Restoring paretic hand function via an artificial neural connection bridging spinal cord injury

Apr. 11, 2013 ? Functional loss of limb control in individuals with spinal cord injury or stroke can be caused by interruption of the neural pathways between brain and spinal cord, although the neural circuits located above and below the lesion remain functional. An artificial neural connection that bridges the lost pathway and connects brain to spinal circuits has potential to ameliorate the functional loss.

Yukio Nishimura, Associate Professor of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan, and Eberhard Fetz, Professor and Steve Perlmuter, Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington, United States investigated the effects of introducing a novel artificial neural connection which bridged a spinal cord lesion in a paretic monkey.

This allowed the monkey to electrically stimulate the spinal cord through volitionally controlled brain activity and thereby to restore volitional control of the paretic hand. This study demonstrates that artificial neural connections can compensate for interrupted descending pathways and promote volitional control of upper limb movement after damage of neural pathways such as spinal cord injury or stroke. The study will be published online in Frontiers in Neural Circuits on April 11.

"The important point is that individuals who are paralyzed want to be able to move their own bodies by their own will. This study was different from what other research groups have done up to now; we didn't use any prosthetic limbs like robotic arms to replace the original arm. What's new is that we have been able to use this artificial neuronal connection bypassing the lesion site to restore volitional control of the subject's own paretic arm. I think that for lesions of the corticospinal pathway this might even have a better chance of becoming a real prosthetic treatment rather than the sort of robotic devices that have been developed recently," Associate professor Nishimura said.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by National Institute for Physiological Sciences.

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Journal Reference:

1. Yukio Nishimura, Steve I. Perlmutter, Eberhard E. Fetz. Restoration of upper limb movement via artificial corticospinal and musculospinal connections in a monkey with spinal cord injury. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 2013; 7 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00057

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/cPnksNPhYuE/130411075653.htm

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Obama sending long-awaited 2014 budget to Congress

President Barack Obama speaks during the ?In Performance at the White House? in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, a program for a celebration of Memphis Soul Music. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama speaks during the ?In Performance at the White House? in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2013, a program for a celebration of Memphis Soul Music. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Wednesday is sending Congress his 2014 budget, an effort to achieve an elusive "grand bargain" to tame runaway deficits that have soared above $1 trillion for each of the past four years.

Obama's spending blueprint for the 2014 budget year would accomplish the deficit cuts through a combination of further tax increases, further reductions in the growth of spending and reductions in the growth of the government's biggest benefit programs, Social Security and Medicare.

But instead of moving Congress nearer a grand bargain, the Obama's proposals so far have managed to anger Republicans and Democrats alike.

Obama's Democratic allies have attacked him for pursuing cuts in Social Security and Medicare, while Republicans have rejected the president's efforts to raise taxes further.

The president's spending and tax plan for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 is two months late. The administration blames the delay on the lengthy "fiscal cliff" negotiations at the end of December and then fights over the March 1 automatic spending cuts.

The president's plan tracks an offer he made to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, during December's budget negotiations, which Boehner ended up walking away from because of his opposition to higher taxes on the wealthy.

The Obama budget proposal will join competing budget outlines already approved by the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-run Senate.

Congress is unlikely to get down to serious negotiations until this summer, when the government will once again be confronted with the need to raise the government's borrowing limit or face the prospect of a first-ever default on U.S. debt.

As part of the administration's effort to win over Republicans, Obama will have a private dinner at the White House with about a dozen GOP senators Wednesday night. The budget is expected to be a primary topic, along with proposed legislation dealing with gun control and immigration.

Early indications are that the budget negotiations will be intense. Republicans have been adamant in their rejection of higher taxes, arguing that they will not go further than the $600 billion increase on top earners over a decade that was part of the late December agreement to prevent the government from going over the "fiscal cliff."

The administration maintains that Obama's proposal is balanced with the proper mix of spending cuts and tax increases.

"The president's been clear that it's going to take broad and shared sacrifice," Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said in an interview on National Public Radio. "He would not find it acceptable to make only reductions in entitlement programs. That we need also to raise revenues so that we have a fair balance of what the deficit reduction will come from."

The most sweeping proposal in Obama's budget is a switch in the way the government calculates the annual cost-of-living benefits for the millions of recipients of Social Security and certain other benefit programs from the current method tied to changes in the consumer price index.

The new method, known as chain-weighted CPI, takes into account changes that occur when people substitute goods rising in price with less expensive products. It results in a slightly lower annual reading for inflation.

The switch to modified CPI inflation formula would cut spending on government benefit programs by $130 billion over 10 years, although the administration said it planned to protect the most vulnerable. The change would also raise about $100 billion in higher taxes because the current CPI formula is used to adjust tax brackets each year. A lower inflation measure would mean more money taxed at higher rates.

Once the COLA change is fully phased in, it is estimated that it would mean about $560 less in annual benefits for a typical 75-year-old receiving benefits and $984 less for someone 85.

The White House has said it would reduce deficits by a total of $1.8 trillion over a decade, reducing the annual red ink to the $500 billion range by 2016 and down to 1.7 percent of the size of the economy in 10 years. When the deficit program proposed by the president is combined with $2.5 trillion in deficit reductions already approved, it would total $4.3 trillion in deficit cuts over the next decade.

Obama has presided over four straight years of annual deficits totaling more than $1 trillion, reflecting in part the lost revenue during a deep recession and the government's efforts to get the economy going again and stabilize the financial system.

The Obama budget's $1.8 trillion in new budget cuts would take the place of the automatic $1.2 trillion in reductions required by a 2011 budget deal. That provision triggered $85 billion in automatic cuts for the current budget year and those reductions, known as a "sequester," would not be affected by Obama's new budget.

The budget plan already passed by the GOP-controlled House would cut deficits by a total $4.6 trillion over 10 years on top of the $1.2 trillion called for in the 2011 deal. The budget outline approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate tracks more closely to the Obama proposal, although it does not include changes to the cost-of-living formula for Social Security.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Jim Kuhnhenn and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-04-10-US-Obama-Budget/id-035018669c304c7a85d7b0e675ac5b4c

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Obama, With Newtown Families, Demands Gun Control Vote

Speaking before families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre, President Obama made an impassioned and urgent plea for stricter gun laws, as he accused Republicans of threatening to use "political stunts" to block reforms.

"This is not about politics. This is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here that have been torn apart by gun violence," the president told a packed crowd at the University of Hartford, just 50 miles from the site of the December shooting in Newtown, Conn. "It's about them, and all the families going forward so we can prevent this from happening again. That's what it's about."

Obama's visit to Connecticut comes at the start of a critical week, as the Senate is expected to debate the president's gun control agenda. While there are signs of agreement to expand background checks, two major parts of the president's plan, a ban on assault-style weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, seem unlikely to pass.

In a rousing, campaign-style speech the president warned lawmakers not to use political tactics to prevent the Senate from voting on gun reform measures, arguing that they have an obligation to the victims of gun violence.

Obama, With Newtown Families, Demands Gun Control Vote

"If our democracy's working the way it's supposed to and 90 percent of the American people agree on something, in the wake of a tragedy, you'd think this would not be a heavy lift," Obama said of the broad support for background checks. "And yet some folks back in Washington are already floating the idea that they may use political stunts to prevent votes on any of these reforms."

Obama's warning comes as a group of 13 Republican lawmakers are threatening to block a vote on gun control legislation.

"They're saying they'll do everything they can to even prevent any votes on these provisions. They're saying your opinion doesn't matter and that's not right. That is not right," Obama said, as the crowd took to its feet, chanting "we want a vote!"

Nearly four months since the tragedy in Newtown, the president promised the parents of the slain children that "we will not walk away from the promises we've made."

"We want you to know that we're here with you," he said. "We are as determined as ever to do what must be done."

Before his remarks, the president met privately with several families of children who died in the Sandy Hook shooting. Many of those families then boarded Air Force One on their way to Washington to lobby Congress.

"If there's even one thing we can do to protect our kids, don't we have an obligation to try? If there's even one step we can take to keep somebody from murdering dozens of innocents in the span of minutes, shouldn't we be taking that step? If there's just one thing we can do to keep one father from having to bury his child, isn't that worth fighting for?" Obama said.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-newtown-families-demands-gun-control-vote-233418776--abc-news-politics.html

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Time Traveler Watch Uses Famous Landmarks To Mark the Hour

Are you a global jet-setter who still hasn't quite adopted a smartphone as your primary timekeeper? Well if you still prefer a trusty watch, and have a knack for recognizing famous landmarks around the world, Mr. Jones' new Time Traveler will guarantee you're on time no matter where on Earth you've landed. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/8rnFc8YJS4s/time-traveler-watch-uses-famous-landmarks-to-mark-the-hour

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Blood Pressure: What to Avoid Daily for High Blood ... - Health Me Up

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High blood is serious issue and should not be ignored. There are several reasons why you have high BP in the first place ? the most prominent is stress and unhealthy habits. Mental health therapy can fight stress and healthy habits can control and reduce high BP. In order manage and control high blood pressure, Dr. Arvind Agarwal, Senior Consultant with Internal Medicine from Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute shares a brief list of dos and don?ts for high blood pressure patients.

When it comes to a healthy and right diet, Dr. Arvind recommends, ?Diet should be rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low dairy products. Food can include meat, fish, poultry, nuts and beans.? This diet seems feasible but find out what you need to avoid control and reduce high blood pressure. Dr. Arvind also adds, ?People should avoid red meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, processed food.?

Interestingly if you follow a strict diet to control and reduce high blood pressure to can minus the effect drastically, ?If this diet regimen is followed it can reduce systolic BP by 11 and 6 mm Hg in hypertensive population.?

Another way to reduce high blood pressure is to up the level of physical fitness. ?Exercise is very essential for high BP patients?, says the doctor. ?It is recommended that one should go for brisk walks for 30 minutes every day for 5 days a week. Also, one should take the stairs whenever possible instead of using the elevator,? suggests Dr. Arvind.

In case you are a regular gym-goer or plan to exercise at the gym then this is what he says, ?It is advisable that a high BP patient should avoid any form of weightlifting exercises.? Inform your trainer of your physical condition, and if you feel uneasy or dizzy stop your workout immediately.

Dedication plus discipline equals success when it comes to lowering high blood pressure.

*Images courtesy: ? Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images

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Copper surfaces reduce the rate of health care-acquired infections in the ICU

Public release date: 9-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tamara Moore
tmoore@gymr.com
202-745-5114
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

CHICAGO (April 9, 2013) Placement of copper objects in intensive care unit (ICU) hospital rooms reduced the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients by more than half, according to a new study published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, in a special topic issue focused on the role of the environment in infection prevention.

In the United States, HAIs result in 100,000 deaths annually and add an estimated $45 billion to healthcare costs. HAIs often contaminate items within hospital rooms, allowing bacteria to transfer from patient to patient. Common microbes include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). While several strategies have been developed to decrease HAIs, few have been clinically proven to reduce the spread of these infections. The researchers tested the capability of copper surfaces to reduce environmental contamination of these germs and thereby decrease HAIs in patients. Copper surfaces have an inherent ability to continuously kill environmental microbes on these surfaces.

The study was performed from July 12, 2010 to June 14, 2011 at three medical centers including the Medical University of South Carolina, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients who were admitted to the ICU of these hospitals were randomly assigned to receive care in a traditional patient room or in a room where items such as bed rails, tables, IV poles, and nurse's call buttons were made solely from copper-based metals. Both traditional patient rooms and rooms with copper surfaces at each institution were cleaned using the same practices.

The proportion of patients who developed HAI and/or colonization with MRSA or VRE was significantly lower among patients in rooms with copper surfaces (7.1%) compared with patients in traditional rooms (12.3%). The proportion of patients developing HAI was significantly lower among those assigned to copper rooms (3.4%) compared with those in traditional rooms (8.1%).

"Patients who suffer HAIs often stay in the hospital longer, incur greater costs, and unfortunately suffer a greater likelihood of dying while hospitalized," said Cassandra D. Salgado, MD, Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and lead author of the study. "Our study found that placement of items with copper surfaces into ICU rooms as an additional measure to routine infection control practices could reduce the risk of HAI as well as colonization with multidrug resistant microbes."

Previous attempts to reduce HAIs have required healthcare worker engagement or use of systems such as ultraviolet light, which may be limited because of regrowth of organisms after the intervention. In contrast, copper alloy surfaces offer a passive way to reduce burden, without staff intervention or involvement with outside providers.

###

This study was funded through a contract from the U.S. Army Materiel Command, U.S. Department of Defense. One researcher is currently employed by the Copper Development Association (CDA). CDA assisted in the development and fabrication of the copper objects for this study.

Cassandra D. Salgado, Kent A. Sepkowitz, Joseph F. John, J. Robert Cantey, Hubert H. Attaway, Katherine D. Freeman, Peter A. Sharpe, Harold T. Michels, Michael G. Schmidt. "Copper Surfaces Reduce the Rate of Healthcare-Acquired Infections in the Intensive Care Unit." Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 34:5 (May 2013).

Published through a partnership between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and The University of Chicago Press, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology provides original, peer-reviewed scientific articles for anyone involved with an infection control or epidemiology program in a hospital or healthcare facility. ICHE is ranked 15 out of 140 journals in its discipline in the latest Journal Citation Reports from Thomson Reuters.

SHEA is a professional society representing more than 2,000 physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world with expertise in healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention and control. SHEA's mission is to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections and advance the field of healthcare epidemiology. The society leads this field by promoting science and research and providing high-quality education and training in epidemiologic methods and prevention strategies. SHEA upholds the value and critical contributions of healthcare epidemiology to improving patient care and healthcare worker safety in all healthcare settings. Visit SHEA online at http://www.shea-online.org, http://www.facebook.com/SHEApreventingHAIs and @SHEA_Epi.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 9-Apr-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Tamara Moore
tmoore@gymr.com
202-745-5114
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

CHICAGO (April 9, 2013) Placement of copper objects in intensive care unit (ICU) hospital rooms reduced the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients by more than half, according to a new study published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, in a special topic issue focused on the role of the environment in infection prevention.

In the United States, HAIs result in 100,000 deaths annually and add an estimated $45 billion to healthcare costs. HAIs often contaminate items within hospital rooms, allowing bacteria to transfer from patient to patient. Common microbes include methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE). While several strategies have been developed to decrease HAIs, few have been clinically proven to reduce the spread of these infections. The researchers tested the capability of copper surfaces to reduce environmental contamination of these germs and thereby decrease HAIs in patients. Copper surfaces have an inherent ability to continuously kill environmental microbes on these surfaces.

The study was performed from July 12, 2010 to June 14, 2011 at three medical centers including the Medical University of South Carolina, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Patients who were admitted to the ICU of these hospitals were randomly assigned to receive care in a traditional patient room or in a room where items such as bed rails, tables, IV poles, and nurse's call buttons were made solely from copper-based metals. Both traditional patient rooms and rooms with copper surfaces at each institution were cleaned using the same practices.

The proportion of patients who developed HAI and/or colonization with MRSA or VRE was significantly lower among patients in rooms with copper surfaces (7.1%) compared with patients in traditional rooms (12.3%). The proportion of patients developing HAI was significantly lower among those assigned to copper rooms (3.4%) compared with those in traditional rooms (8.1%).

"Patients who suffer HAIs often stay in the hospital longer, incur greater costs, and unfortunately suffer a greater likelihood of dying while hospitalized," said Cassandra D. Salgado, MD, Associate Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina and lead author of the study. "Our study found that placement of items with copper surfaces into ICU rooms as an additional measure to routine infection control practices could reduce the risk of HAI as well as colonization with multidrug resistant microbes."

Previous attempts to reduce HAIs have required healthcare worker engagement or use of systems such as ultraviolet light, which may be limited because of regrowth of organisms after the intervention. In contrast, copper alloy surfaces offer a passive way to reduce burden, without staff intervention or involvement with outside providers.

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This study was funded through a contract from the U.S. Army Materiel Command, U.S. Department of Defense. One researcher is currently employed by the Copper Development Association (CDA). CDA assisted in the development and fabrication of the copper objects for this study.

Cassandra D. Salgado, Kent A. Sepkowitz, Joseph F. John, J. Robert Cantey, Hubert H. Attaway, Katherine D. Freeman, Peter A. Sharpe, Harold T. Michels, Michael G. Schmidt. "Copper Surfaces Reduce the Rate of Healthcare-Acquired Infections in the Intensive Care Unit." Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 34:5 (May 2013).

Published through a partnership between the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and The University of Chicago Press, Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology provides original, peer-reviewed scientific articles for anyone involved with an infection control or epidemiology program in a hospital or healthcare facility. ICHE is ranked 15 out of 140 journals in its discipline in the latest Journal Citation Reports from Thomson Reuters.

SHEA is a professional society representing more than 2,000 physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world with expertise in healthcare epidemiology and infection prevention and control. SHEA's mission is to prevent and control healthcare-associated infections and advance the field of healthcare epidemiology. The society leads this field by promoting science and research and providing high-quality education and training in epidemiologic methods and prevention strategies. SHEA upholds the value and critical contributions of healthcare epidemiology to improving patient care and healthcare worker safety in all healthcare settings. Visit SHEA online at http://www.shea-online.org, http://www.facebook.com/SHEApreventingHAIs and @SHEA_Epi.

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/sfhe-csr040813.php

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Microsoft releases Surface RT and Pro updates, aims to fix WiFi issues again

Surface RT devices have already scored two updates that aim to fix problems with 'limited' WiFi connectivity, and now Microsoft is pushing out a third patch that aims to put its wireless troubles to rest. Redmond's fresh code also beefs up support for a "wide range" of access points and stomps out system crashes caused by some WiFi issues. As for Surface Pro, its own April update smoothes out Surface Type and Touch cover connectivity kinks, adds support for Japanese keyboards on North American hardware, stomps a bug that disables the WiFi driver when airplane mode is toggled and addresses an issue with touch navigation in the UEFI boot menu. Microsoft's remedy should get sucked down to your slate automatically, but you can grab it by hand through Windows Update as well.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

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