Stem-cell research is benefiting at least one living creature in Marin County, who would otherwise be living in excruciating athritic pain. Emma -- the snow-white German shepherd. Vets at the Northbay Animal Hospital injected the dog with stem cells into 10 of her joints, according to the Marin Independent Journal. The $2,000 treatment has given the 9-year old, 80-pound dog a new lease on live, her owners say. "She doesn't limp any more," said owner Arthur Latno, in comments to the newspaper, "and she doesn't cry." Latno is "one of the first" Marin pet owners to try the cutting-edge treatment, which not every vet is willing to endorse, the newspaper reported. "This (the stem cell procedure) is incredibly promising, but on the other hand there is a lot of homework that needs to be done to determine whether these are valid therapeutic measures," John Peroni, an associate professor at the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and chairman of the North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association told the newspaper. More studies, like the ones Peroni as well as counterparts at UC Davis are conducting, are neeed, he said. Read the rest here: Marin Dog Receives Relief From Stem Cell … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Aug. 6, 2012) Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that an FDA-approved anti-epileptic drug reverses memory loss and alleviates other Alzheimer's-related impairments in an animal model of the disease. Scientists in the laboratory of Lennart Mucke, MD, who directs neurological research at Gladstone, conducted the research on mice genetically modified to simulate key aspects of Alzheimer's disease. In the study, they show how levetiracetam -- a drug commonly prescribed for patients who suffer from epilepsy -- suppresses abnormal brain activity and restores memory function in these mice. They are publishing their findings online August 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The news comes at a critical time of renewed focus on this most prevalent of neurodegenerative diseases -- and amid a dearth of medications that prevent, halt or reverse the increasingly common condition. Alzheimer's afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alone -- a figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. "For the millions of people suffering from Alzheimer's worldwide, we have no effective drug to prevent or reverse memory loss -- the hallmark symptom of this ultimately fatal disease," said Dr. Mucke, who is also a professor of neurology and neuroscience at … Continue reading →

You are here : Bernama News August 07, 2012 12:10 PM Israeli Hospital Announces Groundbreaking Epilepsy Treatment JERUSALEM, Aug 7 (Bernama) -- A medical team at Tel Aviv's Sourasky Medical Centre recently performed an unprecedented cranial procedure to battle hard-to-medicate epileptic fits, local media said Monday. "It is a new treatment for patients who suffer from severe epilepsy that does not respond to medications," Prof. Itzhak Fried, who performed the operation, said while announcing the procedure on Sunday. The Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) technique stimulates neurons in the brain in order to halt epilepsy attacks from occurring in the first place, Xinhua news agency reported. The electrodes are inserted through a small opening in the skull and implanted on two sides of the brain. Electrical activity from the cells in a specific nucleus is then measured. About 1 percent of the population in Israel suffers from epilepsy and nearly a third of the patients' seizures do not respond well to medications. So far, results have shown the operation is a success. The DBS technique was developed by the Swiss-based Medtronic Company. -- BERAMA Read the original here: Israeli Hospital Announces Groundbreaking Epilepsy Treatment … Continue reading →

Candy Chan and Lorraine Ho Tuesday, August 07, 2012 Sleep problems and autism often run hand-in-hand in children, a pediatrics specialist claims. "We found that the worse the disorder of autism, the worse the sleep disturbance. These children also had less deep sleep [or rapid eye movement]," said Sylvia Doo, who heads the Child Development and Assessment Centre at the private St Paul's Hospital in Causeway Bay. Research conducted by Doo in 2006 revealed nearly 70percent of parents reported their autistic children had sleep problems. The research, involving 193 patients, with the average age of three, found the most common problem was that an autistic child refused to sleep at bedtime. Launched on June 1, the center aims to promote parenting skills to help children with all sorts of behavioral problems. Doo said it is a "relatively new" center in that it provides a one-stop service from assessment to treatment. Many parents suffer after a stressful day with youngsters who have to be given occupational and other forms of therapy. "A lack of a good night's sleep can affect not only the child, but everyone in his or her family," Doo said. Link: Autism expert reveals link with kids' sleep … Continue reading →

Public release date: 6-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Diane Schrick diane.schrick@gladstone.ucsf.edu 415-734-2538 Gladstone Institutes SAN FRANCISCO, CAAugust 6, 2012 Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that an FDA-approved anti-epileptic drug reverses memory loss and alleviates other Alzheimer's-related impairments in an animal model of the disease. Scientists in the laboratory of Lennart Mucke, MD, who directs neurological research at Gladstone, conducted the research on mice genetically modified to simulate key aspects of Alzheimer's disease. In the study, they show how levetiracetama drug commonly prescribed for patients who suffer from epilepsysuppresses abnormal brain activity and restores memory function in these mice. They are publishing their findings online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The news comes at a critical time of renewed focus on this most prevalent of neurodegenerative diseasesand amid a dearth of medications that prevent, halt or reverse the increasingly common condition. Alzheimer's afflicts 5.4 million people in the United States alonea figure expected to nearly triple by 2050. "For the millions of people suffering from Alzheimer's worldwide, we have no effective drug to prevent or reverse memory lossthe hallmark symptom of this ultimately fatal disease," said Dr. Mucke, who is also … Continue reading →