Category Archives: Brain Injury Treatment

ScienceDaily (June 26, 2012) Rhode Island Hospital researcher Suzanne de la Monte, M.D., has found a link between brain insulin resistance (diabetes) and two other key mediators of neuronal injury that help Alzheimer's disease (AD) to propagate. The research found that once AD is established, therapeutic efforts must also work to reduce toxin production in the brain. The study, "Dysfunctional Pro-Ceramide, ER Stress, and Insulin/IGF Signaling Networks with Progression of Alzheimer's Disease", is published in the June 22, 2012, supplement of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common degenerative dementias, and more than 115 million new cases are projected worldwide in the next 40 years. There is clinical and experimental evidence that treatment with insulin or insulin sensitizer agents can enhance cognitive function and in some circumstances help slow the rate of cognitive decline in AD. Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases destroy the brain until the patients finally succumb. In order to effectively halt the process of neurodegeneration, the forces that advance and perpetuate the disease, particularly with regard to the progressive worsening of brain insulin/IGF resistance, must be understood. "Brain insulin resistance (diabetes) is very much like regular diabetes," de la Monte said. … Continue reading →

The New Paper Wednesday, Jun 27, 2012 The plucky seven-year-old girl tried to shield her mother from being attacked by a mentally-ill man wielding a steel shovel. But little Wang Yan, from a village in Anhui province, China, was hit and is now being treated in hospital for a serious brain injury. The girl suffered a broken skull and injury to her brain stem. Her mother died at the scene of the attack, which happened in April, reported the Shanghai Daily. Doctors told the family that Wang Yan would not emerge from her coma and said it would be pointless to spend money on her treatment. But her father and brother decided to sell everything they had to take her to Shanghai for treatment. The family said they were able to bring only 8,000 yuan (S$1,600) there as they were almost broke from paying for the father's cancer treatment. Wang Yan was admitted to Shanghai Blue Cross Brain Hospital in early June after her brother contacted the hospital. Time needed to recover See the original post here: Girl, 7, in coma after trying to help mum under attack … Continue reading →

A soldier returns from Iraq and has trouble remembering how to complete everyday tasks. He gets frustrated easily and has trouble sleeping. Doctors have difficulty alleviating his symptoms or even diagnosing the cause. Along Recovery, a documentary showing today at the Santikos Palladium as part of the San Antonio Film Festival, follows four members of the U.S. Army as they are treated for traumatic brain injury. The four men sustained injuries from improvised explosive devices while in Iraq and Afghanistan. The pressure from the blasts might leave no physical damage but cause symptoms that resemble a severe concussion, including memory loss and headaches. Traumatic brain injury is often paired with post-traumatic stress, which means additional mental health treatment for soldiers. I wanted to give the injury a human face, director Justin Springer said. The film was shot at Brooke Army Medical Center (now San Antonio Military Medical Center), a facility renowned for its treatment of TBI. Springer, who served in the Army from 2003 until 2008, gained intimate access to sessions with neurologists and psychiatrists. I knew what combat was like, but a soldier has no clue what's going on in a hospital, he said. For almost two years, Springer … Continue reading →

As a professional football player who takes jarring hits, San Clemente's Brian de la Puente is keenly aware that a traumatic brain injury could change his life. Such injuries already have done that to two of his friends. New Orleans Saints center Brian de la Puente, a 2003 graduate of San Clemente High School, will be at Hapa J's restaurant in his hometown to host a July 3 fundraiser for the Brain Trauma Foundation. PAUL RODRIGUEZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER ADVERTISEMENT So, de la Puente, the New Orleans Saints center who snapped the ball that quarterback Drew Brees threw to break the National Football League's single-season record for passing yards last year, is asking the public to help him raise money for the Brain Trauma Foundation. The organization aims to educate athletes, coaches, nurses, parents and health-care professionals on recognizing the symptoms of concussions so victims can get early and appropriate care. It also does research intended to broaden the treatments available. De la Puente and his wife, Makenzie, will host a July 3 fundraiser called "Defend Your Dome" using an image of New Orleans' Superdome as the logo from 4:30 p.m. to closing at Hapa J's restaurant, 2016 S. … Continue reading →

A seven-year-old girl is being treated at a Shanghai hospital for a serious brain injury she received while trying to shield her mother from a steel shovel wielded by a mentally ill man in a small village in Anhui Province in April. Wang Yan's mother died at the scene of the attack, while the girl suffered a broken skull and injury to her brain stem. She was rushed to a hospital, but Anhui doctors told the family she would not emerge from the coma she was in and that it would be pointless to spend money on her treatment. After the girl was at the hospital for more than a month, Wang Yan's father and brother sold out everything they had in order to take the girl for treatment in Shanghai. The family was able to bring only 8,000 yuan (US$1,270) to Shanghai since the family was almost broke from paying for her father's cancer treatment. Wang was admitted to Shanghai Blue Cross Brain Hospital in early June after her brother contacted the hospital. Dr Pan Renlong, director of Shanghai Blue Cross's neurosurgery department, told Shanghai Daily yesterday that Wang Yan is capable of surviving the injury, but she may … Continue reading →

A traumatic brain injury can lead to a life of crime. That's what some studies suggest and that's why a doctor developed a program to help treat adults. A similar program is now being used at the El Paso County Juvenile Detention Center to help kids. Some studies show that a traumatic brain injury can lead to violent behavior or impulsiveness and that's how some people find themselves in jail. Dr. Wayne Gordon from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine has been studying this for years and created a treatment program to help adults who have suffered a traumatic brain injury. At a conference last year he met the El Paso County Juvenile Detention Center's Director of Probation Services Kim Shumate. "She thought that some of the things that she was seeing in terms of the interventions we had developed for adults with traumatic brain injury would work for the kids she was working with who are on probation in El Paso. So we sent her all of our treatment manuals and she used them to create this program," said Gordon. Shumate named it the Emotional Regulation Program and it lasts for 12 weeks. "The program is geared towards kids … Continue reading →

Police Brain injury victims boyfriend charged A 46-year-old woman was treated for bleeding from her brain at a Charleston area hospital and a Myrtle Beach man was charged with beating her, according to a police report. Thomas Edward Cooper, 38, is charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and is being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail pending a bond hearing, according to jail records. Cooper was arrested at 4 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of 26th Avenue South, according to an arrest report. The charge stemmed from officers being called at 5:30 a.m. Sunday to Waccamaw Community Hospital where the victim sought treatment, police said. The victim told officers that about 7:30 p.m. Saturday she went to Coopers apartment and he accused her of cheating on him. The victim said Cooper, her boyfriend, pushed her, punched her in the face, repeatedly choked her on the bed and held her in the apartment, according to the report. The victim said a 62-year-old woman, who also was inside the apartment, provoked Cooper during the incident and pushed the victim down multiple times to keep her from leaving the apartment, according to the report. After about 30 … Continue reading →

Public release date: 20-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Dennis Tartaglia dtartaglia@tartagliacommunications.com 732-545-1848 Tartaglia Communications The impact of traumatic injuries to the brain whether sustained in combat or on the playing fields of America's schools is a major topic for international migraine specialists the week of June 18 as they gather in Los Angeles for the 54th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Headache Society. This is among many timely issues concerning headache, migraine, and brain injuries on the four-day agenda here which runs through Sunday morning, June 24. "As migraine specialists, we cannot ignore the fact that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an increasingly common medical problem today and that those who experience severe and untreated blows to the brain may end up with serious neurological damage and long-lasting medical and psychological problems," said Elizabeth Loder, MD, MPH, president of the American Headache Society (AHS) and Chief of the Division of Headache and Pain in the Department of Neurology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "We owe it to our nation's military as well as to our children in contact sports to raise awareness of TBI and make this issue a national health priority." Dr. … Continue reading →

A 46-year-old woman was treated for bleeding from her brain at a Charleston area hospital, and a Myrtle Beach man was charged with beating her, according to a police report. Thomas Edward Cooper, 38, is charged with criminal domestic violence of a high and aggravated nature and is being held at the Myrtle Beach Jail pending a bond hearing, according to jail records. Cooper was arrested at 4 p.m. Monday in the 200 block of 26th Avenue South, according to an arrest report. The charge stemmed from officers being called at 5:30 a.m. Sunday to Waccamaw Community Hospital where the victim sought treatment, police said. The victim told officers that about 7:30 p.m. Saturday she went to Coopers apartment and he accused her of cheating on him. The victim said Cooper, her boyfriend, pushed her, punched her in the face, repeatedly strangled her on the bed and would not allow her to leave the apartment, according to the report. The victim said she fought back, but it did not help her. The victim said a 62-year-old woman, who also was inside the apartment, provoked Cooper during the incident and pushed the victim down multiple times to keep her from leaving … Continue reading →

Contributor (888) 633-0360 A young woman has been given a second chance at life after a pedestrian accident that couldve left her an invalid with traumatic brain injury. Eighteen-year-old Michelle Vaquero wound up on the wrong side of a car while crossing the street. The was sent soaring 30 feet away from the initial contact. Doctors didnt give Michelles mom, Miriam, much optimism. The impact was so severe that they didnt give us any hope, she told the New York Times. They didnt tell us shed be fine. They didnt know how bad it was. Michelles mother had reason to worry since traumatic brain injury has been known to cause permanent disability and even death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, nearly 1.7 million Americans suffer some type of traumatic brain injury, which can range from mild to severe. In most cases people suffer from a mild traumatic brain injury, which are usually various forms of concussions. About 275,000 people are hospitalized annually, and about 50,000 die from the severity of the injury. Thanks to a medical study, Michelle may beat those odds. The Times reports that upon her arrival at the hospital, she was … Continue reading →