Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

Kessler Foundation researchers have found that among individuals with TBI, depression and self-awareness affect subjective reports of memory, quality of life (QOL), and satisfaction with life. The study was published in the February 2014 issue of Brain Injury. Impairment in self-awareness (the ability to accurately recognize one's own abilities and limitations) often occurs after TBI. Intact self-awareness would result in accurate self-reports; however, intact self-awareness can also be associated with depressive symptoms. This is the first study to examine the complex relationship between self-awareness and depression, while also accounting for the self-reporting of well being and QoL by individuals with TBI. Researchers studied 30 community-based adults with TBI of at least one-year duration. Testing included the Awareness Questionnaire, Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), Memory Functioning Questionnaire (MFQ), and the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory (CMDI). "Our findings help answer the question: What abilities must be considered when interpreting responses on a self-report questionnaire?" explained Nancy Chiaravalloti, PhD, director of TBI Research at Kessler Foundation, and project director, Northern NJ TBI System. "These results showed first that higher levels of self-awareness are associated with poorer QoL, reports of poor memory performance and better strategy use; and also that … Continue reading →

Greg Dohler/The Gazette Eileen Elias of Bethesda-based JBS International has been providing resources for doctors in Iraq who are treating traumatic brain injuries. A North Bethesda organization says it is waging a battle against the emerging but silent epidemic of traumatic brain injury in postwar Iraq. A little over a year ago, employees of JBS International, a firm of government contractors, traveled to Iraq to help physicians treat a nation and populace beset with trauma from war. According to Eileen Elias a former mental health commissioner for Massachusetts, who went on the trip the goal was to take on traumatic brain injury. The condition refers to the brain being injured by an external force. The most common causes are traffic accidents, falls and violence. The World Health Organization considers TBI to be a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Jerri Shaw, a co-owner of JBS, said the effects of TBI in many victims in Iraq are compounded by other stressors. Theres a ripple effect. There are lots of consequences of brain injury, she said. At that meeting in Iraq, physicians put together a strategic plan to deal with traumatic brain injury. See the original post: From a distance, North … Continue reading →

GRAND FORKS - A man accused of shaking his infant son in Grand Forks and causing significant brain injury has been charged with child abuse, according to court records. Robert Allen Duckstad, 25, whose home ZIP code is listed in court records as Windom, Minn., appeared Wednesday in state district court. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The incident happened June 13 after Duckstad had come home from an overnight shift around 7:30 a.m. feeling tired, frustrated and stressed, according to a police complaint. He tried to change his 3-month-old sons diaper, but the boy was being fussy. Investigators said Duckstad told them he shook his son once, but the boy wouldnt stop crying. The crying stopped after Duckstad shook the boy two more times. That afternoon, Duckstads wife took the boy to Altru Hospital, where he was diagnosed with brain hemorrhage. The boy was taken to Amplatz Childrens Hospital in Minneapolis for treatment. Judge Sonja Clapp set Duckstads bond at $75,000. He remained in jail in Grand Forks. A preliminary hearing is set for March 24. Tags: north dakota,news,updates,crime Link: Grand Forks police say man caused infant son's brain injury … Continue reading →

A man accused of shaking his infant son in Grand Forks and causing significant brain injury has been charged with child abuse, according to court records. Robert Allen Duckstad, 25, made an initial appearance Wednesday before state district Judge Sonja Clapp in Grand Forks. If convicted, he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. The alleged incident happened on June 13 after Duckstad had come home from an overnight shift around 7:30 a.m. feeling tired, frustrated and stressed, according to a police complaint. He tried to change his three-month-old sons diaper, but the boy was being fussy. Investigators said Duckstad told them he shook his son once, but the boy would not stop crying. The crying stopped after Duckstad shook the boy two more times. His son seemed out of it and sleepy so he put the boy in a child swing and went to bed, according to the complaint. Duckstads wife returned home around 1:45 p.m. By 4 p.m. she realized something was wrong because the boy didnt respond to his name and appeared pale, the complaint said. Thats when she took him to Altru Hospital where the boy was diagnosed with brain hemorrhage. He was taken to … Continue reading →

Windsor, Ontario (PRWEB) February 25, 2014 Winter is a difficult time for many people, especially those who suffer from chronic pain syndrome and fibromyalgia. Cold weather and precipitation can exacerbate chronic pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and other such conditions. Winter can also increase depression levels and depression goes hand in hand with chronic pain. Paciocco & Mellow, a Windsor Personal Injury Firm handles many personal injury claims where people have sustained injuries that led them to suffer from chronic pain syndrome. A recent Austrian study published in the journal, Pain, found that vitamin D supplements may be an effective and inexpensive way of reducing chronic pain and fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia. The participants who took the vitamin D supplements noticed a reduction in pain. Vitamin D supplements could be an economical and safe treatment. A new study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, also published in the journal, Pain, found that chronic neck pain is the most commonly reported symptom after a car accident and that after six weeks after a collision, they reported further pain in other regions of the body. Many individuals were hesitant to sue for fear of not being believed. … Continue reading →

Feb. 26, 2014, 4 a.m. A PROMISING young Warrnambool footballer who suffered a brain bleed has been told it is time to face his demons and get treatment. A PROMISING young Warrnambool footballer who suffered a brain bleed has been told it is time to face his demons and get treatment. Jayden Bourke, 19, of Raglan Parade, pleaded guilty in Warrnambool Magistrates Court this week to recklessly causing injury. He was convicted and placed on a 12-month community corrections order with the condition he undertake treatment and rehabilitation for drug use. He has to return to court on September 1 for judicial monitoring. Bourke told the court he had memory loss and had been in trouble with police after suffering a knock to the head playing football which led to him being taken to a Melbourne hospital. Magistrate Peter Mellas said that when Bourke used drugs he got angry and lost the plot. He said it was time Bourke did something about his issues, the head injury was not a death sentence and if he addressed his problems there may be no long-term impact. Bourke said he feared what impact the injury could have on the rest of his life. … Continue reading →

Anantha demonstrates Cognitive Therapys app in May 2013 After a stroke or traumatic brain injury, many people experience difficulty speaking or understanding what others are saying. The good news is that the brain is able to repair itself to some extent, with the help of cognitive and speech therapy programs. The bad news is, the rehabilitation process is expensive and can involve weekly visits to specialty clinics. A startup called Constant Therapy converted years worth of aphasia rehabilitation research at Boston University into a digitized cognitive-communication therapy program that patients can use on iPads from their homes. Now the Boston-based company has just scored its first round of outside capital from Boston University, TiE Angels Boston and serial entrepreneur Andy Palmer to continue developing and marketing the platform. Constant Therapy didnt disclose how much was raised, but a recent SEC filing indicates it was $605,000. Designed for people who have had a traumatic brain injury or stroke, or who have a learning disability, the app allows speech and language pathologists to create, modify and monitor customized therapy programs that patients can access remotely. The cloud-based solution encompasses more than 50 different tasks and 10 levels of difficulty from which therapists … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Using a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided laser technology, neurosurgeons at UC San Diego Health System have successfully treated a malignant tumor deep inside a patients brain. This is the first time that this FDA-approved laser-based treatment has been performed in California. The patients brain tumor was located in the thalamus. Normally, to access a tumor in this region, the surgeon would have to remove considerable healthy brain tissue, thus subjecting the patient to significant neurologic injury, said neurosurgeon Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD, vice chairman of research, UC San Diego Division of Neurosurgery. This MRI-guided laser technology helps neurosurgeons preserve healthy brain tissues while allowing treatment of tumors that would otherwise be inoperable. Chen and his team used a technique called laser interstitial thermal therapy. The procedure is performed inside an MRI machine while the patient is under general anesthesia. A dime-size hole is created in the patients skull to access the tumor. A laser probe is then inserted into the tumor under real-time MRI monitoring and computer guidance. When the tumor is reached, the laser beam is activated, heating and destroying tumor cells. It is well-known that MRI can be … Continue reading →

Of this number, 718 of the injured were in Bangkok, two in Rayong, eight in Pathum Thani and 34 in Trat. Another policeman succumbed yesterday to injuries inflicted during a clash with protesters near Phan Fah Bridge last Tuesday, the Erawan Emergency Centre said. The centre said Police Lance Corporal Sarawut Chaipanha died at 12.30pm at the Police Hospital. He became the second police officer fatally injured during the finally aborted dispersal operation and the sixth to die in a clash which also saw four protesters killed. Yesterday, a six-year-old girl succumbed to severe injuries caused by the bomb attack by a Big C store near Ratchaprasong intersection. She was rushed to Ramathibodi Hospital and underwent surgery for damage to her brain and liver, but died of those injuries at 6.25am. A four-year-old boy injured by the bomb attack at the same site also underwent treatment at the intensive care unit at Ramathibodi hospital. His brain and lungs were damaged by the explosion, but medical staff said later his brain had slightly improved. A five-year-old girl, injured in a grenade and gun attack at the Yingcharoen fresh market in Khao Saming district in Trat province, has also undergone treatment at … Continue reading →

February 20, 2014 Updated Feb 20, 2014 at 6:49 PM CST Duluth, MN (NNCNOW.com)--- It's a sigh of relief for the family of a Pakistani student who is recovering from a traumatic brain injury in a Duluth hospital. 22-year-old Shahzeib Bajwa will not be deported back to Pakistan. Bajwa's brother says the family met with the Consulate General of Pakistan from the Chicago Consul last night in Duluth, and that the consul and State Department have agreed to extend his brother's visa. Shahraiz Bajwa says the family is working with Essentia Health St Mary's Duluth to transfer Bajwa to a long term health care facility. An insurance company will cover medical expenses until November of this year, before the family will have to take over paying for all future medical expenses. Bajwa will need facial reconstruction surgery and long-term rehabilitation care. An online medical fundraising site has collected more than $132,000 to go towards his future medical expenses. Bajwa remains at Essentia Health St Marys recovering from a traumatic brain injury nearly three months after his vehicle collided with a deer. Written and posted to the web by Raeanna Marnati rmarnati@kbjr.com Go here to read the rest: Pakistani student to … Continue reading →