Harinath Garudadri and his team, with the spasticity-measuring glove When it comes to assessing the chronic muscle stiffness of patients with conditions such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, doctors pretty much just go by feel. They bend the affected limbs back and forth, then assign them a rating on a six-point scale. The...
Post
The evolution of proteasome inhibition: A personal journey from early research to approval
My 16 plus years at Takeda Oncology have given me the opportunity to participate in and contribute to the evolution of treatment for multiple myeloma, a rare cancer that affects nearly 230,000 people around the world, according to five-year prevalence estimates.1 While the disease remains incurable, we have made important advances in research and development in recent years....
Post
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy: How It Can Curb Cluster Headaches, Other Health Woes
The Food and Drug Administration approved on April 18 a handheld vagus nerve stimulation device for treating episodic cluster headaches. These “suicide headaches,” however, are only one among different chronic conditions that experts seek to address through the use of vagus nerve stimulation, which consists of sending a low electric pulse through the vagus nerve situated...
Post
Researchers use smartphones and machine learning to measure sleep patterns
Figure: Comparison between sleep pattern visualization by AI method (above) and sleep stage by PSG (below), showing correlation between sleep-related sounds and sleep stages. Despite spending at least one quarter to one third a day sleeping, good sleep can elude many people, and the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders remains primitive. Osaka University...
Post
Cancer Genetic Counselors Report Practice Changes After AMP v. Myriad Court Decision
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Genetic counselors in the cancer field experienced changes to their practice soon after a Supreme Court ruling that effectively expanded the types of genetic tests available for assessing individuals’ risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), results from a recently published survey suggest. In the Journal of Genetic Counseling last week, researchers...
Post
Improving social skills in kids with autism
Waving goodbye and blowing kisses—no parent wants to miss out on those special moments. Among the 1 percent of the population of the United States who are diagnosed with autism, however, these small but important gestures often are missing from their behavior. Researchers at the Autism Assessment, Research, Treatment and Services Center (AARTS) Center...
Post
Could THIS lead to a cure for multiple sclerosis? Scientists uncover the possible cause of the disease which has long been deemed a mystery
Multiple sclerosis (MS) sufferers have high protein levels in their brain cells This alters the cells’ energy supply, triggering MS symptoms, such as fatigue The findings may lead to new treatments for the condition, which has no cure Scientists may be one step closer to discovering a cure for the debilitating lifelong condition multiple sclerosis...
Post
Technique dramatically speeds research into cancer, genetic diseases
Associate Professor of Pharmacology J. Julius Zhu led the team that created the new technique. A new technique developed at the University of Virginia School of Medicine will let a single cancer research lab do the work of dozens, dramatically accelerating the search for new treatments and cures. And the technique will benefit not...
Post
150-year-old drug may provide ‘off’ time relief for people with advanced Parkinson’s disease
Immunohistochemistry for alpha-synuclein showing positive staining (brown) of an intraneural Lewy-body in the Substantia nigra in Parkinson’s disease. New research provides evidence that an old drug may provide relief for people with advanced Parkinson’s, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 69th Annual Meeting in...
Post
Scientists discover two repurposed drugs that arrest neurodegeneration in mice
PET scan of a human brain with Alzheimer’s disease. A team of scientists who a few years ago identified a major pathway that leads to brain cell death in mice, have now found two drugs that block the pathway and prevent neurodegeneration. The drugs caused minimal side effects in the mice and one is...