Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a molecular mechanism — a tiny protein attacking nerve cells — that could explain why the brain damage in early Alzheimer’s disease results in memory loss and not other symptoms such as loss of balance or tremors.
The research team, led by William L. Klein, professor of neurobiology and physiology, found that toxic proteins, called “amyloid ß-derived diffusible ligands” (ADDLs, pronounced “addles”), from the brain tis
Benefits of weight loss may depend on alignment of affected leg, study suggests
A painful and sometimes crippling disease characterized by progressive cartilage loss, osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee affects an estimated 6 percent of adults over age 30. AT present, no treatments are available that have been shown to impede the destructive course of this disease, apart from knee replacement surgery. Numerous studies have shown that being overweight increases the risk of developing kn
3D MDCT accurate for imaging liver arteries
3D MDCT angiography is a more efficient way to classify liver arterial anatomy before liver surgery, according to researchers from Duke University in Durham, NC. In the study, 43 patients were evaluated before using 3D MDCT angiography. In 40 of 43 patients, surgical findings concurred with MDCT findings, indicating that 3D MDCT is an accurate method for imaging liver arteries prior to surgery, said Erik K. Paulson, MD, an author on th
EU research to tackle the problem
Both obesity and type 2 diabetes have become global epidemics over recent decades bringing, in their wake, a number of metabolic symptoms and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Both of these disorders, however, are just the tip of the iceberg, being just two manifestations of the metabolic syndrome (see notes to editors) which has been suggested to affect 25% of the adult population in countries such as the UK, and has severe consequences for both
The last novel written by author Iris Murdoch before she died reveals signs of the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study published in the latest online issue of Brain.
As part of their on-going research into the effects of Alzheimer’s disease on language, scientists at University College London and Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit decided to compare three of Dame Iris Murdoch’s works, including her final novel written just befo
For dry mouth sufferers Saliwell’s innovative patented devices brings welcome relief by restoring natural saliva production through electro-stimulation.
Most of us may suffer dry mouth from time to time. But for 80 million people in the developed world it is a permanent condition caused by a lack of lubrication in the mouth. With IST programme funding Saliwell has developed devices that stimulate saliva production. “Our devices apply a low energy level of electricity to the
The Spanish Pediatrics Association has recently awarded the Pediatrics laboratory at the University of Navarre for a research into tobacco and foetal genetic instability. The study, by Marta Zalacaín, was carried out in conjunction with the Department of Gynacology and Obstetrics at the Hospital Virgen del Camino. “It involved analysing umbilical cords from many births which took place at both centres over three years and which have been distributed in four groups: non-smoking mothers, ex-smokers
Much as surfers have their own peculiar lingo, they also incur an array of injuries from the sport that can be just as peculiar to physicians, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
When surfers are injured, many times there are no telltale abrasions since the impact is often with water and not a solid object. Surfers are also usually leashed to their boards, making it easier for them to strike the boards even a
A new clinical study has shown that imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) has activity in AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). Imatinib inhibits important pathways that spur cancer growth, resulting in the regression of KS tumors within 4 weeks in some patients. The study will be published November 30 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
“Imatinib is a targeted therapy originally shown to be effective in treating chronic myelogenous leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Th
Adding supplement to antidepressant medication can help patients with continuing symptoms
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have found that adding the nutritional supplement SAMe to a standard antidepressant may be helpful to patients who have not responded to single-drug treatment for clinical depression. The pilot study, appearing in the December Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, found that treatment with both SAMe and an antidepressant improved symptoms i
Funded by NIH grant, College of Pharmacy researchers show welfare recipients benefit from ’work therapy’
It’s said that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” A pair of University of Houston professors studying employment and drug use now provide support for that proverb. Led by Isaac D. Montoya, clinical professor at the UH College of Pharmacy, this National Institutes of Health (NIH) study found that employment reduces the chronic drug use of female welfare recipients. “Our re
New help for tailoring treatments
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a key molecule that lets doctors identify one of the most aggressive types of kidney cancer. Patients with renal cell carcinoma who have higher levels of a molecule known as B7-H1 in their tumors are nearly five times more likely to die from the disease than patients with low levels or an absence of the molecule.
This key finding can help to improve treatment of the disease, or to serve as a tar
The significance of a detected colon polyp matches closely with the confidence score of an interpreting radiologist using virtual colonoscopy. This suggests that virtual colonoscopy may help determine if polyp removal is truly needed, thereby avoiding overuse of invasive conventional colonoscopy, according to a new study in the December 2004 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Virtual colonoscopy is a relatively noninvasive examination that uses a CT scan to evaluate the colo
Also helps some patients avoid hysterectomy
MRI-guided ultrasound therapy is an effective way to treat women with uterine fibroids, improving their quality of life and avoiding hysterectomy, a new study shows. The study reviewed the use of MRI and the ExAblate 2000, a device that was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
About 25% of women have uterine fibroids with a substantial proportion of these experiencing symptoms, said Dr. Wladyslaw Gedroyc of St
Ordinary tap or bottled water could help people suffering from low blood pressure who faint while standing, claim researchers from Imperial College London and St Mary’s Hospital.
According to research published in the latest issue of Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, drinking two glasses of water can raise blood pressure, potentially providing a solution for patients with low blood pressure while standing, caused by autonomic failure. Autonomic failure is where par
Vaccination with the anthrax capsule, a naturally occurring component of the bacterium that causes the disease, protected mice from lethal anthrax infection, according to scientists at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). In addition, the capsule enhanced the effects of protective antigen (PA), the protective component of the current licensed human vaccine. The work was recently published in the journal VACCINE.
According to senior author
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