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Renin test can predict appropriate drugs for BP patients: Study

Commonly prescribed drugs used to lower blood pressure can actually have the opposite effect-raising blood pressure in a statistically significant percentage of patients. A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that doctors could avoid this problem-and select drugs most suitable for their patients-by measuring blood levels of the enzyme renin through a blood test that is becoming more widely available. The study appears in the online edition of the American Journal of Hypertension.

20 Aug 2010

Study on multisensory processing in autistic children

A new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has provided concrete evidence that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) process sensory information such as sound, touch and vision differently than typically developing children.

20 Aug 2010

New clues to molecular action of Alzheimer's drug memantine

Alzheimer's disease destroys brain cells and their connections (called synapses), causing memory loss and other cognitive problems that disrupt work, hobbies and daily life. Symptoms can be alleviated, in part, by the drug memantine (marketed in the United States as Namenda), which is currently FDA-approved to treat moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease and was, in part, developed by Stuart A. Lipton, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Del E. Web Center for Neuroscience, Aging and Stem Cell Research at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham).

19 Aug 2010

Maternal stress contribute to an elevated risk for depression in offspring: Research

For more than a century, clinical investigators have focused on early life as a source of adult psychopathology. Although the hypothesized mechanisms have evolved, a central notion remains: early life is a period of unique sensitivity during which experience confers enduring effects.

19 Aug 2010

Unavoidable breakdowns in brain connections as we age: Study

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests.

19 Aug 2010

New study sheds light on recovery from intoxication

A new study shows the impact of alcohol intoxication on reasoning and problem-solving abilities and may explain why some people feel they have recovered enough to drive after drinking. The research, led by Peter J. Snyder, PhD, vice president of research for Lifespan, is the first to explore how these cognitive abilities are impacted during both rising and declining blood alcohol concentrations, at matched blood alcohol level concentrations, and how self-evaluation of recovery differs from actual recovery from impairment.

19 Aug 2010

Overweight, smoking and lack of exercise linked to frequent headaches in teens

Teens who are overweight, get little exercise or who smoke may be more likely to have frequent headaches and migraines than teens with none of these factors, according to a study published in the August 18, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

19 Aug 2010

Biogen Idec, Knopp Neurosciences enter license agreement for KNS-760704 ALS drug candidate

Biogen Idec and Knopp Neurosciences today announced they have entered into an exclusive, worldwide license agreement under which Biogen Idec will develop and commercialize KNS-760704 (dexpramipexole) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, and potentially other indications.

18 Aug 2010

Specific brain abnormalities linked to motor neuron disease in athletes with head trauma

Professional athletes with repetitive head trauma and possibly others with a history of head injuries many years previously may be prone the development of a motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or "Lou Gehrig's disease"), reports a study in the September Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, official journal of the American Association of Neuropathologists, Inc.

18 Aug 2010

Researcher unveils unique stem cell partnership that can lead to advances in regenerative medicine

A study led by a researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has revealed a unique "partnership" between two types of bone marrow stem cells, which could lead to advances in regenerative medicine. The aim of regenerative medicine is to enable the body to repair, replace, restore or regenerate damaged or diseased cells, tissues and organs.

18 Aug 2010

Brain stimulation may improve thinking in people with schizophrenia

Mild electrical stimulation to the brain could improve thinking and reduce auditory hallucinations in people with schizophrenia and schizo-affective disorder, researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have found.

17 Aug 2010

Brain connections break down as we age

It's unavoidable: breakdowns in brain connections slow down our physical response times as we age, a new study suggests.

17 Aug 2010

Simple measure saves children’s lives: study

A new study has found that dozens of deaths and injuries of children in car crashes could be prevented with clearer size labelling on child safety seats.

17 Aug 2010

Discovery can lead to new class of drugs for chronic pain treatment

Researchers have made a discovery that could lead to a brand new class of drugs to treat chronic pain caused by inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and back pain without numbing the whole body.

17 Aug 2010

Humans adapt to visual search to adjust different levels of stimulus uncertainty: Study

The most beautiful thing about humans, says Indiana University researcher S. Lee Hong, is that they are both ever-changing and sometimes prone to error. Yet humans are still extremely flexible and adaptable, managing the transition from one context to another almost seamlessly. His new study demonstrates how this adaptability boils down to a zero-sum game.

17 Aug 2010

Neuroscience scientist unveils leverage mirror neuron theory to promote sales

The Buying Brain, Secrets for Selling to the Subconscious, a researcher in Professor Giancomo Rizzolati's neuroscience laboratory at the University of Parma in Italy was enjoying a frozen treat while a monkey sat nearby, connected to equipment that monitored his brainwave activity. Upon seeing the lab assistant enjoying the gelato, neurons in the monkey's own brain instantly fired, matching the activity the primate was observing. In effect, in his own subconscious, that monkey was going through all the motions that the lab assistant was actually performing and enjoying. Thus was launched what Dr. Pradeep explains in "The Empathic Brain" chapter as mirror neuron theory.

17 Aug 2010

Springer to publish ASENT's Neurotherapeutics journal

Beginning in 2011, Springer will publish Neurotherapeutics, the official Journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics (ASENT). With the switch to Springer, Neurotherapeutics will change its format of publishing review articles only to offering original research articles as well. The journal achieved a debut Impact Factor of 5.38 in 2009, placing it in the top quartile of journals in both the Neurosciences and Pharmacology & Pharmacy categories.

17 Aug 2010

Albert Einstein College of Medicine named 1 of 5 Nathan Shock Centers

Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has been named one of the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. The select group of five centers nationwide provides leadership in the pursuit of basic research into the biology of aging. Einstein's designation includes a $3.1 million, five-year grant from the NIH's National Institute on Aging.

17 Aug 2010

Non-viral gene therapy delays onset of eye disease

In one of only two studies of its kind, a study from researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts demonstrates that non-viral gene therapy can delay the onset of some forms of eye disease and preserve vision. The team developed nanoparticles to deliver therapeutic genes to the retina and found that treated mice temporarily retained more eyesight than controls.

17 Aug 2010

Enrollment open in Phase I clinical study of Morphotek's MORAb-028 for advanced melanoma

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Inc., announced today that the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California has opened enrollment in a Phase I clinical study with MORAb-028 in patients with advanced melanoma.

16 Aug 2010