Astrocytes, which are brain cells that transport key nutrients and form the blood-brain barrier, can reduce disability due to stroke and other ischemic brain disorders. That's the finding of a University of California-Davis study published July 23rd in the journal Nature Communications A release from the university quotes senior author Wenbin Deng as saying, "Astrocytes are often considered just 'housekeeping' cells because of their supportive roles to neurons, but they're actually much more sophisticated. They are critical to several brain functions and are believed to protect neurons from injury and death. They are not excitable cells like neurons and are easier to harness. We wanted to explore their potential in treating neurological disorders, beginning with stroke." Deng added that the therapeutic potential of astrocytes has not been investigated in this context, since making them at the purity levels necessary for stem cell therapies is challenging. In addition, the specific types of astrocytes linked with protecting and repairing brain injuries were not well understood. The release reports that the team began by using a protein that turns on genes, known as Olig2, to differentiate human embryonic stem cells into astrocytes. This approach generated a previously undiscovered type of astrocyte called Olig2PC-Astros. … Continue reading →

DENVER, July 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- CORHIO, the Colorado Regional Health Information Organization, and Craig Hospital announced today that the specialty hospital is now participating in CORHIO's secure health information exchange (HIE) network. Denver-based Craig Hospital is world-renowned as a premier center for specialty rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Through the HIE connection, patients who are being transferred from another participating Colorado acute care hospital to Craig Hospital will have smoother transitions and be at lower risk for complications, because the details of their electronic medical records will immediately follow them as they transition facilities. The CORHIO HIE is a highly protected electronic network that links the medical records systems of hospitals, doctors and other health care providers throughout Colorado. The HIE allows providers to exchange vital patient information, including lab test and pathology results, X-ray, MRI and other imaging reports, and physician transcription reports, when it is needed for patient care. To view a video that describes HIE, please visit http://youtu.be/9iO8NaVt6Sw. Often an individual with a brain or spinal cord injury will have been through a traumatic accident and will initially be taken to an emergency room or an acute care hospital. At the … Continue reading →

By Randy Appleton, North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyer Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are often sudden and change and end lives without warning. Almost two million people each year have a traumatic brain injury. Around the world, it is a leading cause of death. Now, new research is indicating that a hormone that the body produces can be used in some cases to treat TBI. For instance, a man named Lester Talley in Texas blacked out behind the wheel earlier this year and his car slammed into the rear of a tractor trailer. He blacked out due to an unknown health issue, and he suffered a TBI in the accident. The accident caused his brain to swell dangerously, and without any treatment, he could suffer severe brain damage and possibly death. According to Daniel Laskowitz, MD, MHS, Professor Medicine (Neurology), Neurobiology, & Anesthesiology, and Director, Neurovascular Laboratories at Duke University Medical Center, there are few options for treating such an acute brain injury. In Talleys case, his wife enrolled him in a Phase III clinical trial called SyNAPSe. This study tests to see if progesterone can help to treat TBI and reduce brain swelling. It is a natural hormone in men … Continue reading →

(PRWEB) July 24, 2013 Neurological Recovery Guide and Neurological Wellness Center have been facilitating recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI) since 2010. There is a growing body of evidence linking chronic inflammatory events in the brain with many of the impairments persons with TBI experience. Etanercept (Enbrel) is a drug approved to treat the acute inflammatory processes involved in certain forms of arthritis and psoriasis. This traumatic brain injury clinical trial is designed to confirm the findings of Dr. Tobinick who pioneered a means of circumventing the blood brain barrier by administering Enbrel to the back of the neck in a prescribed manner referred to as a perispinal injection. This study will be conducted at the research office of Neurological Wellness Center with individuals who have been diagnosed with mild to moderate TBI. In addition to perispinally administered etanercept, study participants will be given minocycline, n-acetylcysteine, turmeric, and fish oil. This open label crossover pilot study will evaluate the effect of treatment over a six-week period. Assessment tools will include the DSM-IV criteria and the Neurobehavioral Functioning Inventory the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Physical impairments will be evaluated by assessing the time to walk 20 meters, as well as a symptom … Continue reading →