Newsline — Friday, July 13, 2012 8:00
Pediatric Brain Tumors Linked to Stem Cells
Cancer Kiss My Cooley to Partner with Hospice & Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois to Aid Brain Cancer Patients
Thursday, July 12, 2012 13:00
Cancer Kiss My Cooley (CKMC), a nonprofit organization, is joining forces with Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois to provide aid to youth with brain cancer. Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois — whose pediatric program helps children with life-limiting illnesses to live with comfort and fulfillment — will refer patients to CKMC, where they will receive support in the form of gifts, finances, fundraising and other aids. “We are honored to be teaming up with Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois,” says Joe Kettner, president and founder of CKMC. “These children battle and fight for lives, and deserve to smile with a kiss of hope.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
Animal Study Shows How Gut Hormone Receptor May Prevent Obesity
Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:00
Researchers have learned how a hormone in the gut slows the rate at which the stomach empties, thus suppressing hunger and food intake. Results of the animal study were presented during The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting. “The gut hormone glucagon-like peptide 2, or GLP-2, functions as a neurotransmitter and fine-tunes gastric emptying through — as suspected — its receptor action in the brain,” explains lead investigator Xinfu Guan, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Plus Curry Spice Ingredient Repair Tissue Damage in Rats with Spinal-cord Injuries
Wednesday, July 11, 2012 8:00
UCLA researchers have discovered that a diet enriched with omega-3 fatty acid and an ingredient in curry spice preserved the ability of rats with spinal-cord injuries to walk. The findings, which suggest that these dietary supplements help repair nerve cells and maintain neurological function after degenerative damage to the rats’ necks, appear in the June 26 issue of Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine. “Normal aging often narrows the spinal canal, putting pressure on the spinal cord and injuring tissue,” says principal investigator Langston Holly, MD, associate professor of neurosurgery at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine. “While surgery can relieve the pressure and prevent further injury, it can’t repair damage to the cells and nerve fibers. We wanted to explore whether dietary supplementation could help the spinal cord heal itself.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
Hormonal Treatment Coupled with Rehab Results in Better Test Performance Following Stroke
Tuesday, July 10, 2012 8:00
According to a new study – the results of which were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting – stroke patients who underwent hormonal treatment in conjunction with rehabilitation performed better on functioning and reasoning tests than patients who received rehabilitative therapy alone. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S. The disease occurs when a blood vessel to the brain either ruptures (hemorrhagic stroke) or is obstructed by a clot during an ischemic stroke – the latter is the most common type. Inadequate blood flow prevents oxygen from reaching parts of the brain, which can lead to tissue death and long-term disability. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Saskatchewan Mennonite Families Helps Scientists Locate Parkinson’s Disease Gene
Monday, July 9, 2012 13:00
An international team of scientists – including those from the University of Saskatchewan-Saskatoon Health Region and University of British Columbia – with the help of Saskatchewan Mennonite families has identified an abnormal gene that leads to Parkinson’s disease. “This discovery paves the way for further research to determine the nature of brain abnormalities which this gene defect produces,” says Ali Rajput, MD, a world-renowned expert in Parkinson’s disease who has been studying the disease for 45 years and working with the main family in the study since 1983. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Scientists Identify Smoking, Head Injury, Pesticide as Risk Factors for REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Monday, July 9, 2012 8:00
A new study says that smoking, head injury, pesticide exposure, farming and less education may be risk factors for a rare sleep disorder that causes people to kick or punch during sleep. The results appear in the June 27, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those who suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder do not have the normal lack of muscle tone that occurs during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, causing them to act out their dreams. The movements sometimes can be violent, causing injury to the person or their bed partner. The disorder is estimated to occur in 0.5 percent of adults. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Study Reveals Source of Inherited Form of Epilepsy
Friday, July 6, 2012 14:47
Researchers in McGill University’s Department of Biology have unveiled the cause of an inherited form of epilepsy. The disease, called double-cortex syndrome, primarily affects females and comes from mutations to a gene located on the X chromosome, which were discovered using a highly advanced microscope. The results of the study appear in the journal Developmental Cell. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Dietary Variety Good for Brain’s Blood Vessels
Friday, July 6, 2012 8:00
The brain preserves its functions over time in a number of ways. Brain cells turn out many homegrown neurotrophic factors in order to maintain integrity. Behavioral actions such as intellectual challenges and physical activity keep the brain humming, too. The most significant means of keeping brain cells healthy is to assure they get enough blood supply. Unfortunately, interruption of blood flow to the brain – by blockage or hemorrhage – is common among Americans. In fact, stroke is the third leading cause of death, after heart disease and cancer. Each year, nearly 800,000 people suffer a stroke. While stroke risk dramatically increases after age 55, nearly 25 percent of strokes happen to those under age 65. High blood pressure and smoking are two of the biggest risk factors. But researchers are finding that diet plays an important role in keeping the brain and its blood supply in good working order; it can even limit damage to brain cells if a stroke occurs. For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Brain Scan Diagnoses Alzheimer’s Disease More Accurately
Thursday, July 5, 2012 10:50
The University of Arizona Medical Center has a new brain scan that can detect Alzheimer’s disease. It is one of the first hospitals in the U.S. to use a new brain-imaging drug that will lead to more accurate diagnoses of the illness. The positron emission tomography (PET) scans use Amyvid, an injectable radioactive dye that was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April. For more information, click here to read the full release.