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Saint Louis University scientists have identified a novel way of getting a potential therapy for Alzheimer's disease and stroke into the brain where it can do its work. "We found a unique approach for delivering drugs to the brain," says William A. Banks, M.D., professor of geriatrics and pharmacological and physiological science at Saint Louis University. "We're turning off the guardian that's keeping the drugs out of the brain"........

In a new study, scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the Universit de Montral have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons). Up until now, very little was known about myelin maintenance. This new information provides vital insight into diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other progressive demyelinating diseases in which myelin is destroyed, causing irreversible damage and disrupting the nerve cells' ability to transmit messages. The research, published recently in the Journal of Neuroscience, is the first to identify a role for the protein netrin-1, previously characterized only in the developing nervous system, with this critical function in the adult nervous system. This research was funded by the MS Society of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of health Research........

Amedica Corporation, an orthopedic implants company focused on silicon nitride ceramic technologies, announced that it has received a CE (Conformite Europeene) mark for its Valeo(TM) family of ceramic spinal intervertebral spacers. This family includes Valeo - C and Valeo - TL spacers made using Amedica's novel silicon nitride ceramic for surgical correction or stabilization of the spine.

On November 12th new guidance has been issued to neurosurgical teams in England and Wales alerting them to incidents of wrong site surgery and the measures they can take to prevent similar incidents from happening in future. The alert comes from the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) and applies to neurosurgical teams in all NHS trusts in England and Wales, as well as the independent sector.

In a new study, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), McGill University, and the Université de Montréal have discovered an essential mechanism for the maintenance of the normal structure of myelin, the protective covering that insulates and supports nerve cells (neurons). Up until now, very little was known about myelin maintenance.

OCD affects 2% of the population and is considered a psychiatric disorder. It is the number four psychiatric pathology in terms of frequency following phobias, disorders relating to alcohol and drugs, and depression. The people affected are obsessed with cleanliness, order, and symmetry, or are overcome by doubts and irrational fears. In order to reduce their anxiety, they carry out rituals of tidying, washing or verification for several hours a day in the most serious cases.

Doctors know that you're at a higher risk for breast, colon and prostate cancers if they've been found in your family. Brain cancer can now be placed on that same list, says a new study by Tel Aviv University and the University of Utah. Dr.

Oxygen Biotherapeutics, Inc. (OTCBB:OXBO) today announced that a study published in the October 2008 edition of the journal Neurosurgery demonstrates that Oxycyte® can improve cognitive recovery and has a protective effect on hippocampal neurons in an experimental Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) model in rats. Oxycyte is the Company's perfluorocarbon (PFC) therapeutic oxygen carrier. The investigators in the study and authors of the article are Zhengwen Zhou, M.D.; Dong Sun, M.D.

NEW ORLEANS (MedPage Today) -- Finger-stick INR monitoring of warfarin (Coumadin) keeps blood levels within the target range when done by patients at home, according to a randomized trial.