Surprising New Findings about Brain Cells after Injury

The role of neurons in the repair of damaged brain tissue after an injury has been the subject of extensive research in this field.  California brain injury lawyers have always known that certain types of brain cells have the ability to exacerbate the injury.  However, a new study finds that these brain cells actually play a much more complex role in brain injury than earlier thought.  The study finds that certain kinds of brain cells are actually needed to help stop bleeding and help rejuvenate the cells.

These particular brain cells are known as astrocytes, and are believed to rush to the site of the injury after one has occurred.  However, their role is now believed to be much more beneficial than previously thought. 

The new study that was published in the journal Nature recently, especially focused on the replacement of damaged or lost brain neurons after an injury, to restore the function of the brain.  Once brain cells have been damaged, they cannot multiply.  Therefore, the focus of many studies has been to trigger the production of brain stem cells, in order to produce new neurons to replace the damaged cells.   

This process has been difficult because the brain stem cells also produce astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.  These cells together are known as glial cells.  Although these cells are beneficial, the increased number of astrocytes after a brain injury has been considered to have a negative effect on patients’ chances of healing after a brain injury.

However, the researchers found that astrocytes that are produced in one particular niche of the brain, called the sub ventricular zone, are different from those that are produced in other regions of the brain, in that these astrocytes rush to the injured area to stop bleeding, reduce scarring and allow recovery.

Older Workers Continue to Face Age Discrimination

The number of older workers in the workforce has increased since the economic downturn, as many older workers postpone their plans for retirement.  However, many of these workers also face increasing bias from colleagues and employers, and this discrimination can range all the way from lower pay and promotion opportunities, to insults, and jeers on the job.

A new study recently found that approximately two thirds of workers between the age of 45 and 74 admitted to having either seen or experienced age bias in the workplace.  The study, which was conducted by the AARP, found that a majority of senior workers believe that age discrimination is not only alive, but also thriving in the workplace.  Out of these, two thirds of seniors who admitted that they saw or experienced age discrimination in the workplace, as many as 92% said that it is very or somewhat common.

According to the study, the earliest point at which a worker can begin to experience age-related bias is when he enters his 50s.  However, many respondents in the survey also believed that age bias can be seen much earlier.  As many as 20% of the respondents said that they had experienced or seen workplace age-based discrimination when a worker reaches his 30s or 40s.  The majority of opinions however was that age bias creeps in when a person enters his 50s.

The types of discrimination vary.  About one in five said that that they had not been hired for a job that they were qualified for based on their age, while 12% were passed up for a promotion because they were too old.  About 9% of the people were fired because of their age.

Entertainer Andy Travis Sues Texas Agencies for Releasing DUI Arrest Footage

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Country music star and entertainer Randy Travis is upset with Texas agencies who recently ordered footage from his arrest for DUI last summer, released to the public.  The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Office of the Attorney General are now being sued by the entertainer.

The Office of the Attorney General recently ruled that some evidence about the DUI arrest of the entertainer must be retained, and the rest of information can be released to the public.  The information is being released under a public information act request.  Some important information like medical records and motor vehicle records will be retained.

Travis has filed a lawsuit against the TexasDepartment of Public Safety and the Office of the Attorney General, seeking $100,000 in damages.  The lawsuit is also seeking to protect all evidence about his DUI arrest from being released under the request.

The footage is related to the entertainer’s DUI arrest on August 7 just outside Dallas.  Travis was found naked after an accident involving his Pontiac Trans Am.  He was arrested, convicted, was fined $2,000 and received a 180-day suspended jail sentence.  He was also sentenced to two years probation.  He completed 100 hours of community service, and was also ordered to spend 30 days at an alcohol treatment facility, and get an ignition interlock device installed in any vehicle he drives while he's on probation.

At the time, his defense attorneys asked that the evidence of the arrest, including the video and transcripts not be released to the public.  The judge ruled that the video evidence should not be released, but the Attorney General later issued a ruling saying that some evidence could be released under the public information request.

Los Angeles Leads in Number of Dog Bites Involving Postal Employees

Mail carriers in the city of Los Angeles have more reason to be nervous about dog bites, than any other city in the United States.  The City of Angels leads the list of the most inhospitable cities across the country compiled by the U.S. Postal Service. 

According to the list, last year alone, approximately 69 postal employees were victims of dog bite attacks in Los Angeles.  The data clearly places the city of Los Angeles at the top of the list as far as dog bites involving letter carriers are concerned.  Across this country, there were 5,839 dog bites involving postal employees last year. 

The acting postmaster of Los Angeles is warning that if a letter carrier sees a particular dog as a threat, the owner of the property will be asked to collect mail from the post office until it is deemed safe to deliver to the house.  The postmaster is also asking residents to make sure that their dogs are locked up at the times that mail is due to be delivered to the home.

Los Angeles dog bite lawyers recommend that you inform your local post office about the time you would like the mail to be delivered, and take measures to restrain your pets appropriately so that the letter carrier can deliver the mail safely.

Letter carriers are the number one victims of dog bites across the country.  Nationwide, more than 2.5 million children every year are injured in dog bites.  In fact, children are some of the biggest victims of dog bites.  The U.S. Postal Service as well as veterinarians and insurers are collaborating in an effort to celebrate May19 to 25 as National Dog Bite Prevention Week

Female Anthropologists Face Widespread Sexual Harassment

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For many young women looking to make a career for themselves in anthropology, it seems like a very exciting career, and rightly so.  There’s the feeling that comes with gaining a deep and intimate knowledge of a culture, and long field trips on remote locations, trying to understand what made a people tick.  However, the field of anthropology also seems to have a darker side that not many people are aware of.  There have been widespread incidents of sexual harassment, including rape and sexual assault that have been perpetrated on young females in this field.

A group of female anthropologists have conducted a study that shows a very high incidence of sexual harassment.  More than 20% of the female anthropologists who took part in the study reported that they had experienced some kind of sexual harassment on the job.  This includes physical harassment or unwanted sexual contact.

The team of female anthropologists conducted an online survey.  They contacted female colleagues using Facebook, e-mails and via blogs.  The results of the study were presented recently at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

According to the study, as many as 30% of the respondents reported that they faced verbal abuse very often, or frequently.  Another 60% of the women reported that they had been the target of inappropriate sexual remarks and other jokes, compared with 39% of males.  There were 20% of the women who reported having suffered some kind of physical sexual harassment or unwanted social contact on the job.

It is not surprising to Los Angeles sexual harassment lawyers that most of these cases seemed to involve female victims, while the perpetrator was almost always a male colleague with higher professional status.  In this field, it's common to have mentors and protégés, and very often, the perpetrators of the harassment were found to be the mentors.

Reese Witherspoon, Husband Arrested for DUI, Disorderly Conduct

Actress Reese Witherspoon has a prim and respected reputation in Hollywood.  However, that reputation is likely to be somewhat tarnished after the actress's recent arrest for disorderly conduct.  Her arrest coincided with the arrest of her husband for DUI.

The incident unfolded when police officers pulled over Witherspoon‘s husband, Jim Toth after spotting his car driving in the wrong lane.  He was pulled over by the cops, who proceeded to administer the actress's husband a sobriety test.  However, by time, Witherspoon was beginning to get very frustrated with the delay in letting her husband go, and did something that no LosAngeles DUI lawyer would recommend, she began to interfere with the proceedings. 

Her husband rated a .139 on the test, which is more than the legally permissible alcohol level of .08 in California.  At this point, Witherspoon got out of the car, and began arguing with the cops.  According to reports, she seemed very upset, and asked the cops if they knew who she was, and warned them that within the next few hours they were going to be on national news, because of their conduct with her.

Both she and her husband were taken to jail, he for driving under the influence, and she for disorderly conduct.  Both of them were handcuffed and taken to jail, and were released on bond a few hours later.

Since the embarrassing arrest, the actress has released a statement saying that she was unable to comment on the legal situation, but she was embarrassed about the things that she said during the arrest.  She also clearly admitted to having had too much to drink.

Man Acquitted of Sex Crime after Claiming Sleep Sex Disorder

A Danish court has cleared a man who had been charged with sex crimes involving molestation of 2 teenage girls, of all charges because he suffers from a condition called “sexomnia.”  This is a condition in which a person engages in sexual activities during sleep. 

The charges stem from an incident that occurred in 2011.  The man was at a party with the teenagers, and all of them had gone to sleep.  According to the charges against him, he fondled the teenagers in his sleep.  When the girls woke, they found the man molesting them, and immediately reported this to the police.  The man denied all knowledge of the acts, saying that he did not remember anything.

He was charged with several sex crimes, but the court has now cleared him of those charges, saying that doctors have confirmed that he suffers from this rare sexual condition. 

According to the court, medical tests have confirmed that the man suffers from a condition called sexomnia in which a person engages in sexual activities even during sleep.  This disorder isn't as bizarre as you would suppose.  In fact, according to doctors, it is a fairly rare sleep disorder, but is definitely a genuine disorder.  In fact, Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys have come across research that sufficiently establishes the presence of such a condition. 

Sexomnia is also known as “sleep sex,” and actually impacts far more people every year than is known.  Some experts describe this condition as “sleepwalking through sex” in which the person continues to indulge in all kinds of sexual activities, just as he would have in an awakened state, in a state of utter and absolute sleep.  Upon waking, the person may have no memory of what happened.