Nervous System News and Research

Latest Nervous System News and Research

Mechanism of torpor - hibernation-like state

If doctors could put people in hibernation and pull them out at will, scientists think they could minimize damage from strokes, help recipients' bodies accept transplanted organs, perhaps even enable astronauts to travel in suspended animation until reaching distant destinations.

7 Feb 2006

Imaging technology detects subtle brain changes in Type 1 diabetics

Although people with diabetes are twice as likely as the general population to develop depression, the cause of this increased risk is not well understood.

7 Feb 2006

Why anti-obesity cortisol reducing supplements do not work

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have revealed that the cortisol/obesity connection, touted by many weight-loss supplement marketers, may be even more tenuous than first thought.

2 Feb 2006

Deer antlers provide important clues for stem cell research

Research carried out by veterinary scientists at the Royal Veterinary College reveals that deer antler regeneration may use stem cells and involves similar mechanisms to those used in limb development.

2 Feb 2006

Deer a possible source of "mad cow like" disease

A University of Kentucky researcher has warned that eating deer could put people at risk of a disease similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) commonly known as mad cow disease.

30 Jan 2006

Study may provide new hope for cancer patients

New study by Mount Sinai researchers may lead to improved stem cell therapies for patients with compromised immune systems due to intensive cancer therapy or autoimmune disease. The study is published in this week's issue of Cell.

27 Jan 2006

$More fractures, less bone density in premenopausal women with diabetes$

More fractures, less bone density in premenopausal women with diabetes

Premenopausal women who have type 1 diabetes should strongly consider preventive screening for osteoporosis, the researchers of a new study on bone density conclude in the February issue of Diabetes Care.

27 Jan 2006

Run, skip, hop, jump or just walk to lift those blues

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say a single 30-minute walk on a treadmill can give a temporary emotional lift to patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder.

26 Jan 2006

Discovery of gene that causes Meckel-Gruber syndrome

The discovery of a gene that causes a rare, inherited and always fatal disorder, Meckel-Gruber (MKS) syndrome, may provide researchers with the common thread to unravel the mysteries of other birth defects.

23 Jan 2006

Duration of anesthesia not related to complications in plastic surgery

The length of time patients spend under anesthesia during facial plastic surgery procedures does not appear to be linked to their risk of complications or death, Yale School of Medicine researchers report this month in Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

23 Jan 2006

Workplace stress plays is an important risk factor for heart disease and diabetes

Stress at work is an important risk factor for the development of heart disease and diabetes, finds a study published online by the British Medical Journal.

23 Jan 2006

Novel compound stops brain cell degeneration in Alzheimer's disease

Drug discovery researchers at Northwestern University have developed a novel orally administered compound specifically targeted to suppress brain cell inflammation and neuron loss associated with Alzheimer's disease.

22 Jan 2006

New microRNA mechanism for regulating brain function

Non-coding regions of the genome - those that don't code for proteins - are now known to include important elements that regulate gene activity. Among those elements are microRNAs, tiny, recently discovered RNA molecules that suppress gene expression.

18 Jan 2006

New findings about messenger molecule raise hopes for new drug

Uppsala University scientists have developed a new method for measuring the concentration of the messenger substance for cells, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), in individual living cells.

18 Jan 2006

New treatment for brucellosis

Concepcion Lecaroz, a researcher from the University of Navarra, has developed a new therapy against brucellosis. This zoonosis - a disease or infection of animals which can be transmitted to humans under natural conditions - annually affects 500,000 people worldwide.

18 Jan 2006

Genetic risk factor for West Nile virus infection identified

People who lack a cell surface protein called CCR5 are highly resistant to infection by HIV but may be at increased risk of developing West Nile virus (WNV) illness when exposed to the mosquito-borne virus, report researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

18 Jan 2006

Duration of anesthesia as an indicator of morbidity and mortality in office-based facial plastic surgery

The length of time patients spend under anesthesia during outpatient facial plastic surgery procedures does not appear to be linked to their risk of injury or death, according to a study in the January issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.

16 Jan 2006

Identification of gene in childhood kidney disease

An international research collaboration led by Mayo Clinic has identified a new gene involved in causing the inherited kidney disorder, Meckel-Gruber syndrome (MKS). Children with MKS have central nervous system deformities as well as abnormal cysts in their kidneys, and usually die shortly after birth.

16 Jan 2006

St. Jude projects 90 percent cure rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The cure rate for the once almost universally fatal childhood cancer acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) could reach 90 percent in the near future, thanks to improvements in diagnosis and treatment over the past four decades, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

11 Jan 2006

Limitless applications for nitric oxide in healthcare, bio-security, agriculture and industrial applications

Low levels of nitric oxide gas can prevent and kill disease-causing bacteria by tricking them into thinking their time is up, according to scientists from the Environmental Biotechnology Cooperative Research Centre (EBCRC) and the University of New South Wales.

10 Jan 2006