Newsline — Tuesday, March 17, 2015 9:00
Caregivers of Veterans with TBI May be at Risk for Chronic Disease
Study Offers New Look at Complex Head and Neck Tumors
Monday, March 16, 2015 9:17
In a recent study published in the journal Nature, researchers from the Yale Cancer Center discovered new, critical information about head and neck cancers. Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) ranks among the top ten most prevalent cancers in the United States. Despite its prevalence, little is known about how this cancer develops and spreads. However, an increasing number of head and neck cancers are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV). Using tissue from HPV-positive and HPV-negative (largely linked to smoking) HNSCC tumors, researchers from institutions around the country referenced The Cancer Genome Atlas to develop a comprehensive assessment of alterations, or oncogenes, that could play a role in how the tumors develop and metastasize. Results of the study showed that the defects in tumors varied broadly across patients, with tumors of some non-smokers (or low smokers) resembling those of smokers. The study also uncovered the presence of the Her2 gene amplification, known to play a critical role in breast cancer. To read more about this study, click here.
Learning Artistic Skills Alters the Brain
Friday, March 13, 2015 9:00
In a recent study published in the journal Neuroimage, researchers from Dartmouth College reported that taking an introductory class in painting or drawing literally alters students’ brains. Furthermore, the training-induced changes didn’t only improve the fine motor control needed for sophisticated sketching — they also boosted the students’ creative thinking capabilities. The study featured 35 college undergraduates, 17 of whom took a three-month introductory course in observational drawing or painting. All underwent monthly brain scans using fMRI technology. At the beginning and end of the study, all participants completed a standard test of creative thinking, which measures factors such as fluency, originality and the creative use of imagery and language. The results of the study showed that the art students improved in the ability to quickly translate observations of human figures into gesture drawings, and that fine-grained patterns of drawing-related neural activity in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex increasingly differentiated the art students from the control group over the course of the study. Additionally, researchers also observed changes in the students’ prefrontal white matter that…
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Smoking Shrinks Your Brain
Thursday, March 12, 2015 13:51
A long-term study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, conducted by researchers from the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University and the University of Edinburgh, reports that tobacco use is linked to a distinct thinning of the frontal cortex. The researchers examined 504 elderly subjects who had previously been examined in the wide-scale Scottish Mental Survey of 1947. Those who had once smoked tobacco, and who still used it, were found to have a notable shrinkage in the cortex — a section of the brain tasked with memory, language and perception. This process naturally occurs with age, but was found to be greatly accelerated in smokers. The author stated, “We found that current and ex-smokers had, at age 73, many areas of thinner brain cortex than those that never smoked. Subjects who stopped smoking seem to partially recover their cortical thickness for each year without smoking. However, it took [approximately] 25 years for complete cortical recovery in affected areas for those at the mean pack-years value in this sample. As the cortex thins with normal…
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Stroke Survivors May be at Higher Risk of Developing Cancer
Thursday, March 12, 2015 9:00
According to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s 2015 International Stroke Conference, people who have had a stroke in the past develop cancer at a higher rate compared to those who have not. The research team analyzed data from 1997-2011, consisting of 3,247 cancer-free participants over the age of 35 who had a mild ischemic stroke. The results of the study showed that the annual rate of age-adjusted cancer incidence was higher among ischemic stroke patients compared with the general population. The results also showed that the rate of cancer occurring among stroke survivors was 1.2-times higher at one year, and 1.4-times higher at two years. Additionally, stroke survivors who developed cancer had up to three-times higher of a chance of dying compared to those who didn’t get cancer. The reason why cancer is often linked to a higher ischemic stroke risk is mainly because cancer patients’ blood tends to clot more often. However, during this study, researchers sought to find out why ischemic stroke increases the risk for developing cancer. “When tissues get less oxygen due to blocked…
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Nanoparticle Gene-therapy Strategy Effectively Treats Deadly Brain Cancer
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 14:41
A new study, published in the journal ACS Nano, conducted by Johns Hopkins University, reports that a novel form of nanoparticle gene therapy may be applicable and effective in extreme cases of brain cancer — previously regarded as incurable. Research began by crafting a nanoparticle containing DNA encording herpes simplex type 1 thymidine kinsase (HSVtk) — which is known for its brain cancer applications. When applied to lab-grown glioma cells, there was a 100-percent success rate as the nanoparticles destroyed the cells. “We then evaluated the system in rats with glioma and found that by using a method called intracranial convection-enhanced delivery, our nanoparticles could penetrate completely throughout the tumor following a single injection. When combined with systemic administration of ganciclovir, rats with malignant glioma lived significantly longer than rats that did not receive this treatment.” This study will lead to future, animal-based research before human application is discussed, in order to determine possible risks and evaluate various methods of introducing nanoparticles into existing treatments or as a standalone therapy. To learn more about this…
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New Technology Developed for Detecting TBI Biomarker
Wednesday, March 11, 2015 9:00
Researchers from the NYU Langone Medical Center have introduced new technology that could help advance blood biomarker capabilities, which show changes in low concentration of specific proteins that are present following a neurological injury. The single-molecule array technology offers unprecendented improvements in protein sensitivity over current technologies for the detection of blood-based biomarkers. The new technology allows for more effective measurement of low concentration of proteins — such as tau. Utilizing this technology, researchers hope to develop and validate a simple, more objective blood biomarker for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Until recently, there have been limits in tissue availability and technology that can help detect specific proteins and other potential biomarkers in the blood following TBI. The results of the study show that a large number of people whose brains appear normal on standard imaging tests could actually have some form of injury, whose course is not well understood. “This presents a unique opportunity to develop a mechanisms-based classification of TBI in the context of personalized medicine,” said a…
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Effects of Brain Surgery for Epilepsy Sustained for More than 15 Years
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 13:00
Physicians with the Henry Ford Hospital have published the results of a long-term survey in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior, which indicates that surgery for epileptics have a notable success rate up to 15 years afterwards. The team contacted 4,700 epileptic people who had received surgery from 1993 to 2011 regarding their functional recovery and quality of life, 50 of whom were found to be deceased. The author explained, “Most previous studies looked at seizure and psychosocial outcomes at 2 to 5 years after surgery, and a few for up to 10 years. We aimed to assess the long-term outcomes — up to 15 years — at our epilepsy center.” 92 percent of those questioned recommended epilepsy surgery, with 32 percent reporting as seizure-free. In regards to independence, 35 percent of the subjects reported driving before the surgery, but this raised to 55 percent afterwards. Researchers noted that consistent antidepressant-use after surgery indicated that depression may be linked to epilepsy treatments, but this could also be attributed to an improved mental-health diagnosis at the time…
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Brain Scans Predict Effectiveness of Depression Treatment
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 9:00
In a recent study published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that brain scans can predict which patients with clinical depression are most likely to benefit from a specific kind of talk therapy. The study is the first to use a technique known as resting-state functional brain connectivity MRI to identify differences in brain wiring that can predict therapeutic responses to talk therapy. “In the future, we will be able to use non-invasive brain imaging technology to match patients with the treatment option that has the best chance of lifting their depression,” said the study’s lead author. Furthermore, if doctors can identify the best treatment immediately, doctors and patients could avoid months of trial and error, dramatically reducing the often debilitating effects of depression for patients and their families. To read more about this study, click here.
Researchers Develop Technique to Measure Oxygen in Cancer and Stroke Patients
Monday, March 9, 2015 10:05
In a recent study published in the journal Stroke, researchers from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center published their progress on the decades-old issue of how to measure oxygenation in deep-sited tissue. The new technique uses Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) oximetry, and will help clinicians directly measure and schedule treatments at times of high oxygen levels in cancer and stroke patients, in order to improve outcomes. Oxygen measurement in deep-sited tissue has been a challenge for researchers in previous studies, which limited the understanding of various pathologies in large animals and humans. During the current study, the research team developed implantable resonators made of thin non-magnetic copper wire to facilitate direct and repeated measurement of tissue oxygenation at any depth from the surface. In their most recent experiment, which demonstrated the efficacy of in vivo EPR oximetry, they used a one-time implementation of the oxygen probes in the brain of a rabbit and successfully monitored oxygen levels for several weeks. “Other than the implantation, which is done under anesthesia, the rest of the procedure for…
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