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Shear shock waves may explain why some head knocks cause more harm than others

Veteran sailors know that rogue waves can rise suddenly in mid-ocean to capsize even the largest vessels. Now it appears that a similar phenomenon called shear shock wave occurs in the concussed brain. It may help explain why some head knocks cause so much more harm than others.

1 Nov 2017

Continuous EEG can be more reliable way to identify infants at risk for brain injury

Continuously recording the brain's electrical signals and examining how those impulses evolve over time is a more reliable way to identify infants at risk for brain injury, compared with doing snapshot evaluations, according to a prospective cohort study led by Children's National Health System research-clinicians.

25 Oct 2017

MRI and ultrasound can detect fetal brain damage caused by Zika in utero

Clinicians managing Zika-affected pregnancies should use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in addition to standard ultrasound (US) because the more detailed MRI images can reveal more extensive areas of damage to the developing fetal brain, according to research presented during IDWeek 2017.

4 Oct 2017

Cooling treatment for babies deprived of oxygen at birth can reduce childhood epilepsy

Cooling babies deprived of oxygen at birth (perinatal asphyxia) can reduce the number of children who develop epilepsy later in childhood, according to a new study published in the journal Epilepsia.

3 Oct 2017

Researchers discover new class of molecules that may protect brain from injury or diseases

Research led by Nicolas Bazan, MD, PhD, Boyd Professor and Director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at LSU Health New Orleans, has discovered a new class of molecules in the brain that synchronize cell-to-cell communication and neuroinflammation/immune activity in response to injury or diseases.

28 Sep 2017

New discovery about high-risk Alzheimer’s gene suggests potential therapeutic target

Nearly a quarter century ago, a genetic variant known as ApoE4 was identified as a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease- one that increases a person's chances of developing the neurodegenerative disease by up to 12 times.

21 Sep 2017

FDA grants approval for new biosimilar to treat multiple types of cancer

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Mvasi (bevacizumab-awwb) as a biosimilar to Avastin (bevacizumab) for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. Mvasi is the first biosimilar approved in the U.S. for the treatment of cancer.

14 Sep 2017

Most Americans consider tackle football to be dangerous for young children, new poll reveals

A majority of Americans believe it is not safe for children to play tackle football before they reach high school, according to results of a UMass Lowell-Washington Post poll released today.

12 Sep 2017

Football remains America's favorite sport, despite concerns over head injuries

Three-quarters of fans say head injuries in football are a major problem and another six in 10 are worried about off-field violence involving players. Despite that, football remains America's favorite professional sport, according to results of a UMass Lowell-Washington Post poll released today.

7 Sep 2017

$Novartis gets FDA approval for novel immunocellular therapy to treat relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL$

Novartis gets FDA approval for novel immunocellular therapy to treat relapsed or refractory B-cell ALL

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) suspension for intravenous infusion, formerly CTL019, the first chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, for the treatment of patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that is refractory or in second or later relapse.

30 Aug 2017

NIH funds BU ADC with $5.4 million grant to advance research on Alzheimer's disease

The National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging has awarded the Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center a three-year, $5.4 million grant to continue research on ways to reduce the human and economic costs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through the advancement of knowledge.

26 Aug 2017

Researchers work toward developing better definition of neonatal acute kidney injury

Each year, thousands of infants in the United States end up in neonatal intensive care units with acute kidney injury (AKI), a condition in which the kidneys falter in performing the critical role of filtering waste products and excess fluid from the blood to produce urine.

10 Aug 2017

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) among former American football players: Study

A new study involved 202 deceased players of American football players’ brains. It was found that Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) could be neuropathologically diagnosed in 177 players. Of the sample of players who developed CTE, 110 of 111 former National Football League players were found to have CTE in their brains. Researchers connected the presence of CTE in the brains of the dead players to the participation in football.

25 Jul 2017

Study determines safest temperature and duration for body-cooling of newborns

After more than 20 years of research on the best treatment for full-term infants affected by oxygen deprivation during the birthing process, Seetha Shankaran, M.D., neonatologist at DMC's Children's Hospital of Michigan and Hutzel Women's Hospital, served as the lead investigator in a definitive Journal of the American Medical Association study that documented the safest depth and duration of body-cooling to minimize injury from hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in newborns.

25 Jul 2017

Study opens new range of therapeutic options for patients with atypical Rett syndrome

A translational, multicenter study carried out by research groups of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, San Juan de Dios Hospital, the University of Barcelona, Clinic Hospital, the University of Vic, Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital and the thematic area of Rare Diseases, has unveiled the potential of D-serine -- a dietary supplement -- to improve the neuronal function of a patient with a mutation of the glutamate receptors associated to atypical Rett syndrome with severe encephalopathy.

4 Jul 2017

Researchers examine formation of functional amyloids by bacteria in real time

A team of scientists from the VIB lab of Han Remaut and the lab of Yves Dufrêne at UCL Louvain-La-Neuve collaborated on a study of functional amyloids -protein aggregates with the typical amyloid structure that do not lead to disease but rather serve a dedicated biological function.

21 Jun 2017

Studies offer hope for developing new biomarker and drug for neurodegenerative diseases

Two new studies of progressive, neurodegenerative diseases linked to defects in cells' mitochondria offer hope for developing a new biomarker for research and diagnostics, and a drug for treating such diseases, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.

6 Jun 2017

Study shows how probiotic improves integrity of the GI epithelial cell wall in HIV patients

A newly released study published in the Journal of Immunity, Inflammation and Disease and conducted by the Sapienza University of Rome, Italy, found a multi-strain, high concentration, probiotic formulation that helped reconstitute the physical and immunological integrity of the gastrointestinal lining in HIV-1-positive patients on antiretroviral therapy.

3 May 2017

Scientists find new way to measure tau protein levels in the blood

Damaging tangles of the protein tau dot the brains of people with Alzheimer's and many other neurodegenerative diseases, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which plagues professional boxers and football players.

20 Apr 2017

Developmental Split-Brain syndrome discovery

Our group describes a new entity, which we refer to as “Developmental Split-Brain syndrome” which we discovered affected four individuals from three unrelated families. All affected individuals showed disruption of communicating tracts between the right and left side of the brain which meant that there is lack of coordination and communication between the two sides of the brain.

12 Apr 2017