Saturday, December 31, 2011

Alzheimer


O encolhimento do cérebro na doença de Alzheimer pode ser revertido em alguns casos com a utilização de estímulos elétricos no cérebro, e a reversão do encolhimento reduz o declínio cognitivo associado à doença.
Para levar a cabo essa reversão, o Dr. Andres Lozano, do Toronto Western Hospital em Ontário, Canadá, e sua equipe estão utilizando a técnica da estimulação cerebral profunda (do inglês, deep brain stimulation), que consiste em enviar impulsos elétricos (130 microdescargas por segundo) ao cérebro por eletrodos implantados internamente.
Segundo o Dr. Lozano, a área mais afetada, o hipocampo, mostra sinais de subutilização de glicose nas tomografias, o que significa que a área do cérebro não estaria “funcionando”. Um estudo do grupo publicado naAnnals of Neurology consistiu em implantar eletrodos em seis pessoas diagnosticadas com Alzheimer pelo menos um ano antes. Um ano depois da colocação dos implantes, o uso reduzido da glicose havia sido revertido em todos os seis pacientes.
Embora o estudo não seja conclusivo para o uso da técnica em humanos, outro estudo da mesma equipe em ratos mostrou inclusive o nascimento de neurônios após o estímulo eletrônico.
Vamos continuar acompanhando as pesquisas sobre essa doença tão complexa e dolorosa. Que continuem progredindo!

Ciência Hoje: Retrospectiva 2011


Retrospectiva 2011

Publicado em 26/12/2011
A CH On-line fez uma seleção de acontecimentos relevantes deste ano em cinco áreas: química, física, saúde, meio ambiente e ciências humanas. Confira nesta semana!
Retrospectiva 2011
2011 foi o ano da química, dos neutrinos supervelozes, das doenças crônicas, de avanços em estudos sobre a Aids, dos desastres naturais, das mudanças climáticas, das revoltas no mundo árabe... (montagem a partir de foto de Alex Slobodkin/ iStockphoto)

OCD in Adulthood & Childhood




OCD in Adulthood Traced to Cues in Childhood

By Kurt Ullman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
Published: December 30, 2011
Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
Rituals and sensory hypersensitivities in a child may be early warning signs of adult obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), according to the results of two studies from Israel.

A strong reaction to everyday events as recorded on a sensory profile was highly correlated with ritualism on the Childhood Routine Inventory (CRI) in one study (r=0.68, P<0.001), reported Reuven Dar, PhD, and colleagues from Tel Aviv University.

In the second study, recollected oral and tactile hypersensitivity was positively correlated with symptoms measured by the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) scales (r=0.34,P<0.001). Adult hypersensitivity in both areas was positively correlated with all six of the inventory subscales. None of the differences between the various correlation coefficients was significant.
The findings appeared in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry./.../

2530 - AMICOR 14 - FELIZ ANO NOVO! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Feliz Ano Novo!
SALVE 2012! FELIZ ANO NOVO! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Será o ano em que AMICOR completará 15 anos de existência, graças ao interesse de nos comunicarmos. Chegamos a 2530 mensagens de alerta que deverão continuar somente com uma referência à página de resumo das últimas postagens, reduzindo o peso dos e-mail.
Desde que adotamos o formato Blog em 2004 são mais de cem mil visitas, número pequeno para INTERNET mas muito grande para um pequeno grupo de amigos.

Sempre me pergunto se vale a pena continuar, considerando-se que hoje quase todo o mundo está habilitado a surfar na WEB e são tantas as facilidades existentes. Vou continuar pensando no assunto e tentando ouvir o pensamento dos AMICOR. Gostaria de saber, se houvesse alguma forma, não somente a opinião daqueles que aplaudem...


212: the year when AMICOR will complete 15 years old, thanks to our interest in communication. We arrived to 2530 alert messages, now just a link to the summary page to avoid excess e-mail.
Since we adopted the Blog format (2004) we receive hundred thousand visits, a small number for INTERNET, but great for a small group of friends.
I ask to myself if it worth wile to follow, considering the facilities of today. I will follow thinking in the matter, trying to hear from the AMICOR, but not just from those prone to applaud... 

The Internet, peer-reviewed

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 13 minutos atrás
The Internet, peer-reviewedOctober 28, 2011 by Amara D. Angelica *[+]*[image: hypothesis] It could be one of the most important innovations on the Internet since the browser. Imagine an open-source, crowd-sourced, community-moderated, distributed platform for sentence-level annotation of the Web. In other words, a way to cut through the babble and restore some sanity and trust. That’s the idea behind Hypothes.is. It will work… *Topics:* Computers/Infotech/UI | Internet/Telecom | Social Networking/Web 2.0 Comments (11)

Human Connectome Project

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 29 minutos atrás
[image: Tangled thoughts (Image: Courtesy Arthur W. Toga of the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging at UCLA and Martinos Centre for Biomedical Imaging at MGH, Consortium of the Human Connectome Project)]Smart Guide to 2012: Mapping the human brain - 23 December 2011 by *Linda Geddes* - Magazine issue 2844. *Subscribe and save* - The HCP aims to map the - For similar stories, visit the *The Human Brain* Topic Guide" You're missing huge amounts of information if you don't know which regions are connected to oth...mais »

Super-memory

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 40 minutos atrás
A super-memory smart drug?December 15, 2011 by Amara D. Angelica *[+]*[image: Suppression of PKR] Suppression of the PKR molecule in mutant mice (right) enhances learning and memory by lowering GABA release, compared to the process in "wild type" (normal) mice (left) (credit: BCM) Could this be the “Limitless” breakthrough we’ve been looking for? Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) have discovered that when the activity of PKR — a molecule normally elevated during viral infections — is inhibited in the brain, mice learn and remember dramatically better. “The molecule PKR (... mais »

Porque comigo?

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 11 horas atrás
*(Artigo meu publicado no jornal Mente & Corpo de novembro p.p. -ano IX No.81- dirigido pelo Dr. João Gomes Mariante)* Esta pergunta é das primeiras queem geral fazemos quando doentes, ou quando algo mais de ruim nos acontece. Sãobem conhecidas as etapas pelas quais passamos ao tomar contato com oinfortúnio: negação, ira, negociação, depressão e aceitação. Deve ser o caminhonatural da percepção até a incorporação da novidade, no caso, a má notícia. Neste “porque comigo” não vaisomente surpresa ou busca indiferente da etiologia do mal. Em geral vemacompanhado de um solilóquio mais ext... mais »

Brain cells & Proteins

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 14 horas atrás
Viewing protein interactions in brain cellsDecember 27, 2011 by Editor *[+]* At the core of this new imaging technology is FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer), which occurs when two fluorescently tagged molecules come within 8 nanometers or less. Detecting the FRET serves as a proxy for the two proteins X and Y associating within a living cell (credit: University of Miami) University of Miami (UM) biology professor Akira Chiba is leading a multidisciplinary team to develop the first systematic survey of protein interactions within brain cells. The team is aiming to reconstr... mais »

Sem título

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 15 horas atrás
365 days: 2011 in review From neutrinos to stem cells: a round-up of the year in research and science policy. - Richard Van Noorden 21 December 2011 Interactive timeline

Scientific Paper Trail

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 15 horas atrás

Glia Cells

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 15 horas atrás
More than glue: Glia cells found to regulate synapsesDecember 30, 2011 by Editor Glia cells: the brain's supervisors (credit: Gray's anatomy/Wikimedia Commons) Glia cells are central to the brain’s plasticity, Tel Aviv Universityresearchers have found, controlling how the brain adapts, learns, and stores information — and their design can be implemented in neuromorphic computer chips. Glia cells (Greek for “glue,” also known as glial) hold the brain’s neurons together and protect the cells that determine our thoughts and behaviors. But glia cells have now been found to do much more... mais »

Alzheimer

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 19 horas atrás
*How Your Diet May Affect Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease* Omega-3s and vitamins may protect your brain's function and size. By ALICE PARK | @aliceparkny | December 29, 2011 | [image: Photo Researchers RM / Getty Images] PHOTO RESEARCHERS RM / GETTY IMAGES An Alzheimer's patient shares a moment with her daughter In the first study of its kind, researchers have linked specific vitamins and nutrients in the diet with cognitive performance and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The research, published in the journal *Neurology*, showed that people with healthier diets — rich in omega-3 fa... mais »

FAOSTAT: 2010 Data Now Available

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 19 horas atrás
[image: PIN - Agriculture - Food] [image: FAO/O. Thuillier] The agricultural productiondomain covers: - Quantity produced - Producer price - Value at farmgate *(forthcoming)* - Area harvested - Yield per hectare

Sem título

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
Smoking During Pregnancy May Damage Children's Blood Vessels Yet Another Reason Not to Smoke During Pregnancy By Rita Rubin WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD [image: pregnant woman holding cigarette] Dec. 26, 2011 -- If women didn’t already have enough reasons to quit smoking before pregnancy, here’s a big one: Smoking during pregnancy may set their child up for blood vessel damage, a new study shows. Dutch scientists enrolled more than 250 children. When the children were 4 weeks old, their body dimensions and lung function were measured. At the same time, their parent... mais »

Top Advances in Cancer Treatment

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
Top Advances in Cancer Treatment By Kurt Ullman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Published: December 27, 2011 Advances in screening and prevention, treatments for refractory cancers, and ways to reduce cancer recurrence were part and parcel of the progress made against the disease in 2011, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. ............................... Hard-to-treat cancers also were the focus of treatment advances. These included: - The use of *BRAF* inhibitor vemurafenib (Zelboraf) to improve survival in advanced melanoma - Adding ipilimumab (Ye... mais »

Aromasin

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
------------------------------ Year in Review: Exemestane Scores for Prevention of Breast Ca By Crystal Phend, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: December 27, 2011 *Our Year in Review series highlights the major medical news stories of 2011. The announcement of study results showing a 65% decrease in first breast cancers among postmenopausal women at moderate or high risk of the disease brought expectations that more women would be placed on chemoprevention. Here, again, is the original article, first published on June 4. In a companion article, you'll find out what's happe... mais »

Clnical Trials

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
Drug Trials Not Representative, Researchers Charge By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today Published: December 27, 2011 Few major randomized, controlled clinical trials examine the effects of a drug in patients who have multiple chronic conditions, even though more than one-quarter of all Americans are living with at least two chronic health conditions, researchers reported. The proportion is even greater for older individuals, two out of three of whom are likely to have at least two chronic health conditions, according to Alejandro Jadad, MD, and colleagues from t... mais »

Celebrity Health

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
2011 Year in Review: 27 Most Shocking Moments in Celebrity HealthBy: Michele R. Berman, MD | December 27, 2011Pictured left is *Aerosmith* front man and *American Idol *judge *Steven Tyler*whose accident, while on tour in Paraguay, once again demonstrated that the bathroom is the most dangerous room in the house. Mr. Tyler is one of *Barbara Walters*' *10 Most Fascinating People of the Year* and has also been featured in our series on Ailments of the Aging Rock Star. In addition to covering common diseases affecting uncommon people, our reporting on celebrity health and lifestyle... mais »

Is Atherosclerosis an Allergic Disease?

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 2 dias atrás
Is Atherosclerosis an Allergic Disease?By: Chris Kaiser | December 27, 2011That was the title of a recent commentary in *Circulation Research* by Christoph J. Binder, MD, PhD, and Joseph L. Witztum, MD, from the University of California, San Diego (*Circ Res* 2011;109:1103-04). The two commentators were impressed by Wang et. al.'s research showing the involvement of immunoglobulin E (IgE), which plays an important role in allergic reactions, in promoting atherogenesis (*J Clin Invest* 2011;121:3564-3577). IgE, in relation to allergic reactions, activates mast cells by binding to ... mais »

New Troponin Assays

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 3 dias atrás
New Troponin Assays May Help Identify MI Earlier *By Todd Neale, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: December 27, 2011 Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.* A next-generation, highly sensitive troponin I assay may help speed the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI) among patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain, researchers found. Using a diagnostic cutoff of greater than the 99th percentile of 32 pg/mL, the Architect STAT High Sensitive Troponin I assay had a negativ... mais »

People Who Mattered

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 3 dias atrás
- People Who Mattered Dilma Rousseff By TIM PADGETT Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011 - BACK - NEXT - View All [image: People Who Mattered] *ERALDO PERES / AP* Few political acts would be harder to follow than Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was arguably the most popular President in Brazil's history. But his hand-picked successor and former chief of staff, Dilma Rousseff, who took office as President on Jan. 1, has turned out to be more than just a proxy for her term-limited boss. Granted, the no-nonsense economist has continued the hybrid capitalist-socialist project that ... mais »

Leukemia & Fish Oil

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 4 dias atrás
Possible Cure for Leukemia Found in Fish Oil ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2011) — A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to Penn State researchers. ------------------------------ The compound -- delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3 -- targeted and killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, in mice, said Sandeep Prabhu, associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences. The compound is produced from EPA -- Eicosapentaenoic A... mais »

AICR's 2011 Annual Research Conference

Aloyzio AchuttiemAMICOR - 4 dias atrás
[image: AICR logo] AICR's 2011 Annual Research Conference Online Press Kit *On November 3rd, at AICR's Annual Research Conference press event*, leading scientists, advocates and experts presented new research on inactivity and cancer, including new estimates on the number of cancers that could be prevented if Americans simply started moving more. - Read the press release on activity, inactivity and cancer risk. - The AICR Press Event: Bios, Photos and of Speakers - Make Time + Break Time = Cancer Protection: An AICR Infographic - *How the Prevention Estimates Were... mais »