Published December 10, 2014 A new study on gene expression in brains affected by autism revealed a shared pattern of ramped-up immune responses that researchers say may lead to possible treatment options for some symptoms of the developmental disorder. Researchers from John Hopkins and the University of Alabama at Birmingham analyzed data collected from 72 autopsied autism and control brains. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, focused on samples from two different tissue banks and compared the gene expressions in people with autism to that in controls without the condition. The study used the largest data set so far in a study of gene expression in autism. Dr. Dan Arking, associated professor in the McKusick-Nathans Institute for Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said that previous studies of whether and how much genes were being used in brains with autism involved too little data to draw conclusions. Arking said the scarcity of data was because gene expression testing can only be performed on the specific tissue. Earlier studies pinpointed autism-associated abnormalities in cells that support neurons in the brain and spinal cord, but in this study Arkings said the team was able to target a … Continue reading →

Google and an autism research group have launched a new program to help scientists study autism and come up with new treatment options. The group is Autism Speaks, an organization founded by Suzanne and Bob Wright after one of their grandchildren was diagnosed with autism. Bob Wright is the former vice chairman of General Electric and former CEO of NBC and NBC Universal. Autism Speaks has teamed up with Google for a project called MSSNG to create the worlds largest database of genetic information on people with autism. The director of MSSNG is a famous geneticist, Stephen Scherer. Google has actually been working with Autism Speaks on this project since the summer. The news on Tuesday is that the database will now be freely shared to other scientists. The project aims to sequence the whole genomes of more than 10,000 individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks describes the project like this: Valued at $50 million, MSSNG aims to sequence and analyze the whole genomes of 10,000 individuals in families affected by autism an unprecedented undertaking that will provide the global autism research community with a platform to answer some of the most vexing questions about the disorder. ... … Continue reading →

New York, N.Y. (PRWEB) December 09, 2014 Autism Speaks, the worlds leading autism science and advocacy organization, today launched MSSNG, a new awareness campaign to support the development of the worlds largest database of sequenced genomic information on people with autism spectrum disorder and their family members. Autism Speaks is collaborating with Google to store sequenced data from MSSNG on the Google Cloud Platform, providing an open resource for scientists worldwide to access and share autism research. MSSNG is a significant milestone in advancing genomic research of autism and could lead to breakthroughs into the causes, subtypes and better diagnosis and treatment for the disorder. Valued at $50 million, MSSNG aims to sequence and analyze the whole genomes of 10,000 individuals in families affected by autism an unprecedented undertaking that will provide the global autism research community with a platform to answer some of the most vexing questions about the disorder. The name MSSNG (pronounced missing the vowels are omitted to represent the missing pieces of the autism puzzle that researchers hope to find) is symbolic of the questions or missing information about autism and its causes. The campaign will enable discoveries in genomics research that advance medical care and … Continue reading →

Previously known as The Autism Speaks Ten Thousand Genomes Program (AUT10K), MSSNG is the newest endeavor to create the worlds largest database of sequenced genomic information with the help of the Google Cloud Platform. Announced today, this collaboration will allow worldwide access to autism research for scientists. Part of the campaign includes really incredible images of crystalized DNA: This collaboration could lead to breakthroughs into causes, sub-types and better treatment and diagnosis. MSSNG aims to sequence and analyze the whole genomes of 10,000 individuals in families affected by autism an unprecedented undertaking that will provide the global autism research community with a platform to answer some of the most vexing questions about the disorder. Pronounced missing, the name has vowels deliberately omitted to represent the missing pieces of the autism puzzle. It is symbolic of the missing information about autism that the project is designed to find. The campaign will enable discoveries that promise advances in medical care and quality-of-life for those struggling with autism and their families. World-renowned geneticist Stephen Scherer serves as director of MSSNG. Dr. Scherer established the Database of Genomic Variants, the worlds first and most-used database of copy number variants (CNVs), which physicians and medical … Continue reading →

Acupuncture Stroke Treatment on Lower Leg Stroke treatment lower leg. By: Bob Wong … Continue reading →

The majority of patients who survive a stroke usually continue to suffer from permanent motor disorders (hemiparesis) or a linguistic handicap (aphasia). A study of the Department of Neurology of CHU Dinant Godinne -- UCL Namur, reveals an improvement in the efficiency of the brain activity when patients receive a treatment combining motor revalidation with non-invasive brain stimulation. Demonstrated via the technique of functional MRI, these promising results are currently published in Brain, the British scientific journal dedicated to neurology. Neuro-rehabilitation (physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc.) helps hemaparetic stroke patients confronted with loss of motor skills on one side of their body, to recover some of their motor functions after a cerebrovascular accident. One of the most promising tracks in neuro-rehabilitation consists in amplifying the motor learning ability after a stroke, in other words how to learn (again) how to make movements with the parts of the human body impacted after a stroke. Pilot studies have shown at this matter that tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) -- a non-invasive and painless cerebral stimulation method -- allowed to modulate the cerebral activity and to increase the motor performances of patients who have been victim of stroke. This method consists of applying … Continue reading →

Last updated at 11:37, Tuesday, 09 December 2014 STROKE victims in Furness are not receiving optimal care, latest figures reveal. Furness General Hospital has been awarded an E rating the lowest possible for its stroke care service in a specialised national scoring system from the Royal College of Physicians. The data known as the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme shows greater access to a range of specialised help at the site could boost the number of people who go on to make a full recovery. But George Nasmyth, medical director of the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, the body that runs both FGH and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, said outcomes for stroke sufferers across South Cumbria were good but that improvements could be made to the process itself. He said: We have made enormous progress in our stroke services, leading to us being rated among the best in the North West by an independent healthcare quality organisation. Those ratings focused on the outcomes for patients, but these national audit figures highlight the fact that we still have more to do in terms of the process. The data used to calculate FGHs overall rating relates to stroke patients being … Continue reading →