By Gayle White, April 1, 2007 (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)- Don Pollard's eyes widened. He was breathing. His diaphragm was going up and down, pulling air into his lungs and forcing it out.
The sensation felt strange to the 28-year-old, who has depended on a ventilator since he was injured in a car crash before his second birthday.
"My diaphragm hasn't moved — at least not like that — in 27 years," said Pollard, who is paralyzed from the neck down except for limited movement in his right arm. "I've never had that kind of feeling..."
March 21, 2007 (eMaxHealth.com)- A multidisciplinary investigation led by Inderjit Singh, Ph.D, of the Medical University of South Carolina, has resulted in a new treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The study investigates the efficacy of atorvastatin (AT), (i.e. Lipitor) as a treatment for spinal cord injuries following trauma...
March 7, 2007 (TheBostonChannel.com)- It's been one year since Dana Reeve passed away. Dana and her husband, the late actor Christopher Reeve, became crusaders for spinal cord injury research after he became paralyzed.
NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported Wednesday that a promising treatment once used by Reeve is now available to people in Boston. It's offering new hope for patients who once may have felt hopeless.
Richard Maloney was paralyzed in a swimming accident 20 years ago. He walked with crutches for the first time Wednesday...
By Tan Ee Lyn, March 8, 2007 (news.scotsman.com, Rutgers)- Scientists are preparing for a large clinical trial in 2008 which aims to use stem cells to help 400 patients with spinal cord injuries in Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan grow new cells and nerve fibres.
Stem cells from umbilical cord blood will be injected into the spinal cords of the participants, who will also be given lithium to help stimulate cell regeneration, said Wise Young, a leading neuroscientist and spinal cord injury researcher...
March 4, 2007 (Medical News Today)- Macrophages are the immune cells that engulf and destroy the debris of damaged tissue to enable the healing process to begin. Their presence at the scene of damage is critical, but once their task is complete, it is just as critical that macrophages exit rapidly, ending the inflammatory process and making way for regrowth. In fact, the continued presence of macrophages could damage tissue, compromising repair...