6
POPSWorld First: Brain Tissues from Stem Cells
continues: "In regenerative therapy, only a limited number of diseases can be cured with simple cell transplants. Transplanting tissues could raise hopes for greater functional recovery," the institute said in a statement. "Cultivated tissues are still insufficient and too small to be used to treat stroke patients. But study of in-vitro cultivation of more mature cortex tissues, such as those with six zones like in the adult human brain, will be stepped up," it said. The tissues could also serve as "a mini organ" for use in studying the cause of the Alzheimer's disease and developing vaccines, it said. Embryonic stem cells are harvested by destroying a viable embryo, a process that some people find unacceptable. Riken said cortex tissues were also obtained from "induced pluripotent stem cells," which are similar to embryonic stem cells but artificially induced, typically from adult cells such as skin cells. The research was led by Yoshiki Sasai at Riken Centre for Devel
31
POPSDo we get wiser with age? "Is age a prerequisite for wisdom, though? We all know a few elderly people who lack wisdom, while we may know few young people that have wisdom in spades. People certainly aren't always at peak brainpower in old age; after all, when wrinkles begin appearing on the face, it usually means that wrinkles have started disappearing on the brain. The brain shrinks slightly with age, and aging leads to a normal decline in cognitive function that may eventually bloom into dementias such as Alzheimer's disease".
15
POPSPalin and the fruit fly or just plain ignorance
One might have thought that Sarah Palin would take a more active interest in one aspect of scientific research. Palin's youngest son has Down's syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by the presence of an extra chromosome 21. Although a geneticist by training, I am certainly no expert on the pathogenesis of this condition, nor the significance of Drosophila research into Down's syndrome. So, I typed "drosophila trisomy 21" into PubMed, the scholarly biomedical equivalent of Google. There were 109 results, the most recent published just the day before Palin's gaffe. The concluding sentence of that study — about the genetic cues that steer nerve fibres around during the growth of the fruit fly — suggests that the paper will "have implications for the pathogenesis of Down's syndrome". These two are drops in the ocean of fruit fly research that have clinical relevance. Down's syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, autism, diabetes, ageing research, cancers of all types
4
POPSThey Wanna Know "In exchange for the decoding of their DNA, participants agree to make it available to all — along with photographs, their disease histories, allergies, medications, ethnic backgrounds and a trove of other traits, called phenotypes, from food preferences to television viewing habits." The project has drawn criticism from scientists and bioethicists who caution that even its highly educated volunteers cannot understand the practical and psychological risks of disclosing information long regarded as quintessentially private."
8
POPSArtificial memory storage this is amazing. if it works it can be used not only for the sick, why not having an external hard drive to store memories, and new information, or to download some existing one, making space to newer? sounds intriguing, and yes it woulkd change human identity. But hey, why not?
3
POPSInternet Searching May Boost Brain Over 50's can celebrate something - those of us who battle against wrong learnings to understand and operate these machines. Your brains are on fire. Relax and enjoy.
10
POPS"Miracle Cure For Alzheimer's Disease?" continues: The new study documents a dramatic and unprecedented therapeutic effect in an Alzheimer's patient: improvement within minutes following delivery of perispinal etanercept, which is etanercept given by injection in the spine. Etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. Etanercept is FDA approved to treat a number of immune-mediated disorders and is used off label in the study. Griffin and Mark are pioneers in the field of neuroinflammation. Griffin published a landmark study in 1989 describing the association of cytokine overexpression in the brain and Alzheimer's disease. "It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention," said Griffin. "It is imperative that the medical and scientific communities immediately undertake to further investigate and characterize the physiologic mechanisms involved. This gives all of us in Alzheimer's research a tre
12
POPS Brain's Hub of Fear Found The results of the study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience and the Yerkes Center, are detailed in the October issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience. The genetically engineered virus was injected into the amygdala of the mice by Emory graduate student Kimberly Maguschak. The amygdala is a part of the brain thought to be important for forming memories of emotionally charged events. "We found that after beta-catenin is taken out, the mice can still learn to fear the shocks," Maguschak said. "But two days later, their fear doesn't seem to be retained because they spend half as much time freezing in response to the tone." So it appears that beta-catenin is turned on in the amygdala to help in signaling during the learning process, Maguschak said.
0
POPSPfizer and Medivation Enter Deal On Alzheimer's Pfizer will partner with the small biotech firm on dimebon, an experimental drug for Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease. But there is debate among investors over whether early, promising results from studies in Russia will translate into effectiveness in larger clinical trials. Pfizer will pay $225 up front and $500 million in bio-bucks. It will pay for 60% of development costs and get 60% of profits.
0
POPSNew Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease? In July 2003 some treatments for Alzheimer's treatments were brought to attention at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Alzheimer’s disease (ICAD 2008). Some of these treatments showed great potential.
29
POPSPotential Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Cure Found In Century-old Drug Also impressed is one of Dr. Atamna's co-authors, Bruce Ames, PhD, a senior scientist at Children's and world-renowned expert in nutrition and aging. "What we potentially have is a wonder drug." said Dr. Ames. "To find that such a common and inexpensive drug can be used to increase and prolong the quality of life by treating such serious diseases is truly exciting." Dr. Atamna's research is the first to show that low concentrations of the drug have the ability to slow cellular aging in cultured cells in the laboratory and in live mice. He believes methylene blue has the potential to become another commonplace low-cost treatment like aspirin, prescribed as a blood thinner for people with heart disorders.
3
POPSJoggers outpace an early grave As they say "Use it or lose it" The study finds that regular exercise is the key. There doesn't seem to be any 'magic formula' (despite what they say on late night TV...or spam) except that the exercise be vigorous. That can be relative -walking is more vigorous than sitting down, but what can be described as vigorous escalates as fitness improves. Not just a matter of deciding to do 20 sit ups for example (it helps to start with an anchor) which can be an aim, but seem impossible. Start with what CAN be done, no matter the amount, and set targets. It also helps to monitor heart rate, as this can be a critical fitness measure. Everyone has their individual optimum heart rate, depending on fitness, age, and health.
1
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update