Sandiego Health Directory

Children with Cancer Have Complete Responses in a COG Phase 1 Trial

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, as well as in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma.

Researchers Map Damaged Connections in Phineas Gage’s Brain

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

In 1848, Phineas Gage survived an accident that drove an iron rod through his head. UCLA researchers, for the first time, used images of Gage’s skull combined with modern-day brain images to suggest there was extensive damage to the white matter “pathways” that connected various regions of his brain.

Biologists Produce Potential Malarial Vaccine from Algae

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

Biologists at the University of California, San Diego have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria, an achievement that could pave the way for the development of an inexpensive way to protect billions of people from one of the world’s most prevalent and debilitating diseases. Initial proof-of-principle experiments suggest that such a vaccine could prevent malaria transmission.

Johns Hopkins Experts Say Psychiatry’s Diagnostic Manual Needs Overhaul

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), long the master reference work in psychiatry, is seriously flawed and needs radical change from its current “field guide” form, according to an essay by two Johns Hopkins psychiatrists published in the May 17 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Collaborative Study Looks for Clues on Hard-to-Treat Breast Cancer

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:35 +0000

Treatment for a type of breast cancer more common in young and black women has limited therapy options. Called triple negative breast cancer, this type of cancer is the focus of a 20-month, $8.6-million research project that aims to find new diagnostic tools and options for drugs.

Surgeons Successfully Restore Partial Hand Function Using Peripheral Nerve Transfer Following Patient’s Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

A plastic surgeon and neurosurgeon have successfully utilized peripheral nerve transfer to bypass a cervical spinal cord injury and restore partial function in both hands to a quadriplegic patient.

Study Finds Head Impacts in Contact Sports May Reduce Learning in College Athletes

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

A new study suggests that head impacts experienced during contact sports such as football and hockey may worsen some college athletes’ ability to acquire new information. The research is published in the May 16, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Katrina Refugee Fills a Promise to Thrive

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

Penn Ross Jackson survived a brain tumor, living on the streets and Hurricane Katrina all before he turned 16. On Saturday, he becomes the first in his family to graduate from a four-year college.

Smartphones Can Help the Visually Impaired, but Many Doctors Aren’t Recommending Them

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

iPhones and other smartphones can be a huge help to the visually impaired, but only 15 percent of vision doctors are recommending them to patients, according to a study presented at the 2012 ARVO Annual Meeting.

Early Substance Use Linked to Lower Educational Achievement

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 02:32:34 +0000

Researchers have found evidence that early drug and alcohol use is associated with lower levels of educational achievement. They found that people who began drinking or using drugs as young teens or who became substance dependent were less likely to … Continue reading →