A new University of Cincinnati (UC) study questions the commonly held scientific belief that childhood brain aneurysms are caused by trauma, infection or underlying vascular malformations. [click link for full article]

Yi-Chang Chiu wants to move people efficiently - lots of people, millions of people - in response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster. [click link for full article]

College students who go to bed late are more likely to have poor quality sleep, which may affect their mental health and academic performance, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).The study, conducted by Jung Kim, PhD, of Pohang University of Science in Technology in South Korea, was based on a survey of 399 college students in Korea. [click link for full article]

Chronic sleep restriction has a negative effect on a person’s cardiac activity, which may elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). [click link for full article]

College students with medical-related majors are more likely to have poorer quality of sleep in comparison to those with a humanities major, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).The study, conducted by Aryn Karpinski of West Virginia University, focused on 129 students, with an average age of 19. [click link for full article]

A common practice among many college students involves “pulling all-nighters”, or a single night of total sleep deprivation, a practice associated with lower grade-point averages compared to those who make time for sleep, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).”Sleep in college students is generally inadequate, irregular and of poor quality. [click link for full article]

Athletes who get an extra amount of sleep are more likely to improve their performance in a game, according to a research abstract presented at SLEEP 2007, the 21st Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS). [click link for full article]

Health Canada is advising consumers using certain lots of Fraxiparine (0.6 ml) and Fraxiparine Forte (0.8 ml) pre-filled glass syringes of a recall of the products because the syringes may crack or break which could lead to health risks for patients. Patients are advised to contact their physician to obtain another suitable product but should not discontinue their medication before consulting their health care provider. [click link for full article]

The Health Department is investigating a cluster of three new hepatitis C infections in people who received intravenous (IV) anesthesia from the same NYC-based anesthesiologist in August 2006. Although the investigation is not complete, the available evidence suggests that the infections occurred during the administration of anesthesia medications during outpatient medical procedures. There is no indication that the medical procedures themselves caused the infections. [click link for full article]

We can confirm that a review of patients’ case notes in hospitals across England and Scotland has been carried out. The review was an extension of two previous patient notification exercises (lookbacks) that were triggered by the discovery that two separate health care workers (HCWs) were infected with Hepatitis C and had transmitted the disease to one of their patients. [click link for full article]