A newly developed, magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible incubator allows radiologists to safely and efficiently obtain quality diagnostic images of sick infants, according to a study appearing in the May issue of the journal Radiology.
“MR imaging is the most desirable imaging test for many newborns because there is no exposure to radiation,” said the study’s lead author, Stefan Blüml, Ph.D., associate professor at The Saban Research Institute at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, and the d
Malaria is a pernicious public health problem in many areas of the world. Sub-Saharan Africa, where cases recorded represent over 90% of the world total, is particularly badly hit. Modelling by IRD scientists has revealed a core feature in the life-cycle of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the disease. Its gametocytes, the pre-gamete sexual forms, aggregate in clusters in human blood capillaries and, once ingested, keep this form until they reach the ideal breeding ground the mosqu
The World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a three-day consultation to identify the factors that allow diseases to jump from animals to humans (zoonoses), as well as to improve surveillance systems for their monitoring and control. The consultation, held jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), in collaboration with the Dutch Health Council, will take place at WHO’s Geneva Headquarters, from 3-5 May.
The transmission
South African research published in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlights how women with physically violent and controlling male partners are at an increased risk of HIV-1 infection.
HIV/AIDS is more widespread among women in sub-Saharan Africa than any other population. Although violence from a male partner and relationship inequalities are thought to be associated with increased HIV risk among women, no study has yet assessed gender-based violence as a risk factor for HIV after adju
Findings of a preliminary study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that transplanted adult bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brains of human stem-cell recipients. These early findings, if confirmed in future research, have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
Ethical concerns over the use of embryonic stem cells has focused attention on the potential of adult bone-marrow cells to stimulate new cell growth in t
The extreme diversity of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) strains is a major obstacle to anti-AIDS vaccine elaboration or the development of new treatments against the disease. IRD scientists, working jointly with other institutes (1), used statistical methods to determine the adaptive molecular mechanisms the virus deploys to avoid neutralization by the host immune defences. This adaptive molecular evolutionary strategy, based on genetic variability, proved to be a feature common to the different
Hope for people with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and other neurodegenerative diseases may ultimately come from their own bodies. Research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004, shows that cells taken from adult human bone marrow can be converted into brain stem cells that meet the criteria for transplantation into the brain.
“It’s exciting to think that some day a p
Chlamydia infection in women has been known for some time to be linked to infertility, but Swedish research published today (Thursday 29 April) in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction [1] has found evidence that infection in men can also lessen the chance of their partners becoming pregnant.
A team from Umeå University Hospital in Umeå and the Scandinavian Fertility Center in Gothenburg, found decreased pregnancy rates in couples where the man had IgG antibodies
Preliminary data show that babies of epileptic mothers who take antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy absorb the medication to substantial degrees in utero, and some of these babies may develop birth defects, other disabilities or even die. Although the majority of children born to mothers with epilepsy are normal, researchers believe some of these babies are at an increased risk for birth defects or developmental delays. The findings of this nationwide study, still preliminary, will be present
Northwestern Memorial Hospital is one of only eight sites nationally and the only in Chicago to participate in a research study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Implantable Gastric Stimulation (IGS) – a “pacemaker” for the stomach that may create a sense of fullness. The IGS, which essentially looks and operates very similar to a typical cardiac pacemaker, will be tested to see if it is a safer, less invasive alternative to other surgical treatments for weight loss.
Manufactu
Six genes may hold the answer to whether a person’s lymphoma is likely to respond to treatment. This finding by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine could result in the first gene-based screen to identify people who need the most aggressive therapy.
When a person is diagnosed with diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma, doctors use a group of indicators called the International Prognostic Index, or IPI, which includes a person’s age, tumor stage and blood markers to decide
Penn researchers show effectiveness of device in analyzing gases exhaled from the nose to determine presence of common bacterial infections
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have recently completed three studies – the most comprehensive and largest to date – that demonstrate the effectiveness of an electronic nose device for diagnosing common respiratory infections, specifically pneumonia and sinusitis. Doctors hope that the device – called the Cyranose
According to research work at the University Hospital, cell therapy could improve many of the motor deficits of patients with Parkinson’s Disease.
With Parkinson’s a degeneration of cell groups takes place and so, from a conceptual perspective, the perfect treatment would be to replace the cells lost. The big drawback in the search for a suitable cell is to find one that survives for a lengthy period within the brain, that integrates well into the brain structures in order to comply w
Analyzing a blood sample for the presence of disease markers, either in a doctor’s office or on the battlefield, could soon become as quick and easy as scanning the bar-code of a grocery item. Using nanotechnology, researchers at Northwestern University have developed a way to label tiny disease markers in blood with unique DNA tags, which they call bio-bar-codes. The tags can then be scanned by an instrument to identify diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s, or identify exposure to b
Researchers at Emory University have identified a specific mutation in a sodium channel gene (SCN1A) that is associated with epilepsy syndrome in a family. The findings were presented at the American Academy of Neurology in San Francisco on Tuesday, April 27th . The finding adds to a growing body of information about links between genetic mutations and epilepsy; more than two dozen genes implicated in the disease have been discovered to date, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.
“The premi
Pergolide, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms, has recently been shown to be effective in treating restless legs syndrome. Researchers from seven countries collaborated on the study, published in the April 27 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS), characterized by sensory and motor abnormalities of the limbs associated with an urge to move, affects five to 10 percent of the population. RLS can lea
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