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Common antihistamine may partially reverse damage to visual system in multiple sclerosis patients

A common antihistamine used to treat symptoms of allergies and the common cold, called clemastine fumarate, partially reversed damage to the visual system in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 68th Annual Meeting in Vancouver, Canada, April 15 to 21, 2016.

13 Apr 2016

Glial cells can modulate specific nerve endings in the brain, find Rockefeller scientists

More than half of our brains are made up of glial cells, which wrap around nerve fibers and insulate them--similarly to how the plastic casing of an electric cable insulates the copper wire within--allowing electrical and chemical impulses to travel faster.

12 Apr 2016

Research suggests new pathway for preventing optic nerve damage in KPro recipients

Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School have identified inflammatory factors that cause optic neuropathy in the back of the eye following implantation of a keratoprosthesis (KPro) — similar to what glaucoma patients experience, without the rise of pressure in the eye — and have shown that blocking one of those factors, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), successfully halts the development of optic nerve damage in a mouse model.

11 Apr 2016

Added benefit of crizotinib drug for first-line treatment of advanced bronchial carcinoma not proven

The drug crizotinib (trade name: Xalkori) has been available since 2012 for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (bronchial carcinoma) who have a high activity of the enzyme anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and have already received another treatment. In November 2015, the approval was extended to first-line treatment.

11 Apr 2016

Common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes

New research by Dr. Sylvie Lesage, scientist at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and associate research Professor at University of Montreal, just published in the prestigious international scientific journal Nature Genetics, has discovered that a common genetic defect in beta cells may underlie both known forms of diabetes.

25 Mar 2016

Penn neurologists uncover new genetic cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT) is a family of inherited disorders of the peripheral nervous system, affecting approximately one in 2,500 Americans. Its most common iteration, CMT1, comes in many forms, most of which have to date been linked to a small set of causative genes.

23 Mar 2016

Neurofeedback decreases pain, increases quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain

A new study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center evaluating the use of neurofeedback found a decrease in the experience of chronic pain and increase quality of life in patients with neuropathic pain.

14 Mar 2016

FDA approves Xalkori (crizotinib) to treat patients with ROS-1 positive NSCLC

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Xalkori (crizotinib) to treat people with advanced (metastatic) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have an ROS-1 gene alteration. Xalkori is the first and only FDA approved treatment for patients with ROS-1 positive NSCLC.

13 Mar 2016

Study provides first evidence that Zika virus may cause Guillain-Barré syndrome

Analysis of blood samples from 42 patients diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) during the Zika virus outbreak in French Polynesia provides the first evidence that Zika virus might cause GBS, a severe neurological disorder, according to new research published in The Lancet today.

2 Mar 2016

Promising therapeutic strategy for relieving neuropathic pain

A specific molecule involved in maintaining pain after a nerve injury has been identified and blocked in mice by Hiroshima University researchers. These results reveal a promising therapeutic strategy for treating neuropathic pain.

1 Mar 2016

Gene expression analysis points metastatic CRC patient to successful irbesartan therapy

A patient with recurrent metastatic colorectal cancer has been successfully treated with the angiotensin receptor blocker irbesartan, researchers report.

24 Feb 2016

MDI Biological Laboratory scientist identifies potential drug therapy to reverse peripheral nerve damage

The Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory has announced that assistant professor Sandra Rieger, Ph.D., has identified two drugs that could potentially be used to reverse peripheral nerve damage, or peripheral neuropathy, resulting from chemotherapy treatment for ovarian, breast, lung, pancreas and other cancers. The drugs also have potential applications for the treatment of peripheral nerve damage caused by diabetes, traumatic injuries and other conditions.

23 Feb 2016

Study reveals association between DNA methylation and type 2 diabetes

Researchers from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute have found an epigenetic mechanism implicated in the regulation of blood sugar. The study, published in the journal Molecular Human Genetics, reveals that the methylation of the TXNIP gene is associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 and, in particular, average blood glucose levels.

8 Feb 2016

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals announces completion of enrollment for Phase 2b/3 dry eye trial in U.S.

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage drug development company focused on tissue protection, repair and regeneration, today announced that its U.S. joint venture with G-treeBNT, ReGenTree LLC, has completed enrollment of its Phase 2b/3 dry eye trial in the U.S.

29 Jan 2016

Eisai's Halaven receives FDA approval for treatment of patients with metastatic liposarcoma

Eisai Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate) Injection (0.5 mg per mL) for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic liposarcoma who have received a prior anthracycline-containing regimen.

29 Jan 2016

Halaven (eribulin mesylate) approved for treatment of liposarcoma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Halaven (eribulin mesylate), a type of chemotherapy, for the treatment of liposarcoma (a specific type of soft tissue sarcoma) that cannot be removed by surgery (unresectable) or is advanced (metastatic). This treatment is approved for patients who received prior chemotherapy that contained an anthracycline drug.

28 Jan 2016

Researchers developing cryotherapy device to reduce tissue damage

Cold therapy has long been prescribed for those recovering from orthopedic surgery, muscle inflammation and sports-related injuries, with treatments ranging from ice baths to immersion in whole-body cryotherapy chambers.

28 Jan 2016

Educational programs, new clinic policies could significantly reduce level of opioid medication

A recent study showed that medical provider training, new clinic policies and efforts to "taper" opioid use for pain treatment could significantly reduce the level of opioid medication that patients used -- a limited but positive step for a nation enmeshed in opioid use, abuse and overdose deaths.

27 Jan 2016

Opioid medication does not improve physical function in patients with neuropathic pain

Opioids such as morphine, codeine and Tylenol 3 can be effective for treating pain, however, a new University of Alberta study finds that patients with neuropathic pain taking opioids report no improvements in physical functioning compared to those who were not prescribed opioids.

25 Jan 2016

Acute bulbar palsy variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome found

Researchers have identified a new variant form of Guillain-Barré syndrome that is characterised by prominent acute bulbar palsy without neck or limb weakness.

5 Jan 2016