Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Mental Health Care for our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007 last week. This legislation would create a "Center of Excellence" in coordination with the Department of Defense in order to research and aid in the development of ways to prevent and treat traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers during their time of service.

Researchers at the American Academy of Neurology have recently localized two new genes that are associated with fever-related seizures in children.

In an effort to understand and help diagnosis the increasing number of brain injuries suffered by soldiers during their time of service, the United States Army will begin testing brain scanning equipment.

 

In this WEBMD report via Fox News, we learn that a new study has found that even one high fat meal may have negative cardiovascular implications.  Specifically, the study found that one high fat meal may increase stress on the heart.

Study author Tavis Campbell, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Calgary:  “What’s really shocking is that it’s just one meal.  It's been well documented that a high-fat diet leads to  atherosclerosis , hardening of the arteries, and high blood pressure, and that exaggerated and prolonged cardiovascular responses to stress are associated with high blood pressure in the future."

In the study one group ate a high fat meal and one ate a low fat meal with the same number of calories and sodium.  Stress tests conducted two hours later showed that, “regardless of the task, the blood pressure response was greater among those who ate the high-fat meal than those who ate the low-fat one.”

While I normally tend to feel that total calorie consumption trumps worrying too much about fat content, per se, this study would tend to corroborate the long held medical view that a heavy fat diet is dangerous for your heart.  In fact, even one heavy fat meal is dangerous for your heart.

 

I recently found this article on NewsWise.com from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) that discusses a very interesting topic: morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population, as a result of traumatic brain injuries.