http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Just a few years ago, integrated positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging was found only in research institutes, but little by little the technology has expanded into clinical practice. This is especially true for cardiac indications, for which the highly sensitive soft tissue contrast of MR and the functional and metabolic imaging of PET are particularly valuable. New research proves the value of PET/MR compared to PET/computed tomography (CT) in cardiac applications, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2013 Annual Meeting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-heart-cardiac-petmr-petct.html Cardiology Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:30:46 EST news290104239 Highly educated individuals with mild cognitive impairment that later progressed to Alzheimer's disease cope better with the disease than individuals with a lower level of education in the same situation, according to research published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. In the study "Metabolic Networks Underlying Cognitive Reserve in Prodromal Alzheimer Disease: A European Alzheimer Disease Consortium Project," neural reserve and neural compensation were both shown to play a role in determining cognitive reserve, as evidenced by positron emission tomography (PET). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-pet-cognitive-reserve-highly-pre-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:02:45 EST news289483357 Cancer cells break down sugars and produce the metabolic acid lactate at a much higher rate than normal cells. This phenomenon provides a telltale sign that cancer is present, via diagnostics such as PET scans, and possibly offers an avenue for novel cancer therapies. Now a team of Chilean researchers at The Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECs), with the collaboration of Carnegie's Wolf Frommer, has devised a molecular sensor that can detect levels of lactate in individual cells in real time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-cancer-diagnostic-technique-debuts.html Cancer Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:21:05 EST news282478855 A study combining genetic data with brain imaging, designed to identify genes associated with the amyloid plaque deposits found in Alzheimer's disease patients, has not only identified the APOE gene—long associated with development of Alzheimer's—but has uncovered an association with a second gene, called BCHE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-genome-wide-imaging-gene-alzheimer-plaques.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 20 Feb 2013 15:48:47 EST news280597692 A test to detect brain amyloid deposits associated with Alzheimer disease (AD) provides doctors with useful information on treatment and further testing for patients with cognitive impairment, according to a study published online by the journal Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-amyloid-imaging-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:56:47 EST news273243392 Curtailing the imminent rise in Alzheimer's disease (AD) will require early, accurate diagnostic tests and treatments, and researchers are closer to achieving these two goals. New findings in medical imaging, molecular analysis of neurological diseases, and development of treatments using mouse models were presented at Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-tools-alzheimer-aid-early-diagnosis.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:03:48 EST news269539402 Molecular imaging is effective for providing information about disease processes, and today's hybrid imaging systems have additional computed tomography (CT) technology on board for alignment and imaging structures. While this addition increases the amount of radiation dose a patient receives, research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's2012 Annual Meeting finds that multiple molecular imaging studies need only one structural scan, which would slice off a significant amount of patient radiation exposure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-reconfigured-hybrid-imaging-lowers-exposure.html Cancer Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:30:03 EST news258639918 A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-deep-brain-mild-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:17 EST news255615020 Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) have identified a potential target for the development of anti-craving medications for people with addictions to stimulants such as methamphetamine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-camh-discovery-potential-anti-craving-medications.html Neuroscience Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:33:34 EST news246706383 Advanced imaging with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans shows great promise in predicting which patients with inoperable lung cancer have more aggressive tumors and need additional treatment following standard chemotherapy/radiation therapy, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-pet-imaging-effective-lung-cancer.html Cancer Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:40:01 EST news237043995 A brain imaging scan identifies biochemical changes in the brains of normal people who might be at risk for Alzheimer's disease, according to research published in the August 24, 2011, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-chemical-brains-people-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:47:01 EST news233423113 For the first time, researchers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance have demonstrated the feasibility of using serial positron emission tomography (PET) scans, using a special estrogen-containing isotope, to confirm the relative effectiveness of estrogen-blocking and estrogen-depleting therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer. The results of the research are published online in Clinical Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-pet-scans-effectiveness-estrogen-blocking-drugs.html Cancer Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:46:17 EST news232883156 (Medical Xpress) -- Like a thief hidden in the brain, the neurodegenerative disease called Alzheimer's steals away memory as it gradually destroys brain cells, changing personalities and disrupting lives in the process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-alzheimer.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:49:14 EST news230543340 With the deficiencies in knowledge of tuberculosis -- as well as in the practices, programs and strategies used to combat the disease and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis poses a major problem for the health care community. Research in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, however, shows that the use of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) scans can help to determine earlier if treatment for tuberculosis is working or if the disease is MDR. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-pet-scans-effectiveness-treatment-multidrug-resistant.html Other Tue, 24 May 2011 11:41:35 EST news225456045