Brain News and Research

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The human brain is the center of the human nervous system and is a highly complex organ. Enclosed in the cranium, it has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times as large as the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size.

Gene GFPT1 crucial in causing variation of Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome

The gene, GFPT1, has been identified by researchers at Newcastle University working with international colleagues, as crucial in causing a variation of Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome (CMS).

11 Feb 2011

Guide star and time-reversal mirror in biomedical imaging

Astronomers have a neat trick they sometimes use to compensate for the turbulence of the atmosphere that blurs images made by ground-based telescopes. They create an artificial star called a guide star and use its twinkling to compensate for the atmospheric turbulence.

11 Feb 2011

More research needed to determine link between folic acid and breast cancer

Surgical procedure to repair spina bifida while still in the uterus may help the baby walk after birth

More than two thousand physicians, some of the top obstetric/gynecologists in the world who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine, especially high risk pregnancies, gathered today for their annual meeting in San Francisco to begin four days of intensive research presentations. Presentations each year at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting -, represent major findings in reducing high-risk pregnancies and complications.

11 Feb 2011

Women need good nutrition and regular exercise

Obesity levels are at an all-time high among men, women, and children in the United States. The need for good nutrition and regular exercise is paramount for maintaining proper health and for keeping those extra pounds at bay, especially for women.

11 Feb 2011

Pyrethroid insecticides linked to delayed mental development in children

When the EPA phased out the widespread residential use of chlorpyrifos and other organophosphorus (OP) insecticides in 2000-2001 because of risks to child neurodevelopment, these compounds were largely replaced with pyrethroid insecticides. But the safety of these replacement insecticides remained unclear, as they had never been evaluated for long-term neurotoxic effects after low-level exposure.

11 Feb 2011

Looking at your body reduces pain

Simply looking at your body reduces pain, according to new research by scientists from UCL (University College London) and the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.

11 Feb 2011

New tool helps doctors assess likelihood of death from stroke

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto have developed a new tool that will help doctors predict the probability of death in patients after an ischemic stroke.

11 Feb 2011

The .brain format may be the best compression algorithm, for now

Most of us are familiar with the idea of image compression in computers. File extensions like ".jpg" or ".png" signify that millions of pixel values have been compressed into a more efficient format, reducing file size by a factor of 10 or more with little or no apparent change in image quality. The full set of original pixel values would occupy too much space in computer memory and take too long to transmit across networks.

11 Feb 2011

Researchers find 2 neural pathways that play role in developing phobias

Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety.

11 Feb 2011

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

A three-year, $3 million gift from the Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation will fund research by a pair of Cleveland physicians into HIV and the body's response in autoimmune diseases.

11 Feb 2011

New trial tests surgery for Type 2 diabetes

A new clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is among the first to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to understand whether surgery can control diabetes, as well or even better than the best medical treatment available today. This is the first study of its kind open to patients who are overweight or mildly obese.

11 Feb 2011

Athersys' MultiStem cell therapy provides multiple benefits in preclinical models of ischemic stroke

Medical researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) presented new research results at the American Heart Association International Stroke Conference that demonstrated how MultiStem-, a novel stem cell therapy being developed by Athersys, Inc. provided multiple benefits when administered in preclinical models of ischemic stroke.

11 Feb 2011

Seven-year study demonstrates clear benefits of fetal surgery to treat spina bifida in babies

Results of a landmark, seven-year National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), demonstrate clear benefit for babies who undergo fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system.

11 Feb 2011

£160,000 award to devise anti-microbial collar to prevent bacterial infections associated with broken bones

Orthopaedic experts at The University of Nottingham are hoping to reduce the rate of infections that often occur in the pinning of broken bones by developing a special collar to counter dangerous microbes.

11 Feb 2011

Preladenant may offer new supplemental treatment for Parkinson's disease: Study

Preladenant, a non-dopaminergic medication, reduces off time in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving standard dopamine therapy, an international study led by the University of South Florida found.

11 Feb 2011

Neuralstem updates progress of ongoing clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells in treatment of ALS

Neuralstem, Inc. updated the progress of its ongoing Phase I human clinical trial of the company's spinal cord stem cells in the treatment of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease) at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

11 Feb 2011

Bradmer Pharmaceuticals records net loss of $117,000 for fourth quarter of 2010

Bradmer Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced its 2010 fourth quarter and fiscal year operational and financial results.

10 Feb 2011

DOPAL plays key role in killing dopamine neurons which trigger Parkinson's disease: Study

In new research from Saint Louis University, investigators have found evidence that a toxin produced by the brain is responsible for the series of cellular events that lead to Parkinson's disease. The study, published in PLoS One, found that the brain toxin DOPAL plays a key role in killing the dopamine neurons which trigger the illness.

10 Feb 2011

Presence of jumping genes, amplified oncogenes may be key to tumor progression: Researchers

The Massachusetts General Hospital research team that first discovered tumor-associated RNA in tiny membrane-enclosed sacs released into the bloodstream by cancer cells has now found that these microvesicles also contain segments of tumor DNA, including retrotransposons - also called "jumping genes" - that copy and insert themselves into other areas of the genome.

10 Feb 2011

Brain News and Research

Further Reading

Gene GFPT1 crucial in causing variation of Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome

Guide star and time-reversal mirror in biomedical imaging

More research needed to determine link between folic acid and breast cancer

Surgical procedure to repair spina bifida while still in the uterus may help the baby walk after birth

Women need good nutrition and regular exercise

Pyrethroid insecticides linked to delayed mental development in children

Looking at your body reduces pain

New tool helps doctors assess likelihood of death from stroke

The .brain format may be the best compression algorithm, for now

Researchers find 2 neural pathways that play role in developing phobias

Richard J. Fasenmyer Foundation awards $3M to Cleveland physicians for AIDS research

New trial tests surgery for Type 2 diabetes

Athersys' MultiStem cell therapy provides multiple benefits in preclinical models of ischemic stroke

Seven-year study demonstrates clear benefits of fetal surgery to treat spina bifida in babies

£160,000 award to devise anti-microbial collar to prevent bacterial infections associated with broken bones

Preladenant may offer new supplemental treatment for Parkinson's disease: Study

Neuralstem updates progress of ongoing clinical trial of spinal cord stem cells in treatment of ALS

Bradmer Pharmaceuticals records net loss of $117,000 for fourth quarter of 2010

DOPAL plays key role in killing dopamine neurons which trigger Parkinson's disease: Study

Presence of jumping genes, amplified oncogenes may be key to tumor progression: Researchers

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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