Imaging News and Research

RSS

Distinct brain networks support retrieval of old and recent memories

When we remember events which occurred recently, the hippocampus is activated. This area in the temporal lobe of the brain is a hub for learning and memory. But what happens, if we try to remember things that took place years or decades ago? Neuroscientists at the Ruhr-University Bochum and the Osaka University have been able to give some answers to this question.

16 Mar 2016

Real-time imaging method may lead to improved stroke care

According to the American Heart Association, ischemic strokes account for nearly 90 percent of all strokes. They occur when a blocked artery prevents blood from getting to the brain and usually result in long-term disability or death. Now, a team of researchers led by the University of Missouri School of Medicine has developed a new, real-time method of imaging molecular events after strokes - a finding that may lead to improved care for patients.

15 Mar 2016

Oral pill could improve breast cancer diagnostic techniques

The ongoing debate about breast cancer diagnostics has left many women confused — particularly over what age they should get mammograms and who needs treatment. An issue with current methods is that they often identify lumps but cannot conclusively pinpoint which ones are cancerous. To help resolve this uncertainty, researchers have developed a pill that could improve imaging techniques so that only cancerous tumors light up.

15 Mar 2016

Learning complex tactile tasks activates the visual cortex

Biology lessons teach us that the brain is divided into separate areas, each of which processes a specific sense. But findings to be published in eLife show we can supercharge it to be more flexible.

15 Mar 2016

New chemical probe could tag cells for detection by MRI

The need to non-invasively "see" and track cells in living persons is indisputable - a boon to both research and development of future therapies. Emerging treatments using stem cells and immune cells are poised to most benefit from cell tracking, which would visualize their behavior in the body after delivery. Clinicians require such data to speed these cell treatments to patients.

15 Mar 2016

Blueberries can have a real benefit in lowering risk of heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's

The blueberry, already labeled a "super fruit" for its power to potentially lower the risk of heart disease and cancer, also could be another weapon in the war against Alzheimer's disease. New research being presented today further bolsters this idea, which is being tested by many teams.

14 Mar 2016

Synthetic nanoparticle can light up and treat atherosclerotic plaques

Atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up inside arteries, is a prolific and invisible killer, but it may soon lose its ability to hide in the body and wreak havoc. Scientists have now developed a nanoparticle that functionally mimics nature's own high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The nanoparticle can simultaneously light up and treat atherosclerotic plaques that clog arteries. Therapy with this approach could someday help prevent deadly heart attacks and strokes.

14 Mar 2016

NIH-funded investigators develop therapeutic compound effective against malaria

An international team that includes NIH-funded researchers at Stanford University has developed a therapeutic compound that is effective in inhibiting Plasmodium falciparum, one of five species of parasite that infects people with malaria, and the strain which causes the highest number of malaria deaths.

13 Mar 2016

Delivering microRNAs in cancer treatment: an interview with Dr Conde and Prof Artzi

microRNAs (miRs) are small endogenous noncoding RNA molecules (20–23 nucleotides) derived from imperfectly paired hairpin RNA structures naturally encoded in the genome that act specifically as triggering molecules to control translational repression or mRNA degradation.

11 Mar 2016

Gallbladder removal surgeries now becomes safer with new imaging procedure

UCLA researchers have discovered an optimal way to image the bile ducts during gallbladder removal surgeries using a tested and safe dye and a real-time near-infrared florescence laparoscopic camera, a finding that will make the procedure much safer for the hundreds of thousands of people who undergo the procedure each year.

11 Mar 2016

Advances in new scanning technology may provide a clearer picture of lung disease

New scanning technology which will give a much clearer picture of lung disease has taken a major step forward thanks to scientists at The University of Nottingham.

11 Mar 2016

New study shows that structural changes within the spine alter vibration response

Magnetic resonance image isn't everything. A new University of Alberta study shows that vibrating the spine may reveal more when it comes to treating back pain. Teaming with the University of South Denmark to study the lumbar spine of twins, Greg Kawchuk and his team demonstrate that structural changes within the spine alter its vibration response significantly.

11 Mar 2016

Studies raise hope for new treatments, preventive approaches for schizophrenia

Emerging evidence on the development, "prodromal" characteristics, and long-term course of schizophrenia provide reasons for optimism for developing new treatments and preventive approaches for this devastating disorder, according to the special March/April issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

11 Mar 2016

Scientists optimize imaging and behavior techniques to monitor activity of neurons

The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in motor control. The Purkinje cells, a class of neurons located in this region, are a major site of information integration that regulate changes in neural connections caused by varying factors such as behavior, environment, and emotions. Thus Purkinje cells provide an ideal location for studying the mechanisms necessary for cerebellum dependent motor learning.

11 Mar 2016

Study: Climbing stairs and years of schooling can promote brain health

Taking the stairs is normally associated with keeping your body strong and healthy. But new research shows that it improves your brain's health too — and that education also has a positive effect.

10 Mar 2016

Adding ultrasound or tomosynthesis to standard mammograms can detect missed cancers in dense breasts

Adding either tomosynthesis (a form of 3D mammography) or ultrasound scans to standard mammograms can detect breast cancers that would have been missed in women with dense breasts, according to an interim analysis of a trial comparing these two additional screening technologies.

10 Mar 2016

FDA OKs ACR's new Digital Mammography QC Manual

The Food and Drug Administration approved the American College of Radiology's alternative standard request to allow mammography facilities to use the new Digital Mammography Quality Control Manual and Digital Mammography QC Phantom in routine QC of digital equipment. The new manual and phantom will aid in ensuring uniformity of QC testing.

10 Mar 2016

CWRU researcher to customize tobacco mosaic virus to treat human cancers

A Case Western Reserve University researcher has been awarded more than $3 million in federal and foundation grants to turn common plant viruses into cancer sleuths and search-and-destroy emissaries.

10 Mar 2016

Tricuspid regurgitation tied to outcomes in PAH patients

Tricuspid regurgitation progresses in line with right ventricular remodelling and increasing pulmonary artery systolic pressure in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, research shows.

10 Mar 2016

High coronary artery calcium score puts people at greater risk for cancer, kidney disease and COPD

A 10-year follow-up study of more than 6,000 people who underwent heart CT scans suggests that a high coronary artery calcium score puts people at greater risk not only for heart and vascular disease but also for cancer, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

10 Mar 2016