Neuroscientists regenerate severed spinal cord

Research by scientists at King’s College London may pave the way for new treatments of spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries typically arise from car accidents, violence, falls and sports injuries, with an average of two new cases admitted every day in the UK alone.

In research published in Nature* this week, scientists from the Centre for Neuroscience Research at King’s, show how an en…

Enjoy exercise – but do it safely

Launching Australia’s updated Guidelines for Preventing Heat Illness in Sport, Minister for Ageing, Julie Bishop said today that vigorous and sustained exercise could place people at risk of heat illness – a risk that increases in hot weather.

Most people recover quickly from heat illness. But, if untreated, it can lead to heat stroke and even death.

“Medical advice suggests that you stop…

Exercise response varies with genetics

Study Identifies Genes and Mutations Associated with Exercise Traits.

Your parents may be to thank(or to blame) for how your body responds to exercise, and the genes responsible are slowly being identified. That’s one of the conclusions of research published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM.) As presented in the November issue of ACSM’s official journal, Medicine & Scienc…

High-dose vitamin D Prevents Fractures In Elderly

A new analysis of nearly a dozen studies testing vitamin D in older individuals has concluded that it takes a daily dose of at least 800 international units (IU) to consistently prevent broken bones.

A dose that high was found to reduce the risk of hip fracture by 30 percent and other breaks by 14 percent. Lower doses didn’t have any effect.

The report, published in the New England Journa…

Animal studies show promise treating severe chronic pain

In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team of scientists established in a series of animal studies the therapeutic potential of selectively deleting specific nerve cells from the nervous system that convey severe chronic pain.

So effective was the treatment in eight dogs severely affected by osteroarthritis, cancer-related pain, or both, all eventually became more …

Achieve fitness with water aerobics

INDIANNAPOLIS-The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), in the March 2002 issue of its official monthly journal, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise® , released a study that reviewed the physiological responses of older women to a water-based exercise program. The results show significant improvement in four areas of health-related fitness, with implications for the older popu…

Road crashes top cause of spinal injury

Road crashes and other transport-related accidents remain the most frequent cause of spinal cord injury in Australia – and young men aged 15 to 24 are most at risk, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report, Spinal Cord Injury, Australia, 1999-00, presents national statistics on new cases of spinal cord injury from traumatic causes.

Restoring confidence in complementary medicines

The review was conducted by a specially convened Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System and was chaired by Dr Michael Bollen AM, a former member of the National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Council.

The committee of 18 experts comprising representatives of the complementary medicines industry along with academics and cli…

Discovery of crocs temperature regulator may lead to major pain relief

Sydney University researchers have identified how crocodiles and other reptiles detect temperature – shedding new light on their adaptation to environmental changes and pointing to new pain treatments for humans.

Dr Frank Seebacher and Dr Shauna A Murray from Sydney University’s School of Biological Sciences have shown that reptiles possess a family of genes that code for proteins which act …