USA Today (11/26, Lloyd) reports that “people who burn off the most energy have healthier, younger brains compared with adults who do less,” according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. After using magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of 876 seniors, researchers found that “those who burned the most calories had 5% more gray matter.”

Related Links:

— “Burning energy may bulk up your brain cells, “Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY, November 23, 2012.

Medwire (11/24, McDermid) reported that according to a study published online Nov. 22 in the journal The Lancet Neurology, “the true incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is about sixfold higher than official figures state.” For the study, researchers “used sources including hospitals, brain imaging records, family doctors, prisons, traffic accident records, coroner and autopsy records, and accident records of schools and sports centers” to find that “the incidence of any TBI was 790 per 100,000 person-years, age-standardized to 811 per 100,000 person-years. From this, the team estimates that 54-60 million people worldwide have a TBI each year, with 2.2-3.6 million people having moderate or severe injury.”

Related Links:

— “Official stats underestimate brain injury, “Eleanor McDermid, Medwire News, November 23,2012.

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, five major US airports with designated smoking areas do not have sufficient ventilation to mitigate the risks of second-hand smoke to non-smoking passengers.

USA Today (11/20, Koch, Today) reports that the new CDC report warns that “ventilation at five major US airports with designated smoking areas does not protect passengers from the health risks of secondhand smoke.” The report finds that “pollution levels adjacent (within a meter or 39 inches) to smoking areas are five times higher than levels at airports that entirely ban smoking.” Tim McAfee, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, explains that “These are unnecessary dangers for airport employees and passengers.” The airports named in the report are: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Denver International Airport and Salt Lake City International Airport.

HealthDay (11/21) reports that “in 2011, about 15 percent of all US air travel took place at these five airports, accounting for more than 110 million passenger boardings.”

Also covering the story are Reuters (11/21, Beasley), the Salt Lake (UT) Tribune, (11/21, Davidson) the Denver Post (11/21, Raabe), and the Las Vegas Sun (11/20).

Related Links:

— “CDC: Airports that allow smoking pose health risks, “Wendy Koch, USA TODAY, November 20, 2012.

The Washington Post (11/21, Vogel) “Federal Eye” blog reports that the US Army “has launched a ‘Hire a Veteran’ education campaign aimed at debunking myths about hiring veterans” with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injuries (TBI). The blog adds, “Recent research by the Society for Human Resource Management, which is partnering with the Army in the campaign, has shown some employers are concerned about the impact of PTSD and TBI on a veteran’s job performance, as well as the cost of accommodating these veterans in the workplace.” According to the blog, the “Hire a Veteran” campaign “includes a video and online employer toolkit that can be downloaded” here.

Related Links:

— “Army launches campaign to dispel myths about vets with PTSD and TBI, “Steve Vogel, The Washington Post, November 20, 2012.

Medwire (11/21, Grasmo) reports that “over half of all patients with bipolar disorder (BD) on prescribed medication show compliance issues, with most unable to attribute their deteriorating condition to this behavior,” according to a study published in the December issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders. “The 15-question survey designed to ascertain 2448 psychiatrists’ perceptions on the level and causes of non-adherence in eight European countries revealed that 57% of their BD patients had medication compliance issues.” What’s more, “one-fifth of psychiatrists estimated that most patients show, or have shown, a lack of awareness about their condition, with three in four psychiatrists reporting that most patients who deteriorated following medication discontinuation were unable to attribute this to non-compliance.”

Related Links:

— “Bipolar patients oblivious to medication non-adherence risks,”Ingrid Grasmo, MedwireNews, November 21, 2012.