Every year more than 20,000 people in Indiana sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Nationwide, about one million people experience a TBI each year. Medical advancements have reduced fatalities from brain injuries, but as a result many people are now living with disabilities stemming from brain injuries. A TBI is defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an injury that occurs when "impact to the head results in disruption of brain functioning." There are a variety of causes of TBI, with motor vehicle accidents being one of the most common. ...

Using barium oxide nanoparticles, researchers have developed a self-cleaning technique that could allow solid oxide fuel cells to be powered directly by coal gas at operating temperatures as low as 750 degrees Celsius. The technique could provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to conventional power plants for generating electricity from the nation's vast coal reserves. Solid oxide fuel cells can operate on a wide variety of fuels, and use hydrocarbons gases directly – without a separate reformer. The fuel cells rely on anodes made from nickel and a ceramic ...

Thousands of patients in Scotland who are particularly vulnerable to adverse drug events (ADEs) were prescribed high-risk medications by their GPs which could potentially cause them harm, according to research published on BMJ.com today. Although at least some of this prescribing will be appropriate because prescribers and patients are balancing risks and benefits when there may be no clearly 'correct' course of action, the study also finds that there was significant variation in the prescribing practices between the GPs surgeries surveyed. This variation could not ...

BOSTON, MA – Individuals with systemic inflammatory conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis, experience a 1.5 to 2-fold increased rate of cardiovascular disease. Previous research suggests that inflammation and insulin resistance, linked with these conditions, likely accelerate the development of cardiovascular risk and diabetes. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) sought to determine whether commonly used disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), which are directed against inflammation, might reduce the risk for developing diabetes ...

When people hear the term "mild brain injury" they may assume that such an injury is not that serious. The basic misunderstanding stems from the fact that "mild" is used to indicate to neurosurgeons that the injury is not life-threatening and does not require emergent surgery. "Mild" does not intend to describe the seriousness of the consequences resulting from the injury. In fact, a mild traumatic brain injury can potentially cause serious and long-term damage to the functioning of an individual's brain. What is a Mild Brain Injury? A ...

Tampa, FL (June 21, 2011) – A yet unidentified component of coffee interacts with the beverage's caffeine, which could be a surprising reason why daily coffee intake protects against Alzheimer's disease. A new Alzheimer's mouse study by researchers at the University of South Florida found that this interaction boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer's disease process. The findings appear in the early online version of an article to be published June 28 in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. Using mice bred to develop symptoms ...

LOS ANGELES—(June 21, 2011)—In a study that increases the understanding of the link between fetal development and obesity later in life, researchers at Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (LA BioMed) found altering the levels of two common hormones, insulin and leptin, in utero changes the cellular development in the region of the brain that regulates appetite. Their study using fetal neural stem cells from animal models, which was published online by the journal, Endocrinology, found that altered levels of leptin or insulin may have ...

The Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Airport Hotel (North, I-85) provides nearby lodging to runners and fans attending the 2011 Peachtree Road Race. The annual event will take place on July 4 and will include approximately 60,000 participants and 150,000 spectators. It is the world's largest 10K. In addition, the AJC Peachtree Road Race has been selected to host the USA Men's 10 km Championship sponsored by Atlanta Track Club. The AJC Peachtree Road Race begins in Buckhead by Lenox Square Mall. It continues south 6.2 miles into midtown, finishing at Piedmont Park. After the ...

Scientists from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Lund have discovered that the community composition of bumble bee species and their relative abundances have changed drastically over the last 70 years in Sweden. Over the same period, the average seed yield of red clover has declined and variation in yield has doubled, suggesting that the current dependence on few species for pollination of red clover has been detrimental especially to stability in seed yield. The study was published this week in the Proceedings of the Royal Society ...

The regulation of personal data varies hugely across countries and sectors, research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) reveals. The study, which was conducted by Professor Andreas Busch of Oxford University, examined privacy regulations in four countries across three different areas - the use of Closed Circuit TV cameras in public places; Radio Frequency Identification Technology chips in consumer goods, such as electronic toll collection tags; and the introduction of biometric features in passports and identity cards. The policies in the United ...

Broadcasters failed to prepare audiences for events in North Africa and the Middle East, according to new research from the International Broadcasting Trust (IBT) and the University of East Anglia (UEA). Published today (Weds June 22), the Outside the Box report looks in detail at the nature of non-news factual coverage on all the main television channels in 2010 and finds that some countries like Libya and Yemen received little or no coverage at all. In 2010, five out of the 12 countries which have experienced revolutions, civil uprisings or major protests to date were ...

Rodriguez MD, a new Lawrenceville clinic and bilingual Lawrenceville family practice near Gwinnett Medical Center now offers Saturday hours. Located in Terrace Park Medical Center at 771 Old Norcross Rd., Suite 250, the practice has a physician on-site and available to see patients the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 8:00am - 12 noon. Upcoming Saturday dates include: - Saturday, July 2 - Saturday, July 16 - Saturday, August 6 - Saturday, August 20 Saturday hours are perfect for people who have weekday conflicts that make scheduling a medical check-up difficult ...

Advanced crafting of stone spearheads contributed to the development of new ways of human thinking and behaving. This is what new findings by archaeologists at Lund University have shown. The technology took a long time to acquire, required step by step planning and increased social interaction across the generations. This led to the human brain developing new abilities. 200 000 years ago, small groups of people wandered across Africa, looking like us anatomically but not thinking the way we do today. Studies of fossils and the rate of mutations in DNA show that the ...

TORONTO, Ont., June 21, 2011—Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found more evidence of the benefits of home dialysis for patients with kidney failure. Cells that help protect blood vessels work better in patients who undergo dialysis at home during the night than those who undergo standard daytime dialysis in a hospital, according to Dr. Darren Yuen, a nephrologist. This is important for patients with kidney failure, which causes damage to the endothelial cells that line blood vessels and help control the flow of blood. While standard dialysis in hospital is ...

PITTSBURGH—Driver assistance technologies, such as adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, promise to someday ease traffic on crowded routes and prevent accidents. Proving that these automated systems will work as intended is a daunting task, but computer scientists at Carnegie Mellon University have now demonstrated it is possible to verify the safety of these highly complex systems. To do so, the researchers first developed a model of a distributed car control system in which computers and sensors in each car combine to control acceleration, braking and lane ...

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered a molecular mechanism which could bring about the development of new treatments for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) — a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Dr Bruno Gran, a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Clinical Neurology in the School of Clinical Sciences, working in collaboration with Professor Paul Moynagh from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, has discovered a synthetic chemical compound which inhibits the pro-inflammatory signals produced by the immune system ...

New Haven, Conn.—Astronomers have probed into the distant universe and discovered that galaxies display one of two distinct behaviors: they are either awake or asleep, actively forming stars or are not forming any new stars at all. Scientists have known for several years that galaxies in the nearby universe seem to fall into one of these two states. But a new survey of the distant universe shows that even very young galaxies as far away as 12 billion light years are either awake or asleep as well, meaning galaxies have behaved this way for more than 85 percent of the ...

Jumeirah Restaurants has announced that the highly anticipated Ivy restaurant is set to open its doors in Dubai, taking forward the long-standing tradition of the international brasserie in London. The Ivy in Dubai will share the same standards of food, ambience and service as The Ivy in London, but will also take on board the best that Dubai has to offer. Located on the ground floor of The Boulevard, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, which is one of Jumeirah's Dubai hotels, The Ivy has been welcoming diners since 9 June, 2011. Designed by Martin Brudnizki, the restaurant ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Once eggs are laid, their natural resistance to pathogens begins to wear down, but a Purdue University scientist believes he knows how to rearm those defenses. Kevin Keener, an associate professor of food science, created a process for rapidly cooling eggs that is designed to inhibit the growth of bacteria such as salmonella. The same cooling process would saturate the inside of an egg with carbon dioxide and alter pH levels, which he has found are connected to the activity of an enzyme called lysozyme, which defends egg whites from bacteria. "This ...

Boots has that Cottages4you, provider of cottage and holiday lettings will be joining Treat Street. This will be a new offering for the 'travel' area of the Boots Treat Street website, which will allow customers to collect more Boots Advantage Card points through the Treat Street site. This is a great addition to the site and arrives just in time for the summer holidays. It is hoped it will appeal to UK customers who are looking for accommodation. The Cottages4you website has the widest selection of cottages from coast to country, with over 13,000 hand-selected ...

Despite significant advancements in increasing distribution and development of vaccines against childhood killer diseases – including pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, and Haemophilus influenzae Type B – global efforts to reduce the burden of infection from neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) has greatly lagged, argues Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) President Dr. Peter Hotez in an article for the June edition of Health Affairs. NTDs, a group of 17 parasitic infections, represent a significant contributor to global poverty, and have well documented chronic and disabling ...

Waco, Texas (June 21, 2011) - Women who return to work after giving birth are more likely to stay on the job if they have greater control over their work schedules, according to a Baylor University study. Researchers also found that job security and the ability to make use of a variety of their job skills leads to greater retention of working moms, while the impact of work-related stress on their physical and mental health causes greater turnover. The study is published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology. "Having a flexible schedule is an important element ...

Hays and The Times have announced that Louisa James, of Wandsworth, London, has triumphed in the Hays and The Times PA of the Year Award 2011, being named the country's top PA. Her energy and enthusiasm have seen her expand her role, embracing significant project management and organisational leadership such as being actively involved in the 'Jamie's 30-minute meals' award-winning app, helping her secure the top spot. PA to the managing director at Jamie Oliver Ltd, Louisa was announced as the winner at an awards ceremony held by Hays, the leading recruiting expert, ...

Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM), together with their colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, have observed spin quantum-jumps with a single trapped proton for the first time. The fact that they have managed to procure this elusive data means that they have overtaken their research competitors at the elite Harvard University and are now the global leaders in this field. The result is a pioneering step forward ...

This release is available in Spanish. Compounds in blueberries might turn out to have a powerful effect on formation of strong, healthy bones, if results from studies with laboratory rats turn out to hold true for humans. Jin-Ran Chen and his colleagues are exploring this idea in research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center (ACNC) in Little Rock. Chen is a principal investigator and lead scientist at the center's Skeletal Development Laboratory, and an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at ...