http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A new study shows that common mutant forms of the deadly JC polyomavirus are not responsible for the pathogen's main attack, which causes a brain-damaging disease in immunocompromised patients called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. But that finding raises the ominous question of what the mutants might be up to instead. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-dossier-jc-polyomavirus.html Medical research Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:00:01 EST news290107067 A protein profile of people with restless leg syndrome (RLS), identifies factors behind disrupted sleep, cardiovascular dysfunction and pain finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS. The research gives insights into the disorder, and could be useful in the development of new treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-protein-profile-restless-leg-syndrome.html Medical research Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:00:02 EST news289756420 (HealthDay)—Since the start of last year's outbreak of fungal meningitis cases linked to tainted steroid injections, federal health officials have recommended three to six months of antifungal therapy to combat potentially fatal infections. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-relapsed-treatment-meningitis-tied-tainted.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 29 May 2013 18:50:01 EST news289069798 (Medical Xpress)—Motile cilia are present on the surface of many types of cells. When they are not working properly, respiratory problems, various sensory deficits, and occasionally, even a reversal of placement of the internal organs can occur. In the lining of the ventricles of the brain, cilia on the surface of ependymal cells facilitate mixing and circulation of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). When these cilia fail to perform, narrow connecting aqueducts in the ventricular system can pinch off leading to uncontrollable swelling of the brain and head. A group of French researchers have recently discovered a critical mechanism in the regulation of beat frequency of the cilia on these cells. In their new paper in Nature Neuroscience, they show that melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is the molecular agent which steps up the beat cycle. They additionally demonstrate that transgenic mice lacking the receptor (MCHR)for this hormone have significantly increased ventricular volume, and altered flow of CSF. Previous studies have suggested that some forms obesity might result from an underlying ciliopathy, with MCH acting as a key control on appetite. These new results raise a cautionary note to the potential use of MCHR antagonists for therapeutic treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-ventricular-volume-ciliary-frequency.html Neuroscience Wed, 29 May 2013 07:00:01 EST news289023845 They identified blood-based biological markers that are associated with the build up of a toxic protein in the brain which occurs years before symptoms appear and irreversible brain damage has occurred. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-scientists-closer-screening-early-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 01 May 2013 08:22:40 EST news286615351 When trying to determine the root cause of a person's dementia, using an MRI can effectively and non-invasively screen patients for Alzheimer's disease or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD), according to a new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Using an MRI-based algorithm effectively differentiated cases 75 percent of the time, according to the study, published in the December 26th, 2012, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The non-invasive approach reported in this study can track disease progression over time more easily and cost-effectively than other tests, particularly in clinical trials testing new therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-mri-screen-patients-alzheimer-disease.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:00:06 EST news275576983 (Medical Xpress)—A novel test that measures proteins from nerve damage that are deposited in blood and spinal fluid reveals the rate of progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in patients, according to researchers from Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida, Emory University and the University of Florida. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-protein-lou-gehrig-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 19 Nov 2012 12:31:53 EST news272550681 (Medical Xpress)—A syndrome called "post-operative cognitive decline" has been coined to refer to the commonly reported loss of cognitive abilities, usually in older adults, in the days to weeks after surgery.  In fact, some patients time the onset of their Alzheimer's disease symptoms from a surgical procedure. Exactly how the trio of anesthesia, surgery, and dementia interact is clinically inconclusive, yet of great concern to patients, their families and physicians. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-surgery-profound-effect-anesthesia-brain.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:20:02 EST news266828556 In two to five percent of women with breast cancer, tumor cells migrate into the spinal fluid invading the tissue surrounding the brain and spinal cord called the meninges. While a rare complication, the condition is challenging because there is no agreed-upon standard of treatment, leaving little hope for patients affected. Northwestern Medicine® researchers are currently examining a novel approach to delivering an FDA approved drug that they hope will advance research for this type of cancer and lead to discoveries that may improve outcomes in the future. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-treatment-tumor-cells-spinal-fluid.html Cancer Mon, 06 Aug 2012 13:47:32 EST news263479629 Take a millionth of a human brain and squeeze it into a special chamber the size of a mustard seed. Link it to a second chamber filled with cerebral spinal fluid and thread both of them with artificial blood vessels in order to create a microenvironment that makes the neurons and other brain cells behave as if they were in a living brain. Then surround the chambers with a battery of sensors that monitor how the cells respond when exposed to minute quantities of dietary toxins, disease organisms or new drugs under development. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-vanderbilt-led-team-microbrain-drug.html Medical research Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:00:04 EST news262345926 Teasing out the exact type or types of dementia someone suffers from is no easy task; neurodegenerative brain diseases share common pathology and often co-occur. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are continuing efforts to differentiate diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) from frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), as FTLD is often clinically difficult to distinguish from atypical presentations of AD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-range-diagnostic-spinal-fluid-differentiate.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:40:01 EST news254140199 A new marker of Alzheimer's disease can predict how rapidly a patient's memory and other mental abilities will decline after the disorder is diagnosed, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-alzheimer-marker-strongly-mental-decline.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:00:06 EST news250174495 (Medical Xpress) -- Scientists in Nottingham have found abnormal levels of seven different proteins in spinal fluid could act as markers for detecting Alzheimer’s disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-uncover-clues-early-diagnosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:17:03 EST news247914999 A marker for Alzheimer's disease rises and falls in the spinal fluid in a daily pattern that echoes the sleep cycle, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-marker-alzheimer-disease-day-falls.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:22:03 EST news236272899 Inherited forms of Alzheimer's disease may be detectable as many as 20 years before problems with memory and thinking develop, scientists will report July 20, 2011, at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease in Paris. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-inherited-alzheimer-years-dementia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 20 Jul 2011 04:48:52 EST news230356111 Approximately five to ten percent of patients with primary or metastatic cancer suffer from devastating neurological complications such as headaches, seizures, confusion, difficulty swallowing and visual disturbances. These deficits are caused by a life-threatening form of brain invasion from cancer called neoplastic meningitis. Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and colleagues have utilized a novel combined technique to treat cancer patients by bathing the brain in chemotherapy and relieving pressure from spinal fluid build-up (hydrocephalus). The results of this multicenter study are described in Journal of Neurosurgery, now available online. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-combined-therapy-life-diminishes-pain.html Cancer Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:10:01 EST news229873273 A gel that creates a watertight seal to close surgical wounds provides a significant advance in the treatment of patients following spinal procedures, effectively sealing spinal wounds 100 percent of the time, a national multicenter randomized study led by researchers at UC Davis has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-sealant-gel-effective-spinal-wounds.html Medical research Thu, 16 Jun 2011 17:08:37 EST news227462905