For the first time, researchers have been able to use positron emission tomography (PET) to visualize binding sites of caffeine(Drug information on caffeine) in the living human brain, making it possible to explore possible effects of caffeine consumption. Caffeine, a neuroactive agent, is one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive substances worldwide. Caffeine has also…
Older people who are living independently but have signs of cerebral damage may lower their risk of having progressive cognitive impairment or dementia if they remain physically active, researchers found. Even after adjustment for white matter changes seen on MRI and history of stroke, those who met criteria for physical activity had significantly lower risks…
By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: November 01, 2012 Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner The combination of the biologic lapatinib (Tykerb) and capecitabine (Xeloda) chemotherapy appears to shrink brain metastases from HER2-positive breast cancer without need for…
VANCOUVER—The quality and quantity of sleep may be associated with the risk for cognitive decline, according to four studies presented at the 2012 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Treatments for insomnia or circadian rhythm delay might reduce or prevent cognitive decline, investigators reported. Sleep Duration and Cognition Compared with a sleep duration of seven hours per…
September 7, 2012 — An external trigeminal nerve stimulation (eTNS) system (Monarch, NeuroSigma, Inc) has received European Union (EU) CE Certification for the adjunctive treatment of epilepsy and major depressive disorder for adults and children aged 9 years and older. The device has been evaluated in clinical trials conducted at the University of California, Los…
By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: August 29, 2012 Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner Smokers have nearly triple the likelihood of having a subarachnoid hemorrhage, but the risk for many individuals falls significantly 5 years after kicking the…
As little as 120 minutes of walking or other exercise was associated with biomarkers of bone strength in premenopausal women, according to the results of a cross-sectional study. An 8-week physical activity intervention program significantly increased biomarkers of bone strength compared with sedentary control patients. Mohammed-Salleh M. Ardawi, PhD, FRCPath, from King Abdulaziz University Hospital…
Intraoperative 32P High Dose Rate Brachytherapy of the Dura for Recurrent PRIMARY and Metastatic Intracranial and Spine Tumors Folkert, Michael R. M.D., Ph.D.; Bilsky, Mark H. M.D.; Cohen, Gil’ad N. M.S.; Zaider, Marco Ph.D.; Dauer, Lawrence T. Ph.D.; Cox, Brett W. M.D.; Boland, Patrick J. M.D.; Laufer, Ilya M.D.; Yamada, Yoshiya M.D. Treatment of spine…
By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today, Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner. Daily aspirin use is associated with a modest decrease in mortality from cancer, particularly for malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, a large retrospective study confirmed. Individuals…
Megan Brooks August 8, 2012 — Treatment with human growth hormone–releasing hormone (GHRH) for 20 weeks had favorable effects on cognitive function in a randomized controlled trial of healthy older adults and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Compared with placebo, daily subcutaneous injections of tesamorelin (Egrifta, Theratechnologies, Inc) were associated with improvement on tests…
Pauline Anderson A second phase 3 trial investigating bapineuzumab IV in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been stopped, essentially spelling the end of the program to investigate this agent in patients with this type of dementia. The 18-month, randomized, double-blind, multicenter studies were examining the efficacy and safety of bapineuzumab, a…
Author: Brian James Daley, MD, MBA, FACS, FCCP, CNSC; Chief Editor: William A Schwer, MD In performing noncardiac surgery on patients on anticoagulation, the major concern is when it is safe to perform surgery without increasing the risk of hemorrhage or increasing the risk of thromboembolism (eg, venous, arterial) after discontinuing treatment. In treating patients…