Brain Research: Gene suppression helps form memories ♦ Sound wave technology studied to help diagnose concussion ♦ Meningitis model shows infection creep into the brain

Meningitis model shows infection sci-fi-worthy creep into the brain Scientists are using transparent fish to watch in real time as Cryptococcal meningitis takes over the brain. The resulting images are worthy of a sci-fi movie teaser, but could be valuable in disrupting the real, crippling brain infection that kills more than 600,000 people worldwide each year.

Sound wave technology studied to help diagnose concussion Novel sound wave technology is being used by scientists as part of an attempt to more rapidly and accurately diagnose sports concussions on the sidelines during games.

Finding about how water gets into neurons provides new treatment targets for deadly brain swelling High-efficiency transporters that work like a shuttle system to constantly move ions into and out of neurons appear to slam into reverse following a stroke or other injury and start delivering instead too much water.

Gene suppression helps form memories A new study has identified a number of genes that are repressed at various time points after memory formation, providing important clues as to how long-term memories are formed.

Motivation promotes recovery after spinal cord injury: Neuroscientific evidence The nucleus accumbens, that control motivation in the brain, activates the activity of the motor cortex of the brain, and then promotes recovery of motor function during the early stage of recovery after spinal cord injury.

Health News: India sets 12,000 standards for food additives ♦ Can you actually hear 'inaudible' sound? ♦ Ultrasound accelerates skin healing, especially for diabetics and the elderly

India sets 12,000 standards for food additives NEW DELHI: Food safety regulator FSSAI has finalised 12,000 standards for food additives and ingredients in line with global safety standards Codex, in order to do away with lengthy process of product approval.

Can you actually hear 'inaudible' sound? Are wind farms harmful to humans? This controversial topic makes emotions run high. To give the debate more objectivity, an international team of experts dealt with the fundamentals of hearing in the lower limit range of the audible frequency range (i.e., infrasound), but also in the upper limit range (i.e., ultrasound).

Findings identify receptors modulating macrophage responses to spinal cord injury A new study sheds light on opportunities to modulate macrophage responses after spinal cord injury, potentially reducing -- or even reversing -- damage and the resulting side effects

Ultrasound accelerates skin healing, especially for diabetics and the elderly Healing times for skin ulcers and bedsores can be reduced by a third with the use of low-intensity ultrasound, scientists have found

Surgeries before college athletics may result in more injuries during college play Athletes who've had lower extremity surgeries before going on to play in college, might be at a higher risk for another surgery independent of gender and sport, say researchers presenting their work today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

Health News:Implantable 'artificial pancreas' ♦ Heart transplant using experimental artificial heart ♦ Electrical nerve stimulation can reverse spinal cord injury

Implantable 'artificial pancreas' could help diabetes patients control their blood sugar Living with Type 1 diabetes requires constant monitoring of blood sugar levels and injecting insulin daily. The development of an implantable "artificial pancreas" that continuously measures a person's blood sugar, or glucose, level and can automatically release insulin as needed.

Successful heart transplant after using experimental artificial heart A 44-year-old woman has received a successful heart transplant, thanks to an experimental Total Artificial Heart designed for smaller patients. The patient is the first person in California to receive the smaller Total Artificial Heart, and the first patient in the world with the device to be bridged to a successful heart transplant.

Regenerative medicine biologists discover a cellular structure that explains fate of stem cells Researchers have found a previously unidentified mechanism that helps explain why stem cells undergo self-renewing divisions but their offspring do not.

Humans evolved to be taller and faster-thinking People have evolved to be smarter and taller than their predecessors, a study of populations around the world suggests.

Electrical nerve stimulation can reverse spinal cord injury nerve damage in patients Researchers find that nerve stimulation can improve the function of peripheral nerves damaged by spinal cord injury (SCI). This technique may be a new approach to preventing long-term changes in nerve and muscle function after SCI and improving SCI rehabilitation outcomes.

12/6/14 Health News; NZ BABY FOOD CONTAINED PESTICIDE ♦ 3-D mammography ♦ How red wine prevents cancer ♦ tobacco smoke bad for spinal cord injury

ANALYSIS: 30 PERCENT OF NZ BABY FOOD CONTAINED PESTICIDE RESIDUES

According to a recent analysis of a government study, New Zealand baby food contained nearly 800 times more pesticides than baby food in Europe. The analysis results and the perceived risks to New Zealand babies were presented Thursday to the parliament in Wellington by Dr. Meriel Watts of the Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa and Alison... Continue Reading

3-D mammography improves cancer detection in dense breasts

A major new study has found that digital breast tomosynthesis, also known as 3-D mammography, has the potential to significantly increase the cancer detection rate in mammography screening of women with dense breasts. Continue Reading

How red wine prevents cancer

'Alcohol damages cells and resveratrol kills damaged cells,' says a scientist who studied red wine and its relationship to preventing cancer. "Alcohol bombards your genes. Your body has ways to repair this damage, but with enough alcohol eventually some damage isn't fixed. That's why excessive alcohol use is a factor in head and neck cancer. Now, resveratrol challenges these cells -- the ones with unrepaired DNA damage are killed, so they can't go on to cause cancer. Alcohol damages cells and resveratrol kills damaged cells," he says.Continue Reading

Toxin from tobacco smoke could increase pain in spinal cord injury

A neurotoxin called acrolein found in tobacco smoke that is thought to increase pain in people with spinal cord injury has now been shown to accumulate in mice exposed to the equivalent of 12 cigarettes daily over a short time period Continue Reading