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Breakthrough in Huntington's disease may give patients hope for cure

A huge leap forward in understanding Huntington's disease may give patients hope for a cure.

23 Feb 2011

Mouse model could help develop new classes of antidepressant drugs

The most widely prescribed antidepressants - medicines such as Prozac, Lexapro and Paxil - work by blocking the serotonin transporter, a brain protein that normally clears away the mood-regulating chemical serotonin. Or so the current thinking goes.

21 Feb 2011

John Theurer chief to present videos on new limb-sparing surgical techniques at AAOS conference

James C. Wittig, M.D., chief of the division of skin and sarcoma cancer at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center will present eleven different educational videos on innovative approaches to orthopedic oncology at the upcoming American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Conference.

20 Feb 2011

NY neurosurgeon performs deep brain surgeries with hand-held CO2 laser

Lee Eric Tessler, MD, a neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of brain tumors, is among the first in metro New York to use a new advanced, hand-held CO2 (carbon dioxide) laser for surgeries on certain types of tumors that are buried deep within the base of the skull. The laser allows surgeons to remove these difficult-to-reach tumors in less time, with lower risk of complications, less anesthesia and a smaller possibility of damage to surrounding healthy brain and nerve tissue.

19 Feb 2011

PreXion launches new 3D Elite Cone Beam Imaging System with CLEARimage Scanning Technology

PreXion, Inc., the leader in high quality 3D Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) Imaging systems for dentistry, today announced that it has launched and started shipping a new 3D cone beam imaging product, the PreXion3D Elite with CLEARimage™ Scanning Technology.

19 Feb 2011

Study: Low levels of Klotho protein may serve as early warning sign of CKD

Low levels of the anti-aging hormone Klotho may serve as an early warning sign of the presence of kidney disease and its deadly cardiovascular complications, according to findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists find working memory highly dependent on fast inhibitory cells

Usually, we associate rhythms with dance and music. But they also play an important role in the brain. When billions of neurons communicate with each other, certain rhythmic activity patterns arise. The proper metre in this interplay is provided by nerve cells that do not excite other cells, but inhibit their activity instead. One type of these inhibiting cells acts in a particularly fast and efficient way and is therefore thought to be crucial for memory formation and information processing in neuronal networks.

18 Feb 2011

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Neurons are complicated, but the basic functional concept is that synapses transmit electrical signals to the dendrites and cell body, and axons carry signals away.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers identify normal movement mechanisms of PrPC in brain

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified the motors that move non-infectious prion proteins (PrPC) - found within many mammalian cells - up and down long, neuronal transport pathways.

18 Feb 2011

Statin drug may help prevent blindness in diabetics

New University of Georgia research has found that a statin drug that is often known by the brand-name Lipitor may help prevent blindness in people with diabetes.

17 Feb 2011

Brain enzyme blocks accumulation of tau proteins, slows down progression of neural degeneration

Increasing puromycin-sensitive aminopeptidase, the most abundant brain peptidase in mammals, slowed the damaging accumulation of tau proteins that are toxic to nerve cells and eventually lead to the neurofibrillary tangles, a major pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, according to a study published online in the journal, Human Molecular Genetics.

17 Feb 2011

First evidence of neurotrophic factors improving status of degenerating dopamine neurons in Parkinson's brains

Ceregene, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, reported today that its scientists and collaborators have published new experimental findings in support of its Parkinson's disease program which appeared as the lead article in the current issue of Movement Disorders. The publication reports the first evidence that gene transfer can provide targeted expression of a neurotrophic factor, i.e., neurturin or NRTN, intended to restore and preserve dying neurons.

17 Feb 2011

Integra launches Trel-XPress Demineralized Bone Matrix for orthopedic reconstruction surgery

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corporation announced today the launch of Trel-XPress Demineralized Bone Matrix, expanding its portfolio of bone grafting substitutes for the orthopedic extremity reconstruction surgeon, which includes Integra OS Osteoconductive Scaffold, a synthetic bone void filler manufactured from beta tri-calcium phosphate and type I bovine collagen; Trel-X, a demineralized bone matrix; and Trel-XC, a demineralized bone matrix premixed with cancellous bone.

16 Feb 2011

Study finds worse outcomes in workers undergoing spinal fusion surgery

For workers' compensation patients with chronic low back pain, spinal fusion surgery leads to worse long-term outcomes—including a lower rate of return to work—compared to nonsurgical treatment, suggests a study in the February 15th issue of Spine. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Feb 2011

Patients with chronic low-back pain can benefit from spinal manipulation

If you're suffering from chronic lower back pain, a new review of existing research finds that spinal manipulation − the kind of hands-on regimen that a chiropractor might perform on you − is as helpful as other common treatments like painkillers.

15 Feb 2011

Hearing loss linked to dementia & Alzheimer’s: Study

New research suggests that adults with hearing loss may face a higher risk of dementia and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease than those who do not suffer hearing loss. The risk of dementia rises with greater loss of hearing say researchers. The study appears in the February issue of the journal Archives of Neurology.

15 Feb 2011

How human brain wires itself into complex networks

Neurobiologists at UC San Diego have discovered new ways by which nerves are guided to grow in highly directed ways to wire the brain during embryonic development.

15 Feb 2011

Viewing knee as an organ could lead to better therapies for treatment of osteoarthritis

The human body is made up of several organs composed of tissues that enable them to perform a particular function. The heart circulates blood; the brain is the micro-neuro center of the body; the lungs bring in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

15 Feb 2011

Interaction of two genes helps growing nerve cells realise reaching of target

The human brain consists of approximately one hundred billion nerve cells. Each of these cells needs to connect to specific other cells during the brain's development in order to form a fully functional organism. Yet how does a nerve cell know where it should grow and which cells to contact? Scientists of the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology in Martinsried have now shown that growing nerve cells realise when they've reached their target area in the fly brain thanks to the interaction of two genes.

14 Feb 2011

CX3CL1 signaling chemical can offer better understanding of Parkinson's disease

Targeting the neuroinflammatory causes of Parkinson's disease with a naturally present brain chemical signal could offer a better understanding of the clinical mechanisms of the disease and open a future therapeutic window, reports a team of researchers from the University of South Florida Department Neurosurgery and Brain Repair and the James A. Haley Veterans' Administration Hospital, Tampa.

14 Feb 2011