Japanese research group led by Professor Junichi Nabekura in National Institute for Physiological Sciences, NIPS, Japan, found that, after cerebral stroke in one side of the mouse brain, another side of the brain rewires its neural circuits to recuperate from damaged neural function. The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) supported this study. They report their finding in Journal of Neuroscience, on August 12, 2009.

The research group investigated how neural circuits rearrange themselves after cerebral strokes by using two-photon laser microscopy in vivo. In a specific period after strokes in the right side of the moue brain, namely one to two weeks after strokes, the left side of the brain rearranged its neural circuits actively. After three to four weeks, the left side of the brain became to receive sensory information from the left leg that is usually received by the right side of the brain. In conclusion, the stroke in the right side of the brain activated the rearrangement of the neural circuits in the left side of the brain, and then these rearrangements helped to recuperate from stroke-induced damaged neural function.

“We found that the active rearrangement of the neural circuits in the opposite side of the brain happens only in the specific period after strokes. Our findings can be applied to rehabilitative programs for stroke survivors”, said Professor Nabekura.

Source:
Junichi Nabekura

National Institute for Physiological Sciences

When a baby is born and is not breathing, simple techniques like rubbing the baby dry, keeping the baby warm, and suctioning the baby’s mouth may be all that is needed to save a life. Even more babies can begin to breathe on their own after just a few breaths from a simple ventilation device. A new, global initiative launched this month to teach these essential skills to birth attendants in developing countries should have a dramatic impact on reducing infant mortality worldwide.

Helping Babies BreatheSM is an initiative of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO), and in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development, Save the Children/Saving Newborn Lives, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Laerdal Medical AS, and a number of other global health organizations.

The collaborators will sign a Global Public-Private Alliance to launch the initiative as part of the annual meeting of the Global Health Council June 14-16 in Washington, DC. The meeting will include a day-long training session with 100 international advocates who will bring training materials back to their home countries.

The WHO estimates that 1 million babies die each year from birth asphyxia, or the inability to breathe immediately after delivery. Approximately the same number of stillbirths each year are linked to events during labor. A significant percentage of these may be liveborn babies who simply do not breathe or move at birth, but could be resuscitated with simple measures.

“All people who care for babies at birth can learn to protect healthy babies, and to help babies who do not breathe well on their own,” said neonatologist Susan Niermeyer, MD, MPH, FAAP, editor of Helping Babies Breathe. “We believe that Helping Babies Breathe can be a catalyst to increase skilled attendance at birth, build linkages between communities and health facilities, and strengthen health systems. There is the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives each year.”

A key concept of Helping Babies Breathe is “The Golden MinuteSM.” Within one minute of birth, a baby should be breathing well or be ventilated. Culturally sensitive learning materials use pictures to illustrate the steps a birth attendant must take immediately after birth to evaluate the baby and stimulate breathing. Realistic newborn simulators, boilable bag-mask ventilation devices and boilable bulb suction devices will be made available at cost to Millennium Development Goal 4 countries.

Helping Babies Breathe will be targeted to the 63 countries participating in Millennium Development Goal 4, which aims for a reduction in under-5 child mortality by two-thirds from 1990 levels by the year 2015. Neonatal mortality, or death in the first month of life, accounts for more than 40 percent of child mortality worldwide. The materials have been tested in five pilot sites in Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Pakistan, and Tanzania. More information is available here.

Source
American Academy of Pediatrics

Physical therapist Stanley V. Paris, PT, PhD, FAPTA, age 72, member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), successfully swam the English Channel as part of a four-person relay team on Thursday, August 6, 2009.

Paris, who swam four times during the relay, helped bring the relay team to a victorious crossing of the English Channel in 13 hours and 25 minutes. “These are the kinds of moments I live for, a real challenge that I was not expected to make,” Paris said.

Paris, a last-minute substitution on this relay team, swam the final leg and brought the team to victory when one of the team members was not able to reach land during his swim. Making his way through outcroppings of tall rocks, Paris reached the French shore at Cape Gris Nez, the nearest point to England and the narrowest in the Channel where the currents and waves were the most difficult. “I wanted to stand on French soil ‘with no water beyond,” Paris said. After climbing onto a rock on the shore, Paris signaled his boat and “the ship’s horn blared- we had successfully swum the Channel!”

Paris, who made two successful solo crossings and one successful relay crossing in the 1980s,was also managinga six-person relay team from the physical therapy department of the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in St. Augustine, FL, an institution for physical and occupational therapy education founded by Paris in 1979. The relay team successfully swam the Channel on Friday, August 14, led and coached by APTA member and physical therapy student Teresa Sebastian of Pineville, LA. The team completed the swim in 15 hours and 22 minutes.

On August 18 Paris attempted a solo swim but was forced to end the attempt due to severe leg cramps. In July 2008, Paris attempted to enter the Guinness World Records as the oldest person to swim across the English Channel. While he was not successful in this record-breaking attempt, Paris succeeded in raising funds for the Foundation for Physical Therapy’s “Destination: Research Excellence – Roadmap for the Future of Physical Therapy” campaign. According to Paris, “The physical therapy profession is working to increase evidence-based practice. The money we raised is now creating possibilities for promising physical therapist researchers who push the boundaries of science and ultimately improve the quality of life for the patients we serve every day.”

Photos and details of Paris’ journey in preparation for last year’s swim, as well as his 2009 relay team success story are on his blog.

Physical therapists are highly educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility – in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of prescription medications. APTA represents more than 72,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Its purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals through the advancement of physical therapist practice, education, and research. In most states, patients can make an appointment directly with a physical therapist, without a physician referral. Learn more about conditions physical therapists can treat and find a physical therapist in your area at moveforwardpt.

Source
American Physical Therapy Association

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) signed into law two bills related to health care and is expected this week to sign another health care bill. Summaries of newspaper coverage of the bills appear below.
Assisted-living facilities: Rendell this week is expected to sign a bill that would “place tough new regulations” on assisted-living facilities, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Under current law, the same rules apply to all homes for the elderly and people with disabilities. The bill would require assisted-living facilities to be licensed by the state, meet new staff-training standards and undergo unannounced inspections at least once a year. The bill also would define “for the first time” what services assisted-living facilities must provide, the Inquirer reports (Phillips, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/20).

Infections: Rendell on Friday signed into law a bill that will require hospitals to test their highest-risk patients and patients admitted from nursing homes for infections that are resistant to antibiotics as part of his “Prescription for Pennsylvania” plan, the Inquirer reports. Hospital staff who are in contact with contagious patients also will be required to be tested for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The bill, which will provide higher reimbursements to hospitals that meet benchmarks in preventing infections, will require most hospitals to install software to assist in tracking infections. Moreover, hospitals will be required to report infections to CDC, which then would provide the information to state agencies in Pennsylvania. The law will be phased in over several years (Goldstein, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/20).

Nurses: Rendell on Friday signed into law a bill that will loosen restrictions on the types of care certified nurse practitioners can provide, the Inquirer reports. The legislation also is part of the “Prescription for Pennsylvania” plan. For example, nurse practitioners will be allowed to treat chronically ill patients from home and to refer patients to dieticians, occupational therapists and other specialists. “Pennsylvania is one of the last states” to grant such responsibilities to nurse practitioners, and is doing so in an attempt to “reduce health care costs and increase access to treatment,” the Inquirer reports. The bill also will allow certified midwives to prescribe medicine and will increase the number of physician assistants that a doctor can supervise to four from two (Roarty, Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/20).

“Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

A team of researchers from the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) of the Universite de Montreal have defined for the first time the mechanism behind three cancer-causing genes in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Published in the journal Genes and Development, the findings offer insight on the complex interaction between the genes and their contributions to leukemia, thereby providing the foundation for the design of targeted therapies.

The study was conducted by primary authors Mathieu Tremblay, Ph.D. student and CГ©dric Tremblay, post-doctoral fellow in the Hematopoiesis and Leukemia Laboratory at the UniversitГ© de MontrГ©al and led by corresponding author and IRIC Principal Investigator, Trang Hoang.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent childhood cancers and affects lymphocytes, the cells in the body that normally fight infections. ALL starts when a single, immature white blood cell called a “blast” develops a series of mistakes or mutations that allow it to multiply uncontrollably. Eventually, these leukemic blasts take over the lymphoid organs, the bone marrow and crowd out normal blood cells.

While extensive research has been conducted over the years to understand this type of cancer, deciphering the complex process responsible for transforming normal cells into cancerous cells remains a challenge. In this study, researchers started from the well-known basis that the interaction between two genes, SCL and LMO, is involved at the onset of a specific type of ALL, called T-cell leukemia.

“We wanted to uncover the precise mechanism behind the process that causes a normal cell to become cancerous. Our study reveals that SCL and LMO expand the pool of immature lymphocytes, which proliferate intensively under the influence of a specific signal. These SCL-LMO-primed cells then acquire mutations in a third gene, Notch1, which is known to play a role in the majority of T-ALL patients,” explains Trang Hoang. “In short, the synergy between these three genes in a permissive cell is sufficient to induce leukemia.”

Although chemotherapy can cure up to 80 percent of ALL in children, researchers hope to minimize the side effects by designing new therapies that specifically target cancer causing genes. “The knowledge from our study could be instrumental in the development of less invasive cancer therapies,” adds Dr. Hoang.

Partners in research:
Trang Hoang is a principal investigator at IRIC and professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine of the UniversitГ© de MontrГ©al. Her study was conducted in collaboration with Dr Peter Aplan, principal investigator at the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Md), Dr. Claude Perreault, principal investigator at IRIC and Dr. JosГ©e HГ©bert, principal investigator at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre. The research is supported by funds and fellowships from the Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Cole Foundation.

Cited paper:
The article, “Modeling T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia induced by the SCLand LMO1 oncogenes,” published in Genes and Development, was authored by Mathieu Tremblay, CГ©dric S. Tremblay, Sabine Herblot, Peter D. Aplan, JosГ©e HГ©bert, Claude Perreault and Trang Hoang.

Source:
Carolyne Lord
University of Montreal

Research on rats with crushed spinal cords, similar to human injury, reveals that treatment soon after injury combining radiation therapy to destroy harmful cells and microsurgery to drain excess fluids significantly increases the body’s ability to repair the injured cord leading to permanent recovery from injury, according to the study published in the July 18 peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE. Since repair of damaged cord directly correlates with prevention of paralysis, this research demonstrates that conventional clinical procedures hold promise for preventing paralysis from spinal cord injuries.

Currently there is no cure for human spinal cord injury. Treatment after injury is largely limited to steroids administered to prevent further deterioration. “This research opens the door to developing a clinical protocol for curing human spinal cord injuries using conventional therapies,” said lead researcher Nurit Kalderon, Ph.D. Conducted at Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research in New York City, the research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

The hallmark of spinal cord injury is progressive tissue decay at the damage size. Kalderon’s previous research indicated that the spinal cord is able to repair itself in the early days after injury but is thwarted in its efforts during the second or third week by certain cells that block the repair process.

In earlier research on rats with cords that were completely severed, Kalderon was able to show that radiation therapy, similar to that used in cancer treatment, given localized at the lesion site during the third week following injury helped the spinal cord heal itself by eliminating the cells that interfere with its natural repair processes. The research established a connection between the body’s ability to repair the wounded cord and recovery of motor function. Once the wound was healed, the severed brain-cord fibers could grow across the lesion site, restoring the connection between the brain and the spinal cord, with resulting restoration of control of the brain over muscle function.

In the current research, the scientists made a severe crush injury, similar to a human contusion/fracture injury, in spinal cord of adult rats just below the waist. In crush injuries, tissue decay is exacerbated by the secondary damage caused by massive swelling as fluids build up from the injured blood vessels. When the researchers administered radiation alone, there was no detectable beneficial effect on the body’s repair of the crushed cord. However, the researchers recalled findings from nearly a century ago by Alfred R. Allen showing that incision at the damage site along the midline of the cord (myelotomy) could drain the accumulated fluids and reduce tissue damage.

Kalderon and her colleagues at Sloan-Kettering then made longitudinal micro-incisions down the center of the injured cord within the first 24 hours after injury to release the fluid buildup. There was significant reduction in the size of lesion site, confirming Allen’s work. They then combined the radiation treatment with the microsurgery. When a midline incision was performed at one hour after injury, followed by localized radiation therapy given for ten days starting on day ten after injury, there was nearly a two-fold improvement in the body’s ability to heal the injured cord compared with untreated rats. This suggests that fluid accumulation and swelling must first be prevented if the radiation therapy is to be effective in promoting wound repair.

The researchers were able to show the improvements in wound healing both by post-mortem examination of the tissue three months after injury, as well as MRI on the living rats. This indicates that the success of these therapies on humans could also be evaluated using MRI technology.

The researchers also tested a third level of treatment. Recognizing that exercise may increase tissue repair, they added ten minutes of treadmill exercise five days a week to the radiation therapy, starting at the second week after injury. Again, the spinal cord ability to repair itself was markedly improved. Rats treated with incisions to reduce the harmful fluid accumulation, followed by radiation therapy at the site to remove damaging cells and regular treadmill exercise saw a three-fold improvement in the body’s ability to repair the severely crushed cord, going from 19% of cord tissue that was healthy in untreated rats to 56.3% of cord tissue that was repaired and saved from further damage.

“This research provides hope for spinal cord injury victims that paralysis can indeed be prevented or repaired with a combination of conventional therapies at the time of injury,” according to Kalderon.

###

Disclaimer

The following press release refers to an upcoming article in PLoS ONE. The release has been provided by the article authors and/or their institutions. Any opinions expressed in this are the personal views of the contributors, and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of PLoS. PLoS expressly disclaims any and all warranties and liability in connection with the information found in the release and article and your use of such information.

The research was conducted at Sloan-Kettering Institute by Nurit Kalderon, Manickam Muruganandham, Jason A. Koutcher and Melissa Potuzac. Kalderon is currently with the Spinal Cord Injury Repair Laboratory in New York City, Muruganandham is with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Potuzak is with the University of Pennsylvania. “Therapeutic Strategy for Acute Spinal Cord Contusion Injury: Cell Elimination Combined with Microsurgical Intervention,” published July 18, 2007 in PLoS ONE can be found online at plosone.

Citation: Kalderon N, Muruganandham M, Koutcher JA, Potuzak M (2007) Therapeutic Strategy for Acute Spinal Cord Contusion Injury: Cell Elimination Combined with Microsurgical Intervention. PLoS ONE 2(7): e565. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000565

LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE: plosone/doi/pone.0000565

For further information please go to:
spinalcordcure/

Source: Nurit Kalderon (corresponding author)
Public Library of Science

A bipartisan nine-member presidential commission charged with making recommendations to improve military and veterans’ health care on Wednesday submitted a 29-page report urging “fundamental changes,” the Washington Post reports (Vogel, Washington Post, 7/26).

President Bush in March named former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), a disabled veteran of World War II, and University of Miami President and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala as co-chairs of the commission. Bush formed the group after the Washington Post published a two-part series that examined problems with the conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the process by which injured veterans seek disability compensation (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 7/2).

In its report, the panel wrote, “We don’t recommend merely patching the system, as has been done in the past” (Curl, Washington Times, 7/26). The report — titled “Serve, Support, Simplify” — offers six broad recommendations broken into 35 specific “action steps,” six of which would require congressional action. According to Shalala, the panel’s six broad recommendations will serve as a “simplified path to recovery” (Washington Post, 7/26).

The panel’s six steps are as follows:Immediately establish comprehensive recovery plans for seriously injured troops and assign each a “recovery coordinator”;

Completely overhaul the disability compensation system by assigning the Defense Department to assess a soldier’s “fitness” to continue serving and giving the Department of Veterans Affairs sole responsibility of making appropriate disability evaluations and payments in order to avoid conflicting assessments;

Aggressively screen for and treat post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, while also working to prevent the stigma associated with those conditions;

Significantly improve the support provided to families by having Congress change the Family and Medical Leave Act to allow six months of leave for family members of injured soldiers;

Quickly relay patient information between DOD and VA by developing a “My eBenefits” Web site to provide service members and families access to their benefit and treatment records; and

Support Walter Reed by recruiting and retaining top-notch professionals through 2011, when the hospital is scheduled to close (Washington Post graphic, 7/26).According to the panel, complete implementation of the recommendations would cost $500 million initially and $1 billion annually for the foreseeable future.

Bush, who met with panel members on Wednesday, in a statement said that he instructed Defense Secretary Robert Gates and VA Secretary Jim Nicholson “to take [the recommendations] seriously, and to implement them, so that we can say with certainty that any soldier who has been hurt will get the best possible care and treatment that this government can offer” (Rutenberg/Cloud, New York Times, 7/26).

Comments
Dole said, “The ball’s in [the Bush administration's] court,” adding that he told the president the commission is “expecting somebody to follow up” (Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times, 7/26).

Bush commended the panel for taking “the perspective from the patient, as the patient had to work his way through the hospitals and bureaucracies. And they’ve come up with some very interesting and important suggestions” (Yen, AP/Sacramento Bee, 7/25). White House spokesperson Tony Snow said the president would weigh the suggestions carefully, adding, “I don’t think this is a two-page report where you just sort of rifle through it and say, ‘There we go.’”

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said, “We cannot tolerate White House foot-dragging on yet another bipartisan commission’s findings,” adding that past inaction “must not be repeated when it comes to helping America’s veterans” (Washington Times, 7/26).

Broadcast Coverage
Several broadcast programs recently reported on the commission’s report, a House Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on benefits for veterans with psychological disorders and related issues. Summaries appear below.
ABC’s “World News”: The segment includes comments from Bush; Shalala; Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America; Dole; and a spouse of a wounded soldier (Woodruff, “World News,” ABC, 7/25). Video of the segment and expanded ABC News coverage are available online.


CBS’ “Evening News”: The segment includes comments from Bush; Sarah Wade of the Wounded Warrior Project; and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) (Axelrod, “Evening News,” CBS, 7/25). Video of the segment and expanded CBS news coverage are available online. The program on Wednesday also reported on military wives who founded a private rehabilitation hospital for veterans (Martin, “Evening News,” CBS, 7/25). Video of the segment and expanded CBS news coverage are available online.


CNN’s “Paula Zahn Now”: The segment includes a discussion with CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre about the report (Zahn, “Paula Zahn Now,” CNN, 7/25). Wednesday’s program also included a report on veterans who are denied health care benefits (Feyerick, “Paula Zahn Now,” CNN, 7/25). In addition, the program included a discussion with Joshua Kors, a reporter for The Nation, and Georg-Andreas Pogany, an investigator for Veterans for America, about benefits for veterans with personality disorders (Zahn, “Paula Zahn Now,” CNN, 7/25). A transcript of the complete program is available online.


CNN’s “The Situation Room”: The segment includes comments from House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Cannon (R-Utah) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) (Bash, “The Situation Room,” CNN, 7/25). A transcript of the segment is available online.


MSNBC’s “Hardball”: The segment includes a discussion with Shalala about the report (Matthews, “Hardball,” MSNBC, 7/25). Video of the segment is available online.


NBC’s “Nightly News”: The segment includes comments from Shalala, Dole, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and a veteran who testified at the House hearing on Wednesday (Miklaszewski, “Nightly News,” NBC, 7/25). Video of the segment is available online.


NPR’s “All Things Considered”: The segment includes comments from Bush, Shalala, Dole and Murray (Greene, “All Things Considered,” NPR, 7/25). Audio of the segment and expanded NPR coverage are available online. The program on Wednesday also included a discussion with William Rollins, field services director for Paralyzed Veterans of America, about the report (Norris, “All Things Considered,” NPR, 7/25). Audio of the segment is available online. Wednesday’s program also included a report on the House hearing. The segment includes comments from Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense; Rep. Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) and a veteran who testified (Seabrook, “All Things Considered,” NPR, 7/25). Audio of the segment is available online.


NPR’s “Day to Day”: The segment includes a discussion with NPR correspondent David Greene about the report (Chadwick, “Day to Day,” NPR, 7/25). Audio of the segment is available online.


NPR’s “Morning Edition”: The segment includes a discussion with Washington Post reporter Dana Priest about medical care for veterans (Inskeep, “Morning Edition,” NPR, 7/25). Audio of the segment is available online. “Morning Edition” on Thursday included a discussion with Shalala about the report (Montagne, “Morning Edition,” NPR, 7/26). Audio of the segment is available online. Thursday’s program also included a report on veterans’ reaction to the commission’s report. The segment includes comments from veterans (del Barco, “Morning Edition,” NPR, 7/26). Audio of the segment is available online.


PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer”: The segment includes a discussion with Shalala and Dole (Woodruff, “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” PBS, 7/25). Audio and a transcript of the segment are available online. Video will be available Thursday afternoon.


WBUR’s “Here & Now”: The segment includes a discussion with Todd Bowers, director of government affairs for IAVA (“Here & Now,” WBUR, 7/25). Audio of the segment is available online.

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Foundation for Physical Therapy (the Foundation) and the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) are pleased to announce a change in the governance structure for the Foundation. The new Foundation bylaws, taking effect January 1, 2010, clarify the relationship with APTA. With government regulators placing greater scrutiny on nonprofit organizations and others, this change will insure compliance with new laws, with a heightened focus on governance issues and transparency. All of this will enable the Foundation to continue its mission of funding the most promising researchers dedicated to the development of evidence-based practice and enhancing the quality of physical therapy services.

The Foundation and APTA worked together to develop the new bylaws, which were approved by APTA’s Board of Directors and the Foundation Board of Trustees during PT 2009: APTA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in June. As part of the transition, the process will include the establishment of standing committees and a new Board of Trustee election “cycle.” The Board of Trustees will manage the affairs of the Foundation and will include one non-voting member to be selected by the APTA Board of Directors from among its members. The collaborative relationship between the Foundation and APTA will continue under the new bylaws.

Foundation Chair and President of the Board of Trustees William G. Boissonnault, PT, DPT, DHSc, FAAOMPT, said, “We are extremely grateful for the support that APTA has provided over the years and look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come. The changes to the bylaws provide greater guidance to enhance our partnership, allowing us to support the most promising research in the physical therapy profession, while operating the Foundation in a more transparent and efficient manner.” He added, “As always, we remain accountable to our donors and committed to the integrity of the research we fund.”

According to APTA President R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD, “The Foundation has served the physical therapy profession well for years and APTA has enjoyed a strong working relationship with this organization. It is a fact of life in today’s nonprofit environment that we must review and refresh our methods of governance. Under these new bylaws, we anticipate working even more closely together to help the profession reach its goal of evidence-based practice by the year 2020.”

The Foundation for Physical Therapy was established in 1979 as a national, independent, non-profit corporation dedicated to the ultimate goal of improving the quality and delivery of patient care. The Foundation accomplishes this goal by providing support for scientifically based and clinically relevant physical therapy research.

Contributions to the Foundation for Physical Therapy are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS regulations and can be made via check (payable to “Foundation for Physical Therapy”) or credit card at FoundationforPhysicalTherapy.

Source
American Physical Therapy Association

Except in clumsy moments, we rarely knock over the box of cereal or glass of orange juice as we reach for our morning cup of coffee. New research at The University of Western Ontario has helped unlock the mystery of how our brain allows us to avoid these undesired objects.

The study, led by Canada Research Chair in Visual Neuroscience Mel Goodale, lead author Chris Striemer and colleagues in Western’s Department of Psychology, has been published in the current issue of the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

“We automatically choose a path for our hand that avoids hitting any obstacles that may be in the way,” says Goodale. “Every day, we perform hundreds of actions of this sort without giving a moment’s thought as to how we accomplish these deceptively simple tasks.”

In the study, a patient who had become completely blind on his left side following a stroke to the main visual area of the brain was asked to avoid obstacles as he reached out to touch a target in his right – or ‘good’ – visual field. Not surprisingly, he was able to avoid them as any normal-sighted individual would.

Amazingly, however, when obstacles were placed on his blind side, he was still able to avoid them – even though he never reported having seen them.

“The patient’s behaviour shows he is sensitive to the location of obstacles he is completely unaware of,” Striemer says. “The patient seemed to be as surprised as we were that he could respond to these ‘unseen’ obstacles,” Goodale adds.

These findings provide compelling evidence for the idea that obstacle avoidance depends on ancient visual pathways in the brain that appear to bypass the main visual areas that allow us to perceive the world. Thus, even when the part of the brain that gives us our visual experience is damaged, other parts of the brain still maintain a limited ability to use visual information from the eyes to control skilled movements of the limbs.

Additional experiments in Goodale’s lab at the world-renowned Centre for Brain & Mind have shown that these primitive visual pathways work only in real-time and do not have access to memories, even of the short-term variety. As an example, they provided an obstacle in the patient’s blind field but delayed his reach by two seconds. With this short delay, he no longer showed any sensitivity to the object’s location.

The study’s results have important implications for our understanding of what gets lost and what gets spared following damage to the brain’s main visual pathways, and point the way for new approaches to rehabilitation.

Source:
Jeff Renaud

University of Western Ontario

An Ohio Medicaid program was expanded this month to cover beneficiaries in assisted living facilities, but “only time will tell if assisted living becomes a true option” for Ohio Medicaid beneficiaries, the Dayton Daily News reports. Assisted living — the fastest growing type of housing in the country, according to AARP — usually is half the cost of nursing home care and allows patients more freedom, while providing 24-hour supervision, meals, transportation and housekeeping services, according to the Daily News.

Medicaid covers nursing home care for all elderly beneficiaries, but states must apply for a federal waiver to provide coverage for assisted living. Ohio last year received a waiver to allow coverage of assisted living. However, fewer than 240 of the 33,000 assisted living residents in Ohio are covered by Medicaid, and only 58 of the 280 eligible assisted living facilities accept Medicaid beneficiaries.

The assisted living industry says Ohio’s reimbursement rate, a maximum of $2,700 per month, is insufficient. A Miami University study found that the industry’s average monthly cost in 2005 was $3,240. The state says its reimbursements are in line with the finding of a MetLife survey that shows the average national cost for assisted living was $2,400 per month. According to the Daily News, the “larger issue” is whether the industry in Ohio, which traditionally has targeted more affluent people who can afford to pay for their own care, is willing to serve Medicaid beneficiaries (DeBrosse, Dayton Daily News, 7/23).

Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.