Cancer Research:'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors ♦ Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer

'Smart fat cells' cross blood-brain barrier to catch early brain tumors An MRI contrast agent that can pass through the blood-brain barrier will allow doctors to detect deadly brain tumors called gliomas earlier, say researchers. This ability opens the door to make this fatal cancer treatable.

Multiple-dose, targeted radiation more effective for treating pituitary tumors Multiple small doses of highly focused radiation therapy is safer and more effective than a single larger dose of radiation at destroying pituitary gland tumors.

Immunotherapy breakthrough now approved as standard of care for advanced melanoma A first-of-its-kind (anti-PD-1) immunotherapy was recently approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration as first-line treatment for metastatic melanoma—allowing greater access to this therapy for patients without having to previously receive other prior treatments.

Magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer Researchers have found that magnesium intake may be beneficial in preventing pancreatic cancer. Using information from the VITamins and Lifestyle study, the study analyzed data on more than 66,000 men and women, between the ages of 50 and 76, looking at the direct association between magnesium and pancreatic cancer.

Brain Research: Stimulating specific brain area could help defrost arms frozen by stroke ♦ Researchers develop drug delivery technique to bypass blood-brain barrier

Scientists close in on a blood test for Alzheimer's disease Researchers are nearing development of a blood test that can accurately detect the presence of Alzheimer's disease, which would give physicians an opportunity to intervene at the earliest, most treatable stage.

Brain connectivity changes with working memory after TBI Scientists compared information flow in the brain in traumatic brain injury and controls using neuroimaging and a novel working memory task, CapMan, which measures capacity and mental manipulation. This is the first study to show causal relationship between these tasks of working memory and fronto-parietal regions

Researchers develop drug delivery technique to bypass blood-brain barrier Researchers have successfully prevented the development of Parkinson's disease in a mouse using new techniques to deliver drugs across the naturally impenetrable blood-brain barrier. Their findings lend hope to patients around the world with neurological conditions that are difficult to treat due to a barrier mechanism that prevents approximately 98 percent of drugs from reaching the brain and central nervous system.

Stimulating specific brain area could help defrost arms frozen by stroke Little can be done to help the hundreds of thousands of people whose severe strokes have left them with one arm stuck close to the sides of their bodies like a broken wing. A 30-patient study, however, has found that magnetically stimulating a specific part of their brains can affect arm movements -- raising hope that, in the future, a short course of therapy targeting this area could help to free the arm and restore some use of the stroke-affected limb

Brain Research: Predict people at risk of schizophrenia ♦ Game changer for Parkinson's ♦ Breaking through the blood-brain barrier

Hacked Kinect controller game changer for Parkinson's Microsoft's Kinect games controller has been hacked by researchers to relieve one of the most distressing symptoms of Parkinson's - freezing of gait. Many patients are afflicted by freezing of gait when suddenly, in mid-stride, the muscles freeze and they are left unable to move forward or they simply fall over.

Breaking through the blood-brain barrier The bacteria that sneak past the brain's defenses to cause deadly bacterial meningitis are clever adversaries. New research investigates the molecular tricks bacteria use to convince their host that they are harmless and cause

First cancer-promoting oncogenes discovered in rare brain tumor of children and adults Researchers have identified three genes that play a pivotal role in the brain tumor choroid plexus carcinoma, a discovery that lays the groundwork for more effective treatment of this rare, often fatal cancer

Advanced MRI scans could help predict people at risk of schizophrenia Scientists have long known that the symptoms of schizophrenia are partly explained by disordered connectivity in the brain. Now new scanning methods that map the wiring of the brain could provide a valuable new tool to predict people at risk of schizophrenia, according to a new study

Health News:Consumer Reports: 60% of frozen shrimp contaminated ♦ McDonald's to serve up deforestation-free food ♦ New drugs to combat multiple sclerosis

Backache: A matter of mechanics The mechanics of the lower vertebrae have been the focus of recent study. Researchers are aiming to reveal how wear and tear comes about on vertebral bodies and spinal disks, hoping to make easier the choice of appropriate therapy.

Researchers show how blood-brain barrier is maintained In a new study, researchers have made insights into how the blood-brain barrier, or BBB, is maintained, identifying a protein key to the process. Delivering this protein to mice with the rodent equivalent of MS improved their symptoms.

Consumer Reports: Find 60% of frozen shrimp contaminated with bacteria  A new Consumer Reports study released Friday found that 60% of 342 samples of frozen shrimp it tested contained Salmonella, Vibrio, Listeria, or E. coli, and 2 percent tested positive for the superbug MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). For its new report,

McDonald's promises to serve up deforestation-free food Burgers, fries, and milkshakes from McDonald’s may still have the same calorie count, but their environmental impact is set to shrink following an announcement by the fast food giant on Tuesday that it plans to eliminate deforestation from its global supply chains by 2030 at the latest. McDonald’s says its commitment is effectively immediately and it will begin work to ensure …

Researchers discover new drugs to combat the root cause of multiple sclerosis Several drugs could lead to new treatment options for multiple sclerosis, including two drugs that effectively treat MS at the source, in vivo, researchers report. At the pathological level, MS is a disease in which the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath, a type of insulation that covers nerves, ultimately disrupting communication between the brain and the body and leading to nerve deterioration

Brain Research:Improve effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation ♦ New tactic targets brain tumors ♦ Guideline advises when to treat a first seizure

New guideline advises when to treat a first seizure A new guideline found that administering an antiepileptic medication immediately after a first seizure reduces the risk of having another seizure within two years

New tactic targets brain tumors Patients who are obese, diabetic or both have the highest incidence of brain tumors, and they offer a clue that insulin is a factor for some glioblastoma patients. But a new study suggests drugs tested on such tumors targeted the wrong molecules.

Researchers show how blood-brain barrier is maintained In a new study, researchers have made insights into how the blood-brain barrier, or BBB, is maintained, identifying a protein key to the process. Delivering this protein to mice with the rodent equivalent of MS improved their symptoms.

Lessons to be learned from Caribbean treatment of mental health With Caribbean people in the UK nine times more likely than white British counterparts to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, a mental health researcher has visited Jamaica and Barbados to find out what lessons can be learned.

New brain mapping model could improve effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation Brain researchers have developed a new brain mapping model that could improve the success rate of transcranial magnetic stimulation in treating conditions including depression, neuropathic pain, and stroke. The model helps pinpoint target sites during TMS, a procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain to alleviate or eliminate symptoms of stroke, depression, and attention disorders.

Brain Research:Carbon nanotube fibers make superior links to brain ♦ Research into brain's ability to heal itself ♦ Milk could be good for your brain + more

Research into brain's ability to heal itself offers hope for novel treatment of traumatic brain injury Innovative angles of attack in research that focus on how the human brain protects and repairs itself will help develop treatments for one of the most common, costly, deadly and scientifically frustrating medical conditions worldwide: traumatic brain injury. Continue Reading

Milk could be good for your brain  A correlation between milk consumption and the levels of a naturally-occurring antioxidant called glutathione in the brain has been discovered in older, healthy adults Continue Reading

Brain tumor cells decimated by mitochondrial 'smart bomb'  An experimental drug that attacks brain tumor tissue by crippling the cells' energy source called the mitochondria has passed early tests in animal models and human tissue cultures, say scientists.Continue Reading

Carbon nanotube fibers make superior links to brain  Carbon nanotube fibers may provide the best way to communicate directly with the brain. The research could enable new strategies for treating neurological disorders like Parkinson's Continue Reading

Nanorobotic agents open the blood-brain barrier, offering hope for new brain treatments Magnetic nanoparticles can open the blood-brain barrier and deliver molecules directly to the brain. This barrier runs inside almost all vessels in the brain and protects it from elements circulating in the blood that may be toxic.The research is important as currently 98% of therapeutic molecules are also unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Continue Reading