Central Nervous System News and Research

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Capsules may be effective in treating bipolar disorder

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have announced study results finding that a formulation of three-beaded extended-release carbamazepine capsules (ERC-CBZ) was effective, safe and tolerable in the treatment of bipolar I disorder

19 Nov 2004

Statement from U.S. Department of Agriculture on an inconclusive BSE test result

Statement by Andrea Morgan, Associate Deputy Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture on an Inconclusive BSE Test Result.

18 Nov 2004

Early infection in low-birth-weight infants linked with poor neurodevelopmental

Extremely low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants who have an infection during their hospitalization following birth are more likely to have adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes than those infants who do not have an infection, according to a study in the November 17 issue of JAMA.

17 Nov 2004

36% of cancer patients ages 65 and older participate in clinical trials

A new study finds that only 36% of cancer patients ages 65 and older participate in clinical trials, despite making up 60% of the U.S. cancer population. The study will be published November 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).

14 Nov 2004

Prenatal alcohol exposure has effects far beyond fetal alcohol syndrome

Numerous studies have documented IQ deficits in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Little research, however, has found IQ deficits in children with alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND), who generally exhibit less severe neurobehavioral deficits than children with FAS.

14 Nov 2004

Sex genes of infectious fungus closely resemble human Y chromosome

Fungi and animals, including humans, have a lot in common when it comes to the arrangement of genes that determine their sex, according to new work by Howard Hughes Medical Institute geneticists at the Duke University Medical Center.

10 Nov 2004

In a world first, Australian researchers re-grow cut spinal cord

In a world first, Australian researchers have discovered a mechanism for greatly enhancing regrowth of spinal cord nerves after they are damaged, restoring the ability to walk in mice within weeks of a spinal cord injury.

8 Nov 2004

Turf burns and body shaving responsible for the spread of a bacterial skin infection among football players

Turf burns and cosmetic body shaving were responsible for the spread of a bacterial skin infection among players on a college football team, according to an article in the November 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

5 Nov 2004

Trial of new type of drug that attacks amyloid

Neuroscientists at the Farber Institute for Neurosciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia will begin a clinical trial testing a new type of drug that attacks amyloid, the protein substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients.

4 Nov 2004

Improved risk classification for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia offers hope for eliminating irradiation

Improved risk classification for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), coupled with more intensive intrathecal chemotherapy for high risk patients and the use of a drug called dexamethasone, could one day permit physicians to omit irradiation as a part of routine treatment.

1 Nov 2004

First home-testing device for phenylketonuria (PKU) patients

Home-testing kits have made it easier for diabetics and hypertension patients to track their conditions, but such self-monitoring hasn’t been possible for people with phenylketonuria (PKU).

1 Nov 2004

Discovery of new method for visual impairment treatment

The patients suffering from visual impairment can be helped if a healthy donor’s cerebrospinal fluid is introduced to the parent’s vertebral canal – this method is called liquortransfusion.

1 Nov 2004

Biomedical engineers and physicians have brought the day when artificial limbs will be controlled directly by the brain considerably closer

Biomedical engineers and physicians at Vanderbilt University have brought the day when artificial limbs will be controlled directly by the brain considerably closer by discovering a method that uses laser light, rather than electricity, to stimulate and control nerve cells.

28 Oct 2004

New direction for spinal cord research

A piece of the puzzle of how nerves find their way across the midline of the brain and spinal cord in a developing embryo has been found by Medical College of Georgia researchers.

28 Oct 2004

Evidence links cellular iron deficiency to restless legs syndrome

Iron-deficient cells in the brain are mixing up central nervous system signals to the legs and arms causing the irresistible urges to move and creepy-crawly sensations that characterize restless legs syndrome (RLS), a Penn State College of Medicine study reports.

25 Oct 2004