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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.

President of Tanzania emphasizes on health care in Global Health Grand Rounds lecture

President Jakaya Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania spoke at Weill Cornell Medical College today. In his Global Health Grand Rounds lecture, President Kikwete discussed the most significant challenges facing Tanzania, with a particular focus on health care and the advances made during his first term.

17 Apr 2010

MedImmune to present ten abstracts at American Association for Cancer Research meeting

MedImmune today announced that ten abstracts on progress being made in various oncology programs will be presented during the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, DC from April 17 to 21.

17 Apr 2010

700 scientists to present new information on smell and taste at AChemS 32nd annual meeting

The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS), a US-based scientific organization, is holding its 32nd annual meeting. About 700 scientists are gathering to present new information on the role of smell and taste in disease, nutrition and social interactions in humans as well as animals. Smell and taste play essential roles in our daily lives. These chemical senses serve as important warning systems, alerting us to the presence of potentially harmful situations or substances, including gas leaks, smoke, and spoiled food.

17 Apr 2010

RSCRC scientists explore mysteries of human embryonic stem cells

At Rutgers' Stem Cell Research Center scientists are exploring the mysteries of human embryonic stem cells and their potential use in treating diseases, repairing damaged organs, and drug development. Center staff also offer a course in proper lab techniques in working with stem cells.

17 Apr 2010

Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Rising from the top surface of each of the specialized receptor cells in our inner ears is a bundle of sensory cilia that responds to the movement of sound. As sensitive as they are fragile, these cilia can move to wisps of sound no larger than a molecule-but can shear at sounds that are larger than life.

17 Apr 2010

Ocera Therapeutics presents data on prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients

Ocera Therapeutics, Inc. presented an analysis of the prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in ambulatory cirrhotic patients. The data came from the screening period of the ASTUTE Study, an ongoing Phase 2b study evaluating the safety and efficacy of AST-120 (spherical carbon adsorbent) in the treatment of mild hepatic encephalopathy (MHE). The poster was presented yesterday at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria. Efficacy and safety data from the ASTUTE study are expected in the summer of 2010.

17 Apr 2010

Australian study uncovers mechanisms involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease

A major Australian study has provided new insights into the loss of structure in regions of the brain and its potential association with Alzheimer's Disease. The findings recently reported in Neurology suggest a build-up of deposits of the protein amyloid-beta in a region of the brain known as the temporal inferior cortex.

17 Apr 2010

Study shows beneficial impact of TYSABRI on QoL in MS patients

Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc today announced results from a one-year, longitudinal health outcomes studys 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, April 10 - 17, 2010. The AAN Annual Meeting is the world's largest gathering of neurologists.

17 Apr 2010

Courage Center accepts nominations for three employment-related annual awards

Minneapolis-based Courage Center, a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center, is accepting nominations for three employment-related annual awards: the Jay and Rose Phillips Award, the Phillips Caregiver Award and the Judd Jacobson Memorial Award.

17 Apr 2010

Intensive rehabilitation therapy with robotic aids can help stroke patients regain limb movement

Patients show modest yet meaningful gains in limb movement and an improved outlook on life years after suffering a stroke, a major clinical study has found. The paper, published online this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, provides the best evidence yet that stroke sufferers in a controlled study can regain limb movement long after an injury, through intensive therapy with specially trained personnel and newly created robotic aids.

17 Apr 2010

ADHD behaviors in children associated with serotonin activity and self-blame

ADHD may be caused by alterations in the serotonin neurotransmission system combined with a tendency to experience psychosocial distress. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Behavioral and Brain Functions found that ADHD behaviors in children and adolescents were associated with interactions between low and high serotonin activity and self-blame in relation to inter-parental conflict.

17 Apr 2010

Laquinimod may have neuroprotective properties in addition to anti-inflammatory effects for RRMS

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Active Biotech today announced results from several studies demonstrating that laquinimod, a novel, investigational once-daily oral immunomodulator for relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) may have neuroprotective properties in addition to its anti-inflammatory effects.

16 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

DNA modification can define early onset glioblastoma

A class of brain tumor that tends to emerge in younger patients but is less aggressive than others can be identified by examining DNA methylation of a specific set of genes, scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and colleagues with The Cancer Genome Atlas report today online at Cancer Cell.

16 Apr 2010

University Hospital of Zurich treats cancer patients with Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam system

The University Hospital of Zurich has become the first medical center in the world to commence treating cancer patients with the revolutionary TrueBeam system from Varian Medical Systems, a new platform for image-guided radiotherapy and radiosurgery that was designed from the ground up to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and precision.

16 Apr 2010

Long-term monitoring and education needed to protect lungs of young patients

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have identified childhood cancer survivors who are at increased risk for deteriorating lung health, in part due to the lifesaving bone marrow transplants they underwent years earlier.

16 Apr 2010

Age-related declines in peripheral nerve function may be related to metabolic factors: Study

New research investigating neurological decline in a population of "super healthy" elderly subjects found that the decline in neurological function of the peripheral nervous system attributed to aging may be related to metabolic factors, such as blood sugar levels, even if these factors are within the normal range.

16 Apr 2010

New research identifies cellular channel that regulates skin and hair growth

Skin and hair follicles are constantly renewed in the body, maintained by specialized stem cells. New research from Children's Hospital Boston identifies a small cellular channel that regulates skin and hair growth and that could be targeted with small-molecule drugs, potentially treating variety of skin conditions, as well as thinning hair or unwanted hair growth. Findings appear in the April 16, 2010 issue of Cell.

16 Apr 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University receives funds to expand stem cell research capabilities

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been awarded $10 million from the National Institutes of Health to expand its stem cell research capabilities. The funds will be used to create new laboratories in order to increase its already substantial base of stem cell investigators.

16 Apr 2010

Obama enforces visitation rights of same sex partners

President Obama passed a memo on Thursday while at a fundraiser in Miami which prohibits hospitals from discriminating against gay and lesbian couples in extending visitation rights. The decision seems to be inspired by the publicity given to the Lisa Pond and Janice Langbehn case. The hospital refused to allow Lisa Pond the visitation of Janice Langbehn and their children at her death bed.

16 Apr 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

President of Tanzania emphasizes on health care in Global Health Grand Rounds lecture

MedImmune to present ten abstracts at American Association for Cancer Research meeting

700 scientists to present new information on smell and taste at AChemS 32nd annual meeting

RSCRC scientists explore mysteries of human embryonic stem cells

Researchers discover link between protein structure and hearing process

Ocera Therapeutics presents data on prevalence of neurocognitive impairment in cirrhotic patients

Australian study uncovers mechanisms involved in the progression of Alzheimer's disease

Study shows beneficial impact of TYSABRI on QoL in MS patients

Courage Center accepts nominations for three employment-related annual awards

Intensive rehabilitation therapy with robotic aids can help stroke patients regain limb movement

ADHD behaviors in children associated with serotonin activity and self-blame

Laquinimod may have neuroprotective properties in addition to anti-inflammatory effects for RRMS

Scientists grow cultured neurons to investigate basic mechanisms of memory

DNA modification can define early onset glioblastoma

University Hospital of Zurich treats cancer patients with Varian Medical Systems' TrueBeam system

Long-term monitoring and education needed to protect lungs of young patients

Age-related declines in peripheral nerve function may be related to metabolic factors: Study

New research identifies cellular channel that regulates skin and hair growth

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University receives funds to expand stem cell research capabilities

Obama enforces visitation rights of same sex partners

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

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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