sarnsrun/medquad huggingface dataset:
Topic: Brain and Spinal Tumors
Question: What are the treatments for Brain and Spinal Tumors ?
Answer: The three most commonly used treatments are surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Doctors also may prescribe steroids to reduce the tumor-related swelling inside the CNS.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Brain and Spinal Tumors
Question: What is the outlook for Brain and Spinal Tumors ?
Answer: Symptoms of brain and spinal cord tumors generally develop slowly and worsen over time unless they are treated. The tumor may be classified as benign or malignant and given a numbered score that reflects its rate of malignancy. This score can help doctors determine how to treat the tumor and predict the likely outcome, or prognosis, for the individual.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Brain and Spinal Tumors
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Brain and Spinal Tumors ?
Answer: Scientists continue to investigate ways to better understand, diagnose, and treat CNS tumors. Experimental treatment options may include new drugs, gene therapy, surgery , radiation, biologic modulators that enhance the body's overall immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells, and a combination of therapies. Of particular interest to scientists is the development of tailored therapeutics--involving a combination of targeted agents that use different molecules to reduce tumor gene activity and suppress uncontrolled growth by killing or reducing the production of tumor cells--to treat tumors based on their genetic makeup. Researchers continue to search for additional clinical biomarkers (molecules or other substances in the blood or tissue that can be used to diagnose or monitor a particular disorder) of CNS tumors. Other researchers are testing different drugs and molecules to see if they can modulate the normal activity of the blood-brain barrier and better target tumor cells and associated blood vessels. Also under investigation are ways to improve drug delivery to the tumor and to prevent the side-effects of cancer treatments.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL)
Question: What is (are) Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL) ?
Answer: von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) is a rare, genetic multi-system disorder in which non-cancerous tumors grow in certain parts of the body. Slow-growing hemgioblastomas -- benign tumors with many blood vessels -- may develop in the brain, spinal cord, the retinas of the eyes, and near the inner ear. Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) may develop around the hemangioblastomas. Other types of tumors develop in the adrenal glands, the kidneys, or the pancreas. Symptoms of VHL vary among individuals and depend on the size and location of the tumors. Symptoms may include headaches, problems with balance and walking, dizziness, weakness of the limbs, vision problems, deafness in one ear, and high blood pressure. Individuals with VHL are also at a higher risk than normal for certain types of cancer, especially kidney cancer.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL)
Question: What are the treatments for Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL) ?
Answer: Treatment for VHL varies according to the location and size of the tumor. In general, the objective of treatment is to treat the tumors before they grow to a size large enough to cause permanent problems by putting pressure on the brain or spinal cord. this pressure can block the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the nervous system, impair vision, or create deafness. Treatment of most cases of VHL usually involves surgery to remove the tumors before they become harmful. Certain tumors can be treated with focused high-dose irradiation. Individuals with VHL need careful monitoring by a physician and/or medical team familiar with the disorder.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL)
Question: What is the outlook for Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL) ?
Answer: The prognosis for individuals with VHL depends on then number, location, and complications of the tumors. Untreated, VHL may result in blindness and/or permanent brain damage. With early detection and treatment the prognosis is significantly improved. Death is usually caused by complications of brain tumors or kidney cancer.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL)
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Von Hippel-Lindau Disease (VHL) ?
Answer: The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system, and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease. The NINDS pursues a vigorous program of research aimed at preventing and treating disorders that cause tumors in the brain and spinal cord such as VHL. A natural history study hopes to learn more about the growth of brain and spinal cord tumors, as well as cysts that develop in association with them in individuals with VHL. Researchers will examine how fast the tumors grow and try to determine which factors (such as puberty, pregnancy, menopause, or blood proteins) affect tumor growth. Based on laboratory findings, NINDS researchers are planning drug trials for individuals with VHL. For example, NNDS scientists hope to learn if a drug that fights other cancers might slow the growth of hemangioblastomas in some people with VHL. The NIH's National Cancer Institute conducts research aimed at treating kidney tumors in individuals with VHL, as well as studies to identify gene mutations in people who are at risk of developing the disease..
Source: NINDS
Topic: Behcet's Disease
Question: What is (are) Behcet's Disease ?
Answer: Behcet's disease is a rare, chronic inflammatory disorder. The cause of Behcet's disease is unknown, but current research suggests that both genetic and environmental factors play a role. Behcet's disease generally begins when individuals are in their 20s or 30s, although it can happen at any age. It tends to occur more often in men than in women. Symptoms of Behcet's disease include recurrent ulcers in the mouth (resembling canker sores) and on the genitals, and eye inflammation. The disorder may also cause various types of skin lesions, arthritis, bowel inflammation, meningitis (inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord), and cranial nerve palsies. Behcet's is a multi-system disease; it may involve all organs and affect the central nervous system, causing memory loss and impaired speech, balance, and movement.
                
The effects of the disease may include blindness, stroke, swelling of the spinal cord, and intestinal complications. The disease is common in the Middle East, particularly in Turkey, and in Far Eastern nations such as Japan and Korean, but is less common in the United States.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Behcet's Disease
Question: What are the treatments for Behcet's Disease ?
Answer: Treatment for Behcet's disease is symptomatic and supportive. Medication may be prescribed to reduce inflammation and/or regulate the immune system. Immunosuppressive therapy may be considered.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Behcet's Disease
Question: What is the outlook for Behcet's Disease ?
Answer: Behcet's disease is a lifelong disorder that comes and goes. Permanent remission of symptoms has not been reported.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Behcet's Disease
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Behcet's Disease ?
Answer: The NINDS supports research on painful neurological disorders such as Behcet's disease. The National Human Genome Research Institute, another Institute of the National Institutes of Health, conducts research into the genomic basis of Behcet's disease. This research is aimed at discovering the causes of these disorders and finding ways to treat, prevent, and, ultimately, cure them.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Question: What is (are) Progressive Supranuclear Palsy ?
Answer: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare brain disorder that causes serious and progressive problems with control of gait and balance, along with complex eye movement and thinking problems. One of the classic signs of the disease is an inability to aim the eyes properly, which occurs because of lesions in the area of the brain that coordinates eye movements. Some individuals describe this effect as a blurring. Affected individualsoften show alterations of mood and behavior, including depression and apathy as well as progressive mild dementia.
                
The disorder's long name indicates that the disease begins slowly and continues to get worse (progressive), and causes weakness (palsy) by damaging certain parts of the brain above pea-sized structures called nuclei that control eye movements (supranuclear).
                
PSP was first described as a distinct disorder in 1964, when three scientists published a paper that distinguished the condition from Parkinson's disease. It is sometimes referred to as Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome, reflecting the combined names of the scientists who defined the disorder. Although PSP gets progressively worse, no one dies from PSP itself.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Question: What are the treatments for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy ?
Answer: There is currently no effective treatment for PSP, although scientists are searching for better ways to manage the disease. In some patients the slowness, stiffness, and balance problems of PSP may respond to antiparkinsonian agents such as levodopa, or levodopa combined with anticholinergic agents, but the effect is usually temporary. The speech, vision, and swallowing difficulties usually do not respond to any drug treatment.. Another group of drugs that has been of some modest success in PSP are antidepressant medications. The most commonly used of these drugs are Prozac, Elavil, and Tofranil. The anti-PSP benefit of these drugs seems not to be related to their ability to relieve depression. Non-drug treatment for PSP can take many forms. Patients frequently use weighted walking aids because of their tendency to fall backward. Bifocals or special glasses called prisms are sometimes prescribed for PSP patients to remedy the difficulty of looking down. Formal physical therapy is of no proven benefit in PSP, but certain exercises can be done to keep the joints limber. A surgical procedure, a gastrostomy, may be necessary when there are swallowing disturbances. This surgery involves the placement of a tube through the skin of the abdomen into the stomach (intestine) for feeding purposes.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Question: What is the outlook for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy ?
Answer: PSP gets progressively worse but is not itself directly life-threatening. It does, however, predispose patients to serious complications such as pneumonia secondary to difficulty in swallowing (dysphagia). The most common complications are choking and pneumonia, head injury, and fractures caused by falls. The most common cause of death is pneumonia. With good attention to medical and nutritional needs, however, most PSP patients live well into their 70s and beyond.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy ?
Answer: Research is ongoing on Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. Better understanding of those common, related disorders will go a long way toward solving the problem of PSP, just as studying PSP may help shed light on Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Myotonia Congenita
Question: What is (are) Myotonia Congenita ?
Answer: Myotonia congenita is an inherited neuromuscular disorder characterized by the inability of muscles to quickly relax after a voluntary contraction. The condition is present from early childhood, but symptoms can be mild. Most children will be 2 or 3 years old when parents first notice their muscle stiffness, particularly in the legs, often provoked by sudden activity after rest. The disease doesnt cause muscle wasting; in fact, it may cause muscle enlargement. Muscle strength is increased. There are two forms of the disorder: Becker-type, which is the most common form; and Thomsens disease, which is a rare and milder form. The disorder is cause by mutations in a gene responsible for shutting off electrical excitation in the muscles.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Myotonia Congenita
Question: What are the treatments for Myotonia Congenita ?
Answer: Most people with myotonia congenita dont require special treatments. Stiff muscles usually resolve with exercise, or light movement, especially after resting. For individuals whose symptoms are more limiting, doctors have had some success with medications such as quinine, or anticonvulsant drugs such as phenytoin. Physical therapy and other rehabilitative therapies are also sometimes used to improve muscle function.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Myotonia Congenita
Question: What is the outlook for Myotonia Congenita ?
Answer: Most individuals with myotonia congenita lead long, productive lives. Although muscle stiffness may interfere with walking, grasping, chewing, and swallowing, it is usually relieved with exercise.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Myotonia Congenita
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Myotonia Congenita ?
Answer: The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts research related to myotonia congenita and also supports additional research through grants to major research institutions across the country. Current research is exploring how, at the molecular level, the defective gene in myotonia congenita causes the specific symptoms of the disorder. Additional research is focused on developing animal models of the disorder to test potential treatments and therapies.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Tardive Dyskinesia
Question: What is (are) Tardive Dyskinesia ?
Answer: Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological syndrome caused by the long-term use of neuroleptic drugs. Neuroleptic drugs are generally prescribed for psychiatric disorders, as well as for some gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Tardive dyskinesia is characterized by repetitive, involuntary, purposeless movements. Features of the disorder may include grimacing, tongue protrusion, lip smacking, puckering and pursing, and rapid eye blinking. Rapid movements of the arms, legs, and trunk may also occur. Involuntary movements of the fingers may be present.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Tardive Dyskinesia
Question: What are the treatments for Tardive Dyskinesia ?
Answer: Treatment is highly individualized. The first step is generally to stop or minimize the use of the neuroleptic drug, but this can be done only under close supervision of the physician.. However, for patients with a severe underlying condition this may not be a feasible option. Replacing the neuroleptic drug with substitute drugs may help some individuals. The only approved drug treatment for tardive dyskenesia is tetrabenazine, which is usually effective but can have side effects that need to be discussed prior to starting therapy. Other drugs such as benzodiazepines, clozapine, or botulinum toxin injections also may be tried.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Tardive Dyskinesia
Question: What is the outlook for Tardive Dyskinesia ?
Answer: Symptoms of tardive dyskinesia may remain long after discontinuation of neuroleptic drugs. In many cases, the symptoms stop spontaneously, but in some cases they may persist indefinitely.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Tardive Dyskinesia
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Tardive Dyskinesia ?
Answer: The NINDS conducts and supports a broad range of research on movement disorders including tardive dyskinesia. The goals of this research are to improve understanding of these disorders and to discover ways to treat, prevent, and, ultimately, cure them.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Cerebral Atrophy
Question: What is (are) Cerebral Atrophy ?
Answer: Cerebral atrophy is a common feature of many of the diseases that affect the brain. Atrophy of any tissue means loss of cells. In brain tissue, atrophy describes a loss of neurons and the connections between them. Atrophy can be generalized, which means that all of the brain has shrunk; or it can be focal, affecting only a limited area of the brain and resulting in a decrease of the functions that area of the brain controls. If the cerebral hemispheres (the two lobes of the brain that form the cerebrum) are affected, conscious thought and voluntary processes may be impaired.
                
Associated Diseases/Disorders: The pattern and rate of progression of cerebral atrophy depends on the disease involved. Diseases that cause cerebral atrophy include:
                
- stroke and traumatic brain injury - Alzheimers disease, Picks disease, and fronto-temporal dementia - cerebral palsy, in which lesions (damaged areas) may impair motor coordination - Huntingtons disease, and other hereditary diseases that are associated with genetic mutations - leukodystrophies, such as Krabbe disease, which destroy the myelin sheath that protects axons - mitochondrial encephalomyopathies, such as Kearns-Sayre syndrome, which interfere with the basic functions of neurons - multiple sclerosis, which causes inflammation, myelin damage, and lesions in cerebral tissue - infectious diseases, such as encephalitis, neurosyphilis, and AIDS, in which an infectious agent or the inflammatory reaction to it destroys neurons and their axons
                
Symptoms of cerebral atrophy: Many diseases that cause cerebral atrophy are associated with dementia, seizures, and a group of language disorders called the aphasias.
                
- Dementia is characterized by a progressive impairment of memory and intellectual function that is severe enough to interfere with social and work skills. Memory, orientation, abstraction, ability to learn, visual-spatial perception, and higher executive functions such as planning, organizing, and sequencing may also be impaired. - Seizures can take different forms, appearing as disorientation, repetitive movements, loss of consciousness, or convulsions. - Aphasias are a group of disorders characterized by disturbances in speaking and understanding language. Receptive aphasia causes impaired comprehension. Expressive aphasia is reflected in odd choices of words, the use of partial phrases, disjointed clauses, and incomplete sentences.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Cerebral Atrophy
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Cerebral Atrophy ?
Answer: The NINDS funds research looking at many of the diseases and disorders that cause cerebral atrophy. Understanding the biological mechanisms that cause neurons to die in the brain will help researchers find ways to prevent, treat, and even cure the diseases that lead to cerebral atrophy.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Monomelic Amyotrophy
Question: What is (are) Monomelic Amyotrophy ?
Answer: Monomelic amyotrophy (MMA) is characterized by progressive degeneration and loss of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that are responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. It is characterized by weakness and wasting in a single limb, usually an arm and hand rather than a foot and leg. There is no pain associated with MMA. While some physicians contend that mild sensory loss may be associated with this disease, many experts suggest that such symptoms actually indicate a cause other than MMA. MMA occurs in males between the ages of 15 and 25. Onset and progression are slow. MMA is seen most frequently in Asia, particularly in Japan and India; it is much less common in North America. In most cases, the cause is unknown, although there have been a few published reports linking MMA to traumatic or radiation injury. There are also familial forms of MMA. Diagnosis is made by physical exam and medical history. Electromyography (EMG), a special recording technique that detects electrical activity in muscles, shows a loss of the nerve supply, or denervation, in the affected limb; MRI and CT scans may show muscle atrophy. People believed to have MMA should be followed by a neuromuscular disease specialist for a number of months to make certain that no signs of other motor neuron diseases develop.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Monomelic Amyotrophy
Question: What are the treatments for Monomelic Amyotrophy ?
Answer: There is no cure for MMA. Treatment consists of muscle strengthening exercises and training in hand coordination
Source: NINDS
Topic: Monomelic Amyotrophy
Question: What is the outlook for Monomelic Amyotrophy ?
Answer: The symptoms of MMA usually progress slowly for one to two years before reaching a plateau, and then remain stable for many years. Disability is generally slight. Rarely, the weakness progresses to the opposite limb. There is also a slowly progressive variant of MMA known as O'Sullivan-McLeod syndrome, which only affects the small muscles of the hand and forearm and has a slowly progressive course.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Monomelic Amyotrophy
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Monomelic Amyotrophy ?
Answer: The NINDS conducts and supports a broad range of research on motor neuron diseases. The goals of these studies are to increase understanding of these disorders and to find ways to treat, prevent, and ultimately cure them.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Benign Essential Blepharospasm
Question: What is (are) Benign Essential Blepharospasm ?
Answer: Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions and spasms of the eyelid muscles. It is a form of dystonia, a movement disorder in which muscle contractions cause sustained eyelid closure, twitching or repetitive movements. BEB begins gradually with increased frequency of eye blinking often associated with eye irritation. Other symptoms may include increasing difficulty in keeping the eyes open, and light sensitivity. Generally, the spasms occur during the day, disappear in sleep, and reappear after waking. As the condition progresses, the spasms may intensify, forcing the eyelids to remain closed for long periods of time, and thereby causing substantial visual disturbance or functional blindness. It is important to note that the blindness is caused solely by the uncontrollable closing of the eyelids and not by a dysfunction of the eyes. BEB occurs in both men and women, although it is especially common in middle-aged and elderly women.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Benign Essential Blepharospasm
Question: What are the treatments for Benign Essential Blepharospasm ?
Answer: In most cases of BEB the treatment of choice is botulinum toxin injections which relax the muscles and stop the spasms. Other treatment options include medications (drug therapy) or surgery--either local surgery of the eye muscles or deep brain stimulation surgery.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Benign Essential Blepharospasm
Question: What is the outlook for Benign Essential Blepharospasm ?
Answer: With botulinum toxin treatment most individuals with BEB have substantial relief of symptoms. Although some may experience side effects such as drooping eyelids, blurred or double vision, and eye dryness, these side effects are usually only temporary. The condition may worsen or expand to surrounding muscles; remain the same for many years; and, in rare cases, improve spontaneously.
Source: NINDS
Topic: Benign Essential Blepharospasm
Question: what research (or clinical trials) is being done for Benign Essential Blepharospasm ?
Answer: The NINDS supports a broad program of research on disorders of the nervous system, including BEB. Much of this research is aimed at increasing understanding of these disorders and finding ways to prevent, treat, and cure them.
Source: NINDS