DS9 Document EFTA00878993

From: To: Jeffrey Epstein [email protected]> Subject: FW: Concept Note - The Neonatal Septisome Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:38:20 +0000 Attachments: Concept_Note_Neonatal_Septisome_022411.pdf Interested? A bunch of super crazy neurosurgeons. A little would go a long way. They are at Harvard and a few other places. Original Message From: Steven Schiff [mailto: Sent: Thursda February 24, 2011 12:13 PM To: Cc: Schiff Steven; Benjamin Warf; Greg Lucier, Subject: Concept Note - The Neonatal Septisome Dear The World Health Organization estimates that 1.6 million neonates die of infection each year, and almost half of these cases of neonatal sepsis (NS) occur in sub-Saharan Africa. We have uncovered the magnitude of the neurological burden in survivors of NS, postinfectious hydrocephalus (PIH), which has not been appreciated by the global health community. The brains of children with PIH are devastated, with new estimates in sub-Saharan Africa of human capital lost of $1.2-1.4 billion, and the values of statistical lives lost of $2648 billion per year. The potential economic benefits from a modest reduction of such cases would be extraordinary, and solid medical investigation would lead to prevention of the majority of these cases. PIH and other severe sequelae are generated from inadequately treated NS. If we knew the organisms that caused NS, we could both design inexpensive point-of-treatment diagnostics to optimize therapy, and institute public health preventative strategies to decrease the incidence of NS. But we don't know the majority of agents - and they will be geographically and seasonally distinct. We wish to dramatically affect this situation in the near term with a 4-pronged approach: 1) define and predict the neonatal Septisome, 2) optimize treatment of NS in a sustainable fashion to reduce serious sequelae such as brain damage, 3) institute cost-effective rational public health and vaccination strategies for prevention of NS, and 4) develop a template for instituting 1-3 sustainably in other developing countries. We have attached a Concept Note expanding on these ideas for your consideration. With our best regards, Steve and Ben Steven J. Schiff, MD, PhD Brush Chair Professor of Engineering Director, Center for Neural Engineering Penn State University http://www.esm.psu.edu/schiff Benjamin C. Warf MD Director, Neonatal and Congenital Anomaly Neurosurgery Department of Neurosurgery Children's Hospital Boston Harvard Medical School EFTA00878993