Key factor: Children benefit from consistent bedtimes

When children stay up late, they have more academic and attention problems at school, according to a new study from Brown Medical School to be published in the December issue of the journal SLEEP. The findings indicate that ensuring students get enough sleep is a significant step in helping them maximize learning ability in class as well as minimizing behaviors characteristic of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

An international panel of neurologists has updated the current guidelines for diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS), strengthening the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The guidelines, published online November 10, 2005 in the Annals of Neurology, update the “McDonald criteria,” created five years ago and named after the chair of the previous panel, Prof W. Ian McDonald of the Institute of Neurology in London.

“We hope, and trust, that these revisions will allow an even earlier

Researchers uncover genetic foundation of fish jaws

In a study illustrating the apparent linkages between the evolutionary development and embryonic development of species, researchers have uncovered the genetic elements that determine the structure and function of a simple biomechanical system, the lower jaw of the cichlid fish. In addition, they’ve shown that increasing expression of a particular gene in an embryo can lead to physical changes in the adult fish. The results appear

University of Alberta researchers pioneer gene therapy to restore alveoli and lung capillaries in damaged rat lungs; first step in one day helping premature babies

The good news is that medical advances in perinatal care have allowed us to save many more premature babies. The bad news is they’re often at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia–a chronic lung disease caused by having to place the tiny infants on ventilators and oxygen-rich therapy for acute respiratory fai

Screening glioblastoma brain tumors for two gene variations can reliably predict which tumors will respond to a specific class of drugs, a new study shows. The findings may lead to improved treatment for this devastating disease. The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and appears in the November 10, 2005, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.*

Glioblastomas ar

A deep-voiced black-capped chickadee may wonder why other birds ignore it, but there may be a good reason behind the snub, says a University of Alberta study that looked into how the bird responds to calls.

Dr. Isabelle Charrier and Dr. Chris Sturdy modified the black- capped chickadee calls, played those sounds back to the bird and observed how they reacted. They found that the chickadee relies on several acoustic features including pitch, order of the notes and rhythm of the call

Two key groups of neurons control morning and evening activity

A Brandeis University study published this week in Nature shows for the first time that a molecular signal maintains coherence among brain clock cells that regulate daily activity of Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies). The two key groups of neurons control morning and evening activity and are maintained in synch even when the flies are plunged into darkness for extended periods of time.

This daily reset

First there was green, then yellow and now red-fleshed kiwifruit. A team of researchers in Italy and New Zealand has found that a newly developed variety of red-fleshed kiwifruit contain anthocyanins, bright red pigments that are highly potent antioxidants, which are thought to provide protection against heart disease and cancer.

Kiwifruit already have the reputation of being among the most nutrient dense of all popular fruit and they are also high in antioxidant activity. Now, kiwis

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved plans to begin a study to evaluate the safety of using adult stem cells from bone marrow to treat chronic ischemia, a serious form of heart disease.

The FDA has approved a Phase I study designed to test the safety of the procedure. It will involve injecting bone marrow stem cells at varying doses into the co

Professors publish case study of successful nutritional treatment for cancer

Ron Pardini is not a medical doctor. Yet he is seen as a hero by his cancer-stricken neighbor, “D.H.” Pardini helped the 78-year-old after D.H. was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.

“In 2000 he was told by his doctor he had only a few months to live,” said Pardini, a professor of biochemistry and associate director of the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of Nevad

People with a specific combination of variants of two genes, encoding two different receptors for the antibody Fc gamma, are three times more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than individuals with different variant combinations. A study published today in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy confirms previous findings of an association between the Fc gamma Receptor (FCGR) gene family and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study shows that a specific variant combination of two FCGR genes on

A team of researchers has demonstrated the clinical efficacy and benefits of a vaccine for a type of blood cancer, follicular lymphoma, amongst first time relapse patients. Specialists from two University of Navarre centres – the University Hospital and the Research Centre for Applied Medicine (CIMA) – have worked jointly since 2001 on the research.

According to Dr. Maurizio Bendandi, the team leader, it is the first time that a vaccine against a type of cancer has been able to

Blood vessels appear healthier after people consume olive oil high in phenolic compounds

Phenolic compounds in olive oil, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties, may explain cardiovascular health benefits associated with the so-called Mediterranean Diet, according to a new study in the Nov. 15, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

“It could be that the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on cardiov

Like their younger counterparts, some elderly patients who have early stage non-small cell lung cancer can benefit from a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove part or all of a lung, according to a study conducted by thoracic surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and described in the current issue of The American Surgeon, the journal of the Southeastern Surgical Congress and the Southern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons.

When non-small cell lung canc

Researchers can identify patients likely to respond to drug therapy, saving some from undergoing harsh procedures with little chance of success

Researchers at UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer have identified key characteristics in certain deadly brain tumors that make them 51 times more likely to respond to a specific class of drugs than tumors in which the molecular signature is absent.

The discovery of the telltale molecular signature – the expression of a mutant protein and

For most people, just a whiff of food that has made them sick in the past is enough to trigger a wave of nausea – and to prevent them from eating that food again. It’s a response that’s instantaneous, involuntary, and so fundamental to basic biology that it occurs in a broad range of species. Even worms, researchers have now shown, quickly learn to avoid smells associated with foods that have made them ill.

The new study, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigat