Central Nervous System News and Research

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Nigeria resuming polio immunization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has been informed by the Governor of Kano, Nigeria, of the intention to resume polio immunization campaigns there in early July.

30 Jun 2004

Treating cocaine addiction with a virus

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have designed a potentially valuable tool for treating cocaine addiction by creating a modified "phage" virus that soaks up the drug inside the brain.

24 Jun 2004

Researchers win Kaye prize for gastro-retentive sustained release drug delivery system

Despite advances made in "sustained delivery" drug delivery technologies in recent years, a problem still persists in trying to obtain controlled release of a wide variety of medications that have only a "narrow absorption window" in the upper part of the intestines. That is, these drugs are absorbed rather quickly after being swallowed, negating the beneficial effects of "once-a-day" medication.

9 Jun 2004

Neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research

Northwestern University neuroscientists have overcome a major obstacle in gene therapy research. They've devised a method that will safely deliver and regulate expression of therapeutic genes introduced into the central nervous system to treat Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases.

5 Jun 2004

Chromium picolinate supplementation reduced carbohydrate cravings and atypical depression

Results of a new double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trial found that daily supplementation with chromium picolinate significantly reduced some key symptoms of atypical depression.

2 Jun 2004

Model of the central nervous system will allow oncologists and neurosurgeons to target tumours more effectively

A larger-than-life model of the human central nervous system including the brain and spinal cord, which will allow oncologists and neurosurgeons to target tumours more effectively, will be among a range of student projects on display at an event at The University of Nottingham this week.

2 Jun 2004

Acne drug may help treat multiple sclerosis

Dr. Luanne Metz, an associate professor of neurosciences and physician-scientist in the Neuroscience Research Group at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine, has found that minocycline, a drug currently used to treat such conditions as acne, decreases the activity of lesions in the brains of people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS).

2 Jun 2004

Call for Bush Administration to remedy failures on mad cow disease

Carol Tucker Foreman, director of Consumer Federation of America's Food Policy Institute, joined Consumers Union, Public Citizen and R-CALF in calling on the Bush Administration to remedy failures and improve protection against BSE.

1 Jun 2004

3-D micro-imaging technology licensed to Carl Zeiss Jena by Cornell

Biomedical microscopic imaging deep inside living tissue with unprecedented clarity could become routine and widely available with the signing of technology-transfer and collaborative-research agreements today (May 28, 2004) by Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH, a leading maker of microscopy instrumentation, and by CCTEC, the technology, enterprise and commercialization arm of Cornell University.

30 May 2004

Cigarette smoking linked to leukemia

Cigarette smoking has been linked to acute myelogenous leukemia, according to The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, released today.

27 May 2004

Researchers identify molecules that underlie nerve fiber degeneration in multiple sclerosis patients

Yale researchers and collaborators have identified molecules that underlie nerve fiber degeneration in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that cripples nearly three million people worldwide. The new findings are the first observations in humans of molecules that contribute to degeneration of nerve fibers.

27 May 2004

Trial shows Daclizumab therapy improves multiple sclerosis outcome

A small clinical trial of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who did not respond to interferon alone found that adding the human antibody daclizumab improved patient outcome. Patients who received the combined therapy had a 78 percent reduction in new brain lesions and a 70 percent reduction in total lesions, along with other significant clinical improvements.

24 May 2004

Nicotine remains one of the most addictive drugs ever used

Nicotine-the main ingredient in tobacco products-remains one of the most addictive drugs ever used. Still, nearly 72 million people have used nicotine in the United States, according to the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

21 May 2004

Variability in weight and drug content of split tablet may put patients at risk of receiving wrong dosage

Back and neck pain sufferers who divide the most frequently prescribed muscle relaxant may be getting anywhere from half to one-and-a-half times the amount of medicine they believe they are taking, suggests a new study examining the practice of tablet splitting.

19 May 2004