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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.

Habits of modern life may shorten life-span of the Millennium Generation

All parents dream of a better life for their children, but because of the habits of modern life, the Millennium Generation may be the first to suffer a shorter life-span.

1 Mar 2010

Two stroke-prevention procedures are equally beneficial for men and women, but effectiveness vary by age

Two stroke-prevention procedures are safe and equally beneficial for men and women at risk for stroke, but the effectiveness does vary by age, say researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in collaboration with other North American stroke investigators.

1 Mar 2010

Outpatient referrals from primary care physicians for CT, MRI studies inappropriate: Academic medical center

A large academic medical center has found that a significant percentage of outpatient referrals they receive from primary care physicians for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies are inappropriate (based upon evidence-based appropriateness criteria developed by a radiology benefits management company), according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org).

1 Mar 2010

Aprepitant drug can reduce nausea and vomiting when combined with other anti-nausea drugs

Bone marrow transplant patients say two of the most debilitating side effects of the treatment are nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy and radiation.

1 Mar 2010

NPS Pharmaceuticals supports second annual U.S. Rare Disease Day observance

NPS Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for rare gastrointestinal and endocrine disorders, announced today its support for the second annual U.S. Rare Disease Day observance on February 28.

1 Mar 2010

Reversing protein deficiency through gene therapy can improve SMA

Reversing a protein deficiency through gene therapy can correct motor function, restore nerve signals and improve survival in mice that serve as a model for the lethal childhood disorder spinal muscular atrophy, new research shows.

1 Mar 2010

Psychologists investigate morning sickness and idea of normal pregnancy

Psychologists discuss whether 'baby brain' is fact or fiction and investigate morning sickness and the idea of 'normal pregnancy' in the latest issue of the Psychologist, the in-house magazine of the British Psychological Society.

28 Feb 2010

Brain cancer awareness: 55-year-old cycles across USA

Anne Feeley, a 55-year-old mother and brain cancer survivor, will cycle across the country this spring to raise awareness and money for brain cancer research and support.

27 Feb 2010

Unexplained, sudden anemia: Brown recluse spider bite

As spring approaches and people return to outdoor activities, caution should be taken in areas of the country that are home to Loxosceles reclusa, also called the brown recluse spider. A new study from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital found that when patients present with sudden anemia, but the cause is elusive, the brown recluse spider should be part of the differential diagnosis, at least in parts of the nation where the spider is regularly found.

27 Feb 2010

Body repairs itself through microvesicles: New hope for tissue regeneration

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have discovered how cells communicate with each other during times of cellular injury. The findings shed new light on how the body repairs itself when organs become diseased, through small particles known as microvesicles, and offers hope for tissue regeneration.

27 Feb 2010

Electronic prescribing decreases prescription errors

Should doctors around the country use e-prescribing to decrease prescription errors? A study led by physician-scientists from Weill Cornell Medical College found that health care providers using an electronic system to write prescriptions were seven times less likely to make errors than those writing their prescriptions by hand. The study appears today in the online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

27 Feb 2010

Minimally-invasive procedure as effective as gold standard for treating carotid artery blockages: Study

A major study shows that a minimally-invasive procedure is as effective and safe as the gold standard for treating blockages of the carotid artery, giving patients who prefer a less invasive procedure a proven alternative.

27 Feb 2010

Stroke incidence and treatment: Racial and geographic disparities

Blacks are more likely to have an undiagnosed key risk factor for stroke and are more likely to have a stroke than whites, according to two studies presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

27 Feb 2010

For people who carry common gene variants, smoking increases risk of aneurysm

For people who carry common gene variants, cigarette smoking greatly increases the risk that a blood vessel in the brain will weaken and balloon out - called an aneurysm - which could be life-threatening if it ruptures, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

27 Feb 2010

Overall incidence of stroke, heart attack and death similar in carotid endarterectomy and stenting procedures

The two major procedures for opening blocked neck arteries to restore blood flow to the brain proved similar in overall long-term safety and efficacy, but showed differences in stroke and heart attack in the weeks following the procedure, according to late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

27 Feb 2010

CREST stroke prevention trial: Seminal and robust

The CREST trial that compared traditional surgery with less-invasive stenting to clear dangerously clogged carotid arteries in the neck is being called "seminal and robust."

27 Feb 2010

State roundup: S.C. plan would end benefits to 30,000 disabled residents; Judge bars Calif. from cutting elderly from day care; Mass. faces lawsuit on immigrant health care

Children with autism, people with spine and brain injuries and the long-term disabled in job programs are among the 30,000 people who would lose state help under a $5.1 billion spending plan approved by a House committee Thursday.

27 Feb 2010

Neurogenesis linked to drug addiction and relapse

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center hope they have begun paving a new pathway in the fight against drug dependence. Their hypothesis - that increasing the normally occurring process of making nerve cells might prevent addiction - is based on a rodent study demonstrating that blocking new growth of specific brain nerve cells increases vulnerability for cocaine addiction and relapse.

27 Feb 2010

Dabigatran as effective as warfarin in preventing subsequent strokes among atrial fibrillation patients

The drug dabigatran was as effective as the currently recommended drug – warfarin – in preventing a subsequent stroke among people with atrial fibrillation and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack – and it did so with less bleeding according to late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2010.

27 Feb 2010

Arena Pharmaceuticals' lorcaserin NDA: FDA assigns PDUFA date

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date of October 22, 2010, for the review of the lorcaserin New Drug Application (NDA). The acceptance of the lorcaserin NDA filing confirms that the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review, and the PDUFA date is the goal date for the FDA to complete its review of the NDA.

26 Feb 2010