http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. While the effects of acute stroke have been widely studied, brain damage during the subacute phase of stroke has been a neglected area of research. Now, a new study by the University of South Florida reports that within a week of a stroke caused by a blood clot in one side of the brain, the opposite side of the brain shows signs of microvascular injury. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-far-reaching-microvascular-uninjured-side-brain.html Neuroscience Mon, 20 May 2013 12:38:37 EST news288272253 Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a gene therapy approach that may one day stop Parkinson's disease (PD) in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms. The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain. Parkinson's is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder caused by the death of dopamine neurons in a key motor area of the brain, the substantia nigra (SN). Loss of these neurons leads to the characteristic tremor and slowed movements of PD, which get increasingly worse with time. Currently, more than 1% of the population over age 60 has PD and approximately 60,000 Americans are newly diagnosed every year. The available drugs on the market for PD mimic or replace the lost dopamine but do not get to the heart of the problem, which is the progressive loss of the dopamine neurons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-noninvasive-avenue-parkinson-disease-gene.html Parkinson's & Movement disorders Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:02:02 EST news285789711 Tight control of blood glucose levels is critical to mitigating the long-term complications of diabetes; however, the intensive insulin therapy required for this control is frequently accompanied by recurrent episodes of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Hypoglycemic episodes have been implicated in brain damage and cognitive impairment. Though the brain depends predominantly on glucose as an energy source, it can also use alternative fuels, such as lactate, to satisfy its energy requirements. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-alternative-fuel-brain.html Medical research Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:00:02 EST news284032207 (Medical Xpress)—Neuroscientists face a multitude of challenges in their efforts to better understand the human brain. If not for model organisms such as the rat, they might never know what really goes on inside our heads. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-rats-brains-scientists-previously-thought.html Neuroscience Wed, 27 Mar 2013 09:31:55 EST news283595506 Consumption of foods high in carbohydrates immediately after birth programs individuals for lifelong increased weight gain and obesity, a University at Buffalo animal study has found, even if caloric intake is restricted in adulthood for a period of time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-high-carb-intake-infancy-lifelong-effects.html Overweight and Obesity Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:18:29 EST news282917902 (Medical Xpress)—A drug that is currently used for cancer can relieve and slow down the progression of the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis (MS) in rats, according to a new study published in PLOS ONE. The discovery, which was made by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, might one day lead to better forms of treatment for patients with MS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cancer-drug-treatment-multiple-sclerosis.html Medical research Thu, 21 Feb 2013 10:02:01 EST news280663311 (Medical Xpress)—In the weeks, months and years after a severe head injury, patients often experience epileptic seizures that are difficult to control. A new study in rats suggests that gently cooling the brain after injury may prevent these seizures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-cooling-trauma-induced-epilepsy.html Neuroscience Thu, 21 Feb 2013 08:30:04 EST news280657009 (HealthDay)—In a rat model of diabetes, exercise is associated with decreased diabetes-associated neuropathic pain, which correlates with increased expression of heat shock protein 72 (Hsp72), according to a study published in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-benefit-diabetic-neuropathy.html Medical research Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:30:07 EST news279891570 A group of Portuguese researchers from IBMC and FMUP at the University of Porto has found the reason why patients with chronic pain often suffer from impaired short –term memory. The study, to be published in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows how persistent pain disrupts the flow of information between two brain regions crucial to retain temporary memories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-chronic-pain-disrupts-short-term.html Neuroscience Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:25:48 EST news279444279 Obese women might be able to eliminate their increased risk for postmenopausal breast cancer by taking measures during perimenopause to prevent weight gain and to therapeutically control the metabolic effects of their obesity, according to the results of a preclinical study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-obesity-overeating-menopause-breast-tumor.html Cancer Fri, 07 Dec 2012 11:10:08 EST news274098853 Neuroscientists studying the link between poor sleep and schizophrenia have found that irregular sleep patterns and desynchronised brain activity during sleep could trigger some of the disease's symptoms. The findings, published in the journal Neuron, suggest that these prolonged disturbances might be a cause and not just a consequence of the disorder's debilitating effects. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-poor-contribute-symptoms-schizophrenia.html Neuroscience Wed, 14 Nov 2012 13:30:55 EST news272122233 Early changes in liver function detected by novel techniques can identify severe infection (sepsis) hours after onset and so could have important implications for the treatment of patients who are critically ill, according to a groundbreaking study by European researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-early-liver-function-life-threatening-infection.html Medical research Tue, 13 Nov 2012 17:00:08 EST news272046624 The compound licofelone inhibited oral cancer growth by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase pathways, with no observable side effects, according to data from a rat study presented at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held here Oct. 16-19, 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-compound-dual-action-inhibits-oral.html Cancer Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:34:48 EST news269850881 Stem cells are considered promising agents for the recovery of spinal cord injuries. European scientists explore their abilities and plan future therapeutic strategies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-stem-cell-therapy-spinal-cord.html Medical research Tue, 25 Sep 2012 09:00:01 EST news267781317 In a study published in the current issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience scientists report that a therapy combining exercise with the neurovascular protective agent S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) improved recovery from stroke in a rat model. GSNO is a compound found naturally in the body and it has no known side effects or toxicity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-therapy-combining-neuroprotective-agent-victims.html Neuroscience Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:45:09 EST news264253502 A new Hospital for Special Surgery study suggests that the current rehabilitation used for patients undergoing tendon-bone repairs such as rotator cuff repair may be partially to blame for the high rates of failed healing after surgery. Experiments in a rat model of this injury suggest that immobilizing the limb for four to six weeks after surgery, rather than quickly starting physical therapy, improves healing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-rotator-cuff-surgery.html Surgery Sat, 14 Jul 2012 05:43:32 EST news261463395 For the first time, scientists at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute have shown that an experimental bariatric surgery can lower blood sugar levels in rats with type 1 diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-experimental-bariatric-surgery-blood-sugar.html Diabetes Sun, 20 May 2012 13:00:04 EST news256712094 It is increasingly recognized that chronic psychotropic drug treatment may lead to structural remodeling of the brain. Indeed, clinical studies in humans present an intriguing picture: antipsychotics, used for the treatment of schizophrenia and psychosis, may contribute to cortical gray matter loss in patients, whereas lithium, used for the treatment of bipolar disorder and mania, may preserve gray matter in patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-psychiatric-medication-effects-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 08 May 2012 10:15:32 EST news255690834 The liver is unique among mammalian organs in its ability to regenerate after significant tissue damage or even partial surgical removal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-lost-uncovering-liver-tissue-regenerates.html Medical research Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:29:14 EST news250774148 A number of different immunological mechanisms ensure the successful establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. Imbalance in these mechanisms is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. In a review published in Advances in Neuroimmune Biology, researchers from the Institute of Life Science, College of Medicine at Swansea University in the UK examine the impact of maternal obesity on the inflammatory responses in tissues of both the mother and the child. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-inflammation-link-obesity-adverse-pregnancy.html Health Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:43:22 EST news245432586 Stabilizing the cell's power-generating center protects against Parkinson's disease (PD) in a rat model, according to a report published online this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-strategy-parkinson-disease.html Medical research Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:01 EST news243515120 About half of newborns who have seizures go on to have long-term intellectual and memory deficits and cognitive disorders such as autism, but why this occurs has been unknown. In the December 14 Journal of Neuroscience, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston detail how early-life seizures disrupt normal brain development, and show in a rat model that it might be possible to reverse this pathology by giving certain drugs soon after the seizure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-dodging-cognitive-early-life-seizures.html Neuroscience Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:00:06 EST news243005693 Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) is an incurable adult neurodegenerative disorder that progresses to paralysis and death. Genetic mutations are the cause of disease in 5% of patients with ALS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-disease-halted-rat-lou-gehrig.html Medical research Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:00:03 EST news242905844 A hard probe inserted in the cerebral cortex of a rat model turns nearly as pliable as the surrounding gray matter in minutes, and induces less of the tough scarring that walls off hard probes that do not change, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-brain-probe-softens-insertion-scarring.html Neuroscience Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:46:55 EST news239532397 Inhaling small amounts of hydrogen in addition to concentrated oxygen may help stem the damage to lung tissue that can occur when critically ill patients are given oxygen for long periods of time, according to a rat model study conducted by researchers in Pittsburgh. The study also found hydrogen initiates activation of heme-oxygenase (HO-1), an enzyme that protects lung cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-inhaling-hydrogen-lung-critically-ill.html Medical research Mon, 16 May 2011 16:29:00 EST news224782133 In a new study to be published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-stem-cells-reverse-disease-parkinson.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 16 May 2011 12:30:28 EST news224767815