NIH announces phase III clinical trial of creatine for Parkinson's disease

The NIH National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) today is launching a large-scale clinical trial to learn if the nutritional supplement creatine can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). While creatine is not an approved therapy for PD or any other condition, it is widely thought to improve exercise performance. The potential benefit of creatine for PD was identified by Parkinson’s researchers through a new rapid method for screening potential compounds. more  

Phone-based therapy eases depression long term

When people receive brief telephone-based psychotherapy soon after starting on antidepressant medication, strong positive effects may continue 18 months after their first session. So concludes a Group Health study in the April Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. more

Key science Web sites buried in information avalanche

As more and more people are turning to the Internet to find information, important science websites are in danger of becoming buried in the sheer avalanche of facts now available online. Key science sites are failing to register in the top 30 Google search results. more  

Using saliva to diagnose primary Sjögren's Syndrome

Today, during the 85th General Session of the International Association for Dental Research, scientists are reporting that, instead of blood tests and biopsy, saliva can be used to detect primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS), an autoimmune disease which affects ~4 million American, 90% being women. pSS patients are 40 times more at risk than healthy people to develop lymphoma, a fatal lymphocytic cancer. more

Listen to your heart: Researchers discover a physiological indicator of vulnerability to temptation  

We’ve all had our moments of weakness when trying to control ourselves; eating that donut on your diet, losing your temper with your kids, becoming upset when you’re doing your best not to. It isn’t like we plan on these lapses in judgment. It’s more like they just sort of happen. more

A safe folic acid boost from flour  

Public consumption of folic acid from fortified flour at current mandated US levels (100micro-gram/day) and at double this amount is probably safe, at average intakes, according to an article published today in the open access journal BMC Public Health. The research has implications for the UK and Republic of Ireland, which plan to follow the US by adding folic acid to flour to help prevent neural tube defects in the near future. more

Inhibiting blood to save the brain

UCSD researchers suppress relapsing paralysis in mouse model of multiple sclerosis A fibrous protein called fibrinogen, found in circulating blood and important in blood clotting, can promote multiple sclerosis (MS) when it leaks from the blood into the brain, triggering inflammation that leads to MS-related nerve damage. more

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