Public release date: 14-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Meng Zhao eic@nrren.org 86-138-049-98773 Neural Regeneration Research In recent years, neurotoxicity from exposure to low levels of lead in the environment has become increasingly prevalent. Therefore, the discovery of herbs that have lead-eliminating properties without harmful side effects is essential for the management of lead poisoning. Preliminary studies by Yu Wang and colleagues from Longnan Teachers College have verified that olive leaf extract can protect the blood, spleen and hippocampus in lead-poisoned mice. However, little is known about the effects of olive leaf extract on lead-induced brain injury. A recent study from Yu Wang and colleagues investigated brain histological structure and antioxidant capacity in lead-poisoned mice as well as apoptotic factors in the cerebral cortex of mice using transmission electron microscopy, spectrophotometry and immunohistochemical staining. The researchers have confirmed that olive leaf extract can inhibit lead-induced brain injury by increasing antioxidant capacity and reducing apoptosis. These findings, published in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 22, 2013), initially reveal the action mechanism underlying olive leaf extract treatment for lead poisoning, and provide scientific evidence and theoretical basis for development and utilization of olive leaf in boosting the body … Continue reading →

Newswise Schaumburg, IL, Sept. 16, 2013 The Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS) will address the latest developments in traumatic brain injury (TBI), neuromodulation and stroke at three new Innovation and Technology Symposia. The meetings will take place during the CNS Annual Meeting, October 19-23, 2013, at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. The sessions will offer neurosurgeons the opportunity to collaborate on new technologies and innovations fueling the advancement of neurosurgery in three critical treatment areas. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Oct. 19, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Course Directors: Raj K. Narayan, MD and Jack Jallo, MD CME Credits: 6 This session will feature world-renowned TBI expert Julian E. Bailes, Jr., MD, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery and Co-Director of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Neurological Institute in suburban Chicago, and also a former NFL and NCAA team physician. Along with other highly accomplished TBI specialists, Dr. Bailes will discuss the alarming escalation of TBI, especially among athletes and the military. In recent years, news coverage shows that even celebrities, including George Clooney, Gary Busey, Brett Michaels and Natasha Richardson, have suffered from TBI. In the past decade, researchers have learned more about concussions and other head injuries than ever … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Timothy S. Paul tp2111@columbia.edu 212-305-2676 Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a five-year, $1.5 million grant extension to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health to fund research into the function of a biomarker for brain injury called Translocator Protein 18 kDa, better known as TSPO, in order to better understand its function in brain injury and inflammation and discover targets for therapy. Toms Guilarte, PhD, chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, will lead the new studies. Dr. Guilarte pioneered these studies beginning in 1995 that led to the validation of the biomarker and established its use in research studies underway around the world. When the brain is injured, TSPO levels increase markedly in the areas of brain injury. The process can be made visible using Positron Emission Tomography (PET), providing a real-time picture of where the damaging inflammation from injury is happening and the ability to track how treatment reduces this inflammation. But little is known about how or why this happens. TSPO, previously known as Peripheral … Continue reading →