Central Nervous System News and Research

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SARS can infiltrate brain tissue

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), by its very name, indicates a disease of the respiratory tract. But SARS can also infiltrate brain tissue, causing significant central nervous system problems, according to an article in the Oct. 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

20 Sep 2005

Children who survive cancer face educational difficulties and social isolation

A new study finds children who survive cancer have about twice the rate of educational and social problems compared to children without a history of cancer.

12 Sep 2005

Australian Medical Association highlights dangers of alcohol during pregnancy

Australian Medical Association President, Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, said recently that the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) should revise its guidelines on alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

6 Sep 2005

Soldiers at risk for heat illnesses

A study reviewing 22 years of data on heat illness hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. Army indicates soldiers remain at risk for exertional heat illness. While hospitalization rates for heat illnesses have declined over this period, cases of heat stroke have increased.

6 Sep 2005

Single molecular anchor holds the key to treating many types of bacterial meningitis

By blocking the molecule's anchoring ability, researchers may be able to find a way to stave off the most common serious infection of the central nervous system and a major cause of childhood death and disability. The researchers' findings appear in the September 2005 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

5 Sep 2005

Greater public awareness needed after death of woman from rabies

Scientists in the UK who have been looking into the death of a British woman from rabies are now demanding greater public awareness of the very real dangers posed by the infection.

5 Sep 2005

Cochlear implants' performance not affected by amount of hearing loss in the implanted ear

Hearing-impaired individuals with severe to profound hearing loss and poor speech understanding who possess some residual hearing in one ear may experience significant communication benefit from a cochlear implant even if it is placed in the worse-hearing ear, a Johns Hopkins study suggests.

1 Sep 2005

Molecular switch that turns on the production of myelin

Scientists at New York University School of Medicine report in a new study that they have identified the molecular switch that turns on the production of myelin, the fatty insulation around nerve cells that ensures swift and efficient communication in the nervous system.

1 Sep 2005

Austrian authorities find mad cow disease in Slovenian cattle

The health ministry says a case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was found in a Slovenian animal that had been brought to the southern city of Graz to be slaughtered, but says there is no risk to consumers.

25 Aug 2005

Coronary angioplasty increases risk of developing Alzheimer's disease

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have discovered that patients who have either coronary artery bypass graft surgery or coronary angioplasty are at an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

25 Aug 2005

Gene expression levels may reveal stage of Huntington's disease

A survey of the genome of patients with Huntington's Disease (HD) has identified potential markers of the progression of this devastating neurological disorder.

16 Aug 2005

Weight control protein may yield new approaches for treating obesity and type 2 diabetes

The findings in mice further suggest that particular variants of the protein SH2-B might underlie obesity in humans, the researchers said.

16 Aug 2005

Genomes of Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi sequenced

Oxford scientists have contributed to the genome sequencing of two parasites which cause major health problems in the developing world.

15 Aug 2005

No link between multiple vaccinations and infections

Over the years many concerns have been raised about chilhood vacinations, and one concern has been that multiple vaccinations 'use up' the immune system, so children are unable to fight off other illnesses.

10 Aug 2005

High insulin levels increase inflammatory markers and beta-amyloids

Moderately elevated levels of insulin increase the levels of inflammatory markers and beta-amyloid in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid, and these markers may contribute to Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study posted online today from Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

9 Aug 2005

Findings do not support the hypothesis of increased risk of nontargeted infectious disease hospitalization after childhood vaccination

New research does not support a belief that children receiving multiple vaccines increase their risk of hospitalization for a nontargeted infectious disease, according to a study in the August 10 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

9 Aug 2005

MediciNova starts phase II clinical trial of MN-166 for multiple sclerosis

MediciNova today announced the enrollment of patients in a Phase II clinical study with MN-166 for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. MN-166 is an orally administered drug with a novel mechanism of action that includes the inhibition of phosphodiesterase IV.

2 Aug 2005

Researchers reveal secret of key protein in brain and heart function

Brown University biologists have solved the structure of a critical piece of synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97) found in abundance in the heart and head, where it is believed to play a role in everything from cardiac contractions to memory creation. Results are published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

31 Jul 2005

First trial of pramipexole for the treatment of fibromyalgia

The mechanism of fibromyalgia, a chronic illness characterized by muscle pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, is unknown and medications used to treat it (such as antidepressants, antiepileptics, muscle relaxants, antiinflammatories, sedative hypnotics, pain relievers and nutriceuticals) have had limited success.

28 Jul 2005

TEVA to acquire IVAX for $7.4 billion

TEVA Pharmaceutical Industries and IVAX Corporation have jointly announced that they have signed a definitive agreement providing for the acquisition of IVAX by TEVA.

26 Jul 2005