Monthly Archives: January 2012

To: HEALTH, MEDICAL AND NATIONAL EDITORS After surgical success, patient gives back through raising awareness and money for epilepsy CHICAGO, Jan. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When reflecting back on the most significant day in their life, most people think of their wedding anniversary, or a birthday. For Howard Zwirn, however, January 16, 2004, is a much more important milestone - it's the day the seizures he had experienced for seven years stopped. "That day changed my life and my family's life," said Zwirn. "Since having brain surgery, I've been able to go about my days without constantly worrying when the next seizure might happen. I have my independence back and feel like myself again; for that I am forever grateful." Zwirn experienced his first seizure at the age of 28 while he was sleeping. His wife Jeannine recognized what was occurring and the couple sought help, which ultimately led them to the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Zwirn was diagnosed with mesial temporal sclerosis, a condition that was causing a type of focal epilepsy and resulting in seizures. Zwirn's seizures continued, taking a toll on his life. Unable to predict when a seizure might occur, he was no … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/72568a/blood_pressure_man) has announced the addition of the "Blood Pressure Management and Stroke: Visual Guide for Clinicians" book to their offering. In patients with a history of stroke or TIAs, blood pressure lowering markedly reduces the incidence of stroke recurrence. This guide provides a visual overview of the basic concepts clinicians managing patients with hypertension should understand about ischemic stroke. This includes an in-depth assessment of the relationship between treatment of hypertension and primary and secondary stroke prevention. This title will be a useful reference for doctors treating hypertension in hospital and primary care. Readership: Specialists in hypertension, nephrologists, general physicians, primary care doctors Benefits: Instructive exploration of diagnosis and management of disease to aid practising clinicians and trainee doctors Topic-focused, highly illustrated with succint text - provides collection of original images for clinician's desktop Enables doctors managing hypertensive patients at risk of stroke to define suitable management plan. Key Topics Covered: 1. Stroke basics Isaac Silverman, Marilyn Rymer 2. The Management of acute ischemic stroke and secondary stroke prevention Isaac Silverman, Marilyn Rymer 3. Hypertension as a risk factor for stroke Luis Ruilope Author: Isaac Silverman, Stroke Center, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, USA; Marilyn Rymer, Mid-America Brain … Continue reading →

30-01-2012 09:19 Website qdragon.info Shirts and Stuff http://www.zazzle.com My twitter twitter.com Like Brainstorm on Facebook http://www.facebook.com Technology News tinyurl.com Medical News tinyurl.com Biotechnology News tinyurl.com Hosted by http://www.youtube.com Contributors http://www.youtube.com http://www.youtube.com RNA Video http://www.youtube.com See more here: Damnit I'm A Doctor Not A TSA Agent (Brainstorm Ep43) - Video … Continue reading →

Saladax Biomedical said today that President and CEO Edward Erickson has resigned due to personal and family reasons, and that he will be replaced by Kevin Harter on an interim basis. Erickson will remain a member of the company's board of directors. Harter is a co-founder and senior VP of the Life Sciences Greenhouse, and he has served as executive chairman at Saladax. Helicos Biosciences has elected Bruce Ginsberg to its board of directors to review certain financing matters. Ginsberg is president and CEO of MooBella, a food service provider, and a member of the board of directors of Mac-Gray. Life Technologies VP of Research and Development Manohar Furtado has been appointed to serve as an advisor on the National Biodefense Science Board, a federal advisory committee for the Department of Health and Human Services. The board provides advice on bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Furtado was appointed to serve a four-year term on the board. Kevin Jarrell, CEO of Modular Genetics, also will continue to serve on the board. Here is the original post: Genetic Technologies Posts $1.6M in Revenues in Q2 … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Jan. 30, 2012) — Mouse skin cells can be converted directly into cells that become the three main parts of the nervous system, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is an extension of a previous study by the same group showing that mouse and human skin cells can be directly converted into functional neurons. The multiple successes of the direct conversion method could refute the idea that pluripotency (a term that describes the ability of stem cells to become nearly any cell in the body) is necessary for a cell to transform from one cell type to another. Together, the results raise the possibility that embryonic stem cell research and another technique called "induced pluripotency" could be supplanted by a more direct way of generating specific types of cells for therapy or research. This new study, published online Jan. 30 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is a substantial advance over the previous paper in that it transforms the skin cells into neural precursor cells, as opposed to neurons. While neural precursor cells can differentiate into neurons, they can also become the two other main cell types in the nervous … Continue reading →

Halfway through its initial ten-year mandate, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in San Francisco is confronting a topic familiar to anyone at middle age: its own mortality. The publicly funded institute, one of the world’s largest supporters of stem-cell research, was born from a state referendum in 2004. Endorsements from celebrities such as then-state governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the late actor Christopher Reeve, who had been paralysed by a spinal injury, helped to garner voter support for a public bond to underwrite the institute. But with half of the US$3 billion that it received from the state now spent and the rest expected to run out by 2021, CIRM is now actively planning for a future that may not include any further state support. “It would be premature to even consider another bond measure at this time,” wrote Jonathan Thomas, CIRM’s chairman, in a draft of a transition plan requested by the state legislature. Thomas outlined the plan on 24 January at a public hearing held in San Francisco by the US Institute of Medicine, which CIRM has asked to review its operations. Given that California is facing severe budget shortfalls, several billion dollars more for stem-cell science may … Continue reading →