Trauma

00:20 August 11, 2009 PDT

One of the experimental rats, before and after injection with the blue food dye.

Spinal injuries are both common and devastating, leaving many victims paralyzed and relegated to wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. But in most cases, the worst spinal cord damage doesn't happen at the scene of the injury - it's the swelling around the spinal cord and the crazy firing and burning out of otherwise healthy neurons in the hours and days following the incident that turns a bad situation permanently worse. Now, scientists in Rochester, New York, have discovered a simple way to stop a lot of this secondary damage in its tracks - using the same, familiar blue food dye that gives M&Ms and blue icy poles their color. Patients with spinal injuries could escape with vastly reduced loss of function - but they'll turn bright blue in the process. Read More

SCIENCE AND EDUCATION

Researchers develop smart monitoring device for brain injury

By Darren Quick

01:41 May 8, 2009 PDT

Looks like Yorick’s 'Lab on a Tube' readings are likely to send up a few red flags

A multi-purpose “lab on a tube” developed by Engineers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) could provide significant advance in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. A serious knock on the head results in not only the initial damage, but a second wave of injury caused by swelling and lack of oxygen among other factors. Currently, the status of these injuries can only be intermittently examined, but the “lab on a tube” gives medicos the capability to continuously monitor crucial physiological characteristics. Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Cities with MLB baseball teams have a lower divorce rate!

By Mike Hanlon

18:21 April 12, 2009 PDT

Cities with MLB baseball teams have a lower divorce rate!

The family unit is society's fundamental unit - 95 percentage of US citizens marry by age 55. A marriage breakdown is one of the most stressful life events possible, yet more than one in three will experience the trauma of divorce. Not surprisingly, the dynamics of relationships are increasingly the focus of ever more research. The University of Denver Center for Marital and Family Studies in particular is constantly shedding new light on the institution of marriage with recent research findings establishing that the quality of the relationship with parents-in-law is directly connected to marital satisfaction, and more recently, that 90 percent of couples experience a decrease in marital satisfaction once their first child is born. A new study from the centre looking at divorce rates before and after cities got Major League Baseball teams is fascinating in its implications. The study showed that cities with major league baseball teams had a 28 percent lower divorce rate than cities that wanted major league baseball teams. Can marital harmony really be this simple? Read More

HEALTH AND WELLBEING

First-of-its-kind study warns of jury service trauma

By Mike Hanlon

01:26 March 23, 2009 PDT

First-of-its-kind study warns of jury service trauma

March 23, 2009 In the first study of its kind, a new report by psychologists at the University of Leicester warns of the dangers of jurors facing trauma because of their exposure to harrowing and gruesome evidence. The research confirms that jury service, particularly for crimes against people, can cause significant anxiety, and for a vulnerable minority it can lead to severe clinical levels of stress or the symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. Women jurors are particularly vulnerable if the trial covers material that resonates with their personal histories. Read More

Trauma

Blue M&M food dye reduces paralysis from spinal injuries - but turns you blue

Researchers develop smart monitoring device for brain injury

Cities with MLB baseball teams have a lower divorce rate!

First-of-its-kind study warns of jury service trauma