Health Diaries > Health News > Neurological Disease News > December 2005
December 13, 2005
Human Embryonic Stem Cells Injected into Brains of Fetal Mice
Promising research at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences in La Jolla, California involving human embryonic stem cells is giving new hope to those with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers injected mice inside the womb with human embryonic stem cells.
The human cells had no apparent impact on the animals' behavior. About 100,000 cells were injected into each animal and just a fraction survived in their new hosts. That means the animals' brains were still more than 99 percent mouse -- a precaution that helped avoid ethical objections to creating animals that were "too human." (Washington Post)
Posted by news editor at 08:14 AM
December 04, 2005
ADHD Treatment Gets Thumbs Down from FDA
A patch developed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children received a negative review from a Food and Drug Administration scientist, who concluded the drug cannot be safely marketed.
The patch uses methylphenidate, the same drug that is in Ritalin. But FDA reviewer Dr. Robert Levin found the patch produces troubling side effects too often to be considered safe. His findings were in briefing documents released by the agency on Thursday in advance of a public meeting on the drug. (Washington Post)
Posted by news editor at 05:36 AM