Brain pacemaker helps Parkinson’s, but with risks
January 7, 2009
By CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) - Parkinson’s sufferers who had electrodes implanted in their brains improved substantially more than those who took only medicine, according to the biggest test yet of deep brain stimulation. The study, which followed patients for six months, offers the most hopeful news to date for Parkinson’s sufferers. The new technique reduced tremors, rigidity and flailing of the limbs and allowed people to move freely for nearly five extra hours a day. But the research also revealed higher-than-expected risks. About 40 percent of the patients who received these “brain pacemakers” suffered serious side effects, including a surprising number of…
99.5 % of the Population in Bolivia is Being Taught to Read and Write
January 7, 2009
Through the Cuban method “Yo si pseudo!“ adapted to Bolivian reality, Bolivia has been declared territory free of illiteracy. The program was put in place three years ago. BREAKING NEWS America chooses its future Russia to retrieve…
Judge Dismisses Medtronic Lawsuits Over Fidelis Lead Recall
January 7, 2009
A federal judge has dismissed scores of lawsuits that followed Medtronic’s recall of its Sprint Fidelis leads. Here’s the decision, which came down yesterday.
The leads are wires that connect an implantable defibrillator to the heart. The decision is important not only to patients and Medtronic, but also as a sign of the state of play for medical device liability lawsuits in the wake of a closely watch Supreme Court case last year.
The Supremes held, in an unrelated case called Riegel v. Medtronic, that federal law bars lawsuits “challenging the safety or effectiveness of a medical device,” as long as the device is marketed in a form that received premarket approval from the FDA.”
The Sprint Fidelis case is the “biggest win for the device industry since Riegel came down,” defense lawyer Mark Hermann told the Health Blog. He was a bit more emotional on his own blog, where he and a colleague posted the headline: “Sprint Fidelis Preemption Decision - Yessssss.”
Milky Way a swifter spinner, more massive, new measurements show
January 7, 2009
Fasten your seat belts — we’re faster, heavier, and more likely to collide than we thought. Astronomers making high-precision measurements of the Milky Way say our home Galaxy is rotating about 100,000 miles per hour faster than previously understood.
Research brain donors appeal
January 6, 2009
More people need to donate their brains to medical research if cures for diseases like dementia are to be found, UK scientists say.
Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's brings bad with good - USA Today
January 6, 2009
 ABC News |
Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's brings bad with good
USA Today - 1 hour ago By Jeff Chiu, AP By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY Deep brain stimulation has been used for years to help reduce tremors and other symptoms in people who have Parkinson's disease. Study backs deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's Reuters Deep Brain Stimulation Helps Those With Advanced Parkinson's U.S. News & World Report CNNMoney.com - Chicago Tribune - The Associated Press - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel all 131 news articles |
Cancer Cells Escape Chemo Induced Cell Death
January 6, 2009
Scientists found that cancer cells were able to escape the programmed cell death induced by chemotherapy once the chemicals were removed: in fact even though the normal cell death process had started, they were able to recover, as long as they did not go beyond the end stage of normal “apo
The ‘first true scientist’
January 5, 2009
Isaac Newton is, as most will agree, the greatest physicist of all time. At the very least, he is the undisputed father of modern optics or so we are told at school where our textbooks abound with his famous experiments with lenses and prisms, his study of the nature of light and its reflection, and the refraction and decomposition of light into the colours of the rainbow. Yet, the truth is rather greyer; and I feel it important to point out that, certainly in the field of optics, Newton himself stood on the shoulders of a giant who lived 700 years earlier. For, without doubt, another great physicist, who is worthy of ranking up alongside Newton, is an Iraqi scientist born in AD 965 who…
Ulrika Jonsson faces the chop from Celebrity Big Brother after being nominated for having too …
January 5, 2009
She has been dubbed the ‘only real celebrity’ inside the house and she’s earning a staggering £175,000 for taking part. But former weathergirl Ulrika Jonsson is already facing eviction from Celebrity Big Brother – for having too big an ego. Music journalist Terry Christian was given the job of nominating contestants for eviction after he was named the first Celebrity Head of the House. Up for the chop: Ulrika Jonsson has been nominated by head of house Terry Christian and could be evicted on Friday More… The ex-Word presenter put 41-year-old Ulrika up for the chop, claiming she thought she was too good for the show. ‘It just seems to be that vibe about…
MIT develops new way to fuse cells
January 4, 2009
MIT engineers have developed a new, highly efficient way to pair up cells so they can be fused together into a hybrid cell.
