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Young-onset Parkinson's most common in White men

Young-onset Parkinson's disease is most common among White individuals and men in America, research shows.

20 Nov 2012

Acute cough should raise asthma alarm

Around one-fifth of patients consulting their primary care physician for acute cough could have undiagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, show the results of a pan-European study.

20 Nov 2012

More to fetal alcohol exposure than previously thought

Children who have certain variants in alcohol metabolizing genes and whose mothers drank while pregnant may have a lower IQ than those whose mothers did not drink during pregnancy, researchers report.

20 Nov 2012

New genetic insight into Alzheimer’s disease

A rare mutation in the gene encoding the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 has a potent effect on the risk for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggest.

20 Nov 2012

New heart valve procedure saves life of 94-year old with aortic stenosis

94-year old Santa Monica resident Vivian Valentine has much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. A new life-saving heart valve procedure done without traditional open heart surgery has given her a new lease on life.

20 Nov 2012

CAMH psychiatrist receives Polanyi Prize for university research in Ontario

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is extremely proud to announce that psychiatrist Dr. Aristotle Voineskos, Koerner New Scientist and head of CAMH's Kimel Family Translational Imaging-Genetics Research Laboratory in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute, has been named one of five winners of the prestigious Polanyi Prize for university research in Ontario.

20 Nov 2012

Hsp104 protein switches mechanism to break up amyloid versus disordered clumps

Several fatal brain disorders, including Parkinson's disease, are connected by the misfolding of specific proteins into disordered clumps and stable, insoluble fibrils called amyloid. Amyloid fibrils are hard to break up due to their stable, ordered structure. For example, α-synuclein forms amyloid fibrils that accumulate in Lewy Bodies in Parkinson's disease. By contrast, protein clumps that accumulate in response to environmental stress, such as heat shock, possess a less stable, disordered architecture.

20 Nov 2012

UBC microbiologist receives Prix Galien 2012 Research Award

UBC microbiologist Robert E.W. Hancock has received the Prix Galien 2012 Research Award, widely considered the most prestigious honour in Canadian pharmaceutical research and innovation. Hancock is being recognized for pioneering work unravelling the complex interactions between antibiotics and bacteria.

20 Nov 2012

New genetic evidence about why some people are happier than others

Researchers at McMaster University have discovered new genetic evidence about why some people are happier than others.

20 Nov 2012

ER could be a good place to identify undiagnosed eating disorders among teens

Could the emergency room be a good place to spot undiagnosed eating disorders among teens, and help steer them to treatment? A new study from the University of Michigan suggests that could be the case.

20 Nov 2012

Maternal cigarette smoking reduces reading accuracy in children

Yale School of Medicine researchers have found that children born to mothers who smoked more than one pack per day during pregnancy struggled on tests designed to measure how accurately a child reads aloud and comprehends what they read.

20 Nov 2012

Uninsured patients could be twice as likely to die after brain cancer surgery

Uninsured patients who undergo surgery to remove a brain tumor could be twice as likely to die in the hospital as those who have the same operation but are privately insured, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. In teaching hospitals, where most neurosurgical procedures take place, those with government-subsidized insurance in the form of Medicaid were found in the same study to have rates of survival closer to those who are privately insured.

20 Nov 2012

Researchers discover new cause of hydrocephalus

Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered a new cause of hydrocephalus, a devastating neurological disorder that affects between one and three of every 1,000 babies born. Working in mice, the researchers identified a cell signaling defect, which disrupts immature brain cells involved in normal brain development.

20 Nov 2012

Music therapy can be beneficial to patients before and after surgical procedures

A new study review published by the University of Kentucky found that music therapy can be beneficial to patients before, during and after a surgical procedure and may reduce pain and recovery time.

20 Nov 2012

USPTO issues Notice of Allowance to Sanovas’ nested balloon catheter

Sanovas, Inc., a life science technology company focused on developing and commercializing the next-generation of micro-invasive diagnostics, devices and drug delivery technologies, announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for the company's nested balloon catheter for localized drug delivery, a component of Sanovas' Vas Zeppelin Smart Catheter technology portfolio.

20 Nov 2012

Researchers discover new gene for susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease

A large-scale international study involving French researchers from the Inserm-Institut Pasteur Lille-Universit- Lille Nord de France "Public health and molecular epidemiology of ageing-related diseases" joint research unit led by Philippe Amouyel, has just discovered a gene for susceptibility to a rare disease that causes susceptibility to a common one, Alzheimer's disease, providing evidence of the heterogeneous aetiology of Alzheimer's disease.

20 Nov 2012

Finnish researchers develop triumphant solution to predict breast cancer cells’ responses to drugs

The answer is yes. Finnish researchers have developed a triumphant solution for predicting responses of breast cancer cells to a set of cancer drugs. The prediction is based on the genomic profiles of the cancer cells. Harnessing genomic profiles of cells in choosing the best treatment is considered the holy grail of personalised medicine.

20 Nov 2012

Top-line results from Pfizer's pregabalin CR formulation Phase 3 study on fibromyalgia

Pfizer Inc. announced that top-line results of a double-blind, Phase 3 study evaluating pregabalin controlled-release (CR) formulation in patients with fibromyalgia indicate that pregabalin CR had a statistically significant positive effect compared to placebo in the primary endpoint, time to loss of therapeutic response (LTR).

20 Nov 2012

KLF4 genetic factor prevents blood vessels from blockages

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a genetic factor that prevents blockages from forming in blood vessels, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for cardiovascular diseases.

20 Nov 2012

Smoking less a valid risk reduction strategy, says researcher

Countless studies demonstrate the virtues of complete smoking cessation, including a lowered risk of disease, increased life expectancy, and an improved quality of life. But health professionals acknowledge that quitting altogether can be a long and difficult road, and only a small percentage succeed.

20 Nov 2012