The Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator is a unique modality for precise tissue removal which results in increased visibility, reduced bleeding, and shorter operating time when dealing with vascular lesions or organs.
Mutations in the gene for the enzymes superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) or copper zinc superoxide dismutase have been found in approximately 15-20 percent of the familial cases of ALS. Some quick math shows, then, that approximately 1 to 2 percent of all cases of ALS involve this particular gene mutation.
C9ORF72 mutations are by far the most common genetic defect associated with both ALS and FTD, so understanding how the mutation causes disease is tremendously important for efforts to develop therapies to stop or reverse the death of neurons in the brain and spinal cord of patients, said corresponding author Dr. J. Paul Taylor, chair of cell and molecular biology at St. Jude and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.