Newsline — Tuesday, October 16, 2012 9:19
Neurosurgeon Uncovers Cause of Patient’s Debilitating Headache
Surgery Is Best Treatment for Spinal Stenosis
Monday, October 15, 2012 10:13
Nearly all groups of patients with spinal stenosis, excluding smokers, do better with surgery than with nonsurgical treatment, according to a study that appears in the Oct. 1, 2012, issue of Spine. “With the exception of smokers, patients who met strict inclusion criteria improved more with surgery than with nonoperative treatment,” the study reports. Adam Pearson, MD, and colleagues at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice conducted the research, which suggests that patients who smoke should consider quitting before they undergo surgery for spinal stenosis. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Preemies from Low-Income Families More Likely to Develop Dangerous Brain Bleeds
Thursday, October 11, 2012 13:00
Babies born prematurely to low-income parents have a disproportionately high risk for developing dangerous brain bleeds that require multiple surgeries and extensive follow-up, reports a Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study. The findings, which appear in the Sept. 28 onlin edition of the journal Pediatric Neurosurgery, are based on an analysis of 38 patients referred to Johns Hopkins for treatment of brain hemorrhages related to premature birth. The study is a reminder of the role socio-economic factors can play in health outcomes, the researchers say. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Clinical Trial Finds Evidence that Transplanted Neural Stem Cells Produce Myelin
Thursday, October 11, 2012 9:58
A Phase I clinical trial led by investigators from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and sponsored by Stem Cells Inc. has shown that neural stem cells can be successfully engrafted in the brains of patients and appear to produce myelin. The study, which appears in the Oct. 10, 2012, issue of Science Translational Medicine, also demonstrated that the neural stem cells were safe in the patients’ brains one year post-transplant. The results of the investigation, which was designed to test safety and preliminary efficacy, are encouraging, reports principal investigator David H. Rowitch, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatrics and neurological surgery at UCSF, chief of neonatology at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Canadian Neurosurgeon Awarded Saskatchewan Research Chair in Clinical Stroke Research
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:43
Three Saskatchewan, Canada, organizations –- the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF), Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) and University of Saskatchewan (U of S) — have announced a significant advancement for stroke research in the province. Brain surgeon and medical researcher Michael Kelly, MD, FAANS, of Saskatoon — a city in central Saskatchewan — has been awarded the Saskatchewan Research Chair in Clinical Stroke Research, which will enable him to pursue his work in the operating room and at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron in an effort to increase understanding of strokes, and improve prevention and treatment. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and brings a significant cost to the Saskatchewan health-care system. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Medication May Prevent Brain Damage After Stroke
Wednesday, October 10, 2012 10:02
A new medication called NA-1 could be effective in reducing brain lesions and is being called safe to repair brain aneurysms in stroke patients after they have undergone surgery, according to researchers at the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Canada. Study results appear in The Lancet Neurology. At the beginning of their randomized, double-blind trial, the experts set out to determine whether NA-1 was safe. They then focused on how injections of NA-1 affected the number and volume of brain legions in stroke patients after surgery. During the study, the researchers administered 185 patients who had just undergone surgery with either an intravenous infusion of NA-1 or saline control; 92 patients received the NA-1 drug, while 93 participants were given a placebo. Over the next three days, the team performed MRIs on the patients to evaluate the degree of stroke legions present. To determine the results, the participants were followed up on 30 days later. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Male DNA Found in Female Brain
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 13:00
Male DNA commonly is found in the female brain, most likely derived from prior pregnancy with a male fetus, according to new research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. While the medical implications of male DNA and male cells in the brain are unknown, studies of other kinds of microchimerism — the harboring of genetic material and cells exchanged between fetus and mother during pregnancy — have linked the phenomenon to autoimmune diseases and cancer, sometimes for better and other times for worse. The findings of this study appear in the Sept. 26 edition of PLOS ONE. Lead author William F. N. Chan, PhD, from the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Alberta conducted the research while working in the Hutchinson Center laboratory of J. Lee Nelson, MD, a member of the Center’s Clinical Research Division and a leading international authority on microchimerism. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Little Evidence to Support Medical Intervention for Adolescents, Young Adults with Autism
Tuesday, October 9, 2012 10:38
Vanderbilt University researchers say there is insufficient evidence to support the use of medical intervention in adolescents and young adults who have autism. Despite studies showing that many adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders are being prescribed medication, there is almost no evidence as to whether these medications are helpful in this population, the researchers said. These findings appear in the Sept. 24 issue of Pediatrics. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Researchers Identify Mechanism that Leads to Sporadic Parkinson’s Disease
Monday, October 8, 2012 8:00
Researchers at the Taub Institute at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have identified a mechanism that appears to underlie the common sporadic (non-familial) form of Parkinson’s disease. The discovery highlights potential new therapeutic targets for Parkinson’s and could lead to a blood test for the disease. The study, based mainly on analysis of human brain tissue, appears in the current online edition of Nature Communications. Studies of rare, familial (heritable) forms of Parkinson’s show that a protein called alpha-synuclein is involved in disease development. People who have extra copies of the alpha-synuclein gene produce excess alpha-synuclein protein, which can damage neurons. The effect is most pronounced in dopamine neurons — a population of brain cells in the substantia nigra that plays a key role in controlling normal movement and is lost in Parkinson’s. Another key feature of Parkinson’s is the presence of excess alpha-synuclein aggregates in the brain. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Collaborative Spine Research Foundation Announces Agenda for Clinical Spine Research
Friday, October 5, 2012 13:00
The Collaborative Spine Research Foundation (Collaborative Spine) has completed the process of setting a research agenda for spine care that articulates the most critical clinical research issues that need to be addressed in order to deliver on its commitment to advance the science and practice of the highest-quality spine care. Initiated July 2, 2012, the agenda-setting process was conducted through review of a comprehensive briefing document and completion of an online survey, through which respondents recommended research topics. In July and August, Collaborative Spine invited broad participation in the survey, inclusive of those who provide care or receive care, assist care teams, or play a role in shaping access to care. At the close of the survey, on Aug. 15, 2012, a total of 143 submissions had been received. For more information, click here to read the full release.