Brain News and Research

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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.

New CIHI study highlights that Canada needs to retrieve more organs for transplants

The availability of donated organs in Canada rose by more than one-quarter (28%) over the past decade, but this increase is not keeping pace with demand. More than 1,000 Canadians donated organs in 2008, up from 812 in 1999, according to a new study released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

23 Dec 2009

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Biomedical researchers at the University of Central Florida have found a protein that could hold the key to treating one of the most common and aggressive brain tumors in adults.

23 Dec 2009

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

A landmark autism study and a dramatic success for gene therapy in reversing inherited blindness, both at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, were recognized among the top scientific achievements in 2009, according to three national publications: Time magazine, Discover magazine and the journal Science.

23 Dec 2009

Discovery of inhibitory hormone may yield new treatments for cancer and other diseases

Nearly 10 years after the discovery that birds make a hormone that suppresses reproduction, University of California, Berkeley, neuroscientists have established that humans make it too, opening the door to development of a new class of contraceptive and possible treatments for cancer or other diseases.

23 Dec 2009

New research shows accurate taste perception relies on properly functioning olfactory system

As anyone suffering through a head cold knows, food tastes wrong when the nose is clogged, an experience that leads many to conclude that the sense of taste operates normally only when the olfactory system is also in good working order.

23 Dec 2009

Researchers develop new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have developed a new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses caused by bacteria resistant to most antibiotics.

23 Dec 2009

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

On the morning of December 17, 2009, UPMC physicians used Gamma Knife® surgery to treat the center's 10,000th patient, an 81-year-old male with a tumor deep in his brainstem, a site where traditional surgery would have been impossible. Gamma Knife surgery is performed using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system, which directs up to 201 pencil-thin beams of therapeutic radiation precisely on brain tumors and other targets in the head.

From Elekta 23 Dec 2009

Researchers recommend progesterone as viable treatment for traumatic brain injuries

Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, recommend that progesterone (PROG), a naturally occurring hormone found in both males and females that can protect damaged cells in the central and peripheral nervous systems, be considered a viable treatment option for traumatic brain injuries, according to a clinical perspective published in the January issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

23 Dec 2009

Financial results for fourth-quarter and fiscal year announced by National Mentor Holdings

National Mentor Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2009.

23 Dec 2009

Hormone ghrelin influences the consumption of alcohol, study shows

A Faculty of 1000 evaluation examines how a stomach-produced hormone that influences the desire to eat and consume alcohol could be switched off to control drinking problems.

23 Dec 2009

Australian scientists show connections between brain and regulation of bone mass

The brain acts as a profound regulatory centre, controlling myriad processes throughout the body in ways we are only just beginning to understand. In new findings, Australian scientists have shown surprising connections between the brain and regulation of bone mass.

23 Dec 2009

Magnetic stimulation therapy can treat depression

Magnetic stimulation therapy can beat depression when medication and therapy haven't worked, according to the December issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.

23 Dec 2009

Contact lens can produce near-normal vision in infants and children

Infants as young as one-month-old are prescribed contact lenses at pediatric eye surgery centers so their visual system will develop correctly. Infants may be fitted for contacts if they have had cataract surgery, need extremely high-strength prescription glasses, or have very different prescriptions for the two eyes.

22 Dec 2009

Endocannabinoid modulation of sweet taste receptors may help control feeding behavior

Sweet taste responses were enhanced by endocannabinoids in every case. The effect was specific for sweet taste, as endocannibinoids had no effect on responses to sour, salty, bitter or umami taste stimuli.

22 Dec 2009

Safe Cell Phone's SAR Shield absorbs potentially harmful cell phone radiation

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on October 26, 2009 that its 10 year study has shown a proven link between long term cell phone usage and increased risks in brain cancer and tumors. The ten year study headed by Dr. Elisabeth Cardis shows a 18% increase in brain tumor development with long term cell phone usage.

22 Dec 2009

Four Latin American cancer patients receive treatment using RapidArc radiotherapy technology

Four cancer patients became the first in Latin America to receive treatment using a fast form of image-guided radiotherapy that potentially enables doctors to improve outcomes while extending modern care to more patients. Doctors at Hope International Centro de Radioterapia of Guatemala are now treating four patients using RapidArc® radiotherapy technology from Varian Medical Systems, one with recurring prostate cancer, one with a nasal cavity tumor, one with rectal cancer, and one with recurring glioblastoma multiforme--an aggressive type of brain tumor.

22 Dec 2009

Arena Pharmaceuticals submits lorcaserin NDA to the FDA

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lorcaserin, Arena's internally discovered and developed drug candidate for weight management, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss. The submission is based on an extensive data package from lorcaserin's clinical development program that includes 18 clinical trials totaling 8,576 patients.

22 Dec 2009

Chordoma surgery through the nose

A remarkable brain surgery at Saint John’s Health Center has restored vision to a seriously ill young woman from Spain—and the entire operation was performed through her nose without an incision.

22 Dec 2009

Health Canada approves Prevnar 13 vaccine for invasive pneumococcal disease

Following a Priority Review, Health Canada has approved Prevnar 13 (Pneumococcal 13-valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM197 Protein)) for children aged six weeks through five years for active immunization against invasive pneumococcal disease, a bacterial infection that can include meningitis (inflammation of the coverings of the brain and spinal cord), sepsis (bloodstream infection), bacteremic pneumonia, pleural empyema (accumulation of pus in the cavity surrounding the lungs) and bacteremia (bacteria in the blood).

22 Dec 2009

NMA urges parents to protect their children from meningococcal disease

This winter, while many parents are focused on influenza prevention, the National Meningitis Association (NMA) is urging parents to also protect their families from meningococcal disease, a deadly but potentially vaccine preventable bacterial infection.

22 Dec 2009

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

New CIHI study highlights that Canada needs to retrieve more organs for transplants

Novel discovery offers hope for patients with common brain tumor

Autism study and gene therapy in vision are top scientific achievements in 2009

Discovery of inhibitory hormone may yield new treatments for cancer and other diseases

New research shows accurate taste perception relies on properly functioning olfactory system

Researchers develop new approach for treating and healing skin abscesses

UPMC reports 10,000th patient treated using Elekta's Leksell Gamma Knife system

Researchers recommend progesterone as viable treatment for traumatic brain injuries

Financial results for fourth-quarter and fiscal year announced by National Mentor Holdings

Hormone ghrelin influences the consumption of alcohol, study shows

Australian scientists show connections between brain and regulation of bone mass

Magnetic stimulation therapy can treat depression

Contact lens can produce near-normal vision in infants and children

Endocannabinoid modulation of sweet taste receptors may help control feeding behavior

Safe Cell Phone's SAR Shield absorbs potentially harmful cell phone radiation

Four Latin American cancer patients receive treatment using RapidArc radiotherapy technology

Arena Pharmaceuticals submits lorcaserin NDA to the FDA

Chordoma surgery through the nose

Health Canada approves Prevnar 13 vaccine for invasive pneumococcal disease

NMA urges parents to protect their children from meningococcal disease

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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