Fight Aging! Newsletter, December 18th 2017
In this study, we asked people in an open-ended way about their desire for longer life: Would you like to have more time? What age would you like to become? This was something more specific than asking about a preference for survival without reference to any length of time; about one's plans for the future; or whether people see the future as open or limited, as in studies of future time perspective. Our attempt was to discover whether there were preferred temporal spans with which older adults framed their futures and plans.
The two-question series about extra years and desired age ("How old would you like to becom...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 17, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Can Playing Super Mario 64 Increase Grey Matter in the Brain, and Help Delay the Onset of Alzheimer's?
Can playing Super Mario 64 for 30 minutes a day, five days a week help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease?By Bob DeMarcoAlzheimer's Reading RoomThis new research study is important, andI believe Alzheimer's caregivers should take a good look at the findings.Playing 3 D video games seems to increase gray matter volume in the hippocampus and cerebellum. The kew word here is the hippocampus.New information enters the brain through the entorhinal cortex, and then is relayed to thehippocampus for short term memory storage.The hippocampus is the part of the brain that sends new memories to the different part of the brain f...
Source: Alzheimer's Reading Room, The - December 12, 2017 Category: Neurology Tags: alzheimers Alzheimers Prevention brain brain health cognitive impairment dementia lifestyle mentia health Super Mario 64 Source Type: blogs
Yet More Evidence for Impaired Drainage of Cerebrospinal Fluid in Aging
Leucadia Therapeutics is one of the young companies shepherded by the Methuselah Fund, in this case working on an Alzheimer's treatment predicated on a theory of the disease that views impaired drainage of cerebrospinal fluid as an important cause. Alzheimer's disease is a condition characterized by a build up of protein aggregates, and one of the ways in which the brain normally removes these aggregates is through drainage of cerebrospinal fluid out into the body. The passages for that drainage, like most other bodily systems, fail over time. An increasing amount of supporting evidence for this to contribute to age-relate...
Source: Fight Aging! - December 12, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Is MRI contrast a dangerous threat?
In early November, Chuck Norris filed a lawsuit against medical device manufacturers involving gadolinium-based contrast media, a chemical used in MRI imaging scans. The lawsuit stated that the gadolinium that doctors injected into his wife Gena to improve the clarity of her MRIs have left her “weak and tired and with debilitating bouts of pain and a burning sensation.”
As with any adverse effects involving medical procedures in the news, it is very understandable for a patient to become anxious whether they have already had the procedure or they are scheduled to have one.
Since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (F...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 5, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/karen-tran-harding" rel="tag" > Karen Tran-Harding, MD < /a > Tags: Conditions Radiology Source Type: blogs
BCBL - PhD positions - Programme INPhINIT "LaCaixa"
With the aim of continuing to support the best scientific talent and fostering innovative, high quality research in Spain, ”la Caixa” Foundation is launching a new call for applications for the INPhINIT Fellowships Programme. The application deadline is February 1st, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. (Central European Time - CET). In this second call it will grant 57 3-year fellowships to talented researchers of any nationality to carry out a doctorate at top Spanish research centres accredited with the Severo Ochoa or María de Maeztu distinction and at Carlos III Health Research Institutes, in the ...
Source: Talking Brains - December 5, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Greg Hickok Source Type: blogs
Mayo Clinic Develops a Lab Test for Inflammatory Demyelinating Diseases
The spectrum ofinflammatory demyelinating diseases (IDD) includes neuromyelitis optica, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, optic neuritis, and transverse myelitis, all of which need to be differentiated from multiple sclerosis (MS).Mayo Clinic scientists have developed a test for an antibody to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) which can help to differentiate the former set of diseases from the latter disease (see:Mayo Clinic develops neuro test that distinguishes demyelinating diseases from MS). Below is an excerpt from the article announcing its availability:Mayo Clinic has launched a first-i...
Source: Lab Soft News - November 29, 2017 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Medical Research Source Type: blogs
Did a gadolinium contrast agent used for MRIs “ poison ” Chuck Norris ’ wife Gena?
Earlier this month, Chuck Norris and his wife Gena filed a lawsuit against manufacturers of MRI contrast agents, claiming that the gadolinium in them had "poisoned" Gena. But did it? The evidence linking gadolinium with the symptoms Gena Norris suffered is, even under the most generous interpretation, quite shaky, and there is no doubt that she has been victimized by quacks.
The post Did a gadolinium contrast agent used for MRIs “poison” Chuck Norris’ wife Gena? appeared first on RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE. (Source: Respectful Insolence)
Source: Respectful Insolence - November 22, 2017 Category: Surgery Authors: Orac Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery Bruce Fong Chuck Norris featured gadolinium gadolinium-based contrast agent GBCA Gena Norris magnetic resonance imaging MRI nephrogenic fibrosing dermo Source Type: blogs
Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) for evaluation of myocardial viability
Iodinated contrast used for CT scanning accumulate in infarcted myocardium similar to what happens with late gadolinium enhanced (LGE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). With the high spatial resolution inherent to MSCT (also called multi detector CT or MDCT), differentiation of transmural and subendocardial infarction is possible. Old infarcts have lower density on CT compared to recent infarcts. In general, there is good agreement between LGE MRI and late enhancement noted on MSCT.
In a comparison with dobutamine stress echocardiography, MSCT with 64 multislice CT findings agreed with stress echo findings in 97.3% of th...
Source: Cardiophile MD - November 21, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Myocardial viability assessment by cardiac MRI
Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging can be used to assess myocardial viability. Preserved myocardial wall thickness of more than 5.5 mm has a good sensitivity of 95%, but low specificity for detecting myocardial viability on CMR.
Delayed or late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) on CMR indicates myocardial scar. If the extent of scar is less as indicated by less than 50% transmural extent of hyperenhancement indicates viability. If 4 or more dysfunctional segments show viability, it has a good sensitivity of 95%, again with low specificity of 45%.
Dobutamine cine MRI is useful in assessing the contractile reserve of the ...
Source: Cardiophile MD - November 21, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiac Magnetic Resonance imaging Source Type: blogs
Supplemental oxygen in STEMI without hypoxia – AVOID
Very often, it is routine practice to give supplemental oxygen to those presenting to emergency department with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Two recent trials – AVOID [1] and DETO2X-AMI [2] have critically appraised the value of supplemental oxygen in STEMI.
AVOID study showed that in STEMI patients without hypoxia, supplemental oxygen can increase early myocardial injury which was demonstrated by a higher value of creatine phosphokinase (CK). Larger myocardial infarct size as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was noted at six months. Higher rate of recurrent myocardial infarction an...
Source: Cardiophile MD - November 15, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
MINOCA – Myocardial infarction with non obstructive coronary arteries
Myocardial infarction with non obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) [1] had a prevalence of 6% among myocardial infarctions noted in a recent systematic review [2]. They are more likely to be younger and female, but less often have dyslipidemia as a risk factor. Other risk factors were found to be similar. Total mortality at one year with MINOCA is about 4.7% compared to 6.7% with myocardial infarction associated with obstructive coronary artery disease. Typical myocardial infarction as demonstrated by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) was noted only in about one fourth of cases. One third had myocarditis while ab...
Source: Cardiophile MD - November 14, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Indices of left atrial remodeling in atrial fibrillation
Left atrial remodeling is an important change which occurs in chronic atrial fibrillation. Remodeling has an important role in maintaining chronic atrial fibrillation. In this respect it is also an important predictor of poor response after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. Some of the important indices of left atrial remodeling are:
Minimum left atrial volume
Left atrial emptying fraction
Left atrial peak longitudinal strain
Left atrial strain rate
Left atrial fibrosis
All these parameters can be determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR). Left atrial fibrosis manifests as late gadolinium enhanceme...
Source: Cardiophile MD - November 8, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Johnson Francis Tags: General Cardiology Electrical remodeling left atrial remodeling structural remodeling Source Type: blogs
Taking the Guesswork Out of Pain Management
How do you measure pain? A patient’s furrowed brow, a child’s cries or tears—all are signs of pain. But what if the patient suffers from severe dementia and can’t describe what she is feeling or is a young child who can’t yet talk? Caregivers can help read the signs of pain, but their interpretations may differ greatly from patient to patient, because people have different ways of showing discomfort. And when the patient is unconscious, such as during surgery or while in intensive care, the caregiving team has even fewer ways to measure pain.
Patients can point to one of the faces on this subjective pain scale ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - November 7, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Barbara Vann Tags: Pharmacology Anesthesiology Medicines Pain Source Type: blogs
Neuroimaging study finds significant changes in brain structure during long-duration space flight
CONCLUSIONS: Narrowing of the central sulcus, upward shift of the brain, and narrowing of CSF spaces at the vertex occurred frequently and predominantly in astronauts after long-duration flights. Further investigation, including repeated postflight imaging conducted after some time on Earth, is required to determine the duration and clinical significance of these changes.
The Study in Context
When flying to Mars, make sure to monitor and enhance brain function (radiation exposure can hurt performance)
Maximizing the peak performance of astronauts, leaders…and everyone else from SharpBrains (Source: SharpBrains)
Source: SharpBrains - November 7, 2017 Category: Neuroscience Authors: SharpBrains Tags: Cognitive Neuroscience Health & Wellness altered vision astronauts brain-structure cerebrospinal fluid microgravity MRI spaceflight visual impairment intracranial pressure Source Type: blogs
Scientists See Brain Rewiring Itself to Adjust to Advanced Prostheses
Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology of Lausanne (EPFL) working with investigators in other institutions, managed to see, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), how the brain reorganizes itself after a person is treated with targeted motor and sensory reinnervation (TMSR). TMSR is a method of redirecting existing nerves on or near the amputee’s stump to muscles and skin areas. Sensors can then detect that a nerve activates a muscle, for example, and use that to control a prosthetic device. The result is an easy and intuitive way for amputees to manipulate advanced prostheses that hav...
Source: Medgadget - October 27, 2017 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Editors Tags: Neurology Rehab Source Type: blogs
