Stark & Stark (LexBlog Australia)
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May’s International Brain Injury Association Journal Studies
This month’s issue of Brain Injury, the official journal of the International Brain Injury Association, was devoted to pediatric traumatic brain injury. Multiple research studies were conducted and included in the journal. Below are summaries of some of these studies: A study out of Sydney, Australia compared children who sustained traumatic brain injury to children...
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Cognitive Reserve and Age Predict Cognitive Recovery after Traumatic Brain Injury
Researchers from Melbourne, Australia looked at cognitive reserve and age as factors to predict the cognitive recovery after a mild to severe traumatic brain injury. Recognizing that the persistence of injury-related cognitive impairments can have devastating consequences after traumatic brain injury, the researchers undertook a longitudinal study to examine the long-term cognitive recovery in 109
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Australia Classifies E-Cigarettes as Dangerous
Despite recent pressure from the high-powered, tobacco-backed vaping industry, Australia recently ruled to keep nicotine-laden e-cigarettes illegal in its country. E-Cigarettes with Nicotine Ruled Illegal in Australia A leader in the fight against smoking, Australia classifies nicotine as a poison and has a ban on e-cigarette products that contain the substance. Vaping fluids that do...
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Childhood Concussions Linked to Anxiety and Depression Years Later
According to a recent study, children who sustained concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI) may experience anxiety, phobias, and depression years later. Lead author Michelle Albicini, a researcher at Monash University School of Psychological Sciences in Melbourne, Australia, says that the study suggests that brain injury is related to long-term anxiety symptoms. The anxiety may...
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Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Study Finds Link Between Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) & Cognition
A new study from the University of Adelaide in Australia found that in the medium- to long-term pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI), the fractional anisotropy (FA) values for numerous large white matter tracks in comparison to the whole brain were related to cognition. This study, published online in Developmental Neuropsychology, specifically examined the relationship between...
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New Study Generates Discussion over the Benefit of Bike Helmets
A new study by researchers in New South Wales, Australia (“NSW”) has generated a lot of buzz of late concerning the usefulness of bicycle helmets. The paper by M. Bambach, et al., published in the April 2013 edition of the journal Accident Prevention and Analysis, was reportedly intended to examine the whether or not helmets...
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Diffusion Tensor Imaging Detects White Matter Abnormalities and Associated Cognitive Deficits in Chronic Adolescent TBI
Researchers in Australia and Cincinnati utilized diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to examine the long‑term alterations in white matter microstructure following traumatic brain injury in adolescents. The researchers utilized DTI in this study, noting that rotational and shearing forces associated with traumatic brain injury often result in multi‑focal and diffuse axonal injuries which are not...
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Fluids Given To Brain Injury Patients Impact Survival Rates
A new study out of Australia and New Zealand found new information relating to the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injuries. The "SAFE-TBI Study" published in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirms that the choice of resuscitation fluids affects the chances of patients with brain injury surviving their injury.
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Predicting Depression Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
An article by Harvey S. Levin, Ph.D. and colleagues entitled Predicting Depression Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury concludes that there is support for the feasibility of identifying patients with mild traumatic brain injury who are high risk for developing major depressive episode by three months' post injury.
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6th World Congress on Brain Injury
The 6th World Congress on Brain Injury will be held in Melbourne Australia in May. I will be involved with two programs at the confrenece including a workshop discussing the benefits and pitfalls of various automobile liability programs, and a medical-legal program discussing traumatic brain injury and malingering.
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International Brain Injury Association World Congress
Next May, the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) will be holding its 6th World Congress in Melborne, Australia. The conference will run from May 6 through May 8, 2005. I have just learned that there will be a medico-legal workshop examining “Access to Rehabilitation and Compensation. Who pays/how much/when/who cares?” I have been asked, and...