An EEG pattern of brain activity represents the brain's shift into a protective, low-activity state in response to reduced metabolic energy

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• An EEG pattern of brain activity represents the brain's shift into a protective, low-activity state in response to reduced metabolic energy
• Delayed treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries lead to higher rates of other knee injury
• Epidural steroid injections- an efficient treatment option for lumbar disc herniations
• $5.5 million gift aids search for alternative energy
• Diagnosing developmental coordination disorder
• Research finds ways that young couples experience less relationship stress, higher satisfaction
• University of Minnesota and start-up to develop antidote to cyanide poisoning
• Advancing global health through informatics -- NI2012 Congress
• Army studies: High recurrence of shoulder instability, better arthroscopic repair outcomes
• Autism experts to gather at USC symposium

An EEG pattern of brain activity represents the brain's shift into a protective, low-activity state in response to reduced metabolic energy Posted: 11 Feb 2012 07:28 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A distinctive pattern of brain activity associated with conditions including deep anesthesia, coma and congenital brain disorders appears to represent the brain's shift into a protective, low-activity state in response to reduced metabolic energy. A mathematical model developed by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-based research team accurately predicts and explains for the first time how the condition called burst suppression is elicited when brain cells' energy supply becomes insufficient. Their report has been released online in PNAS Early Edition. "The seemingly unrelated brain states that lead to burst suppression – deep anesthesia, coma, hypothermia and some developmental brain disorders – all represent a depressed metabolic state," says Emery Brown, MD, PhD, of the MGH Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, senior author of the report. "We believe we have identified something fundamental about brain neurochemistry, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology that may help us plan better therapies for brain protection and design future anesthetics." Burst suppression is an electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern in which periods of normal, high brain activity – the bursts – are interrupted by stretches of greatly reduced activity that can last 10 seconds or longer. Burst suppression has been observed in deep general anesthesia, in induced hypothermia – used to protect the brain or other structures from damage caused by trauma or reduced blood flow – in coma, and in infants with serious neurodevelopmental disorders. It also has transiently been observed in some premature infants. Previous investigations of burst suppression focused on characterizing the structure of the EEG patterns and understanding the brain's responsiveness to external stimuli while in this state, not on the underlying mechanism. Lead author ShiNung Ching, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Brown's lab, had been working with Nancy Kopell, PhD,... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Delayed treatment of anterior cruciate ligament injuries lead to higher rates of other knee injury Posted: 11 Feb 2012 07:12 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Children treated more than 150 days after an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury have higher rates of other knee injuries, including medial meniscal tears, say researchers presenting at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Specialty Day in San Francisco, CA. "In our research, children who had delayed treatment of an ACL injury more than 150 days, tended to have an increased chance of also having a medial meniscus or chondral injury in their knee. These additional injuries may increase recovery time, inhibit return to play, and worsen long term functional outcomes of the knee," said lead researcher, Guillaume D. Dumont, MD of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. "This finding may also be relevant when counseling patients and their families regarding timing for injury treatment." The researchers analyzed records from 370 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction between January 2005 and January 2011 at Children's Medical Center of Dallas. 200 patients were more than 15 years old and 170 patients were less than 15 years old. There were 208 male patients and 162 female patients involved in the study. Patients were injured in a variety of athletic activities: football (29.7%), basketball (20.2%), soccer (17.6%), cheerleading/gymnastics (4.3%), and other (28.1%). "Weight also appeared to be a factor associated with the rate of meniscal tears found at the time of surgery," comments senior author, Philip Wilson, MD. "Our data demonstrates patient weight over 143 lbs (65 kg) to be associated with an increased rate of medial and lateral meniscal tears at the time of surgery. With recent significant increases in child and adolescent obesity rates, this finding may have significant public health implications." The study also demonstrated a relationship of age with children more than 15 years old having a higher rate of medial femoral chondral injury. Neither gender nor... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Epidural steroid injections- an efficient treatment option for lumbar disc herniations Posted: 11 Feb 2012 06:51 PM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) A spinal disc prolapse or herniation is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc causes a bulge of the soft, central portion. The use of epidural steroid injections may be a more efficient treatment option for lumbar disc herniations, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Specialty Day in San Francisco. "Our study showed an 89% success rate in athletes returning to play after suffering an injury during practice or a game," commented lead author Aaron J. Krych, MD, from the Mayo Clinic's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. "These injections are a safe initial therapy in athletes that do not have neurological deficits, allows them to participate effectively in physical therapy sooner, and can significantly reduce the time a player misses." Lumbar disc herniation is a back injury common in sports such as football, which involve direct contact and sometimes jumping or twisting motions. The study examined cases of 17 professional American football players from one team between 2003 and 2010. Participants received injections consisting of 80-160 mg of Triamcinolone and anesthetic, with an average loss of 2.8 practices and 0.6 games. "While we are excited to see the positive results with this treatment, it cannot be viewed as a cure-all," cautioned Dr. Krych. "At the end of the day, certain injuries will still require surgery and long-term recovery." http://www.rxpgnews.com

$5.5 million gift aids search for alternative energy Posted: 10 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Sustainable practices and the search for safe, environmentally friendly energy has been a priority of scientists for years. With some success, researchers across the globe are continuing the hunt for an energy source that is clean and abundant. Now, scientists at the University of Missouri are the recipients of a five-year, $5.5 million gift from the Sidney Kimmel Foundation that will help focus efforts in fundamental, physical sciences in the search for new alternative energy sources. We don't know what the next big thing is because it probably hasn't been invented yet, said Rob Duncan, vice chancellor for research at MU. This gift to MU's scientists will give us the opportunity to explore new and empirical phenomena in the physical sciences, which may ultimately be transformative and could lead to a new form of alternative energy. Tomorrow's solutions depend on scientific discoveries that are being made now, and hence, on innovations that have not yet occurred. The Sidney Kimmel Foundation is donating the large gift, believed to be one of the largest to study energy alternatives. The Foundation was created by Sidney Kimmel, the founder and chairman of The Jones Group, a leading designer and marketer of branded apparel and footwear. The Jones Group includes brands such as Jones New York, Anne Klein, Nine West, Gloria Vanderbilt, Bandolino and Rachel Roy. The company recently acquired footwear brands Stuart Weitzman and Kurt Geiger. Since 1993, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation and its subsidiary, the Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research, have committed more than $750 million to philanthropic causes, including $550 million to cancer research. According to Business Week, Kimmel is one of four billionaires in the United States who have given over half their wealth to philanthropy. The donation to MU will be used to create the Sidney Kimmel Institute for Nuclear Renaissance (SKINR), which will encourage... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Diagnosing developmental coordination disorder Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Children showing difficulty carrying out routine actions, such as getting dressed, playing with particular types of games, drawing, copying from the board in school and even typing at the computer, could be suffering from developmental coordination disorder (DCD), and not necessarily from ADHD or other more familiar disorders, points out Prof. Sara Rosenblum of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Haifa, whose new study set out to shed new light on DCD. In quite a few cases, children are not diagnosed early enough or are given an incorrect diagnosis, which can lead to frustration and a sense of disability. It can even result in a decline that requires psychological therapy, she explains. A person with DCD suffers from childhood and throughout adult life. Unlike various illnesses or trauma, says Prof. Rosenblum, this disorder is expressed in the inability to control the process of carrying out a particular motor task, consolidate it in memory and repeat the same task automatically. Simple tasks, such as closing buttons, tying laces, writing or riding a bicycle, which for healthy people become automatic, are difficult to carry out for people with DCD. When those children grow up, they are more likely to have trouble with temporal and spatial organization and have difficulty estimating distance and speed, which could prevent them from learning to drive successfully and even to ride a bicycle, she adds. Since the deficit is neural-based, meaning that it is founded in atypical brain activity, it is particularly difficult to diagnose in children. Going undiagnosed often exacerbates the individual's sense of frustration and shame, and they are therefore more likely to grow up to be introverted adults. The current study, conducted by Prof. Rosenblum and Dr. Miri Livneh-Zirinski of Kupat Holim Meuhedet (one of Israel's public health plans), set out to identify DCD in children by means of a simple and noninvasive test... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Research finds ways that young couples experience less relationship stress, higher satisfaction Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) MANHATTAN, KAN. -- The happiest young couples may be involved in a different kind of engagement. Young adults who easily engage in rewarding conversations with their partners are less likely to hold onto anger and stress and more likely to be satisfied with the relationship, according to research from Kansas State University. Brenda McDaniel, assistant professor of psychology, has been studying conflict and conflict recovery in young dating couples by examining self-reported questionnaires, physiological markers of stress and videotaped emotional reactions. McDaniel has looked at factors that relate to positive dating relationships or problematic relationships. For the research, McDaniel and her team worked with more than 50 couples ages 18 to 20 who had been dating for a least six months but were not engaged, married or living together. These relationships are, by nature, unstable to begin with, McDaniel said. They are early dating relationships. Sometimes it is hard to even get the couples to engage in conflict. Conflict does exist but, because the relationship is so new to them, they don't want to cause a break-up. To observe stress hormone levels, researchers had participants spend 20 minutes talking about a topic that continually causes relationship tension. Often, conflict occurred when one partner treated the other differently in front of family, did not introduce the other to parents and friends, or was flirting with someone else. Typically, the couple is not going to come to a resolution regarding the reoccurring conflict within the 20 minute discussion, McDaniel said. But we want to get the stress response to see how couples recover from that relationship stress. After the stressful discussion, couples spent 20 minutes discussing a positive shared time during their relationship. Some of the happy discussions involved reminiscing about their first date, their first kiss or a vacation together. The researchers tracked... http://www.rxpgnews.com

University of Minnesota and start-up to develop antidote to cyanide poisoning Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) Cyanide poisoning is often fatal and typically affects victims of industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or structural fires. Based on research conducted at the Center for Drug Design at the University of Minnesota, startup Vytacera Pharma Inc. will develop and market Sulfanegen, a treatment for cyanide poisoning. Sulfanegen could be administered by first responders in the case of a mass casualty emergency, or to victims of smoke inhalation from a house fire. Cyanide poisoning prevents the body from using oxygen. Hydrogen cyanide, a colorless gas, is released into the air when certain types of plastics and other household items burn. A victim who inhales too much experiences dizziness, rapid breathing, convulsions and respiratory failure. The key to survival for these victims is rapid and appropriate treatment, but current treatments require an intravenous injection by a medical professional and can require upward of 20 minutes to take effect. There is no effective cyanide antidote that can be administered rapidly, said Steve Patterson, co-inventor and associate director of the university's Center for Drug Design, where Sulfanegen was invented. In the case of a mass casualty situation, the emergency responders wouldn't be able to treat most of the victims. Sulfanegen can be administered rapidly by intra-muscular injection, so emergency responders could treat people faster. And it takes far less skill to use an auto-injector than it does for an intravenous injection. The antidote also functions as a prophylactic, and could protect firefighters or emergency personnel if taken prior to cyanide exposure. There is a critical need for better treatments for cyanide poisoning, ones that are more user-friendly, said Vit Lauermann, CEO of San Francisco Bay Area-based Vytacera. Sulfanegen could be a big step toward fulfilling that need. We intend to move forward as rapidly as financing and regulations permit, added Jon S. Saxe, chair of... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Advancing global health through informatics -- NI2012 Congress Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 9, 2012 -- Informatics leaders, practitioners and other members of the healthcare community will convene June 23-27, 2012, in Montreal, Canada, for the 11th International Congress on Nursing Informatics (NI2012). The Congress gives participants from across the world a forum to discuss the impact of informatics on patient care improvement, global health, professional practice, health policy and research. NI2012 is a rare opportunity for nurses, midwives, community health workers and scientists to participate in a program built around the world's most knowledgeable and highly-trained informatics professionals. The meeting, which generated paper, poster and panel submissions from 38 countries, includes sessions that represent viewpoints from multiple regions and continents. Select sessions will be simultaneously interpreted in Spanish If you are working to improve the health of your community or your population and you are using information, communications technology or informatics, you should come to the meeting, said Patricia Abbott, PhD, RN, NI2012 Chair, and an associate professor of informatics and co-director of the WHO Collaborating Center at Johns Hopkins University. Each day features a host of distinguished speakers beginning Sunday, June 24 with Judith Shamian, RN, PhD, LLD, DSci, FAAN, President and CEO of the Victorian Order of Nurses of Canada and President of the Canadian Nurses Association. She will discuss informatics as it relates to global health and the central role informatics can play in building healthy communities and sound health policy. Shamian will also offer her perspective on how informatics can contribute to improving healthcare practices. On Tuesday, June 26, Vic Strecher, MPH, PhD, a renowned speaker recently featured on TedMed, will discuss eHealth as a mechanism for encouraging healthy behaviors in his keynote address, and Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD, will serve as the... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Army studies: High recurrence of shoulder instability, better arthroscopic repair outcomes Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) SAN FRANCISCO -- Two studies on shoulder instability in a military population were presented today by U.S. Army sports medicine surgeons at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' annual meeting. Findings in one study suggest patients with a self-reported history of shoulder instability are far more likely to experience future instability, while the second study outlined key factors associated with surgical failure and concluded that arthroscopic surgical intervention has better outcomes than an open shoulder repair. The first study, History of Shoulder Instability and Subsequent Injury during Four Years of Follow-up: A Survival Analysis, prospectively followed a cohort of cadets entering the United States Military Academy over a four-year period (June 2006 through graduation in May 2010). Study authors analyzed data from 714 patients to conclude that patients with a prior history of instability were more than five times more likely to sustain an acute (anterior or posterior) instability event than those without this history. The study, conducted at Keller Army Hospital/West Point in West Point, N.Y., showed that cadets with a self-reported history of shoulder instability, who had no previous surgical procedure to correct it, were five times more likely than their peers without such a history to experience subsequent shoulder instability -- most within two years. All cadets were required to participate in vigorous physical education, competitive sports and military training activities. Our cadets, who are also college athletes, face demanding physical challenges and are susceptible to traumatic injuries that can cause shoulder instability, said Lt. Col. Brett D. Owens, M.D., a co-author of both studies and chief of Orthopedic Surgery Service at Keller Army Hospital/West Point. Shoulder instability and dislocation injuries are prevalent in young, athletic and physically active populations in both the military and... http://www.rxpgnews.com

Autism experts to gather at USC symposium Posted: 09 Feb 2012 05:00 AM PST ( From http://www.rxpgnews.com ) USC faculty and community experts are slated to convene on March 9 at the USC Occupational Science Symposium to share research and perspectives on autism and autism spectrum disorders with an audience of university colleagues and students, health professionals and public advocates. The 2012 Occupational Science Symposium, titled Autism in Everyday Life: Interdisciplinary Research Perspectives at USC, is a day-long event that will showcase USC's excellence in autism research across the sciences, arts and humanities, and will foster dialogue between disciplines approaching autism from different angles. The symposium, now in its 23rd year, will be hosted by the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. In years past, the symposium has attracted renowned guests, such as physicist Stephen Hawking, primatologist Jane Goodall, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio and psychologist Jerome Bruner, to USC. This year's lineup will feature five distinguished lecturers and two moderated panel discussions. Scheduled speakers will include Catherine Lord, director of the Institute for Brain Development at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the largest autism-specific facility in the New York City area, and author of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, a gold standard instrument used by health professionals for assessing and diagnosing autism; Florence Clark PhD '82, associate dean of the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, and member of the state of California's newly formed Autism Advisory Task Force that is overseeing the enactment of California's recent autism insurance reform legislation; Pat Levitt, director of the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, where neuroscientists are working to understand and ultimately develop cures for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including autism; Rodney Peete '89, former USC... http://www.rxpgnews.com

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