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Narrow therapeutic window for Canavan disease

Gene therapy for Canavan disease slows brain atrophy and stabilizes patients’ clinical condition, show findings that highlight the need for very early diagnosis and intervention.

22 Dec 2012

Study demonstrates safety of using tPA for stroke in community hospital settings

From the moment a stroke occurs, patients must race against the clock to get treatment that can prevent lasting damage. Now, a new study shows the promise – and the challenges – of getting them state-of-the-art treatment safely at their local hospital, saving precious minutes.

21 Dec 2012

Measurement of IQ by a singular, standardized test is misleading, finds study

After conducting the largest online intelligence study on record, a Western University-led research team has concluded that the notion of measuring one's intelligence quotient or IQ by a singular, standardized test is highly misleading.

21 Dec 2012

Towards imaging biological processes in action at the atomic level

If the key to winning battles is knowing both your enemy and yourself, then scientists are now well on their way toward becoming the Sun Tzus of medicine by taking a giant step toward a priceless advantage - the ability to see the soldiers in action on the battlefield.

21 Dec 2012

Study provides clear understanding of how the brain organizes visual input

Our eyes may be our window to the world, but how do we make sense of the thousands of images that flood our retinas each day? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have found that the brain is wired to put in order all the categories of objects and actions that we see. They have created the first interactive map of how the brain organizes these groupings.

21 Dec 2012

Researchers track adipose tissue-derived stromal cells after transplantation

Using mesenchymal stromal cells derived from adipose (fat) tissues, genetically modified to express a bioluminescent marker, researchers in Italy have tracked cells after transplantation. The cells were followed from their injection into the spleen of mice modeling liver disease, to their characterization as "hepatic precursors," and to their subsequent migration through the spleen before engrafting at regenerating sites in the liver by bioluminescent imaging.

21 Dec 2012

New technique to directly image biological structures at atomic levels

Investigators at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have invented a way to directly image biological structures at their most fundamental level and in their natural habitats. The technique is a major advancement toward the ultimate goal of imaging biological processes in action at the atomic level.

21 Dec 2012

Proteins detected in urine may enable diagnosis of Kawasaki disease

A set of proteins detected in urine by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital may prove to be the first biomarkers for Kawasaki disease, an uncommon but increasingly prevalent disease which causes inflammation of blood vessels that can lead to enlarged coronary arteries and even heart attacks in some children.

20 Dec 2012

Scientists succeed in organising synthetic and biological nanoparticles into crystalline materials

Scientists from Aalto University, Finland, have succeeded in organising virus particles, protein cages and nanoparticles into crystalline materials. These nanomaterials studied by the Finnish research group are important for applications in sensing, optics, electronics and drug delivery.

20 Dec 2012

AAV-based gene therapy cocktail may help extend lives of children with Canavan disease

Results of a clinical trial that began in 2001 show that a gene therapy cocktail conveyed into the brain by a molecular special delivery vehicle may help extend the lives of children with Canavan disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.

20 Dec 2012

FDA allows marketing of Angiotech's Bio-Seal Lung Biopsy Tract Plug System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the Bio-Seal Lung Biopsy Tract Plug System, a device that seals punctures left by biopsies performed to confirm a diagnosis of suspected lung conditions.

20 Dec 2012

Ethnic disparities remain in glaucoma testing

A decade’s worth of data show that Hispanic men and women are less likely than individuals of other race or ethnicity to undergo ocular imaging for glaucoma.

19 Dec 2012

Brain structure linked to neuropsychopathology in psychosis patients

Results from an Italian study show that the structural development of key brain regions is associated with neuropsychopathology in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

19 Dec 2012

Ion channel acts as powerful ‘brake’ after epileptic seizures

Given that epilepsy impacts more than 2 million Americans, there is a pressing need for new therapies to prevent this disabling neurological disorder. New findings from the neuroscience laboratory of Mark S. Shapiro, Ph.D., at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, published Dec. 20 in the high-impact scientific journal, Neuron, may provide hope.

19 Dec 2012

Hospital MRIs may effectively predict long-term outcomes for people with mild TBI

Hospital MRIs may be better at predicting long-term outcomes for people with mild traumatic brain injuries than CT scans, the standard technique for evaluating such injuries in the emergency room, according to a clinical trial led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH).

19 Dec 2012

Jagaricin and antifungal drugs: an interview with Prof Christian Hertweck

Most people have already experienced a fungal infection (mycosis) of the outer layer of the skin, athlete’s foot or ringworm. Whereas such infections may be cumbersome and often difficult to cure, usually they are not dangerous. However, in cases where a fungus causes a systemic infection, this is, it infects internal organs such as lungs or brain, the infection may turn into a life-threatening disease. Of course, only pathogenic fungi cause problems and the degree of virulence varies.

18 Dec 2012

Lymphocyte clue to multiple sclerosis drug response

Patients with rapid recovery of CD4-positive T cells after alemtuzumab treatment for multiple sclerosis are at risk for disease progression or relapse, research suggests.

18 Dec 2012

Default mode network impaired in young adults at risk for psychosis

Young adults at genetic risk for psychosis show reduced activity in the default mode network area of the brain compared with those without such a family history, researchers report.

18 Dec 2012

Ortho Kinematics closes more than $2 million in Series B financing

Ortho Kinematics‚ Inc. (OKI), a privately held healthcare diagnostics company focused on spine imaging informatics, announced today the close of more than $2 million in its Series B financing.

18 Dec 2012

Advanced MRI can non-invasively evaluate cellular proliferation of tumor models of breast cancer

Scientists at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and the Moffitt Cancer Center, led by Dr. Robert Gillies, have demonstrated that an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method can non-invasively evaluate the cellular proliferation of tumor models of breast cancer.

18 Dec 2012