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Study reveals function of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex in the brain

Every day the human brain is presented with tasks ranging from the trivial to the complex. How much mental effort and attention are devoted to each task is usually determined in a split second and without conscious awareness. Now a study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers finds that a structure deep within the brain, believed to play an important role in regulating conscious control of goal-directed behavior, helps to optimize behavioral responses by predicting how difficult upcoming tasks will be.

25 Jun 2012

Health care system or patient-directed programs help prevent or manage diabetes

A new study has found that programs aimed at helping people prevent or manage diabetes are most successful if they are directed at the patient or the health care system. Programs aimed at physicians were only successful for patients with poorer diabetes control.

23 Jun 2012

Cedars-Sinai educational conference to focus on patient empowerment

Brain tumor patients, families and caregivers are invited to an educational conference that will focus on patient empowerment June 23 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

23 Jun 2012

Every day counts for ruptured aneurysm treatment

Patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms should undergo treatment as soon as they become eligible, shows an analysis of the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial.

22 Jun 2012

Fructose may not be as bad for us as previously thought

A new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital suggests that fructose may not be as bad for us as previously thought and that it may even provide some benefit.

22 Jun 2012

Gracilis muscle flap an effective treatment for facial paralysis in patients with NF2

A surgical technique using a muscle flap from the thigh restores facial motion—and the ability to smile—in patients with facial nerve paralysis resulting from neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), reports a study in this month's special "Operative Neurosurgery" supplement to Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

21 Jun 2012

Antimicrobial exposure may increase risk of allergies in children

Exposure to common antibacterial chemicals and preservatives found in soap, toothpaste, mouthwash and other personal-care products may make children more prone to a wide range of food and environmental allergies, according to new research from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

20 Jun 2012

Study reveals critical aspect of how frontopolar cortex contributes to decision making

Researchers at the University of Iowa, together with colleagues from the California Institute of Technology and New York University, have discovered how a part of the brain helps predict future events from past experiences. The work sheds light on the function of the front-most part of the frontal lobe, known as the frontopolar cortex, an area of the cortex uniquely well developed in humans in comparison with apes and other primates.

20 Jun 2012

Allergy risk in children linked to antibacterials in personal-care products

Exposure to common antibacterial chemicals found in soap, toothpaste, mouthwash and other personal-care products may make children more prone to a wide range of food and environmental allergies, according to new research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

19 Jun 2012

FORMA, TD2 leverage synergistic capabilities to jointly develop transformative cancer therapies

FORMA Therapeutics and TGen Drug Development (TD2) today announced an agreement to jointly develop transformative cancer therapies, leveraging the synergistic capabilities of both organizations.

19 Jun 2012

Agility MLC's new design provides better dose sculpting capabilities

Requiring only a quick upgrade to their existing Elekta Synergy linear accelerator, physicians at SALK and Paracelsus Medical University began using the new Agility 160-leaf multileaf collimator (MLC), treating 33 patients on its first day. In its first month of Agility use, the center now treats 50 patients per day, comprising about 700 individual treatment sessions that have benefited from this breakthrough in cancer care.

From Elekta 18 Jun 2012

NHS Supply Chain signs deal to purchase 10 Elekta Synergy radiation therapy treatment systems

NHS Supply Chain will bring state-of-the-art cancer treatment to the United Kingdom by signing a deal to purchase ten Elekta Synergy radiation therapy treatment systems.

From Elekta 18 Jun 2012

Novel technique can restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury

Justin M. Brown, MD, reconstructive neurosurgeon at UC San Diego Health System, is one of only a few specialists in the world who have pioneered a novel technique to restore hand function in patients with spinal cord injury. In a delicate four-hour procedure, Brown splices together tiny nerve endings, only one millimeter in width, to help restore hand mobility. Most patients return home 24 hours after surgery.

16 Jun 2012

St. Michael's to investigate new treatments for prevention of brain injury complications

St. Michael's Hospital has been awarded up to $700,000 from the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario to investigate new treatments to prevent complications following certain brain injuries.

16 Jun 2012

Surgeon, not hospital expertise affects spine surgery outcome

The risk for complications after spine surgery are significantly lower among patients treated by very high-volume surgeons compared with those treated by very low-volume ones, report US researchers.

14 Jun 2012

Scientists discover one of the most important cellular mechanisms behind meningioma

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have discovered one of the most important cellular mechanisms driving the growth and progression of meningioma, the most common form of brain and spinal cord tumor. A report on the discovery, published in the journal Molecular Cancer Research, could lead the way to the discovery of better drugs to attack these crippling tumors, the scientists say.

14 Jun 2012

Roseola virus accounts for one third of febrile status epilepticus cases

New research shows that human herpesviruses (HHV)-6B and HHV-7, commonly know as roseola virus), account for one third of febrile status epilepticus (FSE) cases. Results of the FEBSTAT prospective study now available in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), suggest that HHV-6B may be involved in the development of epilepsy and further research is urgently needed.

14 Jun 2012