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UTHealth researchers to investigate potential of mild tDCS in treating schizophrenia patients

A safe, noninvasive weak electrical current delivery called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) will be investigated for its potential in treating schizophrenia patients in a study led by Raymond Cho, M.D., M.Sc., at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

29 Sep 2016

ADDF awards $2.1 million grant for clinical study of cancer drug in Alzheimer's patients

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation announces a $2.1 million grant awarded to R. Scott Turner, MD, PhD, of Georgetown University Medical Center to conduct a phase II clinical trial of low-dose nilotinib (marketed as Tasigna for use as a cancer therapy) in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

29 Sep 2016

Novartis gets three FDA approvals for expanded use of biologic drug to treat rare autoinflammatory diseases

Novartis announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has granted three simultaneous approvals for the expanded use of Ilaris (canakinumab) to treat three rare and distinct types of Periodic Fever Syndromes.

24 Sep 2016

New study to examine effectiveness of orally administered drug in treating stuttering

Stuttering, an interruption in the flow of speech, affects about three million Americans. It begins most often in childhood, affecting four men for every woman. A precise cause of this complex communicative disorder is not known.

23 Sep 2016

Study data does not support benefits of testosterone supplementation in men with ‘low T’

The prescription of testosterone supplementation for cardiovascular health, sexual function, physical function, mood, or cognitive function in men with "low T" is not supported by clinical trials data, conclude researchers who describe a review of more than 200 clinical trials published Sept. 21 in PLOS One.

22 Sep 2016

Experimental drug may prevent development of multiple sclerosis in mice

The experimental drug laquinimod may prevent the development or reduce the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice, according to research published in the September 21, 2016, online issue of Neurology Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

21 Sep 2016

Researchers call for transparency of clinical trial data to give clear picture of new treatments

Researchers have called for greater transparency in the public release of clinical trial data after a study revealed significant under-reporting of side effects in medical treatments.

21 Sep 2016

Performance-enhancing drug may improve cognition in patients with bipolar disorder or depression

A study has found that EPO (erythropoietin) - best known as a performance-enhancing drug in sport - may improve cognitive functioning in patients suffering from bipolar disorder or depression.

18 Sep 2016

MIP vaccine could reduce new leprosy cases in India by 60%

The Indian government has announced that it is stepping up its efforts to eradicate leprosy by testing a vaccine that if successful could cut the number of new reported cases by 60 per cent in three years in the targeted districts.

15 Sep 2016

Supplement of polyunsaturated fatty acids may improve reading skills in children

Supplement of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may improve reading skills of mainstream schoolchildren, according to a new study from Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

14 Sep 2016

Belief about nicotine in cigarette may influence brain signals linked to cravings

Craving relief may depend more on the belief of satisfaction than actual relief, according to scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas.

14 Sep 2016

Study provides insight into how weight-loss drug acts in the brain

A weight-loss drug dampened the response to food cues in regions of the brain associated with attention and emotion, leading to decreases in caloric intake, weight and body mass index (BMI), a team led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported.

12 Sep 2016

Using the immune system to fight cancer: an interview with Dr Charles Akle

We all produce as many as 100,000 different types of cancer cells every day, which are recognized and eliminated by our extraordinarily efficient immune system. However, if something goes wrong with the immune system, and it no longer gets rid of these cells, then that’s when cancerous cells grow and become a problem.

12 Sep 2016

UTHealth receives DOD award to investigate stem cell therapy in adults with TBI

A research team led by Charles S. Cox, Jr., M.D., at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has been awarded $6.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to assess the safety and efficacy of using autologous stem cell therapy in adults with emergent traumatic brain injury.

9 Sep 2016

Component of general anesthetic shows improvement in patients with treatment-resistant depression

A new study in Biological Psychiatry reports that esketamine, a component of the general anesthetic ketamine, shows rapid and significant improvement in depressive symptoms in patients who do not respond to currently available therapies.

8 Sep 2016

Patients with noninfectious uveitis can get effective treatment from corticosteroid alternative

Patients suffering from noninfectious uveitis, a group of diseases that causes eye inflammation, can get effective treatment from a corticosteroid alternative that has previously been approved for treatment of arthritis and Crohn's disease, according to a study led by a Duke Health researcher.

8 Sep 2016

Psychopharmacological intervention shows promise in treating children with dyslexia

A new study shows significant improvement in critical components of reading, including decoding and vocabulary, among children treated with atomoxetine compared to placebo.

7 Sep 2016

Simple saline solution could help alleviate chronic nosebleeds, study shows

Squirting a simple saline solution into the nose twice a day could alleviate chronic nosebleeds just as effectively as spraying with any one of three different medications, reports a study published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Sept. 6.

7 Sep 2016

Studies examine effectiveness of nasal sprays in reducing frequency, duration of HHT-related epistaxis

Two studies appearing in the September 6 issue of JAMA examine the effectiveness of nasal sprays to reduce the frequency and duration of nosebleeds caused by hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), an inherited condition characterized by abnormal blood vessels which are delicate and prone to bleeding.

6 Sep 2016

Added benefit not proven for new combination therapy in multiple myeloma

The monoclonal antibody elotuzumab has been approved in combination with lenalidomide and dexamethasone since May 2016 for further treatment of multiple myeloma in adults who have received at least one previous treatment.

1 Sep 2016