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Men more likely to experience complications after brain or spinal surgery

Men are twice as likely as women to experience complications after brain or spinal surgery, reports a study in the April issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

16 Apr 2012

Web-based decision guide reduces uncertainty about breast cancer prevention options

When women at high risk of breast cancer viewed a customized web-based decision guide about prevention options, they were more likely to make a choice about prevention and to feel comfortable with their choice, a new study finds.

16 Apr 2012

Disruption of key cellular functions produces physiologic and behavioral responses

Two Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research teams, along with a group from the University of California at San Diego, have discovered that animals have a previously unknown system for detecting and responding to pathogens and toxins. In three papers published in the journals Cell and Cell Host & Microbe, the investigators describe finding evidence that disruptions to the core functions of animal cells trigger immune and detoxification responses, along with behavioral changes.

16 Apr 2012

Inadequate sleep linked to higher diabetes risk

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12 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Diagnosing autism in minutes; Finding new uses for old drugs; Cancer war victories

Autism is an extremely complex diagnosis. Parental insight, physician observations and hours of data can factor into determining whether a child actually has the condition or is just a little on the quirky side. Now a Harvard researcher, Dennis P. Wall, has published research about a Web-based tool he developed that promises to diagnose autism in minutes, not hours -;

12 Apr 2012

Scientists discover mutation limited to brain tissue that causes HMG

Scientists have discovered a mutation limited to brain tissue that causes hemimegalencephaly (HMG), a condition where one half of the brain is enlarged and dysfunctional, leading to intellectual disability and severe epilepsy.

12 Apr 2012

Hi-C sequencing decodes 3-D structure of DNA folds in chromosomes

Chromosomes are strands of DNA that contain the blueprint of all living organisms. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes that instruct how genes are regulated during development of the human body. While scientists have developed an understanding of the one-dimensional structure of DNA, until today, little was known about how different parts of DNA are folded next to each other inside the nucleus.

12 Apr 2012

Online tool can accurately diagnose autism within minutes

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have significantly reduced from hours to minutes the time it takes to accurately detect autism in young children.

12 Apr 2012

Four abstracts on spatial neglect to be presented at upcoming AAN meeting

Anna M. Barrett, MD will represent Kessler Foundation's Stroke Rehabilitation Research Laboratory at the upcoming American Academy of Neurology Conference at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA, April 21 - April 28.

12 Apr 2012

Majority of Michigan oncology practices follow treatment guidelines for common cancers

A majority of Michigan oncology practices participating in a statewide consortium followed treatment guidelines for common cancers, but had gaps in managing symptoms and end-of-life care, according to a new study.

11 Apr 2012

Large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers

Contrary to popular perception, a large proportion of obese Americans can and do lose weight, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. What's more, they say, the old tried and true methods of eating less fat and exercising are some of the most effective paths to weight loss success.

10 Apr 2012

Study provides guidelines on how to combine antiangiogenic drugs with nanotherapeutics

Combining two strategies designed to improve the results of cancer treatment - antiangiogenesis drugs and nanomedicines - may only be successful if the smallest nanomedicines are used. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, appearing in Nature Nanotechnology, finds that normalizing blood vessels within tumors, which improves the delivery of standard chemotherapy drugs, can block the delivery of larger nanotherapy molecules.

10 Apr 2012

Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium to take place on April 12

Jordan Grafman, PhD, will speak at the Reprogramming the Brain to Health Symposium at The University of Texas at Dallas on April 12. An expert on brain function and behavior, Dr. Grafman's topic is human belief systems in the brain.

10 Apr 2012

Study finds successful weight loss strategies for obese people

A third of Americans are now obese, and up to 70% of them are trying to lose weight. In a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston have found in a nationally representative sample that obese dieters who said they ate less fat, exercised more, and used prescription weight loss medications were more likely to lose weight.

10 Apr 2012

Berries may reduce Parkinson’s disease risk in men: Study

A new study has found that men who regularly consume foods rich in flavonoids, such as berries, apples, certain vegetables, tea and red wine, may significantly reduce their risk for developing Parkinson's disease. The study was published in the journal Neurology this week. It added that there was no such effect among women.

9 Apr 2012

Eggs developed from stem cells could change reproductive technology

Scientists have developed human egg cells that have been grown entirely in the laboratory from stem cells. These could be fertilized later this year in a development that will revolutionize fertility treatment and might even lead to a reversal of the menopause in older women.

9 Apr 2012

Scientists discover novel genes that are mutated in stomach cancer

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS) in Singapore and National Cancer Centre of Singapore, has identified hundreds of novel genes that are mutated in stomach cancer, the second-most lethal cancer worldwide.

9 Apr 2012

Mediasite webcasting platform live streams Match Day programs for medical schools

Sonic Foundry, Inc., the trusted market leader for lecture capture, enterprise and event webcasting, is pleased to announce that several medical schools across the country recently used the Mediasite webcasting platform to live stream Match Day programs, emotional ceremonies which reveal residency appointments of senior medical students nationwide.

7 Apr 2012

JHI sponsors international scholarship program for medical students

An international scholarship program for medical students from outside the United States to study at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is the institution's latest initiative aimed at nurturing the next generation of health care leaders. Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI), the global arm of the Baltimore, Maryland-based Johns Hopkins Medicine, is sponsoring this program.

6 Apr 2012

Zalicus' cHTS platform identifies synergistic drug combinations for treatment of cancer

Adenosine A2A and beta-2 adrenergic receptor agonists are highly synergistic and selective novel agents that enhance glucocorticoid activity in B-cell malignancies such as multiple myeloma and, importantly, can synergize in combination with current multiple myeloma treatment regimens such as melphalan, lenalidomide, bortezomib and doxorubicin.

6 Apr 2012