatment. There are few reports about epilepsy in AS in Korea. This study will be helpful in understanding epilepsy in AS in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.344-352
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• 2019

Epilepsy is one of the major chronic neurological diseases affecting many patients. Resection surgery is the most effective therapy for medically intractable epilepsy, but it is not feasible in all patients. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive neuromodulation therapy that was approved in 1997 for the alleviation of seizures; however, efforts to control epilepsy by stimulating the vagus nerve have been studied for over 100 years. Although its exact mechanism is still under investigation, VNS is thought to affect various brain areas. Hence, VNS has a wide indication for various intractable epileptic syndromes and epilepsy-related comorbidities. Moreover, recent studies have shown anti-inflammatory effects of VNS, and the indication is expanding beyond epilepsy to rheumatoid arthritis, chronic headaches, and depression. VNS yields a more than 50% reduction in seizures in approximately 60% of recipients, with an increase in reduction rates as the follow-up duration increases. The complication rate of VNS is 3-6%, and infection is the most important complication to consider. However, revision surgery was reported to be feasible and safe with appropriate measures. Recently, noninvasive VNS (nVNS) has been introduced, which can be performed transcutaneously without implantation surgery. Although more clinical trials are being conducted, nVNS can reduce the risk of infection and subsequent device failure. In conclusion, VNS has been demonstrated to be beneficial and effective in the treatment of epilepsy and various diseases, and more development is expected in the future.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.41-61
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• 1979

Two interview surveys (1976 for 800 patients, 1978 for 200 patients) and an inventory survey through medical records(1978) for epileptic patients who have registered with the Korean Epilepsy Association (Rose Club) since 1971 were carried out by trained health workers in advance of survey. The data obtained from the analysis showed as follows: 1) 35.2% of patients were born in Seoul and 70. 6% of patients born elsewhere have lived in Seoul. 2) 50-60% of patients were 15-30 years cid. 3) 33.4%, 24,6 and 24.6 of all pupils and students went to elementary, junior and senior high schools respectively. 4) 21.2% of all pupils and students had dropped out of school and 51.4% of them were away from school because of epilepsy. 5) 3.1% of all patients had no job at all and students comprised 20.9% of patients followed by clerical work, commercial business and farming with about 6% in each group.6) Reasons given for unemployment such as dismissal (4.3%), quit (27.7%), hesitation to employ (42.5%)and discontinuance of job (25.5%) were basically due to epilepsy. 7) About half(46.2%) of all patients have become Christian since the Rose Club was a voluntary agency which has been sponsored by Christians. 8) 82. 6% of patients were diagnosed as having grand mal as the most. 9) 29.4% of patients explained aura with psychomotor disturbances and 13.8% with sensory disorders. 10) 46.3% of patients were attacked with seizures when they were tired and others(11.6% and 4.9%) after excessive eating and hunger. 11) Patients suffered more seizures in spring and summer rather than in autumn and winter and most patients had attacks 1-5 times a month. 12) For etiologic reasons of epilepsy, 35.5% of patients considered it was caused by psychological stress and 11.5% by trauma. Only 1.1% of patients considered it as having hereditary components. 13) 51% of patients were slow in caring for their own illnesses. They started to reat epilepsy after spending 5 years of time from the initial seizure. Only 5.4% of patients had received the modern anti-epileptic therapy right after the nitial seizure. 14) 62.1% of patients had no therapy or irregular or incomplete treatment before registration at the Rose Club Clinic. 15) Before registration at the Rose Club, 42.4% of patients received medical care. On the other hand, 25.6% went to herb doctors and 12.5% used to go to the drugstore in order to get anti-epileptic drugs. 16) 41. 6% of patients who took anti-epileptic drugs had more or less side-effects. Indigestion was the most common. 17) For continuation of treatment, 30.3% have received treatment for more than 5 years and the evident showed that epilepsy took a longer time to be cured. 18) Regarding the medical care received 44.2% of patients were very satisfied with effective care and 26.5% felt as good. 19) For attitudes toward epilepsy. 27.0% of patients and 68.2% of patients family were pessimistic. 20) 65.9% of patients had optimistic attitudes toward effectiveness of medical care of epilepsy. 21) 64.8% of wives and husbands had better understanding and cooperative for their spouses who had epilepsy. 22) 33.3% of patients were under-treated at the place of work. 23) 70.2% of patients wished to marry when they reach childbearing age and 63% wished to have children. Through the above results it is recommended for nation-wide epilepsy control that the sound and correct health education not only from health aspect but also from welfare aspect should be planned and implemented as soon as possible.

• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.27.1-27.13
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• 2013

Epilepsy has now become the most serious brain disorder. A number of synthetic antiepileptic drugs are available in practice, however their effectiveness does not grip true with the entire population suffering from epilepsy. Traditional systems of medicine are popular in developing countries and most of the population relies on traditional medicines for their primary health care need. Medicinal plants to be an important source of traditional medicines. Various plants are used for the treatment of epilepsy in traditional system of medicines and various plants are yet to be scientifically investigated. Phytoconstituents have been the basis of treatment of human diseases including epilepsy. Herbal products are extensively used for the treatment of many diseases worldwide and where allopathic fails or has severe side effects. Psycho neural drugs are also have very serious side effects like physical dependence, tolerance, deterioration of cognitive function and effect on respiratory, digestive and immune system. So the treatments through herbal medicines are widely used across the world due to their wide applicability and therapeutic efficacy with least side effects, which in turn has accelerated the research regarding natural therapy. In this review we have summarized some herbal antiepileptics.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.624-637
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aimed to identify variables influencing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of adults with epilepsy in order to establish a structural model and design an intervention strategy to improve patients' HRQoL. Methods: The selected subjects were 212 patients with epilepsy aged between 18 and 70 years who were currently receiving treatment from hospital, general hospital, and clinic. They were surveyed using a structured questionnaire. Results: The goodness of fit measures of the final hypothetical model were as follows: ${\chi}^2/df=2.51$, GFI=.91, AGFI=.90, CFI=.96, SRMR=.04, NFI=.93, and RMSEA=.08. The major variables influencing the HRQoL of adults with epilepsy were epilepsy self-efficacy, depression, social support, and side effects of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs), which were significant in the mentioned order, whereas the duration of AEDs use and perceived stigma did not show any effects. Six variables accounted for 75.6% of HRQoL. Variables having a direct and total effect on the HRQoL of adults with epilepsy were the side effects of AEDs, social support, epilepsy self-efficacy, and depression, and those with an indirect effect were the side effects of AEDs and social support. Conclusion: It is necessary to accurately identify the side effects of AEDs in adults with epilepsy and accurately observe the physical changes caused by depression. In addition, it is imperative to establish an active and effective nursing intervention program to strengthen the self-efficacy of the patients and to improve their quality of life through social support provided by family members and medical professionals.