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More MS sufferers to get funded treatment

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Pharmac is hailing its new funding deal for treating multiple sclerosis as the most significant change since the government agency started funding MS treatments 15 years ago. Pharmac estimates that New Zealand's 600 or so MS sufferers who receive funded treatment will grow by about 400 in coming years, with the change in criteria and improved choice of treatments. It funds treatment for a particular type of the neurological disease - relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. As well as funding two new medicines fingolimod (Gilenya) and natalizumab (Tysabri), Pharmac has also approved changes to the way MS treatments will be funded. From November 1 all treatments will be funded from first diagnosis. "Until now the beta interferons and glatiramer have been the only medicines funded for MS, and people have needed to show a level of disability before medicines were funded," Pharmac operations director Sarah Fitt said. "Evidence shows natalizumab and fingolimod are more effective than the currently funded MS treatments, and that they are most effective when used early in disease progression." She says the previously available beta interferons and glatiramer treatments will continue to be funded and also be available for people from first diagnosis. The MS funding changes are … Continue reading →

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Major step forward for multiple sclerosis treatment

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Funding for newer and more effective multiple sclerosis treatments has been approved by PHARMAC. About 600 people currently receive funded MS treatments. PHARMAC estimates this could grow by about 400 over the next few years, with the change in criteria and improved choice of treatments. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive neurological condition which leads to increasing levels of disability. Pharmaceutical treatments are funded for a particular type of MS, called relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. As well as funding two new medicines fingolimod (Gilenya) and natalizumab (Tysabri), PHARMAC has also approved changes to the way MS treatments will be funded. From 1 November all treatments will be funded from first diagnosis. Director of Operations Sarah Fitt says the changes are the most significant in more than 15 years, since MS treatments were first funded. "Until now the beta interferons and glatiramer have been the only medicines funded for MS, and people have needed to show a level of disability before medicines were funded. Evidence shows natalizumab and fingolimod are more effective than the currently funded MS treatments, and that they are most effective when used early in disease progression." she says. "So this decision really is a major step forward in … Continue reading →

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Embryonic Stem Cells Moot – Video

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Embryonic Stem Cells Moot http://www.arthritistreatmentcenter.com Ethical concerns about stem cells for arthritis are moot maybe Stem-cell advances may quell ethics debate Laura Unger writing for the Louisville... By: Nathan Wei … Continue reading →

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Neural stem cell overgrowth, autism-like behavior linked, mice study suggests

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

People with autism spectrum disorder often experience a period of accelerated brain growth after birth. No one knows why, or whether the change is linked to any specific behavioral changes. A new study by UCLA researchers demonstrates how, in pregnant mice, inflammation, a first line defense of the immune system, can trigger an excessive division of neural stem cells that can cause "overgrowth" in the offspring's brain. The paper appears Oct. 9 in the online edition of the journal Stem Cell Reports. "We have now shown that one way maternal inflammation could result in larger brains and, ultimately, autistic behavior, is through the activation of the neural stem cells that reside in the brain of all developing and adult mammals," said Dr. Harley Kornblum, the paper's senior author and a director of the Neural Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. In the study, the researchers mimicked environmental factors that could activate the immune system -- such as an infection or an autoimmune disorder -- by injecting a pregnant mouse with a very low dose of lipopolysaccharide, a toxin found in E. coli bacteria. The researchers discovered the toxin caused an excessive production of … Continue reading →

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Study Finds Link Between Neural Stem Cell Overgrowth and Autism-Like Behavior in Mice

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise People with autism spectrum disorder often experience a period of accelerated brain growth after birth. No one knows why, or whether the change is linked to any specific behavioral changes. A new study by UCLA researchers demonstrates how, in pregnant mice, inflammation, a first line defense of the immune system, can trigger an excessive division of neural stem cells that can cause overgrowth in the offsprings brain. The paper appears Oct. 9 in the online edition of the journal Stem Cell Reports. We have now shown that one way maternal inflammation could result in larger brains and, ultimately, autistic behavior, is through the activation of the neural stem cells that reside in the brain of all developing and adult mammals, said Dr. Harley Kornblum, the papers senior author and a director of the Neural Stem Cell Research Center at UCLAs Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. In the study, the researchers mimicked environmental factors that could activate the immune system such as an infection or an autoimmune disorder by injecting a pregnant mouse with a very low dose of lipopolysaccharide, a toxin found in E. coli bacteria. The researchers discovered the … Continue reading →

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Mountain Lions In Southern California Face Genetic Decay

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Image Caption: This female mountain lion, known as F52, was collared in the middle portion of the Santa Ana range. She later died near a busy highway of unknown causes. Credit: UC Davis Provided by University of California Davis Cut off by freeways and human development, mountain lions in southern California are facing a severe loss of genetic diversity, according to a new study led by the University of California, Davis in partnership with The Nature Conservancy. The study, published today in the journal PLOS ONE, represents the largest genetic sampling of mountain lions, or pumas, in southern California. It raises concerns about the current status of mountain lions in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica mountains, as well as the longer-term outlook for mountain lions across southern California. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine scientists collected and analyzed DNA samples from 354 mountain lions statewide, including 97 from southern California. Pumas in the Santa Ana Mountains displayed lower genetic diversity than those from nearly every other region in the state. Santa Ana mountain lions show dramatic genetic isolation and have less in common with their neighbors in the Santa Monica Mountains than with those in the Sierra Nevada, underscoring … Continue reading →

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Four UCLA Scientists Receive Prestigious Innovator Award for Pioneering Research Using Stem Cells

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Four scientists from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA have received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award that will forward revolutionary stem cell and neuro-science in medicine. The four UCLA researchers were among only 50 scientists nationwide to receive the New Innovator Award, the most of any institution represented. Each recipient received a $2.3M award for their respective projects. These included Dr. Reza Ardehali, assistant professor of cardiology, for his research investigating novel ways to use stem cells to regenerate heart tissue; Dr. Elissa Hallem, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, for her work studying interactions between animal parasites and their hosts to foster the further understanding of human parasitic diseases; Dr. Sririam Kosuri, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, for his project developing new biological system technologies to solve outstanding problems in gene regulation; and Dr. Lili Yang, assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, for her work developing a new method to track special immune cells for use in new cellular therapies. "These New Innovator Award grants are an important acknowledgement of our cutting-edge … Continue reading →

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Yuri Svidinenko Nanomedicine Medical Animation including Oncology – Video

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Yuri Svidinenko Nanomedicine Medical Animation including Oncology Yuri is a noted medical illustrator who specializes in NanoMedicine, and Oncology, and speaks about the way he visualizes, and creates his excellent animated illustrations of Nanomedince and ... By: John Bennett … Continue reading →

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Support Retina Australia – Video

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Support Retina Australia One in every 3000 children born will contract Retinitis Pigmentosa, the leading cause of youth blindness. Don Burke is a patron of Retina Australia. Help Do... By: BurkesBackyard … Continue reading →

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Bionic Eye Restores Partial Vision to Blind Man

Posted: Published on October 11th, 2014

Larry Hester and Paul Hahn, MD, prepare for the first test run with the new bionic eye. (Photo Credit: Shawn Rocco at Duke Medicine) People diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease are seeing a new future thanks to bionic eye technology. For decades, Larry Hester adjusted to life without vision after retinitis pigmentosa caused the photoreceptor cells in his eyes to gradually die off. But this week, Hesters sight was partially restored following surgery that transformed his eye into a bionic eye. Hes now the seventh person to undergo this FDA-approved procedure. Hester received the device in September, but he tested his bionic eye for the first time yesterday as captured in the video below: The device Hester uses to see is called the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis system, which the FDA approved for use in patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa last year. The disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States, and roughly 10,000 individuals vision has deteriorated to a level that makes them eligible for the procedure. The device uses a camera thats mounted on a pair of Rec-Spec-like glasses, which feeds visual data to a processor clipped on a belt. The processor converts visual data into … Continue reading →

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