Newsline — Thursday, April 4, 2013 13:00
Rush University Begins Trial for Promising Brain Tumor Drug
Global Research Using Stem Cells to Understand Alzheimer’s Causes, Possible Cures
Thursday, April 4, 2013 9:00
An international team of researchers is working to gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease by reprograming skin cells into brain cells. By way of stem cell technology, the team will monitor adult Alzheimer’s brain cells, seeking its causes and a system for potentially effective treatments. “This approach is one of our best shots at understanding common forms of Alzheimer’s. Once defects are identified, we can use these same brain cells to screen for new drugs,” says Sam Gandy, MD, PhD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, lead researcher on the study. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Study: Personalized Drugs for Pediatric Brain Tumors Could Be On the Way
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 13:00
A new study from pediatric researchers offers insight to how gene-sequencing data could customize treatments based on specific mutations of a child’s brain tumor. After discovering major differences in how a gene mutates, researchers at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia may be moving closer to personalizing drugs for cancer-stricken children. For more information, click here to read the full story.
Vital Stoke Therapy Is Used More Frequently at Certified Primary Stroke Centers
Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:00
Certified Primary Stroke Centers are three times more likely to administer clot-busting therapies than non-certified centers. A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association sampled U.S. hospitals, and sheds light on how to increase the implementation of this vital stroke treatment. Click here to read the full story.
Cognitive Impairment at Parkinson’s Diagnosis Linked to Higher Risk of Early Dementia
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 13:00
Mild cognitive damage at the time that a patient is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease appears to be linked with an increased risk of early dementia. Researchers in Norway are seeking to examine the course of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its progression to dementia in Parkinson’s patients. Click here for the full article.
Researchers Explore Sudden Epilepsy Deaths
Tuesday, April 2, 2013 9:00
Dravet syndrome (DS) is a treatment-resistant form of epilepsy from which patients have a significantly increased risk of dying from sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). A team at the University of Washington has explored SUDEP in a mouse study of DS using video, electroencephalography and electrocardiography which revealed a slowing of the heartbeat preceding SUDEP in mice. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Researchers Turn Brain Tumors Blue for Easy Identification
Monday, April 1, 2013 13:00
Researchers are staining tumor cells blue to identify tumors from normal brain tissue during surgery. The technique, developed by a team from Georgia Tech and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, could be critical for hospitals that lack the equipment to preserve brain function and the maximum amount of normal brain tissue during surgery. For more information, click here to read the full story.
Down’s Syndrome Linked to Loss of Brain Protein
Monday, April 1, 2013 9:00
Researchers have found that a lack of a protein in the brains of those with Down’s syndrome could be the cause of learning and memory problems associated with the condition. A study conducted at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute found that restoring the SNX27 protein in Down’s syndrome mice improved behavior and cognitive function. Click here for the full article.
Rapid Hearing Loss Could Signal Rare and Fatal Disease
Friday, March 29, 2013 13:00
A rapid loss of hearing in both ears might be a sign of the rare, but fatal Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), which causes holes to develop in the brain. When treating a patient whose hearing loss was accompanied by ringing in the ears, Ahmad Riad Ramadan, MD, noted a subsequent cognitive decline indicative of CJD. Testing identified a telltale protein that led to a CJD diagnosis. The patients hearing did not improve and he died a month of seeking treatment. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Brain Aneurysm Treatment Used for Irregular Heartbeats
Friday, March 29, 2013 9:00
A team at the University of California, Los Angeles, has used a brain aneurysm treatment to treat life-threatening irregular heart rhythms, known as ventricular arrhythmias. In two patients for whom traditional techniques did not work, a team of cardiologists and interventional neuro-radiologists used coil embolization – a brain aneurysm treatment – as an out-of-the-box method to treat the patients’ irregular heartbeats. For more information, click here to read the full story.