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Shielding body protects brain from “shell shocking” blast injuries

Stronger and tougher body armor to shield the chest, abdomen and back may be just what soldiers fighting in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars need to better protect their brains from mild injuries tied to so-called “shell shock,” results of a Johns Hopkins study in mice suggest. Such mild trauma, resulting from the initial shock of exploding mines, grenades and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) now accounts for more than 80 percent of all brain injuries among U.S. troops. Some 160,000 American veteran men and women are estimated to have sustained this kind of trauma.

29 Apr 2011

New genetic study suspects Armadillos as source of leprosy in the U.S.

A new genetic study on leprosy bacteria reports that armadillos may be a source of infection in the Southern United States.

29 Apr 2011

Study shows direct link between cotton swab use and ruptured eardrum

A study by Henry Ford Hospital shows a direct association between cotton swab use and ruptured eardrum. The study also shows that in most cases the rupture heals on its own and surgery is only necessary for the most severe cases.

28 Apr 2011

Simple blood test can diagnose early Parkinson's disease

In Parkinson's disease, the human body generates antibodies to combat the amyloid-producing protein alpha synuclein early in the course of the disease. A simple blood test that measures these antibodies can facilitate early diagnosis of the disorder, writes Ludmilla Morozova-Roche and her associates at Umeå University in Sweden in the latest issue of the journal PLoS One.

28 Apr 2011

Resection arthroplasty more effective for patients with diabetic foot ulcers

A recent study published in the March issue of Foot & Ankle International, the official scientific journal of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society describes a possible amputation alternative for patients with neuropathic ulceration of the first metatarsophalangeal or big toe joint.

28 Apr 2011

Promising pain medication may decrease ability to fight off sepsis

Pain researchers from the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Medical Center have discovered that resiniferatoxin, a drug that has shown early promise as an option for chronic, severe pain sufferers, may decrease the body's ability to fight off bacterial infections, particularly sepsis.

27 Apr 2011

JumpStart Ventures invests $250,000 in SPR Therapeutics

JumpStart Ventures, a nonprofit that invests in and partners with innovative, early-stage companies in Northeast Ohio, announced an investment commitment of $250,000 in SPR Therapeutics.

27 Apr 2011

Biologists determine molecular structure of GluN2D receptor subunit

Structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in collaboration with colleagues at Emory University have determined the molecular structure of a key portion, or subunit, of a receptor type commonly expressed in brain cells.

27 Apr 2011

Major breakthrough in understanding of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Brandeis researchers have made a significant advance in the effort to understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by successfully reversing the toxicity of the mutated protein in the familial type of the disease.

27 Apr 2011

Lilly and Medtronic’s joint venture in Parkinson’s disease therapy

Lilly has already developed a protein called GDNF (glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor) known to preserve the function of neurons and Medtronic will provide a system that carries the medicine to a key area of the brain.

From Medtronic 26 Apr 2011

BioControl Medical initiates INOVATE-HF study of CardioFit system

BioControl Medical, a medical technology company that develops and markets advanced implantable devices for the treatment of autonomic disorders, has announced first patient enrollment in the INOVATE-HF (INcrease Of VAgal TonE in Heart Failure) clinical study at Northwest Texas Heart Hospital, Amarillo, Texas, by study investigator Suresh Neelagaru, M.D.

26 Apr 2011

Anti-inflammatory drugs reduce effectiveness of widely used antidepressant medications

Scientists at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research at The Rockefeller University, led by Paul Greengard, Ph.D., and Jennifer Warner-Schmidt, Ph.D., have shown that anti-inflammatory drugs, which include ibuprofen, aspirin and naproxen, reduce the effectiveness of the most widely used class of antidepressant medications, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, taken for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders.

26 Apr 2011

Simple, obvious and obscure ways to keep minds sharp and brains healthy

From a glance at the magazine stands, Americans appear obsessed with losing weight, cutting their cardiac risks and seeking to improve their odds against cancer. But where's the focus on brain health?

25 Apr 2011

Uroplasty to present Urgent PC, Macroplastique products study data at upcoming meetings

Uroplasty, Inc., a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products to treat voiding dysfunctions, today announced that the results of clinical studies using Uroplasty's Urgent PC Neuromodulation System and Macroplastique urethral bulking agent products are scheduled to be presented at three upcoming professional meetings.

25 Apr 2011

New findings can lead to better understanding of neurological development, cancer metastasis

By shedding new light on how cells migrate in the developing brain, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center also may have found a new mechanism by which other types of cells, including cancer cells, travel within the body.

25 Apr 2011

Research sheds light on molecular movements of neural transporters

A team of scientists from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College has shed light on the molecular workings of transporter proteins, molecular machines embedded in the cell membranes of neurons that modulate the transfer of signals between cells and recycle neurotransmitters.

25 Apr 2011

Pediatric otolaryngologist to earn Charles Ferguson Clinical Science recognition

Stephen Maturo, MD, of Boston, MA, will receive the first place Charles Ferguson Clinical Science Award for outstanding achievement in the field of pediatric otolaryngology for his research paper titled "Intraoperative Laryngeal Electromyography in Children with Vocal Fold Mobility: Results of a Multicenter Longitudinal Study," during their annual meeting, April 29 - May 1, 2011, in Chicago, IL.

25 Apr 2011

Researchers discover new compound to fight against shingles

Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles-a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.

22 Apr 2011

Roundtable to discuss about advances in neuroscience

Jamie Tyler, assistant professor in the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, has been invited to speak at a Royal Society of London high level workshop on May 11-12 on the security implications of advances in neuroscience.

22 Apr 2011

First UCLA patient with hand transplant doing well at six-and-a-half weeks

Six-and-a-half weeks after receiving the first hand transplant in the western United States, Emily Fennell is becoming so accustomed to her new right hand that she barely remembers when she didn't have one.

21 Apr 2011