السبت، 10 مارس 2012

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News


In recognizing faces, the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 11:01 AM PST

How do we recognize a face? To date, most research has answered "holistically": we look at all the features -- eyes, nose, mouth -- simultaneously and, perceiving the relationships among them, gain an advantage over taking in each feature individually.

Scientists claim brain memory code cracked

Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:37 AM PST

Despite a century of research, memory encoding in the brain has remained mysterious. Neuronal synaptic connection strengths are involved, but synaptic components are short-lived while memories last lifetimes. This suggests synaptic information is encoded and hard-wired at a deeper, finer-grained molecular scale.

Revisiting LSD as a treatment for alcoholism

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 07:45 PM PST

Several decades ago, a number of clinics used LSD to treat alcoholism with some success. But until now, no research has pulled together the results of these trials to document exactly how effective LSD was. Now a new meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of the drug provides evidence for a clear and consistent beneficial effect of LSD for treating alcohol dependency.

Brain cancer blood vessels not substantially tumor-derived

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 10:25 AM PST

Scientists have published laboratory data refuting studies that suggest blood vessels that form within brain cancers are largely made up of cancer cells. The theory of cancer-based blood vessels calls into question the use and value of anticancer drugs that target these blood vessels, including bevacizumab (Avastin).

Scientists map new mechanism in brain's barrier tissue

Posted: 08 Mar 2012 04:10 AM PST

Researchers have documented a previously unknown biological mechanism in the brain's most important line of defense: the blood-brain barrier. Scientists now know that the barrier helps maintain a delicate balance of glutamate, a vital signal compound in the brain.

Combination treatments benefits melanoma patient

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:51 PM PST

Scientists have shown that combining targeted radiation therapy with immunotherapy (ipilimumab), fostered a strong immune response and a favorable clinical outcome in a patient with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. The size of both the tumor that was treated with radiation and distant tumors in the patient were reduced.

Rare medical phenomenon of systemic tumor disappearance following local radiation treatment reported in a patient with metastatic melanoma

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 03:47 PM PST

A rarely seen phenomenon in cancer patients — in which focused radiation to the site of one tumor is associated with the disappearance of metastatic tumors all over the body — has been reported in a patient with melanoma treated with the immunotherapeutic agent ipilimumab (Yervoy™). Researchers have now shared their findings in a unique single-patient study, which could help shed light on the immune system's role in fighting cancer.

Glaucoma as neurologic disorder rather than eye disease?

Posted: 07 Mar 2012 06:46 AM PST

A new paradigm to explain glaucoma is generating brain-based treatment advances. A review article says that some top researchers no longer consider glaucoma solely an eye disease, but rather a neurologic disorder with some similarities to Parkinson disease and Alzheimer's.

Removing molecule speeds relief from depression

Posted: 06 Mar 2012 03:11 PM PST

Getting rid of a protein increases the birth of new nerve cells and shortens the time it takes for antidepressants to take effect, according to a new animal study. The protein, neurofibromin 1, normally helps prevent uncontrolled cell growth. The findings suggest therapeutic strategies aimed at stimulating new nerve cell birth may help treat depression better than current antidepressants that commonly take several weeks to reach full efficacy.

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