Newsline — Tuesday, March 18, 2014 13:00
HIV More Prevalent in Mental Health Patients, Study Shows
New Depression Treatments Reported
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 9:00
According to an evidence-based report in the journal Current Psychiatry, new treatments for depression will include new medications, electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, and long-term cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management. Commonly used antidepressants are designed to either increase the release or block the degradation of three neurotransmitters — dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin — however, drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil, induce the remission of depression in fewer than half of patients. This prompted researchers to look beyond neurotransmitters for an understanding of depressive disorders. New theories are focusing on differences in neuron density in the various regions of the brain, the effects of inflammation evoked by the stress response on brain cells, and the alterations of feedback pathways. Researchers also identified more than a dozen potential biomarkers of depression in order to integrate a more expansive understanding of the pathophysiology of depression. To read more about this study, click here.
Vitamin C May Reduce Stroke Risk
Monday, March 17, 2014 13:00
According to a study published by the American Academy of Neurology, eating foods that contain vitamin C may reduce the risk of the most common type of hemorrhagic stroke. Hemorrhagic stroke, although less common than ischemic stroke, is often more deadly. The study involved 65 people who had experienced an intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke, or a blood vessel rupture inside the brain, and were then compared to 65 healthy volunteers. All participants were tested for vitamin C levels in their blood, with 45 percent showing depleted levels. On average, people who had suffered a stroke had depleted levels, while those who had not showed normal levels of the vitamin. The results from the study show that vitamin C deficiency could be considered a risk factor for this severe type of stroke, although more research is needed to determine specifically how vitamin C helps to reduce the risk. To read more about this study, click here.
Undiagnosed Sleep Problems May Increase MS Patients’ Fatigue
Monday, March 17, 2014 9:00
A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that a large proportion of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients may have an undiagnosed sleeping disorder, increasing the fatigue often associated with the condition. Fifty-six percent of the 195 patients involved in the study were found to be at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The research is based on patients’ answers from a sleep questionnaire designed by the authors of the study, which assessed daytime sleepiness, fatigue severity, insomnia severity and obstructive sleep apnea risk. Findings suggest that OSA may be a highly prevalent and under-recognized contributor to the fatigue experienced by MS sufferers, which can be one of the most disabling symptoms of MS. However, results from the study were not able to prove that the patients felt more fatigued because they had a high score on a sleep apnea risk survey, but rather they should prompt doctors to consider sleep apnea as a possible contributor to their patients’ fatigue. To read more about this study, click here.
Researchers Hijack Cancer Migration to Move Brain Tumors
Friday, March 14, 2014 13:00
Research published in the journal Nature Materials reported a new technique that researchers are using to move tumors from inoperable locations to more accessible ones. In order to lure tumors to new locations, the researchers created nanofibers made from polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer surrounded by a polyurethane carrier — whose surface simulates the contours of nerves and blood vessels — a path the cancer cells would normally follow. The fibers served as tumor guides, leading migrating cells to a “tumor collector” gel located outside the brain, containing the drug cyclopamine, which is toxic to cancer cells. After 18 days, researchers found that when comparing tumor sizes in rats, the animals that had received the PCL nanofiber implants near their tumors were substantially reduced. Furthermore, the tumor cells had moved the entire length of the fibers into the collector gel outside the brain. However, before the technique can be used in humans, it will need to undergo extensive testing and gain FDA approval. To read more about this study, click here.
Study Affirms Efficacy of Bracing for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Friday, March 14, 2014 9:00
The results from a recent study conducted by the Scoliosis Research Society show that bracing of adolescents with moderate scoliosis is an effective treatment for the reduction of the number of patients who advance to the need for surgery. The study, Bracing in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial (BrAIST) found a positive dose response between the number of hours the bracing is worn and its success rate. Furthermore, bracing was found to be effective in preventing curve progression to 50 degrees and success with bracing was achieved in 90 percent of patients who wore bracing for a minimum of 13 hours per day. The value of a screening examination for scoliosis has been debated in the past due to inconclusive evidence of the success of non-operative treatment, however the results of BrAIST established the effectiveness of bracing as non-operative care, reducing the number of patients who progress to surgery. The study provides practitioners the opportunity to promote the early detection of scoliosis, allowing for potential cost savings and the avoidance of unnecessary surgical procedures. To read…
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Study Shows Treating Stroke Patients with Intravenous Magnesium Fails to Improve Stroke Outcome
Thursday, March 13, 2014 13:00
According to research presented by UCLA physicians at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference, giving stroke patients intravenous magnesium within an hour of symptom onset does not improve stroke outcomes. However, the eight-year study found that by working with paramedics in the field, intravenous medications can be given to stroke patients within the “golden hour,” the window in which patients have the best chance to survive and avoid debilitating, long-term neurological damage. Currently, the only immediate treatment for strokes caused by blockage of blood vessels is the clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). However, tPA cannot be given until the patient arrives at the hospital and receives a CT scan to rule out bleeding in the brain. The UCLA study demonstrated how to test therapies in stroke patients before they arrived at the hospital. Magnesium was chosen because it dilated blood vessels in the brain in animal studies, increasing blood flow and countering the damaging calcium build up that occurs in cells deprived of oxygen. Although the study found that magnesium does not…
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Scientists Take Steps to Understand Basic Biology of Bipolar Disorder
Thursday, March 13, 2014 9:00
Using a new method to determine whether individuals met the criteria for a clinical diagnosis of bipolar disorder, researchers from UCLA tried a new approach by combining results from brain imaging, cognitive tests, and an array of temperament and behavioral measures. In an attempt to better understand the genes that cause the disorder, a collaborative research team identified about 50 brain and behavioral measures that are both under strong genetic control and associated with bipolar disorder, creating the potential to pinpoint the specific genes that contribute to the illness. Affecting about one to two percent of the population, bipolar disorder causes unusual shifts in mood and energy, interfering with the ability to carry out everyday tasks. The researchers assessed 738 adults, 181 of with severe bipolar disorder. Using high-resolution 3-D imaging and extensive cognitive testing, researchers found that the thickness of the gray matter in the brain’s temporal and prefrontal regions — structures that are critical for language and high-order cognitive functions like self-control and problem solving — were the most promising traits for genetic…
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Stroke Patients on Clot Busting Drug Many Not Need Long ICU Stay
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 13:00
A recent study conducted by Johns Hopkins University found that stroke patients who receive prompt hospital treatment with the clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can avoid lengthy, restrictive monitoring in an intensive care unit (ICU). The study challenges the long-standing protocol that mandates intensive monitoring, mostly done in ICUs, for the first 24 hours after tPA infusion — to catch bleeding in the brain — a side effect seen in six percent of patients treated with the medication. The research team analyzed data from 153 stroke patients admitted to the emergency departments of the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center between 2010 and 2013. Results from the study that show that a relatively simple measure of stroke severity can accurately determine which patients need ICU monitoring and which can be managed outside of a critical-care setting. After taking into account differences in age, sex, race, and various health factors, researchers found the best predictor of need for intensive care was a patient’s score on the National Institutes of Health (NIH)…
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Growth Charts May Help Diagnose Children at Risk for Psychosis
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 9:00
In a recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry, researchers at Penn Medicine found that by charting the cognitive development of young children who are at risk for psychosis, parents, educators, and clinicians can aid in the early detection of their symptoms before their disease progresses. Psychosis is a severe mental illness, characterized by hallucinations, delusions, social withdrawal and a loss of contact with reality. Researchers assessed brain behavior by administering a structured psychiatric evaluation to 10,000 patients between the ages of eight and 21 from November 2009 to November 2011. The research team also administered neurocognitive tests to evaluate each child’s brain development across five or more categories — including executive function, abstraction and mental flexibility, attention and working memory, complex cognition, and social cognition. The results were then analyzed to predict the chronological age for each child. Those with the most extreme psychotic symptoms had a lower chronological age than predicted and also had a greater developmental lag, most pronounced in complex cognition and social cognition. To read more about this study, click here.