Updated: Thursday, December 18 2014, 06:35 PM EST Rochester General Hospital has received an award for its stroke treatment. RGH received the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold-Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. This recognition is earned by hospital teams who achieve specific quality measures identified as vital for the optimal treatment of stroke. Rochester General was also re-certified by the AHA/ASA as a Target: Stroke Honor Roll hospital, for continuing to meet quality goals aimed at reducing the time between a patient's arrival at the hospital and their receiving the clot-busting drug tPA, the only FDA-approved drug in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Patients who receive tPA within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms are more likely to recover quickly and avoid severe disability. Two million brain cells are lost every minute during a stroke, making the speed at which effective treatment is administered a leading factor in the patient's chances of achieving a full recovery. For years, the Rochester General emergency department has treated more stroke patients than almost any upstate New York hospital. "Rochester General Hospital has long been known as a leader in developing processes that improve the quality … Continue reading →

Published 18 December 2014 Bio Blast Pharma a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to developing clinically meaningful therapies for patients with rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, announced today it has received a Notice of Patent Issuance for patent no. 8,912,147 from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a composition-of-matter patent for its novel fusion protein for Friedrich's Ataxia (referred to as BB-FA) that is built on its mitochondrial protein replacement (mPRT) platform. "This patent covers the significant innovations we have made in the delivery of therapeutic proteins into mitochondria," said Dalia Megiddo, MD, Chief Executive Officer of BioBlast. "We are pleased to have added to our patent and patent applications estate and look forward to making further progress toward providing a therapy to help Friedrich's Ataxia patients in need of treatment." Friedrich's Ataxia is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive deterioration of the muscular and nervous system that begins in the first or second decade of life and results in gait disturbance (ataxia), cognitive impairment, progressive heart disease and diabetes. According to Friedrich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA), about 1:50,000 people in the U.S. suffer from Friedrich's Ataxia. Most patients are wheelchair-bound within 15 years of diagnosis. Most patients do … Continue reading →

Waynbesoro, V.a. A Waynesboro man has filed a lawsuit against several Waynesboro Police Officers and the Valley Community Services Board, for false imprisonment and unlawful seizure. According to Gordon Goines, back in May of 2014, he had some issues with the cable in his home. The lawsuit outlines, the cable company told him a neighbor had hacked into his service, and they could not enter their home without permission. The court papers state Goines asked the Waynesboro Police Department to investigate the issue. According to an incident report prepared by officers, Goines was "having irrational issues and hearing things." It is noted in the legal papers, "Goines suffers from cerebellar ataxia, a neurological condition similar to multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs Disease". This can cause some problems with balance, speech and fine motor functions. The suit further outlines Goines was taken into custody, and eventually taken to Crossroad Mental Health Center for mental health treatment. Listed in the document, it says Goines has no history of mental illness, and has never been treated or sought treatment for mental illness. ** When this was published, we were unable to reach anyone at the Valley Community Services Board about this lawsuit. We … Continue reading →