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Prevention and nonsurgical treatment options to prevent low back pain and protect spine

Back and neck problems can be caused by a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, injury, strain or osteoarthritis. "Although more than 75 percent of Americans will experience some back pain during their lifetime, about 90 percent of cases are resolved without surgery," stated John K. Ratliff, MD, FACS, a Philadelphia spine surgeon and American Association of Neurological Surgeons spokesperson.

24 Apr 2010

Scientists grow cultured neurons to investigate basic mechanisms of memory

In order to be able to understand complex organs such as the brain or the nervous system, simplified model systems are required. A group of scientists led by the Frankfurt brain researcher Erin Schuman has successfully developed a novel method to grow cultured neurons in order to investigate basic mechanisms of memory.

16 Apr 2010

Targeted therapy MDV3100 is effective for patients with CRPC: Study

An experimental drug is showing promise for the treatment of men with an aggressive form of advanced prostate cancer. A new multicenter study has concluded that the targeted therapy MDV3100 is safe and effective for patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, known for its poor prognosis and limited treatment options.

15 Apr 2010

New findings point to potential dysfunctional learning process in chronic pain patients

New research reveals why a stimulus that healthy human subjects perceive as a reward might be processed quite differently in the brains of humans suffering from chronic pain.

15 Apr 2010

Researchers discover two synthetic small molecule drugs to prevent death of human stem cell

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes.

13 Apr 2010

OptiMedica releases new details on femtosecond laser system for cataract surgery

OptiMedica Corp., a global ophthalmic device company, has released new details regarding the development of its proprietary femtosecond laser system for cataract surgery. The new system, which combines OptiMedica's breakthrough pattern scanning technology, an ultra-fast laser and integrated Optical Coherence Tomography imaging, is designed to dramatically improve the complex cataract procedure by replacing its most technically demanding and manual steps.

12 Apr 2010

New methodology helps investigate unfolding of DNA

NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have developed a powerful new method to investigate the discrete steps necessary to turn on individual genes and examine how the process goes wrong in cancer and other diseases. The finding, based on seven years of research and described in the April 9 issue of Molecular Cell, allows scientists to investigate the unfolding of DNA, a process required for gene activation.

9 Apr 2010

Immune system mouse models help study biology of T cells and their role in toxoplasmosis

Using T cells primed for the infectious disease toxoplasmosis, Whitehead Institute researchers have created novel mouse models of the immune system that more accurately reflect how immune cells actually respond to pathogens in their presence.

9 Apr 2010

DNA barcoding-sequencing of gene in sand flies identifies two species carrying Leishmania naiffi

In the first survey of sand flies in Panama to use genetic barcoding, scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Gorgas Memorial Laboratories identified 20 sand fly species from Barro Colorado Island. Two species carried Leishmania naiffi, a parasite that causes cutaneous leishmaniasis: persistent, itchy skin lesions. Three species carried Wolbachia, a bacterial parasite of insects that could contribute to a strategy to control the flies and limit disease transmission.

7 Apr 2010

Researchers commence Phase 2 research study to test CERE-110 for AD

Researchers at Banner Sun Health Research Institute are about to start the first Phase 2 research study to test a gene transfer agent for Alzheimer's disease. AD is a degenerative and ultimately fatal disorder affecting as many as five million Americans and that number is expected to soar to more than 11 million by 2040.

7 Apr 2010

Study could aid in developing new, effective treatments for prostate cancer

Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists have determined how two proteins required for the initiation and development of prostate cancer interact at the molecular level, which could lead to improved treatments for the disease.

3 Apr 2010

ER stress response is major driver of insulin resistance, say researchers

Biologists have long known that an enzyme called the PI 3-kinase is a crucial actor in the main molecular pathway for insulin signaling in cells. Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center now have uncovered startling evidence that one of the proteins in this enzyme also drives a pathway with an opposite result-triggering a stress response that leads to insulin resistance.

29 Mar 2010

New approach may circumvent lost response in insulin due to obesity

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have identified a new strategy for treating type 2 diabetes, identifying a cellular pathway that fails when people become obese. By activating this pathway artificially, they were able to normalize blood glucose levels in severely obese and diabetic mice. Their findings will be published online by Nature Medicine on March 28.

29 Mar 2010

US patent reinforces Ikonisys' position in digital image-analysis industry

Ikonisys, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation, cell-based diagnostic solutions, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued the company United States Patent No. 7,660,454 entitled “Process for identifying FISH signals.”

25 Mar 2010

Auditory brainstem implants for adults with damaged cochlear nerves

If a siren sounded but you were deaf, might you still be able to hear the sound?

23 Mar 2010

Study results of Medtronic DBS Therapy for epilepsy published in Epilepsia

Medtronic, Inc. today announced that a landmark publication highlighting results from the pivotal study for Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for epilepsy, known as SANTE® (Stimulation of the Anterior Nucleus of the Thalamus in Epilepsy), was published online today in the medical journal, Epilepsia. The SANTE study, sponsored by Medtronic, is the largest and most rigorous clinical study of DBS therapy for epilepsy in adults with medically refractory epilepsy with partial-onset seizures.

19 Mar 2010

SANTE study: Deep brain stimulation can reduce seizures

A recent study organized by Stanford University researchers found patients with refractory partial and secondarily generalized seizures had a reduction in seizures after deep brain stimulation. This multi-center clinical trial determined that the benefits of stimulation of the anterior nuclei of thalamus for epilepsy (SANTE) persisted and by 2 years there was a 56% reduction in seizure frequency.

18 Mar 2010

Methamphetamine abuse during pregnancy leads to structural abnormalities in brain of children

It has long been known that alcohol exposure is toxic to the developing fetus and can result in lifelong brain, cognitive and behavioral problems. Now, a new report out of UCLA shows that the effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure - or worse, a combination of methamphetamine and alcohol - may be even more damaging.

17 Mar 2010

Dual role of Notch signalling pathway

Scientists headed by ICREA researcher Marco Mil-n, at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), reveal a surprising new function of Notch protein that contrasts with the one known to date. Found in the cell membrane, this protein activates a signalling pathway that regulates the expression of genes that make the cell divide, grow, migrate, specialise or die.

16 Mar 2010

UCL scientists explore decision-making process of human brain

The more difficult the decision we face, the more likely we are not to act, according to new research by UCL scientists that examines the neural pathways involved in 'status quo bias' in the human brain.