Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., director of Duke’s Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and the Robertson Clinical and Translational Therapy Program, works with a patient receiving an infusion of cells from umbilical cord blood. An infusion of cells from a child’s own umbilical cord blood appears to improve brain connectivity and motor function in children...
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Gene therapy protects against age-related cognitive and memory deficits
From left to right: researchers of the UAB Institute of Neurosciences Miguel Chillón, Assumpció Bosch, Lydia Giménez-Llort and Àngela Sánchez. Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) and the Vall d”Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) are the first to demonstrate that regulation of the brain’s Klotho gene using gene...
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Neuroscientists improve human memory by electrically stimulating brain
Neuroscientists at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have discovered precisely where and how to electrically stimulate the human brain to enhance people’s recollection of distinct memories. People with epilepsy who received low-current electrical pulses showed a significant improvement in their ability to recognize specific faces and ignore similar ones. Eight of...
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Aspirin ‘cuts risk of several types of cancer by up to half’: Regularly taking the drug is thought to block enzymes that help tumours to grow
The cheap drug also reduced the odds of getting bowel cancer by a quarter It was was also found to reduce people’s chances of getting leukaemia, lung and prostate cancer The authors did not find a protective effect for breast, bladder or kidney cancers Taking aspirin regularly could help beat several types of cancer, a major...
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Study identifies biomarker to measure benefits of folic acid on stroke prevention
An analysis of the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial presented at the 28th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology (GW-ICC) and published in Neurology has identified a biomarker that can be used to measure the benefits of folic acid supplementation on stroke prevention. “Stroke is the leading cause of death and adult disability in China,...
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New way to treat cholesterol may be on the horizon
A breakthrough discovery by scientists at Houston Methodist could change the way we treat cholesterol. Researchers found new evidence that challenges a 40-year notion of how fast we eliminate it from our bodies. This accidental discovery, made by medical biochemist Henry Pownall, Ph.D., and his team at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, reveals a new...
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Blood-Thinning Drugs Found to “Reduce Risk of Dementia by 48 Percent”
IN BRIEF A breakthrough study from the European Society of Cardiology found an interesting link between blood-thinning pills and the development of dementia. A ton of data from their research showed that anticoagulants can lower the risk of dementia. A CUTTING-EDGE BLOW TO DEMENTIA A new study from the European Society of Cardiology suggests that blood-thinning drugs...
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New pneumonia vaccine protects against over 70 strains of the disease
Scientists from the University at Buffalo and New York University’s Langone Medical Center have developed a new vaccine that targets pneumococcal disease A new vaccine targeting dozens of new strains of pneumonia could potentially save “hundreds of thousands of lives” according to researchers. Early studies show the new vaccine effectively protects against a variety of...
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Researchers explore a new way of specific drug delivery using liposomes
Illustration of the novel Fab-liposome functionalized with the hydrophobic anchor-equipped Fab fragment on the surface and harbouring a therapeutic drug in its core. Credit: Medical University of Vienna Liposomes are successful drug delivery vehicles prescribed for several types of cancer but also for treatment of fungal infections or pain management. Now researchers from the...
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FDA approves eculizumab for generalized myasthenia gravis
Yesterday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eculizumab as a treatment for adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody-positive. James F. Howard Jr., MD, Distinguished Professor of Neuromuscular Disease, professor of neurology, medicine and allied health, and chief of the Neuromuscular Disorders Section in the UNC School...