WASHINGTON -- A phase I clinical trial examining the safety of combining temsirolimus and capecitabine in advanced malignancies suggests the two agents can be given safely to patients. In addition, the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers conducting the study in cancer patients whose tumors have resisted multiple treatments say the combination demonstrates "promising evidence" of disease control and should be studied in a phase II trial. Their clinical findings and additional data from the study will be presented at the American Society of Clinical ...

VIDEO: This is a video showing and discussing results published in Nature from the BrainGate2 pilot clinical trial. Click here for more information. [Providence, R.I.] -- On April 12, 2011, nearly fifteen years after she became paralyzed and unable to speak, a woman controlled a robotic arm by thinking about moving her arm and hand to lift a bottle of coffee to her mouth and take a drink. That achievement is one of the advances in brain-computer interfaces restorative neurotechnology ...

Fotobabble, a leader in social media marketing solutions, announced the release of Fotobabble for Websites today, a new application that for the first time lets an organization run photo and audio-driven campaigns and promotions directly from any website. With Fotobabble for Websites brands and businesses can increase web traffic and audience engagement through the visual impact of photos, the emotion of voice and the power of social media. Everloop.com, the leading online social site for kids and tweens, selected Fotobabble for Websites to power its INSPIRE contest ...

In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own – for the first time in nearly 15 years – by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system. This is a type of brain-computer interface (BCI) intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control. A report published today in Nature describes how two individuals – both ...

Centaurus A, also known as NGC 5128 [1], is a peculiar massive elliptical galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its heart. It lies about 12 million light-years away in the southern constellation of Centaurus (The Centaur) and has the distinction of being the most prominent radio galaxy in the sky. Astronomers think that the bright nucleus, strong radio emission and jet features of Centaurus A are produced by a central black hole with a mass of about 100 million times that of the Sun. Matter from the dense central parts of the galaxy releases vast amounts of energy as ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, both manmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere's low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere, new research by a team of scientists shows. While stratospheric ozone depletion has already been shown to be the primary driver of the expansion of the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere, the researchers are the first to report that black carbon and tropospheric ozone are the most likely primary drivers of the tropical ...

In a study published today in Nature, researchers describe nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer. This takes the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40. The team examined all the genes in the genomes of 100 cases of breast cancer. The mutated cancer-causing genes were different in different cancer samples, indicating that breast cancer is genetically very diverse. Understanding the consequences of this diversity will be important in progressing towards more rational treatment. Changes to DNA lie behind all cases of cancer. ...

SEATTLE – A study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that a next-generation, high-speed DNA-decoding technology called high-throughput sequencing can detect the earliest signs of potential relapse in nearly twice the number of leukemia patients as compared to flow cytometry, the current gold standard for detecting minimal residual disease. The results of the study, led by Hutchinson Center computational biologist Harlan Robins, Ph.D., are reported in the May 16 issue of Science Translational Medicine. "The ability to predict disease ...

While the mobile community continues to grow, Dr. Hahn, dentist in Kentwood, MI, is happy to offer an advanced mobile website to better meet the needs of patients who are constantly on the go. Today, in a technologically advanced society, more and more people are utilizing their smart phones and tablet devices for their daily needs. From ordering food to looking up important information, patients use their smart phones and tablet devices on a daily basis. By offering a mobile website, Dr. Hahn, dentist in Kentwood, enhances his patients' ability to receive important ...

Common variants of the ApoE gene are strongly associated with the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but the gene's role in the disease has been unclear. Now, researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that in mice, having the most risky variant of ApoE damages the blood vessels that feed the brain. The researchers found that the high-risk variant, ApoE4, triggers an inflammatory reaction that weakens the blood-brain barrier, a network of cells and other components that lines brain's brain vessels. Normally, this barrier allows ...

Dr. Greg Herzler, Saginaw Township dentist, appreciates his patients' feedback about his practice. By leaving reviews, patients help Dr. Herzler to improve his practice to better serve his patients. Patients can visit the practice's website for instant access to available links to leave their feedback on the review site of their choice. "I always look forward to hearing from my patients about their experience with my office. By leaving reviews, my patients allow me to constantly improve my practice and the way we serve our patients. I hope to continue to provide ...

The movement patterns of critically endangered leatherback turtles vary greatly depending on whether the animals live in the North Atlantic or the Eastern Pacific, with implications for feeding behavior and population recovery, according to research published May 16 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The authors, led by Helen Bailey of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, found that turtles in the Atlantic had two travel modes, low and high speed, associated with foraging and transit, respectively. The Pacific turtles, on the other hand, only ...

Multidrug-resistant pathogens are becoming more frequent, and the few "last resort" treatments available for infections with these bacteria have also shown an increase in use in recent years, according to a study published May 16 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. The authors, led by Makoto Jones of the Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System, investigated the use of two such antibiotics, polymyxins and tigecycline, in 127 Veterans Affairs medical centers between 2005 and 2010. They found that the overall use of these treatments was quite low, but that it ...

Leading dentist in Flushing and Flint, MI, Dr. Scott Pelok, is pleased to introduce the practice's newest piece of dental technology- the Galileos 3D cone beam scanner. The new dental diagnostic system is helping the practice continue to bring patients the most efficient, comfortable and effective dentistry possible. The new Galileos 3D diagnostic system allows Dr. Pelok and his team to create a precise 3D image of a patient's entire jaw in a matter of seconds- in significantly less time than traditional x-rays. The Galileos advanced technology allows patients to be ...

In 1848, railroad worker Phineas Gage survived a severe brain injury when a tamping rod shot through his skull, resulting in significant behavioral changes. In a new study, reported May 16 in the open access journal PLoS ONE, researchers have used CT images of his skull in conjunction with MRI and connectomic brain imaging data of living subjects to reconstruct the injury and investigate which regions of the brain were affected to result in the behavioral changes. The research team, led by John Van Horn of University of California Los Angeles, found that considerable ...

DURHAM, N.C. – What can a fish tell us about human brain development? Researchers at Duke University Medical Center transplanted a set of human genes into a zebrafish and then used it to identify genes responsible for head size at birth. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center transplanted a set of human genes into a zebrafish and then used it to identify genes responsible for head size at birth. Head size in human babies is a feature that is related to autism, a condition that recent figures have shown to be more common than previously reported, 1 in 88 children ...

Boston, MA ─ A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that a simple checklist-based childbirth safety program dramatically improved adherence to essential childbirth care practices at a pilot hospital in south India. Of 29 practices measured, 28 were improved after adoption of the checklist and overall adherence to essential practices was 150% better after the checklist was introduced. "This is a significant step forward because it provides hope that use of this simple, low-cost tool can help birth attendants ...

PHILADELPHIA – A team from the Perelman School of Medicine and the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania found that the FDA-approved drug daclizumab improved the survival of breast cancer patients taking a cancer vaccine by 30 percent, compared to those patients not taking daclizumab. This proof-of-concept study is published this week in Science Translational Medicine. Senior authors of the study are Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPhil, associate professor of Medicine, and James Riley, PhD, associate professor of Microbiology. The team ...

With two convenient office locations, Dr. Ed Davis, San Antonio podiatrist, offers exceptional foot and ankle health care for his patients from surrounding communities. To further expand on his treatment and care offered at both locations, Dr. Davis also provides patients with an advanced website that is home to a wealth of valuable podiatric educational tools. "I want my patients to fully understand the importance of their foot and ankle health care and offering valuable educational tools on my website help me to do just that. We are always on our feet, but we ...

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. "A generation ago it served useful purposes, but now it needs clear alterations," says Paul R. McHugh, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and co-author of the paper with Phillip R. Slavney, ...

MINNEAPOLIS – 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. The study involved college athletes at three Division I schools and compared 214 athletes in contact sports to 45 athletes in non-contact sports such as track, crew and Nordic skiing at the beginning and at the end of their seasons. The contact sport athletes ...

With five convenient office locations, Drs. Gary Grippo and Sean Lazarus, Branford podiatrists, of Center Podiatry, Advanced FootCare Center strive to continue to provide their patients with advanced communication efforts. In order to do so, Drs. Grippo and Lazarus are happy to announce the launch of their new social network - Facebook and Twitter. "We are committed to providing our patients with safe, comfortable and convenient podiatric health care. In order to do so we currently have five office locations for our patients to easily visit. In addition to our ...

LGL leukemia is a relatively rare, malignant blood disease of the mature T-cells and, in many cases, it is related to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. The pathogenetic mechanism of the disease has been unknown and it has previously been unclear if the disease is an overreaction of the normal defense system or a malignant hematological disease. One of the key symptoms of LGL disease is a low count of white blood cells (neutrophils), which may predispose the patients to life-threatening infections. It was discovered that patients suffering from LGL leukemia ...

Palliative care for cancer patients in the UK is well established – but the situation is starkly different for those suffering from heart failure. A recent service evaluation led by the University of Hull and Hull York Medical School (HYMS) shows this doesn't have to be the case – particularly if clinicians have the courage to talk about death with their patients. The study – published today (May 17) in the British Journal of Cardiology – describes data from two areas in Yorkshire where palliative care and heart failure services are fully integrated – Bradford & Airedale ...

Since graduating dental school in 1991, Dr. Paresh Naran, Raleigh dentist, has completed over 800 continuing education credits. By completing extensive continuing education hours, Dr. Naran helps to ensure his patients are receiving the most up-to-date dental care possible. "With dentistry constantly advancing with new procedures and technology, it is important that I remain up-to-date with these changes. In order to do so, I maintain continuing education courses each year, and have been doing so since I graduated from dental school," said Dr. Paresh Naran, ...