Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

HR status defines two different subsets of HER2 positive cancers

Human epidermal growth factor (HER2) positive breast cancers are often treated with the same therapy regardless of hormone receptor status. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Breast Cancer Research shows that women whose HER2 positive cancer was also hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptor (HR) negative had an increased risk of early death, and that their cancer was less likely to recur in bone than those whose cancer retained hormone sensitivity.

1 Oct 2012

Lilly announces new data from two Phase II ramucirumab trials on NSCLC

Eli Lilly and Company today announced new data from two Phase II ramucirumab (IMC-1121B) trials in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

1 Oct 2012

ARIAD announces initial results from AP26113 Phase 1/2 trial on non-small cell lung cancer

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the initial clinical results on its investigational, tyrosine-kinase inhibitor, AP26113, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial.

29 Sep 2012

First report to study clonal population of maxillary sinus carcinoma

Knowing how tumors evolve can lead to new treatments that could help prevent cancer from recurring, according to a study published today by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare.

29 Sep 2012

New, precise definition of boredom based on mental processes

This gives new meaning to the complaint "I'm bored" - literally. Canadian researchers - including a professor from the University of Guelph - have come up with a new, precise definition of boredom based on the mental processes that underlie the condition.

29 Sep 2012

Rapamycin can alleviate frontotemporal lobar degeneration

A southern Taiwan-based National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) research team has discovered that rapamycin, a drug as a autophagy activator is a possible treatment to alleviating frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), one of the mainly causes of dementia, and so far no medication can be used.

29 Sep 2012

Autism Speaks announces new round of research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of new research grants totaling nearly $5 million. "Autism Speaks is committed to continuing our research which has tremendous potential to increase our understanding of autism and addressing the needs of individuals with autism," said Autism Speaks Co-founder Bob Wright, "and we are grateful to the donors who make this research possible."

29 Sep 2012

Researchers discover way to detect and eliminate troublemaking stem cells

Mayo Clinic researchers have found a way to detect and eliminate potentially troublemaking stem cells to make stem cell therapy safer. Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, also known as iPS cells, are bioengineered from adult tissues to have properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the unlimited capacity to differentiate and grow into any desired types of cells, such as skin, brain, lung and heart cells.

28 Sep 2012

Loyola offers corrective surgeries for adults with strabismus

Since she was a child, Katie Szymczak has had eyes that wandered. Her right eye, which was the worst, would look up and to the side, rather than straight ahead. Her husband affectionately called them "googly eyes." But other people could be mean. "They would say to me, 'What's wrong with your eyes, why aren't you looking at me?'" Szymczak said. "It really hurt a lot."

28 Sep 2012

Fear hard to extinguish from the teenage brain

A new study by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers shows that adolescents' reactions to threat remain high even when the danger is no longer present. According to researchers, once a teenager's brain is triggered by a threat, the ability to suppress an emotional response to the threat is diminished which may explain the peak in anxiety and stress-related disorders during this developmental period.

28 Sep 2012

Researchers discover leptin hormone in fruit flies

Researchers have discovered in fruit flies a key metabolic hormone thought to be the exclusive property of vertebrates. The hormone, leptin, is a nutrient sensor, regulating energy intake and output and ultimately controlling appetite.

28 Sep 2012

Boston Scientific receives CE MARK approval for Vercise DBS to treat Parkinson's

Boston Scientific Corporation received CE Mark approval for use of its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) System for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

28 Sep 2012

Efavirenz drug may play a key role in brain damage

The way the body metabolizes a commonly prescribed anti-retroviral drug that is used long term by patients infected with HIV may contribute to cognitive impairment by damaging nerve cells, a new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

28 Sep 2012

Study explores effects of immunotherapy on malignant gliomas

In what could be a breakthrough in the treatment of deadly brain tumors, a team of researchers from Barrow Neurological Institute and Arizona State University has discovered that the immune system reacts differently to different types of brain tissue, shedding light on why cancerous brain tumors are so difficult to treat.

28 Sep 2012

Longer looks: In-depth in the ER; Brains are saved as high school football season begins

Eric Morgan, in his 20s and planning to get married, arrives at Highland Hospital's emergency room, shaken that he has been diagnosed with a testicular tumor that is likely cancer. Surgeons at a private hospital have turned him away for lack of insurance but tell him it's "urgent" he get care.

28 Sep 2012

Study finds new regulator for heart formation

A new regulator for heart formation has been discovered by studying how embryonic stem cells adjust the packaging of their DNA. This approach to finding genetic regulators, the scientists say, may have the power to provide insight into the development of any tissue in the body - liver, brain, blood and so on.

28 Sep 2012

Hundreds of new genes are involved in function and development of T-cells

A research team led by investigators at New York University and NYU School of Medicine has determined how cells that cause inflammatory ailments, such as Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis, differentiate from stem cells and ultimately affect the clinical outcome of these diseases.

27 Sep 2012