Scientists Unmask Brain's Hidden Potential
Beth Israel Lahey HealthNew findings explaining how the brain compensates for loss of vision also suggest that the brain is much more versatile than previously recognized.
New findings explaining how the brain compensates for loss of vision also suggest that the brain is much more versatile than previously recognized.
Researchers led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center identify a previously unrecognized problem faced by mTOR inhibitors, shining a light on the MAPK pathway.
Study identifies a molecular pathway that maintains PTEN gene and offers a novel target for enhancing its tumor suppressive function.
A new study offers insights into the specific components of emotional memories, suggesting that sleep plays a key role in determining what we remember -- and what we forget.
As scientists continue to investigate the brain's intricate neurocircuitry and its role in maintaining energy balance, they are forming a clearer picture of the myriad events that lead to weight gain and weight loss.
Mark S. Boguski, MD, PhD, a leader in the fields of bioinformatics and genomics, has joined the faculty of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the Department of Pathology.
A new noninvasive CT scan has shown success in detecting and measuring noncalcified coronary plaque, the buildup of soft deposits embedded deep within the walls of the heart's arteries, undetectable by angiography or stress tests -- and prone to rupture without warning.
In investigating the intricacies of the body's biological rhythms, scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have discovered the existence of a "food-related clock" which can supersede the "light-based" master clock that serves as the body's primary timekeeper.
In a paradoxical discovery, a research team led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that a tumor suppressor protein known as PML appears to be the factor that enables leukemia initiating cells to maintain their quiescence "“ the inert state that protects them from being destroyed by cancer therapies "“ and suggests that inhibition of PML is a promising target for new therapeutics.
The COMT gene "“ known already for its role in schizophrenia "“ has been found to play a role in preeclampsia, according to a report in today's advance on-line issue of Nature. Led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), the study further suggests that a steroid molecule, 2-ME, may serve as both a diagnostic marker and therapeutic supplement for the treatment of this dangerous pregnancy disorder.
A new study finds that the Pin1 enzyme, previously shown to be of benefit in "detangling" tau in Alzheimer's disease, actually has the contradictory effect in cases in which the tau has certain mutations.
Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and accurate information regarding expected outcomes can be hard to find, according to results of a multi-center study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Nearly 80 years ago, scientist Otto Warburg observed that cancer cells perform energy metabolism in a way that is different from normal adult cells, but it has not been known exactly how tumor cells perform this alternate metabolic feat, nor was it known if this process was essential for tumor growth. Now, two papers appearing in the March 13 issue of the journal Nature help answer these questions.
Although approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a palliative treatment for cancer patients who have developed bile-duct obstructions, biliary stents are sometimes used "off-label" for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease (PVD). A study finds that off-label use of biliary stents is increasing, and that the majority of adverse events and device malfunctions associated with the use of these stents occurs during off-label usage.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham (BID-Needham) are taking unprecedented steps to commit each hospital to attain specific patient safety and satisfaction goals that would establish a new standard of care at each facility.
A study appearing in the January 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research demonstrates that a novel mass-spectrometry based form of proteomic profiling is more accurate than traditional biomarkers in distinguishing liver cancer patients from patients with hepatitis C liver cirrhosis, particularly with regard to identifying patients with small, curable tumors.
In demonstrating that a group of calcium ion channels play a crucial role in triggering inflammatory responses, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have not only solved a longstanding molecular mystery regarding the onset of asthma and allergy symptoms, but have also provided a fundamental discovery regarding the functioning of mast cells.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have found that a compound in soybeans is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of hot flashes in menopausal women.
Attending general surgeons at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) will be required to prove basic motor skills outside an operating room before performing laparoscopic surgery on patients.
Statins, the popular class of drugs used to lower cholesterol, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in developed countries. But for some patients, accompanying side effects of muscle weakness and pain become chronic problems and, in rare cases, can escalate to debilitating and even life-threatening damage. Now a study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center helps explain the source of these problems.
Guilt, fear and loneliness often afflict both the caregiver and the family in the aftermath of a medical error, feelings that can be overcome if all parties try to build bridges and develop solutions that not only can prevent error but lead to forgiveness.
In cases of Type 2 diabetes, the body's cells fail to appropriately regulate blood glucose levels. Research has suggested that this results from two simultaneous problems: the improper functioning of pancreatic beta cells and the impairment of insulin's actions on target tissues, including the liver, fat and muscles.
BOSTON -- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) recently received approval for two new medical microbiology fellowship programs to train the next generation of leaders in clinical and public-health microbiology.
With the finding that fever is produced by the action of a hormone on a specific site in the brain, scientists have answered a key question as to how this adaptive function helps to protect the body during bacterial infection and other types of illness.
A report led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) helps explain the origins of cardiac fibrosis, a stiffening of the heart muscle that leads to a variety of cardiac diseases, most notably heart failure.
As health consumers across the country demand better and more detailed information about their physicians and hospitals, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is stepping up to detail its own performance efforts ranging from the percentage of clinicians who clean their hands to the number of times physicians take the proper steps in treating heart attack patients.
BOSTON "“ Over the past several years, animal studies have shown that high-fat, low-carbohydrate "ketogenic" diets cause demonstrable changes in metabolism and subsequent weight loss. Now, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have identified a key mechanism behind this turn of events. Their findings demonstrate that a liver hormone known as FGF21 is required to oxidize fatty acids "“ and thereby burn calories.
Memorizing a series of facts is one thing, understanding the big picture is quite another. Now a new study demonstrates that relational memory -- the ability to make logical "big picture" inferences from disparate pieces of information "“ is dependent on taking a break from studies and learning, and even more important, getting a good night's sleep.
Dream journals being kept by students in a college psychology class have provided researchers with a unique look at how people experienced the events of 9/11, including the influence that television coverage of the World Trade Center attacks had on people's levels of stress.
A new computerized system for chemotherapy patients promises to advance Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's patient safety effort by establishing automatic standards for all treatment plans.
The lack of health insurance prompts people to forego routine physical exams and have a reduced awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and is associated with increased rates of stroke and death, researchers have concluded.
For the most part, dementia and delirium have been viewed as separate and distinct conditions. But a special section of The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, appearing in January 2007, looks at their interface, asking: Can delirium itself lead to the development of a cognitive disorder? Do delirium and dementia represent opposite ends of the same spectrum of disease, rather than two separate conditions?
Patients treated for gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD) using the endoscopic Plicator procedure show long-term benefits in reducing reflux disease symptoms with no need for long-term prescription antacids, according to a study led by doctors at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
BOSTON "“ Scientists have identified a set of biomarkers that could help clinicians identify a group of hematologic malignancies known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), which affect approximately 300,000 individuals worldwide and often progress to acute myeloid leukemia.
BOSTON "“ Anthony Rosenzweig, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), has been named the American Coordinator of a prestigious Transatlantic Network of Excellence grant from the Paris-based Leducq Foundation. The five-year grant, totaling $6 million, will support research on metabolic heart disease.
Recovering heart surgery patients slowly shuffle down the corridors for exercise on the cardiac care floor at BIDMC. While it's a familiar sight in most hospitals, what makes this scene different is the once sterile hospital walls are no longer bland muted beige. These walls are adorned with brightly sketched pictures of the human heart and cartoons of people demonstrating good post-surgery cardiac care.
Scientists have discovered that induction of a gene known as MDA-7/IL-24 is the molecular mechanism that enables nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to halt the growth of cancer cells, a finding that could eventually lead to the development of targeted cancer treatments.
Scientists have discovered that mutations in a gene known as SOS1 account for many cases of Noonan syndrome (NS), a common childhood genetic disorder which occurs in one in 1,000-2,500 live births. NS is characterized by short stature, facial abnormalities, and learning disabilities, as well as heart problems and predisposition to leukemia.
Terry B. Strom, MD, director of the Division of Immunology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Scientific Director of BIDMC's Transplant Center, received the 2006 Homer W. Smith Award from the American Society of Nephrology at their annual meeting last month in San Diego.
By the year 2030, the number of individuals over age 65 is expected to reach 70 million. By 2050, those age 85 and over will climb to over 19 million. Despite this anticipated "“ and unprecedented -- growth, few physicians have the skills necessary to properly address the numerous medical challenges posed by many older patients.
Among women receiving treatment for early-stage breast cancer, patients with disabilities had higher breast cancer mortality rates and were less likely than other women to receive standard treatment following breast-conserving surgery, according to a study in the Nov. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Even as studies have consistently found an association between moderate alcohol consumption and reduced heart attack risk in men, an important question has persisted: What if the men who drank in moderation were the same individuals who maintained good eating habits, didn't smoke, exercised and watched their weight? How would you know that their reduced risk of myocardial infarction wasn't the result of one or more of these other healthy habits?
In a medical case of Jekyll and Hyde, carbon monoxide "“ the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems "“ has proven effective in treating the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an extremely debilitating condition that typically leads to right heart failure and eventual death.
Scientists have long known that the blood vessels of tumors differ markedly from normal blood vessels. Now, a research team led by scientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has identified a signaling pathway which, when activated, transforms otherwise healthy blood vessels into the leaky, misshapen vasculature that characterizes cancerous tumors.
A new study shows that automated external defibrillators (AEDs), the devices used to resuscitate victims of sudden cardiac arrest, had a greater than 20 percent chance of being recalled for potential malfunction over the past decade. The findings suggest the need for a more reliable system to locate and repair potentially defective devices in a timely fashion.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's Carl J. Shapiro Simulation and Skills Center has been formally accredited as a Level 1 facility by the American College of Surgeons (ACS), the first in Boston and New England "“ and one of only six inaugural certified centers in the United States "“ to provide simulation-based skills training to health care students and professionals from all medical and surgical disciplines.
BOSTON "“ A study in the June 15 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reveals that elevated levels of a molecule called RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) can foretell early stages in the development of insulin resistance, a major cause of type 2 diabetes as well as cardiovascular disease.
Building on their earlier discovery which found that elevated levels of the sFlt1 placental protein leads to the onset of preeclampsia, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), in collaboration with a research team from The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, have identified a second protein which, in combination with sFlt1, escalates preeclampsia to a severe "“ and life-threatening -- state.
A study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein is a key biomarker for sepsis, a severe inflammatory response that develops following a bacterial infection. The findings offer a promising new target for the development of drug therapies to treat this overwhelming "“ and often fatal -- condition.
Data presented today at the Heart Rhythm Society's 27th Annual Scientific Sessions finds that during a 10-year study period more than one in five automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) were recalled due to potential malfunction. The findings represent some of the first data available on safety and reliability of the devices, which are used to resuscitate victims of cardiac arrest.