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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.

Multi-center study compares clinical performance of AAA procedures in virtual environment

University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and Simbionix recently launched a multi-center, randomized study comparing the clinical performance of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) procedures with and without prior rehearsal in a virtual environment for physicians.

13 Oct 2014

Synthetic oil triheptanoin improves Rett syndrome, longevity

When young mice with the rodent equivalent of a rare autism spectrum disorder (ASD), called Rett syndrome, were fed a diet supplemented with the synthetic oil triheptanoin, they lived longer than mice on regular diets. Importantly, their physical and behavioral symptoms were also less severe after being on the diet, according to results of new research from The Johns Hopkins University.

10 Oct 2014

New UCLA study reveals why people with autism experience neural stem cell overgrowth after birth

People with autism spectrum disorder often experience a period of accelerated brain growth after birth. No one knows why, or whether the change is linked to any specific behavioral changes.

10 Oct 2014

Neurobiologist Michael Meaney wins 2014 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

Neurobiologist Michael Meaney (McGill University and Douglas Mental Health University Institute), a senior fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, has won a major award worth $1.16 million Canadian for his research on how early childhood experiences shape biological development.

10 Oct 2014

Isis Pharmaceuticals provides update on Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in children with SMA

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today provided an update on its ongoing open-label Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in infants and children with spinal muscular atrophy at the 19th International World Muscle Society (WMS) Congress in Berlin, Germany.

10 Oct 2014

University of Pittsburgh awarded NIH grant to lead Big Data to Knowledge Center of Excellence

The National Institutes of Health has awarded the University of Pittsburgh an $11 million, four-year grant to lead a Big Data to Knowledge Center of Excellence, an initiative that will help scientists capitalize more fully on large amounts of available data and to make data science a more prominent component of biomedical research.

10 Oct 2014

USC to become a hub for exploring the human brain

In a rare distinction for one university, neuroimaging world leaders and USC Professors Arthur Toga and Paul Thompson will receive two major research center awards to advance their exploration of the human brain.

10 Oct 2014

Researchers discover mechanism that leads to generation of new nerve cells after stroke

A previously unknown mechanism through which the brain produces new nerve cells after a stroke has been discovered at Lund University and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings have been published in the journal SCIENCE.

10 Oct 2014

Viewpoints: Walmart and Obamacare; negative views continue of health law; Ebola preparedness

Walmart announced today that as of the beginning of next year it will be dropping health insurance for 30,000 employees who work less than 30 hours per week. Many liberals will react to the news by saying that it's just a profit-hungry corporation once again screwing over its employees. Conservatives are likely to say that this just shows what a mess Obamacare has created and why it should be repealed (Paul Waldman, 10/8).

10 Oct 2014

Columbia University's imaging software gets FDA 510k clearance

Columbia University's imaging software that facilitates 3-D lung tumor segmentation, licensed to Varian Medical Systems, has been incorporated into the Smart Segmentation module of Varian's Eclipse treatment planning system and has received FDA 510k clearance.

10 Oct 2014

CUMC researchers use innovative algorithm to find driving force behind aggressive form of glioblastoma

Using an innovative algorithm that analyzes gene regulatory and signaling networks, Columbia University Medical Center researchers have found that loss of a gene called KLHL9 is the driving force behind the most aggressive form of glioblastoma, the most common form of brain cancer.

10 Oct 2014

Longer looks: Limits on doctor training; a woman's campaign for end-of-life choices

Dr. Dino Terzic got lucky the other day. In his seventh and final year as a neurosurgery resident at the University of Minnesota, the 32-year-old Bosnian got to operate on a rare type of brain aneurysm that required a special approach through the patient's forehead. As Terzic prepared to slice into the patient's scalp, he was asked if he'd ever seen this type of flaw in an artery, which occurs in just 2 to 3 percent of aneurysm cases. "On a video," Terzic replied with a chuckle. Terzic's hands-on experience shows why the nation's medical schools are beset by a nagging controversy over rules that limit the number of hours residents can work (Dan Browning, 10/8).

10 Oct 2014

New research reveals innovative way to classify severity of stroke

New research conducted at the Florida State University-based National High Magnetic Field Laboratory has revealed a new, innovative way to classify the severity of a stroke, aid in diagnosis and evaluate potential treatments.

10 Oct 2014

Researchers reveal new information about Protein Kinase A

Using X-rays and neutron beams, a team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, University of Utah and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have teased out new information about Protein Kinase A (PKA), a ubiquitous master switch that helps regulate fundamental cellular functions like energy consumption and interactions with hormones, neurotransmitters and drugs.

10 Oct 2014

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

Professor Myron M. Levine, MD, Director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and UM SOM Dean E. Albert Reece MD, PhD, MBA, announced today that the CVD, in conjunction with its sister institution, The Center for Vaccine Development of Mali and the Ministry of Health of Mali, have begun a clinical trial in health care workers (and other front-line workers) to evaluate a promising experimental Ebola vaccine.

10 Oct 2014

Researchers use light to erase specific memories in mice

Just look into the light: not quite, but researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology have used light to erase specific memories in mice, and proved a basic theory of how different parts of the brain work together to retrieve episodic memories.

10 Oct 2014

Scientists use novel way to identify new gene linked to Alzheimer's

Scientists at The University of Manchester have used a new way of working to identify a new gene linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. The discovery fills in another piece of the jigsaw when it comes to identifying people most at risk of developing the condition.

From The University of Manchester 10 Oct 2014

UC Berkeley, UCSF researchers team up to create center for neurodegenerative disease research

Researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have teamed up to create an innovative, integrated center for research on neurodegenerative diseases. Supported by a $3 million grant from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research, the new center aims to pave the way to developing novel treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease by investigating the many ways that proteins can malfunction within cells.

10 Oct 2014

DU/ER Denim introduces first ever jean with radioactive cell phone protection

Avoid the electromagnetic danger of keeping your cellphone in your pocket; denim brand launches first ever jean with radioactive cell phone protection –to protect your vital organs.

9 Oct 2014

InSightec to share new insights at FUS symposium

InSightec, world leader in MR-guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) will be on site at the Focused Ultrasound International Symposium (FUS) to share key insights gained in the past two years of using its non-invasive MRgFUS solution for treating a variety of neurosurgical, oncological and gynecological indications.

9 Oct 2014

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Multi-center study compares clinical performance of AAA procedures in virtual environment

Synthetic oil triheptanoin improves Rett syndrome, longevity

New UCLA study reveals why people with autism experience neural stem cell overgrowth after birth

Neurobiologist Michael Meaney wins 2014 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize

Isis Pharmaceuticals provides update on Phase 2 clinical studies of ISIS-SMN Rx in children with SMA

University of Pittsburgh awarded NIH grant to lead Big Data to Knowledge Center of Excellence

USC to become a hub for exploring the human brain

Researchers discover mechanism that leads to generation of new nerve cells after stroke

Viewpoints: Walmart and Obamacare; negative views continue of health law; Ebola preparedness

Columbia University's imaging software gets FDA 510k clearance

CUMC researchers use innovative algorithm to find driving force behind aggressive form of glioblastoma

Longer looks: Limits on doctor training; a woman's campaign for end-of-life choices

New research reveals innovative way to classify severity of stroke

Researchers reveal new information about Protein Kinase A

First study of promising Ebola vaccine commenced in West Africa

Researchers use light to erase specific memories in mice

Scientists use novel way to identify new gene linked to Alzheimer's

UC Berkeley, UCSF researchers team up to create center for neurodegenerative disease research

DU/ER Denim introduces first ever jean with radioactive cell phone protection

InSightec to share new insights at FUS symposium

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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