WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Teams of university scientists backed by U.S. government funds hope to grow new skin, ears, muscles and other body tissue for troops injured in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Defense Department said on Thursday. “We’ve had just over 900 people, men, some women with amputations of some kind or another since the start of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Ward Casscells, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs. Many have also suffered burns, spinal cord injuries and vision loss. “Getting these people up to where they are functioning and reintegrated, employed, able to help their families and be fully participating members of society, this is our task,” he said.

This interesting little gizmo, worn around the waist and upper thigh, is being developed by Honda to assist the elderly and other people with weakened leg muscles to walk more easily. The device will be demoed at the International Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled (BARRIER FREE 2008) which will be held at Intex Osaka, Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008. Honda began research of a walking assist device in 1999 with a goal to provide more people with the joy of mobility. Currently, the device has entered into the feasibility stage.

Medical News Today has an interesting article on the discovery of armed forces surgeons who have discovered that mobility limitations in soldiers who have required amputations can prevent formation of scar tissue and can inhibit the development of stiffness and mobility challenges.

A procedure currently performed all over the world for cosmetic purposes might also improve wound healing and limb function for soldiers who are severely hurt and scarred during combat. Dr. Adam Katz, plastic surgeon and researcher at the University of Virginia Health System, will conduct research in this area under the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM). White House officials announced the formation of AFIRM, which has received more than $80 million for research.

Belgian researchers have developed a brainwave reading headset which requires no batteries, and no external power source, overcoming a powerful obstacle to using this type of technology for day to day assisted living for the disabled. Combine this assistive technology with a little 4G WiFi, predictive neuroscience, some useful computer software, perhaps a GPS tracking device attached to an iPhone controlled electric scooter/wheelchair or exoskeleton, and the human body is on track to become more of a simple brain house than a work horse. The possibilities are limitless.

Researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham, have discovered that an increase in grey matter in the brains of stroke patients and accident victims can result in drastically increased mobility of a disabled limb. While the mechanism for this improvement is not yet fully understood, research into this phenomena is expected to produce information and results over the next few years.

Pinktentacle translates a cyborg project from Asahi into English for those of us who aren’t blessed with the ability to read Hiragana/Katakana…and what they’ve dug up is astonishing! Japanese researchers have been implanting electrodes for monitoring activities directly into subjects brains. Researchers have already applied with ethics committees to begin robotic testing and expect to have great success. Resistance is futile.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a process by which sections of nerves, such as those within the spinal cord, have what has been termed a ‘burst generator’ which controls rhythmic motions such as walking. This research, sadly only completed in medicinal leeches at print time, may lead to insights into treatment methodologies to help restore mobility in the future.

Italian researchers have successfully prevented relapses in 60 percent of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) sufferers in a new study researching the effectiveness of oral medication into the effects of this devastating condition. Currently most MS medications need to be injected, resulting in discomfort and lowered rates of adoption. Though research is both early and continuing, the promising results for an oral delivery route for effective medication could prove to enhance the quality of life for roughly 3 million patients worldwide.

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a protein involved in blood pressure control can be used to ’steer’ the growth and regrowth of nerve tissue in mice. Nature magazine has a feature article about the phenomena in this month’s issue, and Johns Hopkins has issued a press release.

Purpose

1. To evaluate improvements in hand function in stable, cervical spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects treated with functional electrical stimulation (FES)-assisted exercise;
2. To compare the information obtained from existing qualitative and quantitative hand function tests with newly developed tests of sensorimotor performance.