October 16, 2012 (Press-News.org) The severe forces experienced in a car or truck accident or other violent event can lead to devastating injuries and tragic fatalities. Among the worst harm that accident victims can suffer are brain and spinal cord injuries that leave a person with a lifetime of medical and financial challenges.
While the forces that harm head and back injury victims need not be severe to cause lasting harm, one of the most apparent and difficult outcomes of a serious accident injury is paralysis. A Florida group, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, recently announced FDA approval of a revolutionary clinical trial to treat spinal cord injuries by transplanting human cells.
The cells in question are known as Schwann cells, which serve the human nervous system by properly routing electrical signals that guide movement and other activity. Researchers are optimistic that, by transplanting a person's own cells to an injured area of the spine, future growth will repair the damaged area and allow a person to regain movement.
The clinical trial will begin by testing the safety of cell transplants using eight newly injured subjects who suffer a thoracic spinal injury and have complete paralysis and loss of sensation in their legs. Willing participants will undergo a biopsy of Schwann cells in the sensory nerves of one leg, and the cells will be grown in a culturing facility for several weeks before being reintroduced at the injury site.
Miami Project officials see the FDA's approval as the equivalent of Neil Armstrong's first step on the moon, noting that over 25 years of research have been undertaken to get to this point. If the clinical trial shows that Schwann cell therapy is safe for patients, researchers will seek approval to extend testing to people who were paralyzed in the more distant past.
The neurologists who have been working on this revolutionary spine injury treatment state that the treatment will also be beneficial to brain injury victims and people who suffer from neurological degenerative diseases. The long term implications for those who face life in a wheelchair due to another's negligence or recklessness are well worth noting.
Just as important, spinal injury victims and others suffering serious medical complications due to a motorcycle accident, construction accident or other traumatic event should recognize the expense and effort required to take advantage of the latest treatments and adaptive technology. By helping clients seek the full extent of damages they deserve, a personal injury attorney can make future access to medical advances possible.
Article provided by Charles G. Monnett III & Associates
Visit us at www.carolinalaw.com
New Treatment for Paralysis Could Help Spinal Injury Victims
A Florida group, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, recently announced FDA approval of a revolutionary clinical trial to treat spinal cord injuries by transplanting human cells.
2012-10-16
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Texas Doctor Charged with Medicare Fraud
2012-10-16
Federal law enforcement officials have arrested a Texas doctor and charged him with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. A second doctor has also been named, but has yet to be apprehended and is presumed to be on the run from the law.
The doctors are charged with defrauding the federal Medicare program that provides medical care to seniors and other individuals who meet certain conditions. The arrest was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, the Office ...
Kids and Crime: Connecticut Passes 'Raise the Age' Law
2012-10-16
A separate justice system for juveniles is not some sentimental Victorian notion that has no place in today's tough-minded criminal justice system. Cutting-edge research increasingly shows that the parts of the brain regulating risk taking and rational control are still not fully formed in teenagers.
Holding juveniles to adult standards, then, is a very problematic policy. Fortunately, Connecticut has finally passed "Raise the Age" legislation to require young offenders under the age of 18 to have their cases heard in juvenile court and be segregated from adult ...
Injured New Jersey Workers May Not Sue for Workers' Compensation
2012-10-16
In August 2012, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that workers' compensation carriers that refuse to pay out on valid claims cannot be sued by injured workers to whom they owe money.
In 1995, Wade Stancil was injured while working at Orient Originals, a carpet warehouse, and received workers' compensation benefits from compensation carrier ACE USA (ACE) for his injuries. After a 2006 trial, the compensation court found Stancil was completely disabled and in 2007, Stancil filed a motion to compel ACE to pay his outstanding medical bills. The compensation court ordered ...
Discount Bus Industry Should Put Premium on Safety
2012-10-16
When discount bus carriers cut too many corners on safety, they put people's lives at risk. Double-decked Megabuses, in particular, have been involved in at least five fatal accidents in the last two years.
This article will discuss the safety issues posed by curbside bus companies, particularly the operator of Megabuses. More needs to be done to prevent bus accidents caused by these companies. Such accidents do not only injure bus passengers; they put pedestrians and other motorists at risk as well.
Megabus Crashes in Illinois
Megabuses are double-deck buses manufactured ...
The SEC's Whistleblower Program Pays Out
2012-10-16
In the first reward of its kind under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) awarded money to an unnamed whistleblower who helped the SEC bring an enforcement action resulting in over $1 million in sanctions. The informant received 30 percent of the $150,000 in sanctions collected so far, which is the maximum percentage allowed under the Dodd-Frank Act.
Robert Khuzami, head of the SEC's enforcement division said that "[h]ad this whistleblower not helped to uncover the full ...
Dos and Don'ts During a Divorce
2012-10-16
Divorce can be an intense and taxing process for the spouses involved and their families. Not only will a family be divided, but so too will all of their assets. While the emotion of the situation can overcome logic, there are a few things those getting divorced should focus on doing to ensure their emotions do not jeopardize their financial stake in the separation.
The sometimes lengthy period between the time a divorce petition is filed and the divorce is finalized is the time when everyone should be on their best behavior. The opposing spouse is almost always watching ...
FMCSA Explains Its Evaluation of Motor Carrier Operating Applications
2012-10-16
In August 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officially published detailed public notice of the standards by which it decides whether to allow a commercial trucker or bus company to operate, or whether to restrict or take away that permission.
The FMCSA, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, is the federal agency with the mission to prevent injury and death related to large commercial vehicle travel. This mission includes the establishment and enforcement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, in large part to prevent dangerous semi-truck ...
Bicycle Helmets a Must for Connecticut Children
2012-10-16
Nearly all kids like riding bikes. However, a lot of them don't like wearing helmets. This is especially true for older children, many of whom see helmets as "nerdy" or "uncool."
Parents, though, are right to consider wearing a bike helmet as a non-negotiable rule. There are few things that can protect a child in a bicycle accident as much as a helmet does.
This common-sense principle was recently proven in a scientific test. According to a study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics, bicycle helmets can reduce skull acceleration ...
Supreme Court Reviews Missouri Work Injury Wrongful Death Case
2012-10-16
After a workplace injury or fatality, many legal issues can arise, including eligibility for workers' compensation benefits and whether a contractor or other third party is also liable for a worker's injury. The key issue in the aftermath of a recent Missouri wrongful death case had nothing to do with issues of liability, but instead addressed whether an employee's death was covered under a business owner's insurance policy.
The Missouri Supreme Court recently resolved this issue in Mendenhall v. Hartford Insurance by holding that business insurance coverage applied ...
4t Networks Encourages New York to Be Prepared for Hurricane Season with Disaster Recovery
2012-10-16
If you have not yet begun a plan to protect your organization's data, now is time to start; 4t Networks is reminding New Yorkers to prepare for hurricane season with a backup and disaster recovery plan.
To make it more affordable than ever to finally start with a disaster recovery service, 4t Networks is offering a half-off coupon for your setup costs until the end of hurricane season, November 30th (all you need is the coupon code, HURRICANE2012).
Once you are all set up, you will have a store of replications of your data, securely transferred to 4t Networks' cloud. ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
HKU ecologists uncover significant ecological impact of hybrid grouper release through religious practices
New register opens to crown Champion Trees across the U.S.
A unified approach to health data exchange
New superconductor with hallmark of unconventional superconductivity discovered
Global HIV study finds that cardiovascular risk models underestimate for key populations
New study offers insights into how populations conform or go against the crowd
Development of a high-performance AI device utilizing ion-controlled spin wave interference in magnetic materials
WashU researchers map individual brain dynamics
Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won’t help the climate
US Department of Energy announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025
PECASE winners: 3 UVA engineering professors receive presidential early career awards
‘Turn on the lights’: DAVD display helps navy divers navigate undersea conditions
MSU researcher’s breakthrough model sheds light on solar storms and space weather
Nebraska psychology professor recognized with Presidential Early Career Award
New data shows how ‘rage giving’ boosted immigrant-serving nonprofits during the first Trump Administration
Unique characteristics of a rare liver cancer identified as clinical trial of new treatment begins
From lab to field: CABBI pipeline delivers oil-rich sorghum
Stem cell therapy jumpstarts brain recovery after stroke
Polymer editing can upcycle waste into higher-performance plastics
Research on past hurricanes aims to reduce future risk
UT Health San Antonio, UTSA researchers receive prestigious 2025 Hill Prizes for medicine and technology
Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars
A chain reaction: HIV vaccines can lead to antibodies against antibodies
Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels
Rotavirus protein NSP4 manipulates gastrointestinal disease severity
‘Ding-dong:’ A study finds specific neurons with an immune doorbell
A major advance in biology combines DNA and RNA and could revolutionize cancer treatments
Neutrophil elastase as a predictor of delivery in pregnant women with preterm labor
NIH to lead implementation of National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act
Growth of private equity and hospital consolidation in primary care and price implications
[Press-News.org] New Treatment for Paralysis Could Help Spinal Injury VictimsA Florida group, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, recently announced FDA approval of a revolutionary clinical trial to treat spinal cord injuries by transplanting human cells.