Brain

A new drug being developed to treat potentially deadly melanoma skin cancers has shown a promising ability to shrink secondary tumors, known as metastases, in the brain in patients with advanced forms of the disease, Australian researchers report.

At the 35th Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), Dr Georgina Long from Melanoma Institute Australia and Westmead Hospital, in Sydney, reported the results in a subgroup of 10 melanoma patients with previously untreated brain metastases from the international Phase I/II trial with the oral drug GSK2118436.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Patients with a common chest deformity known as sunken chest exhibit dysfunctional chest wall motion, a finding that may explain routine reports of exercise intolerance pectus patients, according to a study presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) in San Francisco.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Persistent exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changing physical activity or eating more food, according to new research in mice.

Researchers found that mice exposed to a relatively dim light at night over eight weeks had a body mass gain that was about 50 percent more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle.

A study says it has gained new insight into the minds of dogs, discovering that those that are anxious when left alone also tend to show 'pessimistic' behavior.

The research by academics at the University of Bristol, and funded by the RSPCA is published in Current Biology. They say the study provides an important insight into dogs' emotions and enhances our understanding of why behavioral responses to separation occur.

For most American students, spending a semester or two studying in a foreign country means the opportunity to improve foreign language skills and become immersed in a different culture. For others, studying abroad is more like a prolonged spring break: it can be months with fewer academic responsibilities, plentiful bars and alcohol, and parents far away.

New results from University of Washington researchers point to why some students drink more alcohol while abroad and suggest ways to intervene.

MILAN, ITALY - October 10, 2010 - Novocure reported today that patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) achieved a significant increase in survival time when tumor treating fields (TTF) therapy was added to chemotherapy, as compared to previously reported outcomes for patients receiving chemotherapy alone. Dr. Miklos Pless, head of medical oncology at the Winterthur Hospital Cancer center in Switzerland, presented the data at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO).

DALLAS – Oct. 12, 2010 – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created an experimental vaccine against beta-amyloid, the small protein that forms plaques in the brain and is believed to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

Compared with similar so-called DNA vaccines that the UT Southwestern researchers tested in an animal study, the new experimental vaccine stimulated more than 10 times as many antibodies that bind to and eliminate beta-amyloid. The results appeared in the journal Vaccine.

Children with autism will tell white lies to protect other people's feelings and they are not very good at covering up their lies, according to a Queen's University study. The study, conducted by psychology professor Beth Kelley and developmental psychology PhD student Annie Li, is one of the first scientific studies of lying and autism.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—We know that casting a ballot in the voting booth involves politics, values and personalities. But before you ever push the button for your candidate, your brain has already carried out an election of its own to make that action possible. New research from Vanderbilt University reveals that our brain accumulates evidence when faced with a choice and triggers an action once that evidence reaches a tipping point.

The research was published in the October issue of Psychological Review.

Nutrition rating systems and their accompanying symbols are intended to help consumers make healthy choices, but shoppers may be confused by the variety of symbols that have proliferated in recent years. Moreover, different rating systems focus on different nutrients, and questions have been raised about the nutritional criteria underlying these systems. Front-of-Package Nutrition Rating Systems and Symbols: Phase 1 Report presents the preliminary findings of an Institute of Medicine committee's review of these nutrition information tools.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Temporary combativeness after surgery—a complication affecting up to half of anesthetized children—may be preventable with drugs that decrease epinephrine production, according to a Medical College of Georgia pediatric anesthesiologist.

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have shown how stem cells, together with other cells, repair damaged tissue in the mouse spinal cord. The results are of potential significance to the development of therapies for spinal cord injury.

A low Apgar score at birth is strongly associated with cerebral palsy in childhood, concludes a study from researchers in Norway published on bmj.com today.

The Apgar score is a quick and simple way to assess a baby's condition at birth. The baby is assessed on five simple criteria (complexion, pulse rate, reaction when stimulated, muscle tone, and breathing) on a scale from zero to two. The five values are then summed up to obtain a score from zero to 10.