Newsline — Thursday, February 2, 2012 14:00
Protein in the Brain Could be Component of Plaques Affecting Alzheimer’s Development
Study Examines Incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Older Americans
Thursday, February 2, 2012 10:07
Mayo Clinic Study of Aging researchers report that more than six percent of Americans ages 70 to 89 develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) each year. In addition, the condition seems to affect men and those who only have a high school education more so than women and those who have completed some higher education. Those with MCI are at the stage between the normal forgetfulness associated with aging and developing dementia, like that caused by Alzheimer’s disease. According to research, 296 of the 1,450 participants developed MCI — an incidence rate of 6.4 percent per year overall. Among men, the incidence rate was 7.2 percent, compared to 5.7 percent per year for women. The study, “The Incidence of MCI Differs by Subtype and is Higher in Men,” was published in the Jan. 25, 2012, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For more information, click here to read the full release.
American Academy of Neurology Calls on Neurologists to Screen Patients for Abuse
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 13:00
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is calling on neurologists to start screening patients for abusive or violent treatment by family, caretakers or others, according to a new position statement published in the Jan. 25 online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the AAN. Types of abuse include elder abuse, child abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, cyberbullying and violence. “Neurologists see patients with neurologic disorders that may make them more susceptible to abuse or neglect,” says AAN Fellow Elliott A. Schulman, MD, of Lankenau Medical Center in Wynnewood, Pa., lead author of the statement. “They also see patients with neurologic issues that may be either directly or indirectly related to mistreatment.” For more information, click here to read the full release.
New Jersey’s Riverview Medical Center to Offer Brain Stimulation Procedure
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 8:00
Riverview Medical Center, part of Meridian Neuroscience, is one of the first hospitals in New Jersey to offer its patients deep brain stimulation (DBS) — a breakthrough procedure for treating essential tremors and Parkinson’s disease. DBS functions like a “pacemaker” for the brain, using electrodes implanted in the brain to send out electrical impulses to areas that are linked to disorders. When treating Parkinson’s disease, for example, the inserted DBS device (Activa PC by Medtronic) sends electrical impulses through a wire into the brain to control the movement center. The stimulation blocks abnormal activity in the brain and relieves patients of tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, and stiffness; it may help with other problems associated with their conditions, as well. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Tulane University to Become Part of NFL Neurological Care Program
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 14:25
Tulane University in New Orleans has been selected by the National Football League (NFL) as one of seven institutions in the country to join its Neurological Care Program for retired players. The program gives former players special access to the nation’s leading neurological hospitals for comprehensive evaluation of brain and spinal function, along with an individually tailored treatment plan. The program will be led by Roger Kelley, MD, chairman of neurology at Tulane University School of Medicine, and Gregory Stewart, MD, medical director of Tulane Centers for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. For more information, click here for the full release.
Neuropathy Patients Less Likely to Undergo Inexpensive, High-yield Glucose Tolerance Tests Than Costly, Low-yield MRIs
Tuesday, January 31, 2012 8:00
Researchers at the University of Michigan have analyzed the tremendous cost of diagnosing peripheral neuropathy and discovered that less expensive, more effective tests are less likely to be used. Almost one-quarter of patients receiving neuropathy diagnoses undergo high-cost, low-yield MRIs. Very few patients receive low-cost, high-yield glucose tolerance tests, according to the study, which will be published on Jan. 23 in the Archives of Internal Medicine. For more information, click here to read the full release.
Biomarker May Predict Prognosis for Head and Neck Cancer Patients
Monday, January 30, 2012 15:04
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center, the University Hospital for Einstein, have discovered a biomarker in head and neck cancers that can predict whether a patient’s tumor will be life-threatening. The biomarker is particularly promising in that it can detect the level of risk immediately after diagnosis. This discovery could become part of a new test to guide how aggressively patients with head and neck tumors should be treated. The findings were published on Jan. 9 in the American Journal of Pathology. “Previous efforts to identify biomarkers for guiding treatment of head and neck cancer have not developed anything clinically useful for patients,” says Geoffrey Childs, PhD, professor of pathology at Einstein and co-senior author of the paper. For more information, click here to read the full release.
$25-million Grant to Fund Five-Year Study to Uncover Epilepsy Genes
Thursday, January 26, 2012 8:00
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), along with several collaborating institutions, will decode the DNA of more than 4,000 people suffering from various forms of epilepsy over the next five years in a study to uncover the genetic secrets of one of the most common neurological diseases. The project will be funded by a $25-million grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “This is the largest, most sophisticated project that has ever been attempted for identifying the genetic causes of epilepsy, and it has come about as the result of a great spirit of collaboration among scientists, clinicians, patients and their family members from throughout the world,” said Daniel Lowenstein, MD, vice chair of the Department of Neurology and director of the UCSF Epilepsy Center. For more information, click here to read the full release.
University of Florida to Honor Life and Work of Renowned Neurosurgeon Albert L. Rhoton
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 15:24
Albert L. Rhoton Jr., MD, didn’t intend to become a neurosurgeon. It was in a physiological psychology class during his last semester of undergrad that he found his true calling. “The function of the brain turned me on so much, I decided that I wanted to become a neurosurgeon,” he says. Rhoton completed a degree in social work before entering a pre-medical program at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He eventually attended the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, graduating at the top of his class in 1959. More than 50 years later, the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, Fla., is celebrating Rhoton’s life and work during its annual Neurosurgery Research Days. For more information, click here to read the full release.
UCSF Research Team Discovers New Methods of Determining Recurrence of Brain Tumors
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 10:48
After, patients with low-grade glioma, a type of brain cancer, undergo neurosurgery to remove the tumors, they face variable odds of survival that depend largely on how rapidly the cancer recurs. Even though their doctors monitor the tumors closely with sophisticated imaging, it’s hard to determine with certainty whether the cancer has returned in a more malignant state requiring aggressive treatment. A team from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has developed methods to reveal a molecular marker in tissue samples from brain tumors that has been tied to better survival odds. Monitoring this marker in the brain could give doctors a better way to follow their patients after surgery. For more information, click here to read the full release.