Health Benefits of Drinking Green Tea

Research on sophisticated diagnostic tests were presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the society for neuroscience in Washington, D.C.  According to a report published in USA Today, researchers from the University of California-San Diego combined “two advanced brain scanning techniques-MEG (Magnetoencephalography) and DTI (Diffusion Tensor Imaging)- that permitted them to detect brain damage in patients with mild traumatic brain injury in which conventional MRI and CT scans had been normal.  Mingxiong Huang, the presenting researcher from this study, stated “More research is needed before the dual technology can be used clinically in patients with such injuries (MTBI).”

Also presenting at the annual meeting were researchers from the University of Miami (Andrew Maudsley) who “reported that they used a new all-brain method of magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to detect for the first time widespread brain damage that sometimes fails to show up in conventional brain scans of patients with mild to moderate TBI.

The researchers studied 17 patients admitted to a trauma unit with closed head injuries.  According to USA Today, “They looked at changes in three major brain chemicals and compared them with healthy brain images.  They found the MRSI images picked up diffuse chemical changes in the TBI patients, even in people who had been classified as having very mild injury.”

Clearly, the day is coming when patients with mild traumatic brain injury will have their injuries confirmed by objective diagnostic testing which obviously will have a significant impact on neurolitigation.

The experience and skill of hair transplant surgeons vary, as do their results. That’s why only surgeons with a proven record of producing quality results are recommended on the Hair Transplant Network.

Recently, we invited our hair loss forum community to offer their input on the potential recommendation of Dr. Tom Rosanelli of San Francisco, CA. Learn how our community recommends hair transplant surgeons.

Dr. Rosanelli has been performing exclusive hair transplant surgery for over 20 years and has the staff and experience to perform regular sessions up to 3000 follicular unit grafts when appropriate for the patient. Our Publisher Pat Hennessey has also visited with and observed Dr. Rosanelli in live surgery. Pat was very impressed with his dedication to high quality follicular unit hair transplantation and how he and his dedicated staff work harmoniously together. To see the highlights of Pat’s visit, view “Visit to Dr. Tom Rosanelli’s Clinic in CA”.

After extensive research and seeking input from his patients and physician peers, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Rosanelli as our new recommended hair restoration surgeon. Be sure to congratulate and welcome him to our community by visiting the “Potential Recommendation of Dr. Rosanelli of San Francisco, CA”.

If you are considering hair transplant surgery, especially those local to San Francisco, we encourage you to consult with Dr. Rosanelli. See his physician profile including his contact information by clicking here.

Onwards and Upwards,

Patrick Hennessey and Bill Seemiller – Publishers of the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q&A Blog

Why is the bald crown (vertex) area referred to as the “black hole” for hair transplants?

This question was posed by a hair loss sufferer seeking hair loss help on our hair restoration forum and answered by Dr. Michael Beehner of Saratoga Springs, NY who is one of our recommended hair restoration physicians. His professional answer is below.

I can think of two good reasons to call the balding crown (vertex) a “black hole” for hair transplant surgery.  Number one, it is always larger than what the patient thinks, and, most importantly, it virtually always increases in size in all young and middle-aged men with hair loss (and even in a lot of the older ones!) and the area increases almost logarithmically, not in simple direct proportion to the increase of the diameter.

The second reason is that, because of the “whorl” or swirl arrangement of hairs, there isn’t a lot of overlap in this area with most styling patterns compared with how transplanted hair looks thicker in the areas on top and in the temples.

I’ll throw in two more observations: The crown is almost never the most important area of hair loss, the front half of the scalp is, and it is important, especially if your budget is limited, to spend your money on this area. The frontal area is what frames your face and directly affects your appearance to people. The second observation I would make is that, if you persuade your hair loss doctor to fill in the entire top of the head and also the crown with a hair transplant - this is assuming that much donor hair can be found on that given day - it is my very strong hunch that the follicular unit grafts placed in the bald crown don’t grow as well as the grafts on top when that much work is done. My best guess is that the donor scar behind the area and all the recipient sites made in front of it combine to slightly deprive these grafts of blood supply. I don’t think this happens in all men, but in a good percentage. Light crown coverage (say, 300 FU’s) probably isn’t affected.

Mike Beehner, M.D.

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Bill - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

This is a scary thought for recovered bald men and women who just spent thousands of dollars restoring their hair with hair restoration surgery.  Hair loss docgtors and patients alike have told others seeking on our hair loss forum that transplanted hair is permanent.  But what about the few individuals that have reported a loss of transplanted hair?  Is this a normal or rare phenomenon?  What are the risks that it could happen to you?

On this forum thread, a forum member shares their concern over lost transplanted hair and receives physician input.  Feel free to offer your own input or ask your own questions on this critical topic.

Bill Seemiller - aka Falceros
Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network and the Hair Loss Learning Center
View my Hair Loss Weblog

At present, the gold standard for objectively proving that an individual sustained a mild traumatic brain injury is through neuropsychological testing.  As we know, standard diagnostic testing such as CT scans, MRIs and EEGs, due to their lack of sensitivity, rarely if ever detect brain abnormalities in patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

However, advances in neuroimaging may soon eliminate the need for neuropsychological testing to diagnose brain damage.  Advances in FMRI and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will soon become the gold standard.

I recently read an article published in Brain entitled “Structural Dissociation of Attentional Control and Memory in Adults with and without Mild Traumatic Brain Injury”.  The article by S. N. Niogi et al, noted that executive function such as attention and memory are among the most significant human brain processes impacting overall cognitive function.  The study contained 43 patients prospectively recruited with mild TBI, (28 males, 15 females) who were imaged at least one month post injury and 23 healthy volunteers, (17 males, 6 females).  There was no significant difference in mean age, gender, handedness, or level of education between the mild TBI group and the control group.  Those with a prior history of TBI, a history of neurological or psychiatric illness were excluded.  All subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging along with conventional MRI.  The study provided clear evidence that DTI may serve as a microstructural imaging biomarker for cognitive dysfunctions and variations within normal cognitive functions.  Hopefully, further research will confirm this finding.  DTI has already been accepted in our courts as a reliable neuroimaging mechanism to detect brain injury from trauma.  Further studies such as this will only strengthen its admissibility.