Disability News and Research

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Researchers discover gene for new form of intellectual disability

Researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) led a study discovering a gene for a new form of intellectual disability, as well as how it likely affects cognitive development by disrupting neuron functioning.

27 Apr 2012

As hundreds protest at the State Capitol, Kansas Gov. agrees to delay in changes to disability services

Gov. Sam Brownback's plan would have moved thousands of developmentally disabled state residents into a managed-care health plan.

27 Apr 2012

Heart can regulate energy balance throughout the body

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have demonstrated for the first time that the heart can regulate energy balance throughout the body, a finding that may point to more effective treatments for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.

27 Apr 2012

Change in attitude may ease chronic pain by aiding sleep: Study

Chronic pain sufferers who learn to dwell less on their ailments may sleep better and experience less day-to-day pain, according to results of research conducted on 214 people with chronic face and jaw pain.

26 Apr 2012

CMS proposal would factor patient safety, efficiency into hospital pay formula

The draft rule adds measures of patient safety and a financial assessment to determine whether hospitals are careful with Medicare's money.

26 Apr 2012

Fragile-X gene linked with disrupting de novo mutations in children with autism

A team led by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) publishes research today indicating a striking association between genes found disrupted in children with autism and genes that are targets of FMRP, the protein generated by the gene FMR1, whose dysfunction causes Fragile-X syndrome.

26 Apr 2012

ASIA honors SCI researchers with 2012 Apple Award

American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) has awarded its 2012 Apple Award to the article by Mark Nash, PhD, et al, entitled, "Safety, tolerance, and efficacy of extended-release niacin monotherapy for treating dyslipidemia risks in persons with chronic tetraplegia: a randomized multicenter controlled trial."

26 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 25, 2012

Today's headlines include reports that Medicare is proposing a change in how it decides hospital reimbursements and the latest on the GOP Capitol Hill budget strategy.

25 Apr 2012

Positive results from Repligen's RG3039 Phase 1 study for spinal muscular atrophy

Repligen Corporation today announced positive results from a Phase 1 study to evaluate the pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety profile of RG3039, a novel small molecule drug candidate for the potential treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

25 Apr 2012

Capitol Hill is focus of disability protests, claims about effects of health care law

Except for the candidate, and the phone number that flashes on screen at the end, the ads follow a strikingly similar script. Senator Fill-in-the-Blank supports business-smothering regulations and will raise your taxes. He also added trillions to the deficit by voting for "Obamacare" and will cut your Medicare.

25 Apr 2012

Clinical trial to evaluate IGF-1 in children with SHANK3 deficiency

In an important test of one of the first drugs to target core symptoms of autism, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are undertaking a pilot clinical trial to evaluate insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in children who have SHANK3 deficiency (also known as 22q13 Deletion Syndrome or Phelan-McDermid Syndrome), a known cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

25 Apr 2012

Large majorities of older Americans experience gaps in their primary care

Large majorities of older Americans experience significant and troubling gaps in their primary care, according to a new national survey, "How Does It Feel? The Older Adult Health Care Experience," released today by the John A. Hartford Foundation.

24 Apr 2012

Botox injections may improve frequency of chronic daily and migraine headaches

Although botulinum toxin A injections are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for preventive treatment for chronic migraines, a review and analysis of previous studies finds a small to modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, although botox injections were not associated with greater benefit than placebo for preventing episodic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches, according to an article in the April 25 issue of JAMA.

24 Apr 2012

India's most-renowned homeopath receives Padma Shri award

Dr. Mukesh Batra, India's most-renowned homeopath, was conferred with the Padma Shri today, the country's fourth highest civilian award, by the President, Smt. Pratibha Patel for his exceptional and distinguished service in the field of medicine.

23 Apr 2012

Viewpoints: Health law's legal peril; Barney Frank's misdiagnosis

Health-care reform, the impossible dream that seemed to become a reality in 2010, is now in mortal danger. Republicans want to repeal it even though the federal law is patterned after a Massachusetts law that their apparent presidential nominee signed in 2006. They can't do that, of course, unless they sweep the next election. So the clear and present danger comes from the Supreme Court, where a majority of justices seemed to snarl at the law in open session last month. Health-care reform is clearly in legal peril.

21 Apr 2012

Kessler Foundation scientist to develop predictive model of unemployment in MS

Lauren Strober, PhD, has been awarded a five-year federal grant for $554,000 to study factors relating to unemployment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Strober is a research scientist at Kessler Foundation, a major center for cognitive research and training in multiple sclerosis and a leader in the field of disability employment.

20 Apr 2012

French Ministry of Health releases HLY figures at EHLEIS meeting

The HLY (Healthy Life Years) indicates how long people can expect to live without disability. It has been computed annually for each Member State of the European Union since 2005. These figures are released in the framework of the first annual meeting of the European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years (EHLEIS), organized in Paris on April 19, 2012 (ASIEM, 6 rue Albert de Lapparent, from 1:30pm) by the French Ministry of Health.

20 Apr 2012

Interferon beta-1a shows promise against MS

People who received injections of the multiple sclerosis (MS) drug interferon beta-1a soon after their first signs of possible MS were less likely to progress to clinically definite MS than people who switched to interferon beta-1a from placebo, according to new phase three results of the three-year REFLEXION clinical trial that will be presented as part of the Emerging Science program at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 21 to April 28, 2012.

20 Apr 2012

Clinical study to evaluate high-dose vitamin D supplements for MS

Doctors at several centers across the U.S. are recruiting people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) to determine the effectiveness of high-dose vitamin D supplements for reducing MS disease activity.

20 Apr 2012

UH to conduct research on causes and treatment of learning disabilities

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a five-year, $9 million grant to the University of Houston's Texas Center for Learning Disabilities to conduct research on the causes and treatment of learning disabilities in children and adolescents. UH is one of four universities nationally to receive funding from the NIH for a learning disability research center.

20 Apr 2012