Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Discovery of novel prion infectivity in white and brown fat tissues of mice

Prion diseases, also known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are infectious progressive fatal neurodegenerative diseases which affect humans as well as wild and domestic animals.

5 Dec 2008

Natural killer T cells play important role in Lyme disease

A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and Albany Medical College has illuminated the important role of natural killer (NK) T cells in Lyme disease, demonstrating that the once little understood white blood cells are central to clearing the bacterial infection and reducing the intensity and duration of arthritis associated with Lyme disease.

3 Dec 2008

Best treatments found for long-term survival in low-grade gliomas

A new Mayo Clinic study found that patients with low-grade gliomas survived longest when they underwent aggressive surgeries to successfully remove the entire tumor.

3 Dec 2008

New evidence shows that the heart beats to its own drummer

They've uncovered some of the molecular circuitry within the cardiovascular system itself that controls the daily rise and fall of blood pressure and heart rate. The findings might also explain why commonly used diabetes drugs come with cardiovascular benefits, according to the researchers.

3 Dec 2008

Antineoplaston treatment for gliomas granted orphan drug designation by FDA

The Burzynski Research Institute, Inc. (BRI) has announced that its antineoplaston A10 and antineoplaston AS2-1 therapy (ANP) has been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") for the treatment of gliomas. It is estimated that in 2008 more than 21,000 men and women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with this type of cancer, with prevalence estimated at approximately 84,000 cases.

2 Dec 2008

Antibiotics causing most drug-induced liver injury

Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI), reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

1 Dec 2008

Eli Lilly withdraws application for additional U.S. indication for Cymbalta for chronic pain

Eli Lilly and Company has withdrawn its supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) for the management of chronic pain.

30 Nov 2008

Nitric oxide can change computational ability of the brain

Research from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester shows that nitric oxide (NO) can change the computational ability of the brain.

26 Nov 2008

Researchers discover that a lipid produced in the gut rises after eating fatty foods

As you gorge on food this holiday season, you might not want to think about the fat content of all the goodies you've indulged in.

26 Nov 2008

Roche to acquire Memory Pharmaceuticals

Roche and Memory Pharmaceuticals has announced that the two companies have signed a definitive merger agreement for Roche to acquire all the outstanding shares of Memory Pharmaceuticals in an all-cash transaction for an aggregate price of approximately USD 50 million.

25 Nov 2008

Vasovagal syncope - most common emergency situation in the dental office

You see it in movies or while viewing your favorite sitcom; a scene at the doctor's office where the character inevitably gets a little woozy which leads to a fainting spell.

25 Nov 2008

Declines in cancer incidence and death rates across U.S.

A new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows that, for the first time since the report was first issued in 1998, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing for both men and women, driven largely by declines in some of the most common types of cancer.

25 Nov 2008

FDA accepts Labopharm's NDA for formulation of trazodone

Labopharm Inc. has announced that its New Drug Application (NDA) for the Company's novel once-daily formulation of trazodone (DDS-04A), a serotonin antagonist reuptake inhibitor (SARI), for the treatment of major depressive disorder, has been accepted for review and filed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

24 Nov 2008

Tapentadol hydrochloride approved for pain relief

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Tapentadol hydrochloride, an immediate-release oral tablet for the relief of moderate to severe acute pain.

24 Nov 2008

FDA approves tapentadol immediate-release tablets for pain in adults

Millions of Americans with moderate to severe acute pain and their health-care providers will soon have a new treatment option.

21 Nov 2008

FDA approves Banzel (rufinamide) for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug, Banzel (rufinamide), for use as an adjunctive (add-on) treatment for seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

20 Nov 2008

FDA accepts Vanda Pharmaceuticals Iloperidone resubmission

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of clinical-stage product candidates for central nervous system disorders, reported today that the FDA has accepted Vanda's resubmission of the iloperidone New Drug Application (NDA).

20 Nov 2008

Neuralstem enters stem cell collaboration for Huntington's disease in Germany

Neuralstem, Inc. announced today that it has entered into a collaboration with Professor Guido Nikkah Ph.D, of Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, Germany, to advance development of Neuralstem's human neural stem cell therapies.

18 Nov 2008

A link found between nicotine addiction and autism

Scientists have identified a relationship between two proteins in the brain that has links to both nicotine addiction and autism.

17 Nov 2008

New molecular insight into vertebrate brain development

In the December 1st issue of G&D, Dr. Fred H. Gage (The Salk Institute for Biological Studies) and colleagues reveal a role for the Hippo signaling pathway in the regulation of vertebrate neural development, identifying new factors - and potential therapeutic targets - that may be involved in congenital brain size disorders and neurological tumor formation.

17 Nov 2008