Monash/Chinese researchers probe high-fat seizure-reducing diet

PhD student Neha Kaul and colleagues during
their visit to China

by Anne Crawford

A high-fat diet used to treat epilepsy in children has become the focus of a newly established collaboration between Monash University’s Department of Neuroscience and Chinese researchers.

The ketogenic or keto diet, which forces the body to burn fats for energy rather than carbohydrates, has been shown to reduce seizures in two out of three children and leave up to 10 per cent seizure free. These young patients haven’t responded to anti-epileptic medicines previously, researcher Ms Neha Kaul said.

Recent CCS publications: 14th - 28th December 2018

Throughout February we will be posting two backdated weeks of publications at a time, until we catch up from the Summer break.

Recent publications for Central Clinical School feature affiliated authors in the following departments:

• Melbourne Sexual Health Centre
• Immunology and Pathology
• Neuroscience
• Diabetes
• Australian Centre for Blood Diseases
• Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine
• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases
• Surgery
• MAPrc
• Medicine
• National Trauma Research Institute
• Peninsula Clinical School

Rib fixation: becoming popular but does it benefit patients?

Prof Marasco

by Anne Crawford

A paper by Monash University researchers and surgeons at the Alfred Hospital has cast doubt on the growing practice of rib fixation in some patients with chest injuries.

Fractured ribs are a common injury in trauma patients. At worst, what’s termed ‘flail chest’ – when ribs become detached from the rest of the ribcage – is associated with life-threatening injuries and a significant mortality.

Surgeon Professor Silvana Marasco was first author on a paper published in the international journal Injury that examined long-term quality of life in patients who underwent rib fixation. Rib fixation, which uses a minimally invasive operation to insert and screw on contoured titanium plates to ribs, is relatively new.