Newsline — Tuesday, April 1, 2014 13:00
Cedars-Sinai Demonstrates Experimental Device to Make Brain Tumors Glow
Researchers Generate New Neurons in Brains, Spinal Cords of Living Adult Mammals
Tuesday, April 1, 2014 9:00
Recent findings published in the journal Nature Communications documented UT Southwestern Medical Center’s successful attempt at creating new nerve cells in the brains and spinal cords of living mammals without the need for stem cell transplants to replenish lost cells. However, the researchers stressed that it is too soon to know whether the neurons created in these initial studies resulted in any functional improvements. Spinal cord injuries can lead to an irreversible loss of neurons and can ultimately lead to impaired motor and sensory functions. Scientists are hopeful that regenerating cells can be an avenue to repair damage. However, adult spinal cords have limited ability to produce new neurons. Biomedical scientists have transplanted stem cells to replace neurons, but have faced other hurdles, highlighting the need for new methods of replenishing lost cells. To read more about this study, click here.
Simple Waiting Room Test Can Help Diagnose Depression, Anxiety
Monday, March 31, 2014 13:00
A recent study published in General Hospital Psychiatry found that patients visiting the hospital for a variety of ailments can be easily screened for depression and anxiety while they wait for care. That information can then be sent immediately to their physician to address with them during their visit. Researchers at King’s College London University piloted an electronic questionnaire for patients in six specialty services, including rheumatology, limb reconstruction, hepatitis C, psoriasis, congenital heart disease and chronic pain. The system was extremely effective at providing clinicians with real-time information about their patients and makes an effective use of usable information that non-mental health professionals can use to interpret and act upon. Researchers were also able to evaluate the prevalence of depression and anxiety in relation to the patients’ various ailments. The different prevalence rates of possible depression and anxiety highlights the complex interaction between physical and mental health. To read more about this study, click here.
Spinal Manipulative Therapy Lessens Central-pain Sensitization
Monday, March 31, 2014 9:00
According to a new study published in The Journal of Pain, the lessening of pain sensitivity achieved with spinal manipulation therapy (SMT) occurs as a result of the treatment, and not from a placebo effect caused by the its expectation. Studies have previously shown that the placebo effect is associated with robust analgesia produced by anticipation of pain relief. However, researchers from the University of Florida investigated whether or not the lessening of pain sensitivity attributed to SMT is specific to the procedure. Participants for the study were experiencing low back pain and were randomly assigned to SMT, placebo SMT, and enhanced placebo SMT — in which case the participants were aware of whether or not they would get SMT or a placebo intervention. Results from the study showed that significantly more participants receiving enhanced placebo SMT indicated good to excellent outcomes compared to those receiving standard placebo SMT, or no treatment. A significant difference was not found between participants who received SMT and the enhanced placebo. To read more about this study, click here.
New Autism Definition May Decrease Diagnosis by One Third
Friday, March 28, 2014 13:00
According to new research published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, new diagnosis guidelines for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), issued by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), may reduce the total number of individuals diagnosed by almost one-third. The guidelines, released in May 2013, received the first major update to psychiatric diagnosis criteria in almost two decades. The changes could leave thousands of developmentally delayed children each year without the ASD diagnosis they need to qualify for social services, medical benefits and educational support. The study raises the concern that a medical provider diagnosing a child under the new guidelines won’t find the child to be on the autism spectrum, when the same child under the old criteria might have been diagnosed with ASD. The research team conducted a systematic literature review of changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) — the APA’s tool for psychiatric conditions — on diagnosis of individuals with ASD. The study found a statistically significant decrease in ASD diagnosis of 31 percent using the new…
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Opioid Abuse Initiates Specific Protein Interactions in Brain’s Reward System
Friday, March 28, 2014 9:00
New research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai revealed how opiate use alters the activity of a specific protein needed for the normal functioning of the brain’s reward center. Identifying the specific pathways that promote opioid addiction, pain relief, and tolerance are crucial for developing more effective and less dangerous analgesics, as well as new treatments for addiction. During the study, researchers were able to block the protein, as well as increase its expression in the mouse nucleus accumbens, a key component of the brain’s reward center. It altered the actions of opioids such as morphine dramatically, and is the first study to show that opioid use changes activity of the protein RGS9-2, and alters the threshold for pain relief, affecting opioid tolerance. Because opioid addiction is widespread, with 1.9 million Americans considered to be dependent on prescription opioids in 2010, these discoveries provide important new information about the role of the brain’s reward pathway and its analgesic response to opiates. To read more about this study, click here.
Mental Health Conditions in Most Suicide Victims Left Undiagnosed
Thursday, March 27, 2014 13:00
According to a national study led by the Henry Ford Health System and Mental Health Research Network, the mental health conditions of most people who commit suicide remained undiagnosed in the year before they died. Among those in the study, 83 percent received health care treatment in the year prior to death, however a mental health diagnosis was made in only 45 percent of those cases. To help prevent suicides, the lead authors of the study say health care providers should become more attuned to their patients’ mental health states. The study also found that of those seeking medical attention in the four weeks before they died, 25 percent were diagnosed with a mental health condition, with one in every five making a health care visit in the week before they died. The results from the study suggest that because most visits occurred in primary care or medical-specialty settings, suicide prevention in those environments would likely reach the largest number of individuals. To read more about this study, click here.
Laser Safely Destroys Deep Brain Tumor
Thursday, March 27, 2014 9:00
Using a new MRI-guided laser technology, neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System have successfully treated a malignant tumor inside a patient’s brain, which is the first time that this FDA-approved laser-based treatment has been performed in California. Because the patient’s brain tumor was located in the thalamus, the surgeon would normally have to remove a considerable amount of healthy brain tissue in order to access a tumor in this region. However, the MRI-guided laser technology helps neurosurgeons preserve the healthy tissue while allowing treatment of tumors that would otherwise be inoperable. The surgical team used a technique called laser interstitial thermal therapy, and the procedure is performed inside an MRI machine while the patient is under general anesthesia. After a dime-size hole is created in the patient’s skull to access the tumor, a laser probe is then inserted into the tumor under real-time MRI monitoring and computer guidance. Once the tumor has been reached, the laser beam is activated, heating, and then destroying the tumor cells. To read more about this procedure, click here.
New Apps May Help Detect Seizures, Treat Strokes
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 13:00
Two new smart phone applications may help people detect epileptic seizures and get better stroke treatment, according to two new studies to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 2014 annual meeting. In the first study, an epilepsy app was designed to help non-doctors determine if a person is having an epileptic seizure. To create the app, researchers asked 67 people questions about their seizures. The most helpful questions/answers for predicting an epileptic seizure were then used to create the app, which was tested on 132 people in India and Nepal. The app was found to coincide with a doctor’s diagnosis in 96 percent of cases. In the second study, researchers created a stroke app, making it easier and more efficient for doctors to manage care for acute stroke patients. Those who treat acute stroke patients often need to accomplish many tasks at once, the app was written to help with quality improvement, ease communication, and screen for clinical trials. To read more about these studies, click here.
Antibody May be Detectable in Blood Years Before MS Symptoms Appear
Wednesday, March 26, 2014 9:00
An antibody found in the blood of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be present long before the onset of the disease and its symptoms, according to a study to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 2014 annual meeting. During the study, 16 healthy blood donors who were later diagnosed with MS, were compared to 16 healthy blood donors of the same age and sex who did not develop MS. Researchers looked for a specific antibody, known as KIR4.1. All of the healthy controls tested negative for KIR4.1. Of those who later developed MS, seven people tested positive for the antibody, with two who showed borderline activity and seven with negative results. However, concentrations of the antibody varied at different times during pre-MS individuals. Researchers say the next step will be to confirm their findings in a larger group, and determine how many years before onset of disease the antibody response develops. To read more about this study, click here.