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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.

Study uses hESC to derive floor plate tissue

New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Fellow, Christopher Fasano, PhD, of the New York Neural Stem Cell Institute, is lead author on a study that investigating human neural development. Dr. Fasano conducted this work while working as a post-doctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Lorenz Studer.

3 Apr 2010

Harnessing body's own natural killer cells to battle cancer in children

Work underway at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital seeks to harnesses the body's own immune cells known as natural killer, or NK, cells to help children battle cancer. NK cells are the immune system's warriors. The cells circulate widely in the body, armed with proteins, called enzymes, capable of delivering a deadly one-two punch to viruses and cancer cells.

3 Apr 2010

Beike Biotechnology awarded ISO9001 certification for implementation of comprehensive QMS

Beike Biotechnology Co. Ltd., one of the world's leading biotechnology companies focusing on adult stem cell therapies, has been awarded ISO9001 certification by the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO"). This internationally recognized designation signifies Beike has established a Quality Management System (QMS) that complies with ISO9001 standards.

3 Apr 2010

Young adults with hyperthyroidism face increase risk of stroke

Young adults with overactive thyroid face a 44 percent increased risk of stroke compared to those with normal thyroid function, according to a study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Apr 2010

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Using new one-of-a-kind "mouse models" that promise to have a significant impact on future Parkinson's disease research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers are among the first to discover how mutations in a gene called LRRK2 may cause inherited (or "familial") Parkinson's disease, the most common form of the disease.

2 Apr 2010

Genome of Australian zebra finch decoded

Nearly all animals make sounds instinctively, but baby songbirds learn to sing in virtually the same way human infants learn to speak: by imitating a parent.

2 Apr 2010

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

A nanometer-scale probe designed to slip into a cell wall and fuse with it could offer researchers a portal for extended eavesdropping on the inner electrical activity of individual cells.

2 Apr 2010

Scientists identify potential new method for treating sleeping sickness

Scientists have identified a potential new approach to treat human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), commonly known as sleeping sickness, which afflicts "tens of thousands of people in sub-Saharan Africa" annually, IRIN reports. By targeting an enzyme the sleeping sickness parasite needs in order to survive, researchers say they can kill it without causing harm to the patient (4/1).

2 Apr 2010

Parent-run movement intensifies efforts to make publicly funded autism therapy more accessible

Hundreds of parents whose children with autism have been abandoned by the Ontario government announced today at Queen's Park that they are intensifying their efforts to make autism therapy more accessible by training in civil disobedience, peaceful protest and other more assertive forms of advocacy.

2 Apr 2010

SBRT effective in primary tumor control, study finds

Many of the world's leading radiation oncologists are employing the unique capabilities of SBRT to treat a variety of cancers that often have defied conventional radiation therapy techniques. A multitude of studies evaluating SBRT are ongoing and investigators are publishing articles that demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique. Two studies led by renowned radiation oncologists were conducted at centers that use Elekta SBRT technology, and their results were published recently.

From Elekta 2 Apr 2010

2010 Internal Medicine conference at Toronto Convention Center

More than 5,000 internists (adult medicine specialists), subspecialists, medical students, and allied health professionals will meet in Toronto, Canada, for Internal Medicine 2010, the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Physicians (ACP), April 22 - 24 (Thursday - Saturday), at the Toronto Convention Center.

2 Apr 2010

Molecular mechanism behind mutation in calcium channel protein linked with night blindness

Congenital stationary night blindness, an inherited condition that affects one's ability to see in the dark, is caused by a mutation in a calcium channel protein that shuttles calcium into and out of cells. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have teased apart the molecular mechanism behind this mutation, uncovering a more general principle of how cells control calcium levels.

2 Apr 2010

Passengers on Brisbane train may have been exposed to measles

A NSW man who was diagnosed with measles travelled in a train from the Brisbane International Airport to South Brisbane about 8am on Saturday.

2 Apr 2010

Minimally invasive technique holds promise for removing large brain tumors

A minimally invasive endoscopic procedure holds promise for safely removing large brain tumors from an area at the bottom of the skull, near the sinus cavities, clinical researchers at the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) at University Hospital have found.

2 Apr 2010

Brain stem cells in subventricular zone characterized by transcription factor Protein Tlx

The "cradle" of new neurons in the adult brain is well known. It is what is called the subventricular zone, a tissue structure lining the lateral ventricles. This is where neural or brain stem cells reside, which are responsible for generating new neurons if needed. For many years now, the subventricular zone has been suspected to be the origin of specific malignant brain tumors called gliomas, the most deadly type of which is glioblastoma.

2 Apr 2010

UK NICE recommends Eli Lilly's ALIMTA as maintenance therapy for nonsquamous NSCLC

Eli Lilly and Company announced today that its chemotherapy ALIMTA® (pemetrexed for injection) received a positive "Final Appraisal Determination" from the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

2 Apr 2010

MRI study reveals worry may offset negative effects of fear and depression

A new study of brain activity in depressed and anxious people indicates that some of the ill effects of depression are modified - for better or for worse - by anxiety

2 Apr 2010

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

In what may provide the most compelling evidence to date, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center have illuminated how a genetic variant may lead to schizophrenia by causing a disruption in communication between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex regions of the brain, areas believed to be responsible for carrying out working memory.

2 Apr 2010

Mouse study indicates rapamycin drug prevents Alzheimer's disease, extends lifespan

If research results continue to be repeated and are turned into clinical trials, a drug already approved for some uses could be marshaled - sooner than we expect - to prevent Alzheimer's disease in humans and improve health to the end of life.

2 Apr 2010

New development in treatment of African Sleeping Sickness

African sleeping sickness or Human African Typanosomiasis is a potentially fatal disease affecting 50 to 70 thousand Africans each year. Carried by the bite tsetse fly this fatal disease is actually caused by a tiny parasite that attacks the nervous system, brain, spinal column resulting in mental confusion and finally death.

1 Apr 2010

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Study uses hESC to derive floor plate tissue

Harnessing body's own natural killer cells to battle cancer in children

Beike Biotechnology awarded ISO9001 certification for implementation of comprehensive QMS

Young adults with hyperthyroidism face increase risk of stroke

"Mouse model" study finds LRRK2 gene mutation may cause inherited Parkinson's disease

Genome of Australian zebra finch decoded

Nanotechnology for eavesdropping on inner electrical activity of individual cells

Scientists identify potential new method for treating sleeping sickness

Parent-run movement intensifies efforts to make publicly funded autism therapy more accessible

SBRT effective in primary tumor control, study finds

2010 Internal Medicine conference at Toronto Convention Center

Molecular mechanism behind mutation in calcium channel protein linked with night blindness

Passengers on Brisbane train may have been exposed to measles

Minimally invasive technique holds promise for removing large brain tumors

Brain stem cells in subventricular zone characterized by transcription factor Protein Tlx

UK NICE recommends Eli Lilly's ALIMTA as maintenance therapy for nonsquamous NSCLC

MRI study reveals worry may offset negative effects of fear and depression

Researchers identify link between genetic mutation and schizophrenia

Mouse study indicates rapamycin drug prevents Alzheimer's disease, extends lifespan

New development in treatment of African Sleeping Sickness

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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