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Innovative nerve graft transplant successful in treatment and prevention of posterior pressure ulcers

The Plastic Surgery Center today announced that an innovative nerve graft transplant performed by Dr. Andrew Elkwood has proven to be successful in treating and preventing posterior pressure ulcers – one of the leading causes of mortality among paraplegics. 49-year old Tory Cavalieri, who underwent the procedure last January, has regained sensation in his posterior and is free of acute pressure sores, which had left him bedridden for years.

9 Feb 2010

Genta commences Phase 2 trial of tesetaxel on first subject

Genta Incorporated announced that the Company has initiated treatment of the first subject in a new Phase 2 trial of tesetaxel in advanced melanoma. Tesetaxel is the Company’s newest clinical-stage small molecule. As a late Phase 2 oncology product, tesetaxel is the leading oral taxane currently in clinical development. The new trial builds on more than ten years of Genta’s experience in melanoma clinical research.

9 Feb 2010

Study calls for individualized therapeutic interventions for MS patients

Fewer African Americans than Caucasians develop multiple sclerosis (MS), statistics show, but their disease progresses more rapidly, and they don't respond as well to therapies, a new study by neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo has found.

6 Feb 2010

Hope for back pain: Minimally invasive facet arthrodesis and spinal cord stimulation

Results from the first prospective study of minimally invasive facet arthrodesis and long-term data on spinal cord stimulation demonstrate the viability of these options to achieve pain relief in patients with various back pain conditions. The studies were presented today at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 26th Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.

5 Feb 2010

Peripheral nerve stimulation promising for treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia

Doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida showcased positive results of peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) in a patient suffering from post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), or pain after a herpes breakout.

4 Feb 2010

Results from three phase two studies show the effectiveness of Tanezumab

Tanezumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets nerve-growth factor, reduced pain in three common pain conditions, according to the results from three phase two studies presented today in a single poster at the American Academy of Pain Medicine's 26th Annual Meeting.

4 Feb 2010

Mapping of human genome modification during embryonic development

Scientists at The Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) led an international effort to build a map that shows in detail how the human genome is modified during embryonic development.

4 Feb 2010

PLX cell therapy may be an effective treatment for ischemic stroke disorder

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. today announced that the results of a pre-clinical study in an animal model of ischemic stroke demonstrated that its PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cell therapy may be an effective treatment for this disorder.

4 Feb 2010

Craft-kit therapy improves physical and mental health

Nearly 90 percent of HHV craft kit users report physical and mental improvements as a direct result of craft-kit therapy. Craft kits are an important rehabilitative tool used by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to restore coordination and impaired motor skills, improve attention spans and concentration, and relax frayed nerves in patients.

4 Feb 2010

Researchers find three different degenerative brain disorders linked by toxic form of Elk-1 protein

For the first time, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that three different degenerative brain disorders are linked by a toxic form of the same protein. The protein, called Elk-1, was found in clumps of misshaped proteins that are the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Huntington's disease.

3 Feb 2010

CPS supports NACI recommendations for new shingles vaccine

The Canadian Pain Society (CPS) supports the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations for the use of a vaccine to significantly reduce the risk of developing herpes zoster (shingles) and post herpetic neuralgia in adults over the age of 60 without contraindications.

3 Feb 2010

Study may yield potential treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown how transplanted stem cells can connect with and rescue threatened neurons and brain tissue. The results point the way to new possible treatments for brain damage and neurodegenerative diseases.

2 Feb 2010

New approach may prove useful in labor anesthesia, orthopedics and more

One of the holy grails of local anesthesia is the ability to achieve a long-lasting nerve block that eliminates pain sensation while not affecting motor function. Now, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have discovered an anesthetic approach that seems to do just that.

2 Feb 2010

Tips to ease prenatal back and neck pain from LSI

One of the most common discomforts experienced by women during pregnancy is back pain. Expectant mothers endure a variety of different types of backache as their hormones and posture change during pregnancy.

2 Feb 2010

Genetic mutations may trigger suicidal behavior in depressed patients

Single mutations in genes involved with nerve cell formation and growth appear to be associated with the risk of attempting suicide among individuals with depression, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the April print issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Feb 2010

FDA approves neurostimulation treatment for heart failure

The FDA recently approved the first study of neurostimulation as a treatment for heart failure, a chronic disease that affects nearly six million Americans and is the leading cause of hospitalization in America.

2 Feb 2010

Evidence suggests antidepressants may improve post-stroke recovery

Patients who received the antidepressant escitalopram following a stroke appeared to recover more of their thinking, learning and memory skills than those taking placebo or participating in problem-solving therapy, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

2 Feb 2010

Cochlear implantation enables quality of life equal to normal hearing peers

Children who have cochlear implants (CI) rank their quality of life (QOL) equal to their normally hearing (NH) peers, indicates new research in the February 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.

1 Feb 2010

Muscle-sparing treatments could improve patient outcomes and reduce costs

A University of Kentucky researcher is investigating respiratory weakness as a factor in the morbidity of intensive-care patients and will soon be testing new treatments that could improve long-term patient outcomes while reducing costs of care.

30 Jan 2010

Study may lead to preventative and therapeutic treatments for MS patients

Previous studies have shown multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more often born in spring than in any other season, indicating that there is an environmental risk factor for the disease. A paper in the journal Neurology, reviewed for f1000 Medicine by Emmanuelle Waubant and Ellen Mowry, now suggests that this seasonal effect is mediated by the gene HLA-DRB1.

30 Jan 2010