From madness to seizures, to crime and lack of sleep, people have long blamed the full moon for a range of problems. Research, on the other hand, has found little evidence over the years to support these anecdotal accounts of the moon’s powers over the human body and brain. Frank Scheer, HMS assistant professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
They are both miserable diseases, but a sweeping study from Boston scientists finds that people who develop cancer appear to have a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease—especially those treated with chemotherapy. Jane Driver, HMS assistant professor of medicine at VA Boston Healthcare System, is the study’s lead researcher. Laura Frain, HMS research fellow in medicine, is a co-researcher. Gad Marshall, HMS assistant professor of neurology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
A growing body of evidence suggests that a “trained” brain will be better equipped to work around damage caused by disease, injury, deficits, or aging — just as a physically fit person can better avoid and bounce back from injury. Bonnie Wong, HMS instructor in neurology; Alvaro Pascual-Leone, HMS professor of neurology; and Mo Shafi, HMS instructor in neurology, are leading the Brain Fit Club at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Paul Farmer, the Kolokotrones University Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at HMS, participated in a Q&A with The New Times in Rwanda.
For women, an aspirin every other day may keep colon cancer away, a new study suggests. Nancy Cook, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is the lead author of the study.
Scientists who used adult stem cells to create functional and long-lasting blood vessels in mice say this research could lead to new treatments for cardiovascular disease. Rakesh Jain, the A. Werk Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology (Tumor Biology) at Massachusetts General Hospital, is a study co-senior author.
The Boston Globe published an editorial about a growing pool of evidence that eating disorders are affecting more men every year. Jerel Calzo, HMS instructor in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
It’s here. It’s legal. Yet parents are still afraid to ask for a drug that may help. Lester Grinspoon, HMS associate professor of psychiatry, emeritus, and Sharon Levy, HMS assistant professor of pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, are quoted.
Years after it was hyped, then vilified after the death of a teenager, then mostly forgotten by the general public, gene therapy has rebounded, and hospitals, companies, and investors in the Boston area have jumped on the bandwagon. David Williams, the Leland Fikes Professor of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, is quoted.
Scientists have long searched for a durable artificial heart that can work as efficiently as the one supplied by nature. Lynne Warner Stevenson, HMS professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is quoted.
