August 6, 2012 Scientists at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes have discovered that an FDA-approved anti-epileptic drug reverses memory loss and alleviates other Alzheimers-related impairments in an animal model of the disease. Lennart Mucke, MD 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 Alzheimers 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 published their findings online Monday 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. Alzheimers 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 Alzheimers worldwide, we have no effective drug to prevent or reverse memory loss the hallmark symptom of this ultimately fatal disease, said Mucke, who is also a professor of neurology and neuroscience at the University of California, San … Continue reading →

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Joan Fallon, founder and CEO of Curemark, a Rye, New York-based drug research and development company focused on the treatment of Autism and neurological diseases, today announced that the company has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commence direct enrollment of children 9-12 years of age into its open-label extension study of CM-AT for children with Autism. A limited cohort of children and sites will be involved in this direct enrollment. In December 2011, Curemark reported that its Phase III double-blind randomized placebo-controlled multicenter clinical trial of CM-AT for Autism met its primary and secondary endpoints. The trial compared CM-AT to placebo in children with Autism 3-8 years of age. Top line results demonstrate a statistically significant effect of CM-AT over placebo on both the core and non-core symptoms of Autism. Dr. Fallon stated, "We are thrilled to be allowed to directly enroll these older children into our ongoing open-label extension study." She continued, "Enrolling children 9-12 years-of-age with Autism who may potentially benefit from this therapeutic treatment in our trial is extremely important." The FDA has placed CM-AT into the Fast Track program which facilitates the development … Continue reading →

Public release date: 6-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Jim Ritter jritter@lumc.edu 708-216-2445 Loyola University Health System MAYWOOD, Il. -- When a patient undergoes a cardiac catheterization procedure such as a balloon angioplasty, there's a slight risk of a stroke or other neurological complication. While the risk is extremely small, neurologists nevertheless may expect to see catheterization-induced complications because so many procedures are performed, Loyola neurologists write in the journal MedLink Neurology. Cardiac catheterizations include diagnostic angiograms, balloon angioplasties and stent placements. More than 1.4 million procedures are successfully performed each year. Cardiac catheterizations, like all medical treatments, carry some degree of risk. But because the risk is low, neurologists rarely see patients who experience neurological complications. The purpose of the MedLink article is to raise awareness of the risks and to list treatment options for when complications do occur. The procedure involves inserting a catheter (thin tube) in the groin or arm and guiding it to the heart. In rare cases, debris can be knocked loose from blood vessel walls, travel to the brain and trigger a stroke or transient ischemic attack (mini stroke). Tiny bubbles released from the catheter also can trigger a stroke or transient … Continue reading →

EXTON, Pa., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --ViroPharma Incorporated (VPHM) today announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplement to the Cinryze Biologics License Application (BLA) for industrial scale manufacturing changes. As previously announced, the company expects completion of labeling for previously produced vials to take approximately six weeks before entering into the trade. The company also announced that it expects to release its financial results for the second quarter of 2012 on Thursday, August 9, 2012 before the open of the U.S. financial markets. The company will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on the same day. During the conference call, ViroPharma management will discuss the 2012 second quarter financial results and other business. The press release and the live webcast of the conference call will be accessible via ViroPharma's corporate website at http://www.viropharma.com. An audio archive will be available at the same address until August 20, 2012. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 874-4559 (domestic) and (302) 607-2019 (international). After placing the call, please tell the operator you wish to join the ViroPharma investor conference call. "We believe the approval of our supplement for industrial … Continue reading →

Newswise August 6, 2012 (Bronx, NY) A new genetic analysis focusing on Jews from North Africa has provided an overall genetic map of the Jewish Diasporas. The findings support the historical record of Middle Eastern Jews settling in North Africa during Classical Antiquity, proselytizing and marrying local populations, and, in the process, forming distinct populations that stayed largely intact for more than 2,000 years. The study, led by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, was published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Our new findings define North African Jews, complete the overall population structure for the various groups of the Jewish Diaspora, and enhance the case for a biological basis for Jewishness, said study leader Harry Ostrer, M.D., professor of pathology, of genetics and of pediatrics at Einstein and director of genetic and genomic testing for the division of clinical pathology at Montefiore Medical Center. Dr. Ostrer noted that obtaining a comprehensive genetic fingerprint of various Jewish subpopulations can help reveal genetic links to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other common diseases. In a previous genetic analysis, the researchers showed that modern-day Sephardic (Greek and Turkish), Ashkenazi (Eastern European) and Mizrahi … Continue reading →

The share price of Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR) is soaring on the TASE, after the company announced that its placental stem cell therapy, Placental eXpanded (PLX), saved the life of a 54-year old Israeli woman suffering from terminal bone marrow failure. This was the second successful treatment of a patient with bone marrow failure in three months, under compassionate use protocols. The PLX therapy was administered at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem. The patient, who was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer, failed to respond to chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. Intermuscular injection of PLX cells improved the woman's clinical condition and blood count, and she was released from the isolation unit and subsequently discharged from the hospital. "This is a real breakthrough - the woman was in isolation due to low white blood cells and high susceptibility to infections and in addition her red blood cells and platelets were low, leading to a very dangerous and life-threatening situation," said Professor Reuven Or, Director of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunology at Hadassah. "Further, autologous bone marrow transplantation that she received engrafted poorly, and as a last resort, we applied for a compassionate treatment using Pluristem's PLX cells based … Continue reading →

Emma, a snow-white German shepherd, has been plagued with arthritis for two years, limping and sometimes crying out in pain. But an innovative new procedure using her own stem cells has helped, her veterinarian and owner say. "Her joint mobility has improved. I can move her elbows into a flexed position now," said Kristina Hansson, a veterinarian with San Rafael's Northbay Animal Hospital. Hansson injected Emma's own stem cells into 10 of her joints three months ago in a yet-unproven procedure that cost about $2,000, promoted by MediVet America, a Kentucky company. "We're very pleased," said Arthur Latno of San Rafael, owner of the 9-year-old, 80-pound dog. "She doesn't limp any more and she doesn't cry." Latno He is apparently one of the first Marin pet owners to do so. Though there are some practitioners in Marin who use stem cell therapy, it is not yet widespread, according to Andrew Lie, a veterinarian at the East San Rafael Veterinary Clinic and president of the Marin County Veterinary Medical Association. Lie himself doesn't use the therapy. "Personally, I think I would wait to see more research and studies come out. I think it's a little early "This (the stem cell procedure) … Continue reading →

Pluristem Therapeutics said another patient suffering from bone marrow failure was saved using its placenta-based stem cell treatment. This is the second time in three months that a patient suffering from bone marrow failure was successfully treated with its PLX cells, the Israeli company said on Monday. The patient, a 54 year-old woman with lymphoma cancer, was treated with chemotherapy but her condition continued to deteriorate, necessitating a bone marrow transplant. The transplant, as well as alternate therapies, were not successful. Pluristem's PLX cells were then administered to the patient at Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center under the Israeli government's compassionate use program. Following the injection of the PLX cells intramuscularly, the woman's clinical condition and blood counts improved to the point where the patient was released from the isolation unit and subsequently discharged from the hospital. "This is a real breakthrough - the woman was in isolation due to low white blood cells and high susceptibility to infections and in addition her red blood cells and platelets were low, leading to a very dangerous and life-threatening situation," Reuven Or, director of bone marrow transplantation and cancer immunology at Hadassah, said in a statement. "The treatment with PLX has saved her … Continue reading →