This week’s resource is the Northeast Center for Special Care’s Brain Injury Conference, Symposium and Event Listing page.

If you are interested in knowing what brain injury related workshops, conferences and meetings are available near you, or what topics are being explored right now, then this page will be a great resource. They have listings that cover the entire year and span the whole world.

You can also sign up for updates and reminders if you want to easily keep on top of things. To check out this resource, click here.

We mentioned last week the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act (H.R. 1727) and there was a bit of confusion. To clear things up, here is a direct description from the Christopher Reeve Foundation Website, should you wish to assist in passing this bill:

“In an attempt to move legislation before the August recess, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced S. 3297, Advancing America’s Priorities Act, a legislative package which contains approximately three dozen bipartisan, non-controversial bills that have been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, the respective Senate Committees and have been awaiting Senate action. The Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act (CDRPA), S.1183, has been included in this package which is expected to be debated in the Senate later this week.

NOW is the time to act to help pass legislation that will encourage multi-disciplinary consortia style research to enhance understanding and speed discovery of better treatments and cures; support rehabilitation research; and, build quality of life programs to promote independent living, self-sufficiency and equality of opportunity for individuals with paralysis and mobility impairments.

STATUS: The Senate is expected to debate S. 3297 later this week and into early next week. Your help is urgently needed to pass the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act.

ACTION: Contact both of your US Senators NOW and urge them to support Advancing America’s Priorities Act, S. 3297, which includes the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, S.1183.

CALL: Click here to identify your federal legislators and find their contact information. The most effective way is to call or write them directly. If you know your Senators, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 right now! Here is the message you should convey:

Please ask Senator _____________ to support Advancing America’s Priorities Act, S.3297, which includes the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, S.1183. The Reeve Paralysis Act encourages collaborative research in paralysis, will hasten the discovery of treatments and potential cures and will improve the quality of life for millions of Americans living with paralysis. Please ask the Senator to vote for passage of S. 3297, Advancing America’s Priorities Act.

WRITE: A fax or an email from you is very impactful, but time is of the essence. For a sample letter click here.”

Finally, a benefit from those love handles, pot bellies and beer stomachs! Scientists found that fat taken from the inner thigh and lower abdomen was rich in stem cells. This study, reported in August’s Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal, is the first of its kind to pinpoint a variation between stem cell concentrations in different portions of the body’s fat stores.

We already know that stem cells have huge potential for repairing injuries, but we also know that there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the use of embryo stem cells, the ones with the most plasticity. With the discovery of a plentiful source of adult stem cells, there is an increased potential for studying how these valuable resources can be applied to healing spine injuries, repairing bones, eradicating diseases such as cancer…all without the censor of those against embryonic stem cell research.

Of course, this journal is more concerned with the ways in which these cells can be used to benefit the plastic surgery industry. They would like to find ways to erase wrinkles and generate new tissue for their procedures, and who are we to argue? If the search for eternal youth unearths valuable resources that will help those who are trying to recover from a spinal cord injury, then we are all for it!

Scientists are exploring the ways in which your body’s sugars can be used to “create stem cell treatments for heart disease and nerve damage” according to a recent University of Manchester study.

As those with a spinal cord injury know well, nerve damage is hard if not impossible to completely recover from. This avenue of exploration may come up with some beneficial applications, making it easier for the body to repair that damage.

The sugars that our bodies produce instruct cells on “who” and what they are - what their function is in relation to the cells around them. Dr. Catherine Merry from The School of Materials in Manchester has been given a grant to figure out how cells make sugar and how that sugar influences cell behavior.

If Merry can determine how to make certain cells produce specific sugars, she can then train them to mend nerve damage along with other helpful applications. Keep an eye out for more research from the Materials Science Centre at the University of Manchester. With a major laboratory upgrade, this center is prepared to lead the way in cutting edge research covering everything from stem cells to molecular biology.

Q: Since my spinal cord injury, I have been living with chronic pain and my doctors have been unable to figure out what’s causing it. Why is it so hard to pinpoint?

A: Chronic pain is often difficult to find one specific cause for due to a combination of factors. First, patients who suffer from chronic pain, no matter what the initial injury was, often also experience anxiety and depression. These two strong emotions not only interfere with a proper diagnosis, but contribute to the pain.

One theory is that an injury causes increased nervous activity that transmits pain from the spinal cord to the brain, damaging the nerve circuits it passes through. These circuits amplify the pain beyond what the physical injury would seem to suggest.

The idea being considered by researchers is that these “pain amplifying circuits” have become self-sustaining. If this is the case, the next step is to figure out if they can be turned off or at least dialed down. We don’t have the answers yet, but at least there is some comfort in the knowledge that scientists are working on a solution.

Able Flight, a nonprofit organization, is giving those who can’t walk the ability to fly.

With the use of a plane adapted for disabilities, people who are paralyzed from the waist down are now able to enjoy the thrill of flight. Instead of the usual foot pedals for control of the rudder (which directs which direction the airplane’s nose is pointing), pilots use hand controls. The planes that Able Flight uses are the Sky Arrow light-weight sport planes, the only such U.S. plane that comes with a handy removable hand control for rudder control.

The training is an intensive one month program that will give the student 25 to 30 flight hours in a Light Sport Airplane. The sport certification will allow the pilot to fly, but there are certain restrictions. They can’t act as pilot in command of a craft that is carrying a passenger, property for hire, on international flights, or with visibility less than 3 miles during the day and 5 miles at night.

Able Flight was founded in 2006 by Charles Stites and provides scholarships ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 to cover the costs of flight training and room and board.

For more information on Able Flight, click here.
Image from Able Flight’s Website.

The time following a brain or spinal cord injury can be confusing, overwhelming, and extremely difficult to navigate. Quite commonly, a patient and his or her family are uncertain when it comes to what to expect or how to move forward. However, taking three simple steps will ensure that the patient and his or her friend and family deal with the situation as effectively as possible.

Step 1: Educate Yourself

Whether you are the patient or the friends and family of the patient, it’s extremely important to learn as much as possible about the injury, as well as potential treatment options and long-term outcomes. The medical team that is overseeing the patient’s care is an ideal resource, and should be able to give you the answers you need. They will also be able to steer you toward additional resources and support groups that will have all the information you need pertaining to the injury.

Step 2: Focus on the Present

While it’s tempting to think about the future, focusing on the present is very important during the initial time following the injury. It’s not uncommon for a patient to take one step back for every step her or she takes forward. It’s important, during this time, to understand that recovery will take place at its own pace. Patience and support are two things the survivor will need much of at this time. While the survivor should try to be as independent as possible, he or she should not be afraid to ask for help when it’s needed.

Step 3: Prepare for the Future

Life following a brain or spinal cord injury will be significantly different than life before the injury. Focusing on the future and what it holds is a very important part of the healing process. This stage should include goal setting, determining long-term care needs, researching treatment and clinical trials, and finding support groups.

Ever wonder what in the world all of those sections with figures and technical words on your lab reports mean? It can be close to impossible to decipher the variety of reports you receive from doctors, and often the specialist’s explanation is just as garbled!

Enter a nonprofit Website, designed to give you a clear idea of exactly what those lab tests mean. Lab Tests Online, a public resource, provides easily understood answers on commonly asked questions. This site tackles such topics as what reference ranges are and mean, the reliability of your tests, the fundamentals of genetic testing, pharmacogenomics (and I’ll bet you are wondering what that word means!), home testing, coping with test pain, discomfort and anxiety, laboratory methods and test preparations.

Screening, an online tour of a lab, laboratory methods and the professionals who are giving the tests - these are all areas that Lab Tests Online tackles.

To check out this informative Website, click here.