Synthetic Voice Box

Two successful surgeries in Russia are bringing the reality of synthetic voice boxes closer to reality. In June, surgeons successfully implanted manmade laryngotracheal implants in a 34-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man. The implants were created by Massachusetts-based Harvard Bioscience. The surgeries used a 5-centimeter synthetic part consisting of a section of trachea topped by a version of the cricoid arch and plate, which forms the base of the larynx. Visit the Harvard Bioscience website.

Age, Gender, and TBIs

If an athlete is young or female, chances are that it will take her longer to recover from concussions. According to new research, female athletes (compared with male athletes) and high school athletes (compared with college athletes) performed worse on verbal and visual memory tests, reporting more symptoms and still showing impairment up to two weeks after injury. See the full study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

Parkinson's Disease Gene Found

University of Saskatchewan researchers have identified an abnormal gene that leads to Parkinson's disease. Focusing on Saskatchewan Mennonite families, researchers found that 13 of 57 members of one extended Saskatchewan family were diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and three other single cases from Mennonites in Saskatchewan and British Columbia were also diagnosed. All diagnosed patients carried an abnormal gene—a mutated version of DNAJC13. For more information, visit the University of Saskatchewan website.