Factors associated with epilepsy in children with periventricular leukomalacia.

Children with cerebral palsy associated with periventricular leukomalacia frequently develop unprovoked epileptic seizures. This article reports an analysis of risk factors for epilepsy in children with radiologically confirmed periventricular leukomalacia. This cohort was screened for epilepsy and for an array of clinical and demographic factors. Of 154 subjects with radiologically confirmed periventricular leukomalacia, 40 (26.0%) had epilepsy. In the epileptic group, radiologic pathology other than periventricular leukomalacia was uncommon. Significant associations were found between epilepsy and cerebral palsy patterns other than spastic diparesis, mental handicap, cortical visual impairment, neonatal seizures, and severe periventricular leukomalacia. Only the presence of neonatal seizures was significantly associated with epilepsy once other risk factors were controlled in the regression model. Some previous studies have shown an association between neonatal seizures and later epilepsy for cerebral palsy in general. This is the first report of such an association for a single predominant type of cerebral pathology.

Community pharmacy addresses the need for proper drug disposal with positive response.

In response to growing concerns regarding the improper disposal of prescription and over-the-counter drugs and its impact on the environment and teen drug abuse, the National Community Pharmacists Association developed a Prescription Disposal Program to assist its members in voluntarily developing consumer disposal options in their stores. The program includes a discount on products from partner organization Sharps Compliance Inc., free marketing materials, and national promotion via a new consumer website. To date, the program has nearly 1,000 community pharmacies in 47 states participating. A collection of 8,000 pounds of drugs has resulted, with more campaigns slated for the future. Included with this article are testimonials from compounding pharmacists who have initiated National Community Pharmacists Association's drug disposal program.