Newsline — Thursday, March 7, 2013 13:00
Selective Peripheral Neurotomy Ends Paralysis for Wheelchair-Bound Man
Omega-3 Lipid Emulsions May Curb Brain Damage After Stroke
Thursday, March 7, 2013 9:00
An injection of triglyceride lipid emulsions rich in omega-3 fatty acid within a few hours of an ischemic stroke can decrease the amount of a mouse’s brain tissue damage by at least 50 percent, according to findings by researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center. The results suggest that the emulsions may be able to curb long-term neurological and behavioral challenges seen in human stroke survivors of neonatal and adult stroke. For more information, click here to read the full story.
Study: White Matter Hypersensitivies May Be a Factor in Alzheimer’s Disease
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 13:00
Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center have found that white matter hypersensitivities (WMHs), in addition to amyloid deposits, may be a second important factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists found that amyloid and WHMs were associated equally with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and were just as predictive of which study subjects would go on to develop Alzheimer’s. Due to the controllability of WMH risk factors, findings suggest potential methods to prevent Alzheimer’s in those with amyloid deposits. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Childhood Cancer Demonstrates Sensitivity to New Drugs
Wednesday, March 6, 2013 9:00
Neuroblastoma, the most common malignant tumor in young children, often is linked to the presence of MYCN amplification, a genetic biomarker related to a poor prognosis. As reported in Cancer Discovery (a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research), scientists have determined that tumors with MYCN amplifications are sensitive to BET bromodomain inhibitors, a new class of drugs. These drugs are said to provide hope in the therapeutic treatment of certain cancers. Researchers tested a BET bromodomain inhibitor using cultured MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells lines and three animal models of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. The drug decreased levels of MYCN protein in cultured cells. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Treatment and Research Topics Are Front and Center at American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 13:00
More than 1,200 sports medicine experts will converge on San Diego next month for the 22nd Annual Meeting of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM). Among presentation topics are return-to-play issues and more than 400 cutting-edge research and case abstracts submitted by AMSSM members. For more information, click here for the full release.
Neurostimulation May Quell Symptoms for Parkinson’s Patients
Tuesday, March 5, 2013 9:00
A new study suggests that the shaking, trembling and additional motor problems encountered by Parkinson’s patients could be reduced through subthalamic stimulation. As reported by the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers believe that neurostimulation in tandem with medical therapy would help patients in the early stage of Parkinson’s disease, noting that study subjects who underwent neurostimulation and medical therapy showed more improvement than those who received medical therapy only. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Blood in Post-Menopausal Women Offers Clues to Brain Damage, Memory Loss
Monday, March 4, 2013 13:00
The blood of post-menopausal women may hold insight to whether they are at an increased risk of brain damage that leads to memory loss and stroke. A study, as reported in the February 2013 edition of Neurology, suggests that the blood’s tendency to clot may contribute to a number of events leading to brain damage in women who have gone through menopause. During the study, women with higher levels of thrombogenic microvesicles (platelets likely to cause blood to clot) were more likely to have an increase in the amount of white matter hyperintensities, a factor in memory loss. For more information, click here to read the full article.
Major League Pitcher Thanks Neurosurgeon for Life-Saving Diagnosis
Monday, March 4, 2013 9:00
While the Seattle Mariners are flexing their spring training muscle in Peoria, Ariz., pitcher Anthony Vasquez is working on his game. After a bout with blurred vision and frequent headaches, an MRI revealed that Vasquez was suffering from arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in his brain. Dr. Robert Spetzler, director of the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, performed a six-hour surgery to fix the problem. Three months later, Vasquez is glad to be back on the baseball field. Click here to read the full story.
Study: Patients with Spinal Stenosis May See Worse Outcomes after Steroid Injections
Friday, March 1, 2013 13:00
In the February 15 issue of Spine, researchers question the benefits of steroid injection in the treatment of spinal stenosis in the lower spine. Sufferers of this condition experience back pain, leg pain and other symptoms due to the narrowing of the spinal canal. Steroid injection commonly is recommended for those whose symptoms do not improve with initial treatment. When comparing outcomes for 69 patients who underwent steroid injections to 207 patients who did not, researchers found that those injected saw significantly less improvement in their condition. Click here to read the full story.
Brain Wields Symphony-Like Control of Vocal Tract during Human Speech
Friday, March 1, 2013 10:08
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have discovered the neurological origin of speech motor control and how the brain controls the lips, tongue and voice box as we speak. As noted in the journal Nature, the studies could lead to computer-brain interfaces that could treat speech disorders. To understand the complex means through which speech articulation works, researchers recorded the electrical activity from the brains of three brain surgery patients. The information gathered helped to determine the organization of the “speech sensorimotor cortex”. With the application of a new method called “state-space” analysis, researchers found a surprising sophistication in how the brain’s speech sensorimotor cortex functions. Click here to read the full article.