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Behavioral intervention can improve cognitive performance in children

Carnegie Mellon University scientists Timothy Keller and Marcel Just have uncovered the first evidence that intensive instruction to improve reading skills in young children causes the brain to physically rewire itself, creating new white matter that improves communication within the brain.

10 Dec 2009

Dermal stem cells may be useful for treating diabetic ulcers and neurological disorders

Scientists have discovered a new type of stem cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like certain stem cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone, cartilage, and even nerve cells.

10 Dec 2009

New protein discovery may serve as potential marker of drug addiction

Scientists are adding additional brush strokes to the revolutionary new image now emerging for star-shaped cells called astrocytes in the brain and spinal cord. Their report, which suggests a key role for astrocytes in morphine's ability to relieve pain and cause addiction, appears online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication.

10 Dec 2009

Low doses of lidocaine given intravenously help control pain after ambulatory surgery procedures

Although lidocaine is most often used as a local anesthetic, low doses of lidocaine given intravenously can help to control pain after common ambulatory surgery procedures, suggests a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

10 Dec 2009

First Edition: December 9, 2009

Today's coverage details last night's tentative agreement struck by Senate Democratic negotiators in an effort to clear the public option impasse, and a vote on an abortion amendment.

9 Dec 2009

FDA cleared, non-invasive prescription therapeutic device for NVP now available

PrimaBella™, the only non-invasive prescription therapeutic device cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of nausea and vomiting due to pregnancy (NVP), is now available. Providing a non-invasive, drug-free treatment for morning sickness, PrimaBella™ has been proven to be safe for both mother and developing baby and can offer quick relief -- the majority of patients report an immediate improvement in NVP symptoms.

9 Dec 2009

Study: Besides nerves, skin has a unique sensory system

The human sensory experience is far more complex and nuanced than previously thought, according to a groundbreaking new study published in the December 15, 2009 issue of the journal Pain (http://www.painjournalonline.com/article/S0304-3959%2809%2900526-0/abstract).

8 Dec 2009

New research discovers link between HIV-related cognitive deficits and Alzheimer's-related dementia

More than half of HIV patients experience memory problems and other cognitive impairments as they age, and doctors know little about the underlying causes. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests HIV-related cognitive deficits share a common link with Alzheimer's-related dementia: low levels of the protein amyloid beta in the spinal fluid.

8 Dec 2009

Non-clinical data of CK-2017357 presented by Cytokinetics

Cytokinetics, Incorporated announced today that both a poster and an oral presentation summarizing non-clinical data regarding CK-2017357, a novel fast skeletal troponin activator, were presented at the 5th Cachexia Conference, organized by the Society on Cachexia and Wasting Disorders, being held December 5-8, 2009 in Barcelona, Spain.

8 Dec 2009

Antiepileptic drugs may have a possible protective effect against seizure disorders

Despite government warnings about an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and actions while taking antiepileptic drugs, these medications do not appear to be associated with increased risk of suicide attempts in individuals with bipolar disorder, and may have a possible protective effect, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Dec 2009

Carfilzomib shows noteworthy responses and low side effects among multiple myeloma patients

The second-generation proteasome inhibitor carfilzomib is showing noteworthy response rates and low levels of adverse side effects among multiple myeloma patients in a phase II clinical trial, researchers reported today at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

8 Dec 2009

Multi-institutional team explores regenerative techniques for injured spinal cords

For more than 400 years, scientists have studied the amazing regenerative power of salamanders, trying to understand how these creatures routinely repair injuries that would usually leave humans and other mammals paralyzed - or worse.

8 Dec 2009

PharmAthene presents Protexia clinical trial results at PHEMCE conference

PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, today announced Phase I clinical trial results for Protexia, a pegylated recombinant version of human butyrylcholinesterase (rBChE), which has been shown to be effective in animal models in preventing toxicity from exposure to chemical nerve agents.

7 Dec 2009

Scientists explore new strategies for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Studies with fruit flies have shown that the specialized nerve cells called neurons can rebuild themselves after injury.

7 Dec 2009

Researchers explore optimal induction therapies for managing blood cancer

There have been significant scientific advances in the field of blood cancers, and leading experts continue to gain a better understanding of how certain diseases progress in order to discover new treatment options and provide patients with the best care.

7 Dec 2009

Neuroscientists show how brain waves can be used to perform certain tasks

Neuroscientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Jacksonville, Fla., have demonstrated how brain waves can be used to type alphanumerical characters on a computer screen. By merely focusing on the "q" in a matrix of letters, for example, that "q" appears on the monitor.

7 Dec 2009

DBS therapy offers hope for epilepsy patients

Long-term data from an investigational study of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Therapy for Epilepsy was released this week by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) at the American Epilepsy Society Meeting (AES) in Boston.

7 Dec 2009

Stem cell treatment: A new hope for Multiple Sclerosis

RNL Bio Co., Ltd, (www.rnl.co.kr) a leading biopharmaceutical company specialized in adult stem cell therapeutics announced today that a 46-year-old female, Kang Sook Park's Multiple Sclerosis improved tremendously after receiving stem cell treatment. Park was suffering from MS (Multiple Sclerosis), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

6 Dec 2009

DTI helps identify distorted nerve fiber bundles around brain tumors in thalamic JPA children

A new study published this week in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics finds that operative plans for removing Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma, or JPA, tumors in the thalamus of the brain can be augmented with Diffusion Tensor Imaging, or DTI. The sensitivity of DTI imaging allows for the visualization of nerve fiber bundles in the brain.

5 Dec 2009